Keep Your Life in Perspective

“In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:4).

Life is filled with a variety of experiences, some pleasant and good, others harsh and difficult. It is through those that are difficult which produce a stronger faith in us, even though none of us would choose to face such experiences. For these Christians addressed by the writer of Hebrews, they knew about hardships, that sometimes living the Christian life brought opposition. At first, their faith carried them through, even having to deal with the hostility sin could bring. They faced taunts and afflictions, the confiscation of their property, imprisonment, yet with joy (Heb. 10:34). They could do this because of how important the promise of eternal life was to them.

Later, the constant barrage of such trials started to wear them down. It became harder for them to keep their spiritual focus on the hope of eternal life, when the conditions of life were so hard. Instead of weakening under the pressure the forces of the world worked against them, they needed two positive attitudes to help them through such times. What could they do to renew their commitment of faith, and look beyond their trials to the awaited promise?

First, they needed to hang on to the confidence they had in God’s promises. The word confidence was originally used to reflect the courage it would take to speak openly in public, especially regarding those matters which might not be popular, but still needed to be heard. It came to mean holding fast one’s hope, knowing it’s based on what is real, guaranteed by the death and resurrection of Christ. It’s to exercise one’s faith because on whom it’s based, no matter what the external conditions of life may bring. We are confident because we know what God has in store for us, far greater than any struggle we are called to deal with.

In addition to this we should add endurance, staying with it, to bear with and put up with whatever life dishes out, no matter the measure or degree of what it is we are called to face. This term for endurance is especially associated with the things of life, circumstances and external pressures placed against us. It is also associated with hope (1 Thess. 1:3), and refers to that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. Nothing of a physical nature should rob us of what we have waiting for us in heaven.

To allow life to beat us down where we shrink or draw back from living by faith, from allowing God to mold us so our faith grows stronger, was not what the Hebrew writer wanted for these Christians, or what God desires for us as well. Sin in the world will always produce trials and difficulties, suffering and pain. If we trust in Him, our faith can carry us through life, as God is in control and is working out His goal of salvation for us, the “preserving of our souls” (Heb. 10:29).

Whether in the first century, or the twenty-first century, Satan’s desires against Christians are the same, as is God’s work in and for us. When we are tempted to give in and despair of life, God offers a way to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13). God is the God of all grace, He calls us to His eternal glory in Christ, and strengths us to reach the goal (1 Pet. 5:10). Will we walk by faith? Will we remember what the goal in life is? Will we look beyond today to tomorrow? God offers us all we need, if we commit ourselves to Him. After all, none of us have yet resisted to the shedding of blood. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Robert

Today, our message from Scripture comes from Phil. 2:5; “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” This verse is also translated “have this mind among yourselves,” “have the same mindset,” and “adopt the same attitude.” Obviously, we are to reflect the same mentality in serving Christ that He had in serving God.

This verb is an imperative in Greek, meaning we must have and keep on having the frame of mind where we think the same way Christ did. You might ask what type of mindset did He have? He laid aside the heavenly privileges and submitted to the will of the Father as a slave would to his or her master, being consumed in the will of another. Following Christ is not to approach life in Him, “Well, this is how I feel,” or “This is what I want,” but, as Jesus said to the Father, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

What a humiliation it must have been for Him to be human, to undergo all that being human brings with it, and to die a death that was agonizing, shameful, and separated from the Father. He could have called legions of angels to put an end to it all, but He endured, knowing without such submission to the will of God we would be eternally condemned.

So, how do we approach the Christian life? We should adopt the same attitude Christ had. Why? Because without Christ we are sinners sentenced to punishment. Because He loved us so much He could not walk away and leave us in that state. Because whatever we face in life will never compare to what He did for us. Whatever we face can never compare to what He faced for us. May we humble ourselves to say not my will but yours be done. We should do nothing less. Have a great day and think like Christ. God bless.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psa. 25:7; “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!”

Someone once said, “Be careful how you live your life, because someday you may be a prisoner of the memories you’ve made.” To recall good times and wise decisions is part of the joy of growing older, to see the positive fruit brought about by living that kind of life. What torment it can be, though, to see the negative fruit making bad decisions can bring, and how many lives including our own it can affect. When all is said and done, what is it about us that each of us, and those who were a part of our lives, will remember?

What a wonderful promise God makes to us in this psalm, that when He forgives, He forgets. The Hebrew writer affirms this truth when he wrote, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Heb. 8:12). Through Christ God can forgive our sins and keep on cleansing us by the blood of His sacrifice (1 John 1:7).

Another wonderful promise God makes us is, when He forgives our sins, what He remembers is us, personally, intimately, lovingly. We can have boldness and confidence, in that He considers us worthy through Christ of the promise of eternal life. “We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11).

Isn’t it great, by the blood of Christ, God doesn’t remember our sins, but focuses on our worth and value. Praise God He loves us like this. Have a great day knowing how much you mean to God. God bless.

Our message from Scripture today comes from 1 Thess. 3:10; “We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.”

Several times in his letters, the apostle Paul prayed for his fellow Christians to grow, to mature, to be filled up with Christ and life in Him. Here, in 1 Thess 3:11-13, he expresses his desire that what was lacking, what they needed for their faith, could be provided. There were three things they needed: (1) a straighter path, (2) a greater love, and (3) a deeper dedication. Let’s briefly consider these in light of what Scripture offers for our faith today.

First, there is no doubt we need God’s help in fulfilling His purpose in our lives, to stay on the right path and not get distracted by sin. The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (119:105). We need God’s word so we can be where God wants and needs us. Next, we need an overflowing love which makes life abundant, as it “spills over” from us to bless the lives of others. Paul wanted God’s children to have a love “that may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment” (Phil. 1:9), to do what’s right for each other. Lastly, we need a deeper dedication, to be firmly set in our commitment for living out God’s purpose for us. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 7:1, “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

May we seek to use these avenues Scripture offers us so we won’t be lacking in our faith, but overflowing in all that is good. Make today a great day, because God is at work in you to accomplish His goal of salvation for you. God bless.

Our message from Scripture today comes from Matt. 6:10, where Jesus, in leading His disciples to better understand how to pray, said, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

When Jesus offered this prayer to the Father, was giving us the way to build a significant life of real achievement. He was teaching his disciples to cooperate with the will of God in a way that would bring peace to their hearts and lives. He was encouraging them to cooperate joyfully with his good and perfect will.

How can we do this? Well, understand those in heaven are committed to living by God’s will. The angelic host of heaven obey his will perfectly. “Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” (Psa. 103:20). Jesus lived completely by the will of God. “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Even creation itself fulfills the will of God. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psa. 19:1).

We understand, when we seek to commit our lives to God’s will, we are promised an abundant life (John 10:10). We find a greater help for the trials and adversities we face, because God cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). We have the promises by God’s grace of heaven, eternal life (1 John 3:2).

Just as heaven is committed to doing the will of God, when we place ourselves in the center of God’s will, we will find our highest happiness and our greatest usefulness. Make this your goal today, every day. Have a great day in Christ. God bless.

Message From Scripture: 4/20/2020

Our message from Scripture today comes from Isa. 40:30-31; “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, speaks of those times when even those who are in the prime of life, with the strength and stamina that comes with youth, can grow weary and tired. There is a greater source of strength, though, than physical endurance; it comes from the Lord Himself. The idea of waiting for the Lord means to hope in, to look for. The thought expressed is, even in those situations where we are fatigued, where we are tired and at the point exhaustion, God sustains, directs us, renews us. We must look beyond ourselves spiritually to find the help and hope God offers to keep us going.

Paul knew what it was to feel the challenges of life were greater than life itself. In 2 Cor. 1:8 he wrote, “We were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.” He goes on to say God delivered them, and will continue to do so, because they had set their hope in Him. Later in this letter, in speaking of his thorn in the flesh, he reminds us, when we are weak, but place our trust in God, we are strong (12:10).

We can never know all God knows. We will never have all the strength in ourselves God offers us. We should discern those times when we need to let go of ourselves and allow God the time to work in us His good will. We will find we are more than adequate for life’s challenges when God is in control. As James said, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (4:10). Have a great day. God bless.

ONE WAY

Growing up years ago, and even into the early years of my preaching the gospel, it was understood if you were discussing matters of faith with others, Scripture would be the basis on which decisions would be made. People came prepared to open up their Bibles and examine verses in their context. While not every person was willing to acknowledge what Scripture taught, others would, and souls who came determined to understand what it taught often obeyed the gospel, and rejoiced in learning the truth and having a new life in Christ.

That was then, but things have changed. Gradually, over time, the search for the truth of God was replaced by how one feels. Despite consideration of Scripture that warns how one’s feelings can be led astray, feelings have become the de facto source for what one believes and how one lives. I remember speaking with an individual regarding a spiritual matter, and we both agreed that the Bible would be the arbiter in our search for truth. It didn’t take long, however, during the course of discussion, when a Scripture that contradicted her desires was read, the response was, “But I feel it in my heart!” This has become the mantra for those seeking spirituality today.

It is unfortunate this is true in the Lord’s church as well. Certainly, we are not denying the importance of feelings, as God gave them to us. It isn’t wrong to have feelings, but we must be sure about what shapes those feelings. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Jesus added, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person” (Matt. 15:18). Apart from the word of God, our feelings tend to be governed by sin instead. With the word, we can live pleasing lives to God. “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected” (1 John 2:3-5). “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

It is so very difficult to convince people today, that how they feel may not be how God thinks. God has defined his will for us in a clear and understandable way. The problem isn’t that God can’t be known, but in bypassing Scripture, we put ourselves over God, and in doing so, we invalidate Scripture. We must recapture the concept that our role is to be in submission to God, if he is to bless us. “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Rom. 9:20).

I am well aware, in this day and age, there are those who, if they hear, or are told, their desires, their emotions, are out of alignment with the will of God, they become upset. They close their minds and hearts, rejecting Scripture to cling to their concept of reality. In the face of such a philosophy, we must continue to preach the word of God in truth (1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Tim. 4:2; Eph. 4:15). Our goal in preaching the truth isn’t to upset people, but to save souls. If someone is distressed over what Scripture teaches, I am sorry, but I would rather them be challenged to examine themselves in light of Scripture, than to coddle them in their misplaced feelings all the way to hell. Jesus is the source of eternal salvation, to those who obey him (Heb. 5:9). God’s way in Christ is still the right way, the only way, if one is to find the abundant life today (John 10:10), eternal life following judgment (John 5:28-29). “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. 13:5).

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.”

Robert Johnson