Author: looking2jesus13

Loving Like Jesus

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:31-5:2

As I pointed out in yesterday’s post, we were saved not just to enjoy the manifold blessings associated with being loved by Jesus, but we became His children—His channels of blessings—that the love of Jesus might flow through us, touching the lives of others. We are to “walk in love, as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:2). Today I’m going to share a testimony which I trust will be an encouragement to you, regarding how God can work in this manner to use any of us in an incredible fashion!

There was a time when there were no believers in my family.  And not just in my family but in all of my extended family–grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  Not a single one of them knew the Savior!  About a half-century ago God changed all that.

Three teens from Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria went out knocking on doors.  Their goal was to share the gospel and invite folks to church.  They’d traveled to the nearby town of Seaside and happened upon the house where my Uncle Bob lived.  Back then, Bob was a long haired hippy type guy–a not so uncommon lifestyle in the 1960s and 70s.  Uncle Bob was into drinking and drug use and such.  He knew nothing about God, or the Bible.  When the teens knocked on his door, he invited them in.  They probably soon wished he hadn’t!  He poked fun at them and gave them a hard time until finally they decided it was time to leave.  But they hadn’t neglected to invite him to church.  When they returned to the church they asked for folks in the prayer meeting to pray for him.

For some reason, the thought of going to church stuck with Bob. He decided to attend, but his intentions were not good.  He was a logger at the time, so he went to church wearing his dirtiest, smelly logging clothes.  He took his pickup and deliberately left his dog in the bed of the truck, parked close to the church, knowing full well his dog would bark incessantly during the service.  His plan?  To prove to those churchgoers they were nothing but a bunch of hypocrites, which would be revealed when they chased him out of the place.  But that’s not what happened.

He stayed through the service, and when it was over an older gentleman was walking to approach him.  “This is it,” he thought, “he’s going to tell me to get out.”  Instead, a man named Arvo Seppa warmly greeted Bob and told him how glad he was that he was there.  Guess what happened next?  Bob came back.  And kept coming back.  Soon he heard the gospel and was saved.  His life was completely changed.  He was going to Bible studies and serving at the church.  Before too long he was teaching a Sunday School class.  Then God used him to lead his bartender brother, my Uncle Frank, to the Lord!  Later, both Bob and Frank went to Bible School and trained to become pastors.  Bob and Frank were both praying for me and I came to know Jesus.  And guess what God did after I completed my Bible school training?  He brought me back to serve as pastor at Lewis and Clark Bible Church, the church where the first member of my family was saved.  Then God kept me there for 27 and ½ years.  

Bob and Frank have faithfully served as pastors in their respective churches for these many years, their ministries have blessed a countless number of people.  Bob is the US Director of Hope and Mercy Mission, a mission directed towards assisting believers in Uganda.  Bob’s been to Uganda many times. Frank and I have both been there too and on one occasion we all traveled there together.  We’ve taught in numerous Bible conferences and preached in many churches.  The mission now works with well over 200 pastors and churches.  God led and provided 5 years ago that a Bible School for pastors could be started.  So far that school has trained over 50 pastors, to better equip them to preach and lead in their churches. They are all so incredibly grateful!  Mission teams have also worked to provide Bibles and conduct all sorts of vital and helpful ministries.  In the past 12 years or so, dozens have gone on these teams and hundreds have supported the work–all of them loving like Jesus.  As you can see, God has worked in incredible fashion to bless an entire region in Uganda.  It’s been an amazing thing to behold and be a part of!

When I served as pastor at Lewis and Clark Bible Church I had the opportunity to speak with one of the three teens who had gone out knocking on doors.  I asked her if she could have ever imagined the extraordinary blessings which would ultimately come about as a result of that long ago visit,and of course she said couldn’t have.  Who could?  But stop and think about the matter for a moment.  We are to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2).  Three teens were“walking in love” when they set out to tell folks about Jesus.  Some folks at the church were “walking in love” when they took time to fervently pray for the hippy fellow the teens told them about.  Arvo Seppa was “walking in love” when he compassionately reached out to Bob.  The church family was “walking in love” as they showed no partiality and instead bathed Bob with the love of Jesus!  Isn’t it amazing what God can do through his children when they are imitating Him, by walking according to the example of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2).  He has some amazing things for you to do too.  Acts of love done in Jesus’ name will be used by God in unforeseen ways!  No doubt part of it will involve “loving like Jesus!”  By the way…over the years, there are many others in my extended family who have now trusted in Jesus!

Simple Acts of Love Done in Jesus’ Name Can Have Amazing and Far-Reaching Effects

Heavenly Father.  How incredible Your wisdom and Your grace in the way You work in making Yourself known to us!  We look back in our lives to how You’ve intervened and our hearts are filled with gratitude.  That You would purpose to use any of us in Your plan is amazing.  But here we are incredibly blessed to be Your beloved children.  You’ve not only saved us from our sins, You’ve purposed to conform us to the image of Your Son!  You’ve filled us to overflowing with Your love, so that it might spill over onto the lives of others.  How amazing that any of us could hope to be imitators of You, but You’ve commanded us to that very thing!  Grant us the wisdom and grace that we might indeed walk in love, just like Jesus did!  To Your honor and glory.  Amen.

The Mark of the Christian

Bible Reading: John 13:1-35

If you are a believer, then you are a recipient of the amazing love of Jesus and you are therefore incredibly blessed! However, it was never God’s intent that His love should stop with you. You are not just a container to be filled, but a channel through which His love can flow!

In his book, “The Mark of the Christian,” Pastor and Theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote: “Christians have not always presented a pretty picture to the world. Too often they have failed to show the beauty of love, the beauty of Christ, the holiness of God, and the world has turned away.  Is there then no way to make the world look again—this time at true Christianity? Must Christians continue to stand with arms folded, presenting to men and women a tarnished image of God—a shattered body of Christ? How should we show the world that we are Christians?”

“Through the centuries, people have displayed many different symbols intended to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats, hung chains about their necks, and even had special haircuts.”  Or, fish symbols on the bumpers of their cars or WWJD bracelets around their wrists.  “But there is a much better sign — a universal mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back.  What is This Mark?  At the close of his ministry, Jesus made clear what was to be the distinguishing mark of the Christian until His return: A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:33-35).”

I’m struck by two wonderful truths found in these two verses. The first is Jesus has loved me (and loves me still)!  It’s good to remind ourselves of this exceptional truth!  Jesus purposed in love to die for my sins (Galatians 2:20b)!  I was “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21), yet He willingly and lovingly bore my sins that I might be forgiven!  

Since I trusted him, some 40 years ago, the Lord has never failed me.  He has never stopped loving me (and he never will, Hebrews 13:5)!  No matter how much we grow in our comprehension and appreciation of Jesus’ love for us, its full measure still “surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).  Take some time today to praise and thank him for loving you!  As the hymn puts it: 

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner condemned, unclean

How marvelous, how wonderful
And my song will ever be
How marvelous, how wonderful
Is my Savior’s love for me

The other astounding truth we find in John 13:34-35 is that we are called to love one another–not just to love them, but to love them just as He loved us–a supernatural over the top, kind of love!  Stop and consider what this means.  God has worked not just to save us from our sins, but He’s working to radically change us from the inside-out, into Christlikeness.  We are all born sinners, and along with that sin-nature we were born to a me-first, selfish way of thinking and living.  The life of Jesus’ was radically different because He was sinless, utterly and completely selfless.  He always put the needs of others ahead of his own, no matter the cost.  In his sacrifice Jesus not only worked to save us from our sins, He set before us an example, demonstrating what God’s kind of love looks like.  That purposeful, sacrificial, others-first love is the mark of the Christian.  It’s what distinguishes us as those who belong to Christ.  That kind of love comes only from God (1 John 4:7-8), so wherever and whenever it’s found in men, it points people back to its source!  We are privileged indeed to wear such a mark!  People need to see God’s supernatural love in our marriages, in our families and in our churches.  They will know we are Christians by our Love.  They will be drawn to our Lord, longing to experience his love in salvation too!  For the next month these daily devotionals will focus on this important theme.

Christlike Love is the Mark of the Christian

Heavenly Father.  Praise You that You are a God of love!  Thank You for loving us in sending Jesus to rescue us from our sins in dying on the cross!  How incredibly blessed we are in the gift of salvation You’ve provided!  Forgive us that we are not always as grateful as we should be.  Too often we grumble about what we don’t have, forgetting that we’ve been so incredibly blessed, and especially so when we remember that all we deserved is judgment.  You’ve lavished Your grace on us, but not so we would only soak up Your blessings.  We are reminded again that Your design is for Your love to flow through us.  May we ever marvel at Your saving work, and may we be Spirit-led and empowered to love You by loving others in the same manner as You’ve loved us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Follow the link below to view the schedule:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GH_ngZeYVGYXCyuJmxXD5T3KKc3DXtt3tCZnmxqK7Ak/edit

Good Reasons for Hope

Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-39

Romans chapter 8 has been variously described as “the mountain peak” of Scripture” and “the chapter of chapters for the Christian believer.” A German author once said of it, “If Holy Scripture was a ring, and the epistle to the Romans a precious stone, chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.”

The chapter begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.” In between the message is of “no defeat” (Romans 8:1, 39, 37). I have an IRA and regularly receive a prospectus forecasting its financial health and expected future returns. Romans chapter 8 is a prospectus, so to speak, regarding the future of the believer. But unlike that financial document, what we have here is promised to us by God. And in these wonderful truths we find good reasons for hope:

1. God is at work in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son and can even use our bad to achieve His good (Romans 8:28).
2. God always finishes the work he starts in our lives (Romans 8:29-30).
3. Since it is God who is for us, then there’s no one who can work to prevail against us (Romans 8:31).
4. If God didn’t spare even his own son for us, will he not also with him graciously provide everything needful to accomplish His purpose in us (Romans 8:32)?
5. Since it is God who has justified us, then there’s no one who will be able to condemn us (Romans 8:33).
6. Christ Himself is interceding for us from heaven (Romans 8:34).
7. We are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us (Romans 8:37).
8. No one and nothing can work to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39)!

Diane was a beloved member of our church family, active in fellowship and in serving others. A series of health problems worked to send her to the hospital on many occasions in her final months, until that one final visit to ICU.  I was there with her husband when the Doctor came to the waiting room at the hospital to bring us the news–despite all their efforts Diane wasn’t going to make it.  Bob and I visited her in her room.  I’d seen such scenes before–IV bags and electrical devices and tubes and wires and doctors and nurses were all working to keep her alive, but we could tell there was little life left in her.  She looked so weak and frail, lying there in that hospital bed.  And we were both filled with sadness over her pending death.  But then a thought crept into my mind.  I remembered the promise of Romans 8:37–no matter what happens, no matter how severe the trial or what life assails us with, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:27).  She looked so weak and frail, but the spiritual reality was that Diane was headed home.  Home, to the presence of Jesus and that place where pain, and mourning and death will be more.  Home, having her earthly tent put away, she was entering into that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  Home, triumphant in the One who died for her sins and rose from the grave!

F. B. Meyer, “Oh blessed Love! that comes down to us from the heart of Jesus, the essence of the eternal love of God–nothing can ever staunch, exhaust, intercept it. It is not our love to Him, but His to us, and since nothing can separate us from the love of God, He will go on loving us forever, and pouring into us the entire fullness of His life and glory. Whatever our difficulties, whatever our weakness and infirmity, we shall be kept steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; gaining by our losses, succeeding by our failures, triumphing in our defeats, and ever more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

We Are More than Conquerors Through Him Who Loved Us!

Heavenly Father! How incredibly blessed we are! Praise You. Thank You! How amazing Your love for us! Our insecurity and frailty and doubts sometimes threaten to overwhelm us! But since You are for us, who can be against us? And how can any accusation stand against us, when its You who have justified us through Your Son? Time after time You work to turn our bad into good. And You even intercede for us from heaven. Nothing in all Your creation can work to separate us from Your undying love. May our hearts rejoice in these wonderful truths and may we be encouraged all the more to fully trust You and set our hope on You. Thank You for loving us, no matter what! Amen.

One final thought…”We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.”

John Calvin

The Hope of Heaven

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

2 Corinthians 5:1-2, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.” 

This verse looks back to that which proceeds and the encouraging word that our present day trials are “preparing us for an eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  Looking not at the things that are seen, we do not lose heart knowing that “he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus” and bring us into his presence (2 Corinthians 4:14).  A distinction is made, in these two verses, between our present dwelling (our earthly home) and that which awaits us in heaven.  We now reside in a tent, but we long for our heavenly abode. 

Our family used to tent camp at a State Park at the mouth of the Deschutes River.  It is oftentimes very windy in the Columbia River gorge where the park is located.  Sometimes it seemed as if the winds would lift our tent right off the ground and blow it away.  When camping there on one occasion, a sudden thunderstorm brought terribly strong winds and heavy rains!  Most of the tent campers hurriedly picked up their tents and gear and hastily departed.  Tents are temporary dwelling places, subject to deterioration and limited in their ability to provide a comfortable shelter.

The Maryhill Museum of Art lies across the river from the Deschutes River State Park.  We once left behind our tents to visit the place.  The  building was designed over 100 years ago by a famous architectural firm and built by Sam Hill to be his residence.  It is constructed of steel I-beams with interior steel studs.  The walls, floors, and ceilings are constructed of poured concrete reinforced with steel.  Sam Hill built it to last “1000 years.”  For over a century it has  weathered the strong winds and storms that sometimes visit the Columbia River gorge. But as impressive as the Maryhill building is, it is subject to the same decaying forces that permeate all of this curse-afflicted creation (Romans 8:21; 2 Peter 1:4).  It too will be destroyed one day (2 Peter 3:10-11). 

Our earthly bodies are compared to tents.  They are temporary dwelling places.  They are frail, subject to decay, and not fit for heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50).  They are “perishable,” “sown in dishonor” and “weakness,” “natural” not spiritual, “from earth,” and “of dust” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).  No “age-defying” machination of man can work to prevent their decay.  Only through God’s intervention, in receiving the One who died for sins and rose from the dead, can any of us experience triumph over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:16; John 1:12).   

Paul was writing to believers in Christ and his message was one of hope and assurance.  God has prepared a home for us in heaven.  In contrast to the temporary dwelling places in which we now live, our heavenly home is “eternal.”  It will last far longer than 1000 years.  It is not subject to rot, or rust, or robbers (Matthew 6:19-20).  As any homeowner knows that it takes a lot of work to keep up a house, but not so our heavenly abode.  No earthly home is without flaws, but our heavenly home will be “imperishable, undefiled and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  A famous architect designed the Maryhill home, but it is God Himself who has designed and constructed our eternal one (Hebrews 11:10, 16).  

Moving is a difficult and tiresome thing, but the distress is lessened if the move is to a more desirable place.  Every believer in Christ will one day make a last final move to a heavenly abode.  Jesus’ presence there makes that place most desirable (Philippians 1:23; 3:20).   Our present hope is focused on our future home.

Our Present Hope is Focused on our Future Home

Heavenly Father. We are daily reminded of the frailty of our earthly tents. Thank You for saving us and assuring to us a future home in heaven, an eternal home You’ve prepared for us. For now we groan in our earthly dwellings, but one day we will glory in Your very presence. May the Spirit work within us that our hearts might be filled with anticipation of what You’ve prepared for us! As we eagerly anticipate that time, may we walk by faith and not by sight. And may we make it our aim to please You in all things. Amen.

The Certainty of Hope

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

My 90 year old Dad likes to paint.  Over the years he’s painted hundreds of paintings.  Some adorn the walls of his home, still others he has given away; to family, to friends, and to neighbors.  Last year he painted for me from a picture we took from Meacham’s Bridge over Dairy Creek, the place where we first went fishing together, when I was just a little boy.  A lot of water has flowed under that bridge in the 60 years since!  I asked Dad if he had ever given up on one of his paintings.  Of course, he replied, as sometimes the painting he was working on wasn’t turning out quite as he had hoped.  When that happened he’d either paint over what he had started, or in some cases discard the painting altogether.  We all have such unfinished projects laying around, be it a painting, or a book, or a craft or something else.  Things we started on, but for one reason or another didn’t finish.  Not so with God!

God always finishes what he starts.  So it was in His creation of all things.  So it was in His plan of redemption, having sent Jesus to die on a cross for our sins.  From that cross Jesus declared “It is finished!”  The One who “does all things well” has never left a project half-way done.  Philippians 1:6 speaks to this truth as it relates to the believer in Christ, God will finish that good work he began in you and me.  That’s true because God is who He is.  Loving, All-wise,  Omnipotent, Sovereign over all, Faithful–He always keeps His promises.  And in the reality of this truth we have good reason for an abiding hope.

The God who is good and does good (Psalm 119:68), began a good work in you in saving you by His grace.  By His doing you are in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30).  You are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10).  The term translated “workmanship” could be also translated “work of art” or even “masterpiece.”  You are His masterpiece!  As such, your by grace  salvation, and transformation, will testify in the coming ages to the immeasurable riches of his grace” (Ephesians 2:7)!  From the beginning, He’s been at work in you, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  As a skilled Potter working with his clay, He knows and is well able to form us to his design.  Nothing can work to deter God from completing his work in you.  We face trials of many kinds.  Some simply because we live in a sin-cursed world.  Some because we sin and suffer the consequences.  Some because we’ve identified ourselves with Christ, and some folks don’t like that about us.  God is well able to use even our bad, to accomplish his good, as Romans 8:28 makes clear: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  His purpose?  That we might be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).  God began a good work in you.  He’ll finish the work he started!  You can count on it (Romans 8:29-30)!  And in this we have good reason to be hopeful, no matter what kinds of troubles we face!

When Hope Animates us There is a Vigor in the Whole Body – John Calvin

HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU

He who began a good work in you
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it
He’ll be faithful to complete it
He who started the work
Will be faithful to complete it in you

If the struggle you’re facing
Is slowly replacing
Your hope with despair
Or the process is long
And you’re losing your song
In the night

You can be sure
That the Lord has His hand on you
Safe and secure
He will never abandon you
You are His treasure
And He finds His pleasure in you

He who began a good work in you
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it
He’ll be faithful to complete it
He who started the work
Will be faithful to complete it in you

c1987 Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Jonathan Mark Music (Admin. by Gaither Copyright Management)

Heavenly Father. Praise You for Your finished work in the creation of all things! Praise You too for Your finished work on the cross! How thankful we are that You are faithful always to fulfill Your promises. We are weak in ourselves. And sometimes we fail. Sometimes the weight of our trials seems overwhelming. We have friends who fail us and foes who assail us. There are times when the journey seems to hard and the destination too far away. But thank You for this wonderful truth–there’s nothing that can work to snatch us our of Your loving hands and nothing in all of creation that can work to prevent You from finishing the work You’ve started in us. Knowing that You are working in us both to will and work for Your good pleasure, may we be working out our salvation with fear and trembling. To Your honor and glory. Amen.

By Hope Made Strong

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31

I couldn’t help but notice the words of Isaiah 40:31 emblazoned on the t-shirt of my hospice patient.  That he was wearing such a t-shirt did not surprise me, for he was a man of faith.  But I thought to myself–what a curious juxtaposition of realities.  On the one hand, my patient friend was bedridden and suffering from a terminal illness.  On the other hand, his t-shirt verse spoke of running without growing weary and walking and not growing faint?

The promise of this oft-quoted verse needs to be understood in its context.  The prophet Isaiah addressed Judah and Jerusalem in the book.  Whereas the first 39 chapters dealt primarily with judgment, chapters 40-66 focused instead on comfort, with words of encouragement addressed to the Jewish exiles in captivity.  These later chapters are filled with Messianic prophecies which directed Israel to the restoration and strength that would be provisioned in their promised Messiah.

In the immediate context (Isaiah 40:9-30), we are reminded that God is the omnipotent creator of all things.  Nothing is too difficult for him!  Unlike us, “he does not faint or grow weary” and “his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).  “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29).  The promise of Isaiah 40:31 is to those who wait (hope, in some translations), on Him.  To wait is to prayerfully and humbly trust him.  It is to set one’s hope on his provision and to rest in his providence.  Those who wait on him are promised renewed eagle-like strength, allowing them to rise above their circumstances; and the necessary endurance that they might persevere!

Her hands were so gnarled by arthritis that she was unable to hold a pen, so a crayon or stick of chalk was wedged between her fingers so she could write on a surface suspended over her bed. She had hoped to become a concert pianist, but in her late twenties she was diagnosed with severe arthritis. By the end of her life she was only four feet tall. Annie Flint was born in New Jersey on Christmas Eve 1866, she would go on to endure more than her share of sorrow. When she was only four, her mother died giving birth to her sister. At age six her father died of an incurable disease. She and her sister were adopted by a Christian family, but both her adopted parents died soon after she graduated from high school. Annie’s arthritis grew worse, until she was no longer able to walk. Later in life she was no longer able to open her hands, so she typed poems on a typewriter with her knuckles. In spite of her sorrows and infirmities, she wrote many poems, intent that God’s grace might thus be made manifest in her weakness. Her life verse was: “My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). You know of her as the writer of the words of the hymn, “He Giveth More Grace.” Indeed He does, and in that reality we find good reason for hope amidst our challenges.

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Hope is never ill when faith is well – John Bunyan

Heavenly Father. Thank You for this timeless reminder that we should always look to You amidst our afflictions. As our Omnipotent Creator, You never grow weary or tired and are well able to strengthen us in our weakness. Forgive us for our sinful tendency to rely on ourselves and our hoarded resources. Thank You for all the times You’ve come to the aid in our past, help us to readily look to You even now. Praise You for Your limitless love and measureless grace! No matter how weak or weary we might find ourselves, You’ve an infinite supply of grace to meet our need. May the reality of Your gracious provision in our lives lead others to look to You. Amen.

A Hopeful Perspective

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:12-26

I came across this helpful quote from Chuck Swindoll years ago: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

We have little or no control of our circumstances or of what others say or do, but we can control our attitude.  And a healthy attitude can radically affect our spiritual and emotional well-being and dictate, to some extent, our usefulness to God.  Recall that hope is an attitude, a way of thinking.  A way of thinking that is well-founded on the God of hope, borne in us by the Spirit, and instructed and encouraged to us by the Word of God.  Hope is essential if we are to maintain our focus and persevere through challenging circumstances.  In fact, hope’s value and beauty are made manifest not so much in our easy times, but when times are tough.

Paul was a man full of faith and hope in Jesus, writing to the Philippians from jail.  His hopeful attitude was essential to his positive response.  This was not the first imprisonment of the Apostle Paul.  In fact, back when Paul first brought the gospel to Philippi, a riot ensued, and he and Silas were locked up in a prison.  Remember that?  And what happened on that occasion?  Paul and Silas were “praying and singing praise to God” (Acts 16:25).  And the prisoners were listening to them.  And God caused a great earthquake.  And the jailer, terrified because he himself would be executed if he were to lose his prisoners—was ready to take his own life.  But Paul shared the gospel with him, and he and his whole family were saved!  Now our text says that Paul’s later imprisonment worked out for the “greater progress of the gospel,” but what was true in this later case  was also true in the first.

So Paul was locked up in jail again.  The man who had thrice journeyed afar, bearing the gospel message,  was imprisoned.  But hope, well-founded on the God of Hope, the God with whom nothing is impossible, is not constrained or deterred by challenging circumstances. How did Paul’s circumstances work for the “greater progress of the gospel?”  Because of his imprisonment Paul was able to reach people with the gospel he would have otherwise not  been able to reach (Philippians 1:13; 4:22).  Because of his imprisonment, and specifically because of his godly and courageous response to it, others had “far more courage to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14).  Though some were taking advantage of his situation, envious as they were of Paul, and were preaching out of selfish ambition, Paul nonetheless rejoiced in that the gospel was being preached (Philippians 1:18).  In addition, Paul’s imprisonment provided an opportunity for the Philippian believers to express their loving concern for Paul (Philippians 4:18).  Much of these positives would have been impossible if Paul would have spent his time bemoaning his circumstances, or if he had allowed his troubles to dictate his attitude.  Hope made the difference!

Optimism is defined as an “inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.”  According to this definition, Paul was an optimist, and for good reason.  It was his walk with Jesus that made him so.  It was because his hope was set on God, and he well knew what God could do.  What about you?  How’s your attitude?  As Thomas Brooks once said, “A man full of hope will be full of action.”  And he will not be deterred! 

“A man full of hope will be full of action” – Thomas Brooks

Heavenly Father. How thankful we are that You are well able to bring good out of our bad! Time after time we’ve seen You do that. And even though we know that You cause all things to work together for good in our lives, we are oftentimes doubtful and sometimes complaining about the circumstances we find ourselves in. Forgive us our lack of faith and cause us instead to be filled with a hope that is well founded in the knowledge of who You are and what You are able to do. May the Spirit work within us that we might think about things in tune with the great hope that is ours in You. That both in our “good” and in our “bad” You might be honored and glorified in our lives. Amen.

The Hope of Your Calling

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:15-22

In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim 26 miles from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After 15 hours, a heavy fog began to block her view, she became disoriented, and she gave up. To her chagrin, Chadwick learned that she had quit just 1 mile short of her destination.  Two months later Chadwick tried a second time to swim to Catalina Island from the coast. Again a thick fog settled in, but this time she reached her destination, becoming the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. Chadwick said she kept an image of the shoreline in her mind even when she couldn’t see it.

We, as believers, are pilgrims on a journey to a place we’ve not yet seen.  For now we are encouraged to persevere as we look “to the hope laid up for (us) in heaven” (Colossians 1:5).  We haven’t seen that which awaits us.  We can’t see it now.  But we’ve a Helper in the Holy Spirit who works both to assure us and to keep us looking to our destination.

Ephesians 1:15-22 constitutes a prayer of the Apostle Paul for the believers in Ephesus.  Paul had previously instructed these believers on their future hope (Ephesians 1:13-14), here he prays that they would know of their hope and the riches of his glorious inheritance.  His instruction to them was needful and important, but Paul also appreciated the importance and value of prayer.  So He prayed that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to see what he had previously spoken of.  Put simply, Paul was praying that these believers might be filled with hope, and have their hope set firmly on their glorious future. Or, to simplify the matter further, he was in essence praying that they would be “heavenly minded” Christians!

We tend to forget or underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in this work.  And while He fulfills various roles in our lives, his chief work is to unveil to us the glory of Jesus (John 16:14).  He is constantly working to manifest the presence and glory of Jesus to us, in us, and through us.  He helps us to see, enlightening the eyes of our hearts, that which we otherwise cannot see.  In directing our souls Christ-ward, he is in fact working, even now, to open our eyes to that which God has prepared for us.  It is by the Spirit that we were born again to salvation.  And it is by the Spirit we were born again to a longing for heaven.  It is by the Spirit that we are enabled to set our minds on things above, and not on things that are on the earth.  

In praying as he did, the Apostle Paul has set a good example for us. So many of our prayers are regarding earth-bound concerns, but we would do well to include these kinds of heaven-ward prayers.  God uses prayer to change our hearts and our perspective.  Recall that hope is an attitude, a way of thinking.  The Spirit works through the Word to renew our minds, that our attitudes will be as they should be.  Prayer is integral to this work, and is necessary if we are to keep our eyes on the prize of what awaits us in heaven!!

D. A. Carson, “In our generation, which reflects too little on the future and almost never on eternity, it is distressingly obvious that we need help, help from God, so as to be able to know the hope to which we have been called.  Only then will we become more interested in living with eternity’s values constantly before our eyes.  What we will have to show before the great King on the last day will be infinitely more important to us than what we leave behind here.”

By the Spirit we Behold the Glory of Jesus and the Hope Laid Up for us in Heaven

Heavenly Father.  It’s all to the praise of the glory of Your grace!  You’ve chosen us and adopted us as Your children.  In Jesus we’ve been redeemed and forgiven, according to Your eternal plan.  You’ve sealed us by the Spirit, and guaranteed to us an inheritance in heaven!  May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened that we might live daily according to the hope of this high calling You’ve prepared for us!  Forgive us for our propensity to set our minds on earthly fare, when you’ve prepared for us a future banquet of blessings!  May we be Spirit led and empowered to eagerly anticipate that which You’ve graciously set before us!  Amen.

Hope for the Hopeless

Bible Reading: Psalm 42

In this Psalm the writer passionately expressed his sorrow amidst a time of trouble he was facing.  Sorrow is something we all deal with. Even the most spiritual amongst us are not exempt, as is evidenced in the other examples we find both in the Scriptures and scattered throughout the history of the church.  

The writer of this Psalm was of the Sons of Korah, a group of men who served as musicians in the temple worship.  There’s some question about the exact circumstances of the Psalm, though many suppose it to be when the Sons of Korah were accompanying King David as he was driven from Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15).  As David and his friends fled Jerusalem, the Sons of Korah looked back in sadness at being driven from their home (Psalm 42:5).

Why is the Psalmist sorrowful?  There are many reasons.  As a deer pants for flowing streams, his soul pants for God.  But God seems distant and removed from him (Psalm 42:1,9).  He’s far removed from the temple and the temple worship, a source of joy for him in the worship of his God (Psalm 42:4, 5b).  The absence from corporate worship and remembrance of the way things were conspire to break his heart.  He’s facing trial after trial (deep calls to deep) as the “breakers and waves” of troubles wash over him.  He mourns in the oppression of his enemies, who taunt him, saying, “Where is your God?”  His tears are his food.  He’s broken-hearted and full of sorrow.

Can you relate to the Psalmist?  Have you ever felt like that?  Broken hearted?  Despondent?  Depressed?  Have you ever been so deep in your sorrow that the only prayer you can utter to God is “help?”  There’s some good news in this Psalm, for the Psalmist also speaks of hope.  You’ll note that the Psalmist talks to himself.  Amidst his troubles and his sorrow, he speaks to his own soul.  That chorus of this hymn is repeated three times if you count its occurrence in Psalm 43 (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5).  And what is it that the Psalmist says to his soul?  We note in his words a dramatic shift in focus.  He’d been focused on himself in his troubles, but then he asks his soul “Why?” and directs his thoughts instead towards God.  “Hope in God” he said to his soul!  If you are discouraged or distressed it’ll do no good to look horizontally, you’ll need to look to God.  

Martin Luther dealt with times of sorrow and depression.  Charles Spurgeon wrote of one such occurrence: “Martin Luther was a very cheerful man, as a rule; but he had terrible fits of depression. He was at one time so depressed that his friends recommended him to go away for a change of air, to see if he could get relief. He went away; but he came home as miserable as ever; and when he went into the sitting-room, his wise wife Kate, Catherine von Bora, was sitting there, dressed in black, and her children round about her, all in black.  ‘Oh, oh!’ said Luther, ‘who is dead?’  ‘Why,’ said she, ‘Doctor, have not you heard that God is dead? My husband, Martin Luther, would never be in such a state of mind if he had a living God to trust to.’  Then he burst into a hearty laugh, and said, ‘Kate, thou art a wise woman. I have been acting as if God were dead, and I will do so no more. Go and take off thy black’.”  – “The Complete Works of C. H. Spurgeon,” Volume 38 By Charles Spurgeon

It is as Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”  The Psalmist looked to God and the hope founded in Him and His sure promises, “for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God!”  The Psalmist has set a good example for us.  We live in a trouble-filled world.  To be sorrowful and even to the point of depression is to be human.  But the good news amidst our sorrows is that God never changes.  And as we shift our focus to Him, and are reminded of who he is and the salvation he brings, we find good reason for hope!  Time after time!  Amidst the ups and downs of life, God, our Rock, remains the same.

Corrie Ten Boom: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”

Heavenly Father. Forgive me for my wayward eyes. I’ve looked around and have been distressed by all the troubles I see in our world. And I’ve looked within myself, only to be depressed in my own inabilities to bear such burdens or affect any change. Grant me the grace and wisdom to keep my focus on You. To set my hope on You. Praise You for Your faithfulness. You are as a Rock, firm and unmoving and dependable always. You are My salvation! You’ve never failed me and never will. Help me to set my hope firmly and securely on You. And rest in the peace and security of knowing You’ve got it all in control! In Jesus’ name. Amen.