faith

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HOPE

(Ephesians 1:18) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

Where I live the summers are very hot.  Often we have weeks where the temperature is more than a hundred degrees every day, and it barely cools off over night.  Occasionally we get a break when the day time highs are in the upper-nineties, and the overnight temperatures descend into the low sixties.  However, the heat returns, and we suffer through the hundred plus days until summer comes to an end.

Hope supports us through the summer months.  We know that cooler weather is coming.  It cooled down last year, so in hope we trust that the pattern will continue.  Meanwhile, we do our best to patiently wait for the heat to end.    

Isn’t life in Christ just like that?  We live in a world full of sin, and we personally deal with the sin within us.  Sometimes we have days full of love and peace.  Other times the battle is on, and we struggle through the hard times.  Yet we have great hope that the struggle will someday end, and we’ll be in the presence of the Lord forever.

Hope is the best way to navigate life.  Hope fills us with joy and gives us the strength to be patient in times of affliction.   Prayer keeps us in touch with our eternal Father so we can live our days anticipating our eternal future.  Our hope is in him who has promised us an eternal life basking in his love.  When we arrive at our final destination, hope will no longer be necessary. It will have fulfilled its purpose.  Till then, hope will be there to encourage us along life’s path.

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THE PRICE OF PEACE

(John 14:27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(Philippians 4:6&7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace comes with a price.  The first thing we will need to give up is pride.  The pride of self-reliance does not produce peace.  It produces stress. When difficulties come, there is no one to help, and we realize we are on our own.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  To find peace, we must give up our pride and admit we need Jesus.

Secondly, we must forgive.  Holding on to our right to be offended means we are the ones suffering.  Unforgiveness feeds on its self and weighs us down.  Letting go and forgiving sets us free and allows us be at peace.

Jesus holds the key to peace, and his word tells us how to find it.  Here are a few example

Do not worry; trust God for everything you need and in every situation.

            Forgive as you have been forgiven.

            Do not judge each other, but love one another.

            Love your enemies, and pray for them.

            Don’t concern yourself with treasures on earth.

            You should humble yourself and Pray.

The peace Jesus gives us does not rely on our circumstances.  His peace is founded in our reliance on him, no matter what our circumstances might be.  I guess we can conclude that when we have totally given ourselves to him, we’ll be able to continually experience the peace he gives us. 

I’m still working on completely giving myself to Jesus, but I am often able to find his peace.  How are you doing?

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WHY DID GOD CREATE THE WORLD?

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

These are two very familiar scripture that most of us know by heart.  We know that God created the world, and we know that he went to great lengths to redeem us from our rebellion against him.  So I am using these two scriptures because I find them instrumental in answering the question that’s been on my mind. Here’s the question: “For what purpose was God moved to create the heavens and the earth?”  No one can know the mind of God, but in this case, throughout the scriptures, he has clearly let us know why he created.

After the six days of creation, the rest of the Bible is about God’s interactions with mankind.  And since the first sin in chapter three of Genesis, God began the process of bringing about the redemption of mankind. He has provided the means for us to return to relationship with him. And for those who have received his redemption, we have returned to a relationship with our God. Throughout eternity, we will be his children, and he will be our Father.  I think we have the answer to our question.  God wanted a family!

Even here in our fallen world, we understand what it means to have a family. It is something we inherently desire.  If we have a family, we are blessed; if we don’t have one, we long for one.  Granted family is a mixed bag here in our fallen world.  Some of us are blessed to have a family with good relationships, but many are not.  Yet we all wish that we could have a perfect family. 

Unfortunately, we will have to wait for the perfect family.  If we are willing to accept his offer, God has promised us a place in his eternal family.  Being a part of the family that God has been patiently waiting for is awesome, and it will never end.

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WE REFLECT THE LIGHT THAT JESUS BROUGHT TO ALL MANKIND

(John 1:4&5) In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

(John 15:5) I am the vine you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

It dawned on me as I was contemplating these words from the book of John that God has placed for us, from the very beginning, an example of how the power of Jesus flows through us.  The sun, which provides us with light, is a ball of nuclear energy of amazing power and endurance.  The moon has no power of its own, but it reflects the light of the sun.  We only see the moon’s light when it is in position to reflect sun light.

Jesus is the all-powerful source of life, and he shines the light of life for all mankind.  We his disciples reflect his light, so that many will be able to know his light. Just like the moon, we don’t have the power of the light, but we can reflect that light.  Without him we are powerless; with him we can reflect the power of life.

The enemy would love for us to get caught up in imagining we have our own power.  It’s a trap of pridefulness, and we know that pride comes before a fall.  Trying to shine the light of life without maintaining our connection to Jesus, the source of power, will indeed results in a powerless display of pride and be useless in God’s kingdom.  That’s why Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

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EASTER, CELEBRATING WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US

(Philippians 2:6-11)  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used for his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

From the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, till the time when Jesus died and rose again, God’s plan of redemption was unfolding.  The plan, as far as I can understand it, was to bring about a population of living beings, created in his image, which would be recipients of his love and live forever in his presence.  These living beings are identified as the ones who have chosen to receive the redeeming actions of Jesus on the cross, and they have entered into the resurrected life he gained for them when he rose from the dead.  We are celebrating the climax of God’s plan this Easter weekend.

  On Good Friday, we bend our knees and mournfully weep as we acknowledge the suffering and death that Jesus experienced for us.  Who can comprehend what Jesus, God the Son, suffered when he took on the sins of the whole world?  What we can comprehend is our own sins for which he died.  In humble gratitude, we take time to remember what he went through for us.  He has given us freedom from our sins.  He died that we might live.

Then comes Easter Sunday, joy springs forth, and we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Death has been defeated, and eternal life is given to those who will put their trust in God and receive his offer of eternal life.  No other event on earth bears the weight of this day of celebration. 

As we celebrate God’s plan, we invite those around us to join in; for God’s plan is offered to all who will receive what he has prepared. 

There is a final act in his plan, but he’s waiting for you who have yet to come to him.  Don’t put it off.  The time is now.  Open your heart and seek him.  He promises that if you seek him with all your heart, you will find him.

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THE BEST WAY TO START THE DAY

(Psalm 143:8) Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

This verse showed up on my Bible app last week as the verse of the day.  It is from the middle of a psalm in which David is crying out to the Lord for help because his enemies are closing in.  Reading through this Psalm, I found special meaning in verse 8.  

When I wake up in the morning, my mind goes to what should I do today.  On a good day, I remember to seek the lord with prayer and thanksgiving; I mainly start with the Lord’s Prayer.  Some days, I wake up sooner than I want, and my mind is full of the pressing matters at hand.  I think through how I will approach the day, and onward I go to take care of things.  After I get into my plan, and things aren’t going so well, I remember that I need the Lord’s help every day.

Imagine that the first thought when you wake up is of God’s unfailing love for you.  The first words you speak are to God – “I have put my trust in you.”  Your relationship is now confirmed, and you are ready to utter your first request – “Show me the way I should go this day, for to you I entrust my life.” 

I believe, contained in this one verse, David has shared with us the best way to start the day.  Connecting with our God and seeking his help will surely give us our best day.

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THE UNSEARCHABLE MIND OF GOD

(Romans 11:33-36) Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?  Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?  For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen.

As we read this statement made by the Apostle Paul, we are given the opportunity to stand in awe of the God we serve, and to recognize how far he surpasses our understanding.  Paul gives us a clear perception of our God. 

When I address God in prayer, I sometimes think I’m being too familiar.  I know God wants to be personal with his children, yet I’m talking to the creator of the universe.  This passage helps me to gain a better perspective and be in a more reverent place as I speak to God.

When people say things like, “why did God let this happen to me?”  I have only one answer, “I don’t know”.  Who can explain all that God does, or what God allows?  The scriptures lead us to know that he has an overall plan to bring about an eternal kingdom for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.  How the individual events of our lives are part of this is unknown to us. Only God knows.  His ways are not our ways. 

What God is doing far exceeds our ability to understand.  We surrender our way of thinking to his infinite wisdom and knowledge.  In some ways this is comforting.  Who would want to serve a god who didn’t know more than they themselves?  Our comfort rests in our faith – faith that trusts in his love for us.    To him be the glory forever!