Trust

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THE PROPHECIES THAT PREDICTED OUR REDEMPTION

(Isaiah 42:6-9) “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.  I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.  See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

Isaiah wrote around the years 740-700BC.  The accuracy of his prophecies has been proven time and time again, and he is considered to be the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  Here in this passage, he quotes the words of the Father about the coming of Jesus his Son.  Our Easter celebration is about the fulfillment of the Father’s plan of redemption. 

As Isaiah predicted, Jesus brought to us the new covenant for the people.  He brought light to us who live in this sinful world, and he has set the captives free.  We have been released from the dungeon of darkness.  All this has been offered to the whole world.  And we are celebrating with our whole hearts.   

Jesus carried the sins of the world to the cross.  He died for our sins, and on the third day, the Father raised him to life in victory over death.  I can’t think of anything more worthy of celebration than this.  May our gratitude overflow as we celebrate our Savior, Christ Jesus – the Son of God.

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DO NOT FRET

(Psalm 37:7-11) Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.  For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.  A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.  But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. 

 Have you ever been scammed?  What a horrible feeling when you realize someone has stolen your money, and that they fooled you into giving it to them.  Well, the words from Psalm 37 tell us not to fret; the wicked will lose in the end.    

We are also instructed to, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.”  When the initial shock of our loss is over, we need to be careful.  The scammer can steal something much more valuable.  We can lose our joy, peace of mind, and even be plagued by unhealthy fear.  There is also the danger of falling into a time of hate and a desire for revenge.  To avoid these reactions, we need to turn to the Lord our God.

To fret means to worry, agonize, and struggle.  That means if we fret over our loss, evil wins a victory over us that can lead to all kinds of destruction in our lives.  But if we are, “…still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” He will guide us into personal victory over evil.  Those who are evil and refuse to repent will be destroyed. “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.”

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THE DANGER OF THE UNSAVED WORLD

(Ephesians 4:17-19) So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

Isn’t it interesting that the world around the Ephesian Christians sounds like the present-day world?  Think about the words “futility of their thinking”.  In our times there seems to be frequent opportunity to form the question, “what were they thinking”?  As you read through today’s scripture, I think you’ll find that the Apostle Paul clarifies why the thinking of the world of today is illogical. 

Paul wanted the Ephesians to be careful to not fall into the darkened understanding and separation from the life of God that was going on all around them.  The world has definitely not changed regarding its spiritual condition.  Therefore, Paul’s warning is as significant for God’s children today, as it was in his day.

The common statement, “we are in the world, but not of the world,”2 is relevant.  We are members of God’s eternal kingdom, and no longer of this fallen world.  We are the redeemed, so therefore, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into living as Jesus taught us.  Jesus said that we are salt and light to the world around us.  So not living as the unsaved world is paramount.  We cannot be salt and light for our neighbors, if we are living the same life as those who live in darkness.

2 see Jesus’ prayer in John Chapter 17

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 TO OBEY

(1 John 2:3-6) We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.  Who ever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.  But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.  This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

When you think about the word obey, what comes to mind?  Do you cringe or perhaps get defensive?  These are normal reactions from us humans.  We don’t like someone telling us what to do. In order for us to want to obey God’s commands, a relationship of love and trust must develop.  I found this truth to be very helpful while working with children.  First, build a relationship with them, and then classroom control will be much easier.   We are much more likely to obey God’s commands, if we first enter into a relationship with him.

John tells us that if a person says they know God, but they don’t do what he commands that person is a liar.  I had an exchange with a young man once that illustrates this truth.  I asked him how he was doing with the Lord.  His response was that he was doing great with the Lord.  I knew that he was intimidating others to gain what he wanted from them, and he was selling drugs.  I therefore knew that he was lying about his relationship with the Lord.  At least I knew how to pray for him.

What are God’s commands? Jesus gave us a simple answer to this question and that is to love God and to love others.  Obeying these simple commands is not that simple because it requires us to surrender our will to God.  We give God the center place in our lives, and he teaches us how to love others.  That is not easy, but it is the best way to navigate this life.

 When we let go and put our trust in God, life becomes so much sweeter.  That’s why the song says, “Trust and obey – for there’s no other way – to be happy in Jesus – than to trust and obey.” *

*Song: Trust and Obey – written by John Sammis

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SHARING THE GOSPEL

(Romans 10:14) How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

I was taught the Bible throughout my childhood.  Sunday school teachers and pastors taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ and offered me the opportunity to receive salvation.  As a child of the 1950’s, even in public school, I heard the words of the Bible and prayed to God.  I said the sinners pray several times, and I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. You might say I was well schooled in the Christian faith.

After the Navy, I settled into family life and soon started attending church because it was the right thing to do.  When the pastor asked if I would teach the High School Sunday school class, I said yes.  It wasn’t long until I became the youth director and leader of the high school youth group.

The teaching from pastors and Sunday school teachers of my childhood gave me a firm foundation of Biblical knowledge. They encouraged me, and they lived the faith before me.  The seeds were planted, and they began to take root.  Stubborn as I was, I finally surrendered my life to the Lord and began to live fully for him. The faithfulness of those who came before me led me to the calling God had always intended for me. 

Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in both word and deed is God’s will for all his children. We share the good news and leave the rest to God.  He is faithful, and his timing is perfect.  (1Corinthians 3:6 NKJV, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.)  We partner with God to bring salvation to the world.

 I’m reminded of this old-time hymn which seems to define our part quite clearly, “trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, then to trust and obey.”

 (Lyrics are from the hymn “Trust and Obey” written by John H. Sammis in 1887)

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ALONE WITH GOD

(Mark 1:32-37) That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.  The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.  He also drove out many demons, but he would not let them speak because they knew who he was.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.  Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus ministered all day; and then in the evening, the whole town showed up requiring more from him.  He must have been exhausted.  How did he refresh?  Well, he probably laid down and went to sleep, but before daybreak he got up and went to find a place of solitude to meet with his Father in prayer.

I always knew about my need for sleep.  In my youth, I thought I could skate by with little sleep, but it frequently caught up with me.  The need for prayer and time with the Lord wasn’t so obvious. It took a while before I recognized this need.  Over the years, the awareness of my need for prayer and time with the Lord has greatly increased.  

It is often hard to find time to refresh, yet even Jesus needed sleep and a time of prayer.  I know from experience that skipping sleep and prayer might seem to be the way to get things done.  I found out that without sleep and time with the Lord my effectiveness was seriously hindered.   When I was teaching, I found myself shortchanging my student because I needed sleep.  I also found myself grouchy and unloving.  I needed sleep; but most of all, I needed time alone with the Father to refresh my soul.

You may be living a hectic life.  Jesus did.  How do we refresh to be able to handle the next day?  Jesus showed us the way.  Sleep helps to refresh the physical body; the soul is refreshed when we spend time alone with our God.

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ORDINARY PEOPLE CHOSEN BY GOD

Genesis 28:20&21 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God.

These verses are Jacob’s response to what God spoke to him in a dream.  In the dream God promised to watch over him, protect him and provide for him.  God also restated the blessings he gave to Abraham over Jacob.  Note that Jacob starts his response with the word “if”.  A clear indication that he has yet to put his trust in God.  He also says, “then the Lord will be my God.”   Again, he makes it clear that he has not yet sold out to the Lord being his God.

Jacob grew up in a Godly home with his father Issac who was Abraham’s son.  Issac was the son of the promise, the one to carry the Abrahamic blessing.  Jacob had not taken on the faith of his father and grandfather.  He had managed however to learn how to lie and deceive.  You can read about his deception and lying in Genesis chapters 26 and 27.

Jacob sounds like an ordinary person like me.  I know I lied to my parents, and I carried out other sinful misbehaviors in my youth.  I also took quite a while to come to faith and a true relation with God.  God never forsook me in my years of rebellion.  In his kindness, mercy, and patience he waited for me to come around.

God chose Jacob to be the one to carry on his plan.  It just took Jacob a while to get in line with the program.   All of us ordinary people who have received Jesus as our savior are participants in God’s plan.  He foreknows us and when we will surrender to his love. Our hesitation doesn’t disrupt his plan; God will bring about his plan right on time just as he did with Jacob. 

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IS LIFE MEANINGLESS?

(Ecclesiastes 12:13) Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

(Matthew 22:37-40) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.    

In The Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon called all that he saw and experienced in this life meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  As I read through the book of Ecclesiastes, I can see his point.  Yet, the most compelling part of Ecclesiastes is the conclusion, “fear God and keep his commandments.”

Fearing God can be more broadly explained as showing reverence and respect for the one who created us and by receiving the love he displayed by dying to save us.  Appropriate fear then would be to recognize that God has complete ownership, power and control over the entire universe.  He is worthy of our humble praise and worship.

Jesus summed up what it means to keep God’s commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  …Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Learning to love God has been an ongoing experience for me.  I grew closer to God as I recognized how he guided my life.  I have experienced his blessing and his discipline.  All his kindness and love for me drew me ever closer to him.  There was a time when I wasn’t sure I could say I love God, but that has changed.  Now, I can express my abiding love for him.

It would be quite easy to write a book about loving your neighbor as yourself.  First, you need to explore whether you indeed love yourself.  I don’t think you can love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself.  Loving yourself involves the natural self-preservation that is a part of our makeup, but learning to appreciate and accept the person God has made us to be brings about an inner confidence that leads to loving who we are.  Then, we can share ourselves with others.

So how do you transfer self-love to your neighbor?  I find that giving my time and talents to help my neighbors is a way of loving them.  It is the kind of love that Jesus gives to us.  I think that loving our neighbors actually helps us to love ourselves.  It’s seated in that wonderful feeling when you know you have blessed your neighbor.

Is life meaningless?  It is not meaningless if we are in a loving relationship with our creator, loving who God has created us to be, and sharing all that we are with our neighbors.  This results in a meaningful life.

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UNITY

(Psalm 133:1) How good and how pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Imagine how good and pleasant it would be if God’s people all over the globe lived in unity. Unity for our purposes today means: God’s people coming together with a single focus.  What is that single focus?  I think it can be expressed as – each of us, doing God’s will. 

 The billions of Christians who currently live on the earth, coming together in unity with God’s will, presents an awesome picture.  The question then for each of us is – who’s will dominates our life, God’s will or our will? If we are driven by our own will, then unity is not going to happen.  If we surrender our will and submit to God’s will, we will have unity.

  Jesus prayed to the Father, “not my will but your will.”   He was facing a horrible death but look at the results of his obedience.  Laying aside our will is difficult, but we can trust God with the outcome.

Submitting to God’s will is the goal; unity will be the reward. Oh, how good and how pleasant it will be.

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BODY SOUL AND SPIRIT

(Matthew 10:28) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

(Hebrews 4:12) For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We are made up of these three parts, a body, a soul, and a spirit.  Our first scripture from Matthew points out that here in the physical world only our body can be killed,but in the spiritual world we can lose our souls in hell, and God alone has power over our souls.

 I think that these words from Jesus are given to help us understand the difference in the temporal world verses the eternal world.  Think of it.  The short time we spend here compared to the never ending of eternity.  God has placed the choose of what will happen to our souls in our hands.  Jesus’ words expose the reality of Just living our lives here and forgetting the eternity to come.  Placing all our hopes in these few years here on earth can lead to our eternal demise. 

Our body is confined to the physical world.  Our soul and spirit live on after our body dies. The second scripture from Hebrews uses the word “even” with the idea of dividing soul and spirit.  I surmise that soul and spirit are closely connected because they would be difficult to separate.  From this point on I don’t have much understanding about the difference between soul and spirit.  I do know that the soul contains the essence of who we are, and Jesus died to save our souls from hell.  As to our spirit, the Bible refers to the spirit of man but doesn’t seem to give details.  

What will it be like in eternity and what we will be like when we get there? Leaving the body and still existing, this is a great mystery.  God loves us.  All we need to do is to put our body, soul and spirit in his hands.