John 16:33 - Adversity Leads to Glory

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, than in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. 

Message: Adversity Leads to Glory

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)." 

What the Lord is Saying: RC Sproul once remarked it is hard to be a Christian believing in a God you can't see. Yes, we have Jesus, the exact representation of God, but with God how do I trust in a God I cannot see. 

In life, there are hard circumstances that come our way. For me these instances feel momentary, but I talk to many people that are suffering in these circumstances more than simply momentary, but sometimes lifelong. I suppose as I age, the adversities in how I feel start to increase. Like right now, my left side and my foot and my tennis elbow -- all of these things seem to be occurring more often. So I often understand why in church, most of the prayer requests are focused on those health matters. 

This author of the article mentions Job. Job loses everything. And in response pours out his heart to God. I have been doing this more with Pamela. Most mornings, before I leave for work, going in and praying and my focus has been this - pouring my heart out to God for our kids. Praying often the same requests over and over. For my youngest son, the prayer has been somewhat the same for the past 9 years. It is a prayer that I keep praying - begging God, asking God to please send good people into his life, to break his heart of stone and break his will so that he surrenders to you God. I suppose it is a Job prayer. It is a prayer of lamenting and pouring my heart out to God. 

And this type of praying or pleading to God must be somewhat intentional because Job is in our Bible and I think we approach the Bible and the books in it with intentionality not accident. Those books are in there because I need them in there and God wants them in there and so those prayers that are happening are correct. The hardships we experience in this life are not random, pointless events. 

God listens. God hears. But God's reasons for these trials and tribulations is not always evident or clear. In today's verse in John is the confirmation that "In the world you will have tribulation." 

Life is hard and we need each other. I need you. But the Bible also says, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:18. So we need to do that. Say life is hard, we need to encourage one another and still I can give thanks.

In adversity therefore is not evidence that God is not there or absent but rather he is there. And suffering leads us closer to the day when we will be with him. And free totally in Christ, in God. We are following in Jesus' footsteps. And so in each day we take up that cross (Luke 9:23) and make the choice to take on this life for the hope of a future glory. Christ did not fail on the cross and so I will not fail. That cross while being about suffering is also about God's love. Yes, it is hidden at times but we must live in hope. 

Prayer: God, I must admit, it is hard hearing about adversity being our life, but it does remind me that life here on this earth is hard. I notice myself all too often wanting to escape those hard moments. I hear it from my son - how can I work less and still have the money I need to survive. I am reminded of my friend in India and the number of hours he spends pleading and directing his requests to God for help. He is fulfilling his mission - trusting in God and going to God as Job did. His hope is in you God. Now provide for him and help him with what he needs. For the young man in Nigeria, remove pride from him and help me to have a trust in You. Lord, for my friend here struggling with illness, give him strength and help him to concentrate and get his tasks completed. Help his family and wife to show him appreciation. Pad him with encouragement. Help my kids to all know you and look to you and trust in You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 16:33 - Overcoming the World in Christ

John 16:33

33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

Message: Overcoming the World in Christ

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."  

What the Lord is Speaking: Jesus has been voicing a lot of ideas - and now Jesus says that all that He has been saying has been in order for people to have peace. Yes, this is what I have studied and seen with the words Jesus has spoken in these last several chapters, from chapter 14 on - peace and comfort. He is leaving but He wants the disciples to have comfort in these words. 

Jesus says to the disciples that they will experience tribulation. But Jesus mentions that he has overcome the world. The world is a place of difficulty and trial, but with Jesus by our side, we can walk through life with that comfort and peace that Jesus has overcome the world. Trials are not the end of us. But they are part of life. 

No need to be surprised by tribulations. I just finished a study on trials from a message was recommended to me from Skip Heitzig. He thought of these questions:

1 How do you react when various forms of testing's come into your life?

2 Do you complain about the misfortunes of life or do you thank God for them?

3 Do you advertise your trials, broadcasting them, making sure everybody knows how bad things are for you — or do you bear them quietly?

4 Do you live in the future waiting for things to improve or do you live in the present letting the hardship change your attitude for the better right now?

5 Do you indulge in self pity and seek sympathy from others or do you commit yourself to a life of service for others?

I thought these were great thoughts to ponder in my life. 

Summary: Jesus offers additional encouragement to the disciples that though they will experience trials, He has overcome the world and therefore they will have comfort. 

Promise: Let the world do its worst; if we are in Christ, we will be glorified with Christ.

Prayer: O God, it is hard to hear that trials are inevitable and yet this is a reality in our lives. They are coming. The importance for us is knowing that God is there for us and protecting us and that He has overcome the world and so we can have comfort in this and can know that God is on the throne and will take care of us. You are there God. We need you. You are present. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 12:47-50 - Christ the Judge

John 12:47-50 

47 If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

Message: Christ the Judge

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."  

What the Lord is Saying: Tabletalk mentions today in this devotional. a consistent theme in the Bible, a contrasting outcome of all people: 

Daniel 12:1-2 - "Now at that time [the time in which troubles are the greatest; typically, towards the close of Antiochus' reign; antitypically (foreshadowing), the time when Antichrist is to be destroyed at Christ's coming] Michael, the great prince who stands over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress* such as never occurred since there was a nation [that is, ever since the world was, from the beginning of it, from the creation of the world] until that time; and at that time your people^ everyone who is found written in the book# [the first contrasting outcome - those written in the book], will be rescued. And many [more likely 'all'; but still may be specific still to Israel prominent during the reign of Antiochus] of those who sleep in the dust [grave] of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt [the second contrast - those resurrected to eternal contempt]."

* - Matthew 24:21 - for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of world until now, nor ever shall. 

^ - "the Jews, the people of Daniel; these shall be delivered not only from the then present outward troubles, not only from their present captivity and afflictions, but from their spiritual evils; from the bondage of sin, and the captivity of Satan; their disbelief of the Messiah; their confidence in their own righteousness, and attachment to the traditions of their fathers; they shall be turned from their transgressions, and return to the Lord their God, and David their King, and shall be truly converted, and spiritually and eternally saved..." - John Gill (1697-1771); Romans 11:25 - "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery— so that you will not be wise in your own estimation— that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

# - "By those found written in the book, or, as it is expressed, Isaiah 4:3, 'written among the living in Jerusalem,' may be understood, 1st, The pious Jews who should be preserved from the mischief and ruin designed them by Antiochus; but more especially, 2d, Such as should believe in Christ when he appeared, embrace his gospel, and become his true disciples, who should escape both the temporal calamities coming on their countrymen, and obtain spiritual and eternal salvation through him. It includes, 3d, Those who should be converted in the latter days, and restored to their own land; and lastly, All that should be found written in the book of life at the day of final judgment, that is, all truly justified, regenerated, and pious persons." - Joseph Benson (1749-1821).

This is one of my first times to take a moment in studying Daniel 12:1-2. It is interesting to me that the contrast of death and life is not always only spoken of in the Bible as occurring upon physical death but that which occurs also from spiritual death to spiritual life. Our death being in our sins and then the turning point of life which occurs by God (Glory Be!) like is mentioned in Ephesians 2:4-6, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." As Daniel 12:1 ends, "will be rescued." That idea of being made alive and being rescued places the glory completely on God and just continues to mesmerize me and challenge my thinking. 

This leads us to this text and the dividing line between life and contempt, salvation and condemnation. Verse 47 is an interesting verse as it specifies that hearing and not doing does not merit judgment. In other words, it seems the key here is verse 48 and rejecting Jesus. Following Jesus' teachings is not salvation. Following Jesus is the key. It is accepting Him. It is a combo of rejecting Him AND not receiving His sayings. The focus is not works. I'm immediately reminded of those that only speak of Jesus as a good teacher. Their focus is simply on what He has said and doing what He has said. But they are not acknowledging Jesus as the one who saves. They are rejecting His allegiance with God and having been sent by God. 

The words of John of Jesus are so clear. He speaks, but He speaks from the Father - "just as the Father has told Me."

Summary: The consistent them of the Bible is people go to everlasting life or everlasting contempt and believing in God, believing in Jesus, sent by God is the dividing line. 

Promise: It is urgent to believe in Jesus now.

Prayer: God, it is good to get into your Word and read it. I thank you for the encouragement of my friend Scott and his simple words yesterday of diving in Your words and studying them and that reminder that I have been living without this the last 2 weeks and realizing my time today with You needed to be important and a priority. So thank you for the richness of Your words today and the greatness of the salvation You have given me. You have rescued me. You have made me alive in Christ. I am forever in Your care, forever with You, starting now. All glory goes to You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

My Utmost for His Highest - December 4 - The Law of Antagonism

To him that overcometh… REVELATION 2:7

Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.

Health is the balance between physical life and external nature, and it is maintained only by sufficient vitality on the inside against things on the outside. Everything outside my physical life is designed to put me to death. Things which keep me going when I am alive, disintegrate me when I am dead. If I have enough fighting power, I produce the balance of health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a vigorous mental life, I have to fight, and in that way the mental balance called thought is produced.

Morally it is the same. Everything that does not partake of the nature of virtue is the enemy of virtue in me, and it depends on what moral caliber I have whether I overcome and produce virtue. Immediately I fight, I am moral in that particular. No man is virtuous because he cannot help it; virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is the same. Jesus said — “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” i.e., everything that is not spiritual makes for my undoing, but — “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I have to learn to score off the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness; then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Holiness is the balance between my disposition and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ. From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

My mother provided the underlines and highlights from her print edition

My Thoughts

• Antagonism - active hostility or opposition

Mark 13:24-26 - Signs in the Heavens

Mark 13:24-26
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

Message: Signs in the Heavens

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus continues to speak. He has been speaking about the coming destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and then how the believers there would need to flee the City to the mountains to preserve their lives. False teachers will try to get them to stay, but they are not to be fooled by them for they must remember the message and teaching of the true Messiah - Jesus Christ.

Jesus now comments about what will occur, in those days, after that tribulation. The tribulation here is referring to the events around the destruction of the Temple. At this point Jesus has already died on the cross, risen from the dead and the temple has been destroyed. Jesus now predicts His Second Coming. Or is it about this? The Olivet Discourse has been controversial for it is a prophecy and there has been a struggle in understanding its meaning and application.

Jesus now discusses the dissolution of the Jewish State or the governing system that the Jews were apart of up to this point. They had their own government but now it was going away. The glory, excellence, and prosperity of the Jewish nation will go away and instead their will be universal sadness.

Jesus quotes from the ideas of Isaiah 13:10 and Ezekiel 32:7 - THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT - which speak of the destruction of Babylon. Out with the Jewish Nation and in with the Gospel Church.

But this language could also point to God's judgment on Jerusalem for rejecting the Messiah.

Up to this point, it has been interpreted that much of what Jesus had been saying would be fulfilled in the 1st century, by AD 70. But others have thought that, in Matthew 24:29, which is a parallel discourse of this passage, it states Immediately after the distress of those days whereas Mark says But in those days, after that tribulation. The world immediately could take on the meaning of now or even of a thousand years being a day which is common to think about since God sits outside of time. And though we are living in the constraints of time and feel like it is a long day to Christ's second coming, for God it can be immediately.

So I think now of someone coming to me and asking me for the interpretation of this passage and I believe my response would be that there is not one definitive interpretation that numerous people consistently agree with. I therefore defer to others more astute in the study of this passage.

Jesus concludes this by quoting from Daniel 7:13-14 - THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS Jesus is coming like a son of man but with all of the majesty of God. If anything what we know from these words is Jesus acknowledging himself as the true Messiah. This was a known passage of Jewish leaders to speak of the Messiah coming. I think one thing we can know from this is Jesus is expressing with clarity that He is the messiah.

Summary - as Tabletalk states for October 11, 2016 - Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, but that does not mean that every passage that might seem to predict that event is actually talking about the second coming of Christ. Thus, this passage is predicting an event or a time period but it is Jesus proclaiming the future and with that I will trust him.

Promise: Jesus is coming. Jesus is here.

Prayer: Lord, at times I do not understand your words, but that is okay. You have confirmed much already about who you are and why you have come and I can trust you for other ideas that I do not understand. Help me to continue to be a student of the Word and continue to follow you all of my days. You are Savior and Lord and I need you every moment. I want to worship you and praise your name for saving me and making me whole and new and acceptable before God the Father for all eternity.

Mark 13:14-20 - An Abomination in the Temple

Mark 13:14-20
14 “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.15 The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

Message: An Abomination in the Temple

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus has been delivering what is known as the Olivet discourse, predicting the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and talking about the events that will occur leading up to this. He says to be careful (be on your guard) for many will come in His name saying, "I am (he)." Don't be led astray. You will be delivered over to governors and beaten in synagogues but keep proclaiming the name of Jesus. Your family will turn against you but faith is not a momentary change but a lifelong commitment to Jesus so endure to the end to welcome your salvation.

From Tabletalk of October 7, 2016 - In AD 70 the Roman general Titus invaded Jerusalem to crush a Jewish revolt, entered the temple, had the building destroyed, and carried off the lampstand and other temple artifacts to Rome. Thus, this seems to be the prophecy event that Jesus was talking about. Thus, Jesus tells the Jews to flee once this occurs. Josephus, the Jewish historian reports that the Jewish Christians in Judea heeded Jesus' warning. When the city and temple fell, more than one million Jews died. But Jewish Christians, by and large, were not among them, for they had already fled the city when they saw the Romans coming.

Jesus gives these warnings upon this abomination occurring:

- those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains
- The one who is on the housetop must not go down, 
- The one who is on the housetop must not get anything out of his house
- the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 
- woe to those who are pregnant, pray it may not happen in the winter
- woe to those who are nursing babies in those days, pray that it may not happen in the winter. 

19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. God has determined that the period of vengeance is shorter than what is deserved.

Summary - This message is for those people at that time. Destruction will come to Jerusalem and they are to listen to God's warnings and heed what He says. History shows that they did in fact do this and the Jewish Christians lives were spared.

Promise: Bad things will happen to even the Lord's houses. People can be corrupted but we can be on the guard nevertheless at all times. We need to listen to what the Lord is telling us.

Prayer: Lord, you speak to Your People and You give us warnings. Lord, I pray that as you speak I would listen. It is true, I'd rather see it written on a page before me but you Holy Spirit do speak to in our lives. Thank you for saving your people and rescuing them and saving me and rescuing me.

Psalm 22:16-31 - The Messiah Restored

Psalm 22:16-31
¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; ¹⁸ They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. ¹⁹ But You, O Lord, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance. ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog. ²¹ Save me from the lion’s mouth; from the horns of the wild oxen You answer me. ²² I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. ²³ You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. ²⁴ For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. ²⁵ From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. ²⁶ The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! ²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

²⁸ For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. ³⁰ Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.  ³¹ They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

Message: The Messiah Restored

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

Initial Observations
In my first reading of the first 15 verses, I have remarked the following: The Psalmist is not only feeling hurt, but sort of abandoned by God. He mentions that God is faithful and he knows this because of those that have come before him assure him of this; he also knows this because he was born into love; but he still hurts and he still feels pain. And being a man of faith often brings him ridicule from others as they mock his faith and trust in God.

We come to God open and honestly. In this passage, I feel alone. God is Holy. God has delivered people in the past. I feel like a worm. But I know God sees value in me. God, be not far from me.   

I am surrounded by death
Verse 16 is a continuation in thought from verse 11. At this point in this passage, the Psalmist is feeling surrounded by outside sources. And these words continue through verse 18. In reading these verses it does seems to point clearly to the cross that Jesus was on later: ¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; ¹⁸ They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. It was a horrific scene; the dogs are waiting for a corpse to occur so they can eat the remains; evildoers are rejoicing in the prize they have brought down; his hands are pierced and his feet. He can even count his own bones because he has had so little and he his whole body is trying to just keep himself alive. He has no use to his clothing anymore so they are taking all that is his. 

Response: Call on God to intervene
Again, as had been said previously, despite the condition of the Psalmist or the Savior, in this time of need, our response is to turn to God. ¹⁹ But You, O Lord, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance. ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog. ²¹ Save me from the lion’s mouth; from the horns of the wild oxen You answer me. Basically, the Lord is near. We are not abandoned by God. Lord, do not be far from you. God, you are my help in my time of need so come to my assistance. Deliver me from that which chooses to take my life and take me away from the dogs that encircle me and from the lion's mouth. You answer me God. He pleads to God; he begs not to man during this time but he begs to God.

When I am in a time of great need, I need to call on God to intervene, not man. I tend to think that the people that will rescue me will be my fellow men/women. I think of that guy in Africa that was asking me for money because in his eyes, if he is going to get money, he is going to get it from a man. Sure, it makes sense, but for him to make it, God is going to have to intervene in someone's life. So, his focus should not be on man, but on God. He should be pleading with God. This is our focus as a Christian. Our confidence and our hope is always in God, not on man. God is the one that changes lives. So take our concerns before Him. I think that is the meaning of Philippians 4:6-7 reminding us to not worry, but pray about everything.

Testify of the Lord's work in my life
The rest of the verses in this chapter, 22-31, is the Psalmist testifying of the Lord before people, before everyone. Is God really on my lips? Is He someone that I give credit to regarding life?

²² I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. I will speak your name to my brothers; I will praise you in the assembly. It's not, "Look what I have done" but instead "look what He has done."  

²³ You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. ²⁴ For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. God does not let us down. God hears. Keep reminding people of this.

 ²⁵ From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. ²⁶ The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! ²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. ²⁸ For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. ³⁰ Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.  ³¹ They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

Promise: In those moments when all seems against us, in those times, I am to call on God to intervene and testify of His greatness.

Jesus Calling: January 24

My Peace is the treasure of treasures: the pearl of great price. It is an exquisitely costly gift, both for the Giver and the receiver. I purchased this Peace for you with My blood. You receive this gift by trusting Me in the midst of life's storms. If you have the world's peace--everything going your way--you don't seek My unfathomable Peace. Thank Me when things do not go your way, because spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials. Adverse circumstances are normal in a fallen world. Expect them each day. Rejoice in the face of hardship, for I have overcome the world.

Matthew 13:46 
New King James Version
...who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
 
James 1:2 
English Standard Version
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds...
 
John 16:33 
English Standard Version
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
 
My Prayer
Your word says in Romans that there is peace in Christ. This peace was not cheap. It came at a great price; the death of Jesus on the cross for each of us. Lord, too often the peace I seek in life is not your peace. I seek peace from my own decision making. Help me to know what it means to have my peace be in You. Lord, deepen me in Your Word each day so that your Words are in my life.

Help me Lord to be thankful for even the tough times or the hard times. Lord, it happens every day to me. There are expectations I have often of other people and how they are to act toward me and so there are unmet expectations. Those are trials for me. There are challenges with my job and getting work done or not getting work done because there is so much work to do. Those are trials. There are employees that do not do a level of work needed. Those are trials. Lord, I find that many of those trials right now are unmet expectations. Teach me Lord if what I want is out of line and perhaps not really waiting on You for patience. Like my children not being assertive in their future goals but instead it often seems they are content to just watch another television show or be entertained one more time. My son wants to quit soccer when soccer is a trial to him. He isn't getting the feedback that he used to get. I suppose I have these expectations and they are not getting met, but I suppose I am also concerned that they are making unwise decisions.

Lord, I do think of my mom and the trial she is going through of getting a cancer diagnosis for the 3rd time now in the last 10 years and contemplating surgery for a 3rd time and whether it is worth it to go through that again, given the last surgery had such a difficult and long-lasting recovery. That is definitely a trial.

But, Lord, throughout all these events, we can count these as joy? Throughout all these events our eyes need to be centered on You realizing that Peace is not found simply in getting all of our messes fixed. But Peace is something you purchased for us. True peace is bigger than all of these trials. It is knowing that I will always be in Your presence and eternity with You is always in the cards and I never have to question my eternal outcome. Lord, help me to be defined by that sort of peace and not simply the unrest that occurs with these momentary events. Granted, Lord, you care for these events and I thank you for caring, but help me walk through them, realizing you are by side and you will do as you desire. And through that I can have peace.


Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Jesus Calling: July 27

Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand. But without the cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we're traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven. When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My continual Presence and the hope of heaven. 

Romans 12:12
English Standard Version

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
 
I Thessalonians 5:8
English Standard Version

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

Hebrews 6:18-19
English Standard Version

¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

My Prayer (2021)

O Father, keep my eyes focused on You. I want to have tunnel vision toward You and not get so distracted by my left and right. I'm impatient right now. And I complain. Forgive me for my gossip and talking ill of others. I so quickly want to make people think my life is in turmoil. If I share things, help me to not attach names to those feelings. I realize that my words tarnish what people think of people when I bring up their names. I'm so quick to try to make myself out to be the better person. You tell me to be patient in tribulation. I need that reminder because I can be so impatient. In these moments, I'm so thankful that You accept me no matter what. But, give me that strength and resolve to change so that I'm glorifying you in all I do and say....and think. 

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 


Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Jesus Calling: May 11

     Thank Me for your problems. As soon as your mind gets snagged on a difficulty, bring it to Me with thanksgiving. Then ask Me to show you My way to handle the situation. The very act of thinking Me releases your mind from its negative focus. As you turn your attention to Me, the problem fades in significance and loses its power to trip you up. Together we can deal with the situation, either facing it head-on or putting it aside for later consideration.
     Most of the situations that entangle your mind are not today's concerns; you have borrowed them from tomorrow. In this case, I lift the problem out of today and deposit it in the future, where it is veiled from your eyes. In its place I give you My Peace, which flows freely from My Presence.

Philippians 4:6
English Standard Version

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.


John 14:27
English Standard Version

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.


My Prayer 

(2016) Lord, wow, how I never seem to do that in my life.  Train me to do that daily, thanking you for the tough situation at work, the trial with my daughter and college and her health, my wife's difficulty at her job, my son's summer school and camp choices. Thank you for those problems.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 12:12-13 - Hope and Hospitality

Romans 12:12-13 - ¹² rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, ¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Message: We have hope; we can persevere in trials, being devoted to prayer and serving one another.

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:  

Background
And the life of the Christian continues. But remember, this chapter begins with me presenting myself to God, as holy. And this presentation, I am deemed acceptable. And my life presented to Him is a life of being transformed by the renewing of My mind. It is the life of the Christian, before God, that has a transformed mind. In Christ, I am to be renewed. And I need this daily renewal in my life for the ways of the world are contrary to the ways of God. The way of the world is the way of man. I must remember always that my focus is not to be on myself and what I want, but it is to be focused on others and their needs. I am to have the right perspective in life and that is a perspective of seeing myself the way the Lord sees me. 

I am to be a member of the Body of Christ and be focused on using the Gift the God has given me. 

Thus far, I am encouraged to

• Have a love without hypocrisy. My love is not to be two-faced or self-seeking. 
• I am to hate what is evil. I am to abhor it and to have a rotten taste in my mouth from it. 
• I am to cling to what is good. 
• I am to think more of others, loving my fellow man, and honoring that person. 
• I am to be a servant

Rejoicing in Hope 
I have hope. God promises that we will have hope. I think the great thing about hope is realizing that God has a plan for my life. He sees beyond my circumstances. One of the challenges of raising children that I see more and more is that our children live each moment, in the moment. They struggle with any foresight. They don't see nor understand consequences. They only know "right now." It is a challenge each day to help them see beyond the moment. My youngest son, Derek, has such great difficulty with this. All that he can see is right now and whatever "right now" is presenting to himself, that is what he wants. Right now could be a friend calling and wanting him around, even though he has a school assignment due. Right now could be church that we as a family have committed to go to, but he had some late nights and wants to just sleep. Right now can at times be a school project or assignment that is due tomorrow and so everything must be put aside to complete it tonight. His world is so focused on the now and he can't see beyond that. What a comfort it is that God sees beyond our circumstances. We may be caught up in the momentary problems of "now," and in the trials that we are facing that seem larger than life, but he wants us to rejoice in Hope. 

[My one big concern with my children right now is how much of their life is focused on themselves and pleasing their own needs. There lives are lived more and more as "me-focused" people. There seems to be an even greater of focus in their lives of entertaining themselves and that life is simply about having fun.]

This is interesting about these commandments or life instructions that Paul is giving. So far, the focus of them has been about not thinking about me and my needs and my current circumstances, but to focus on others. I am to love others with a love that is focused on them. I am to think more high highly of other people and to serve them. 

Hope is the lifeline of the Christian.. 

Persevering in Tribulation
Trials are often longer than momentary. Trials often have tenure. And so we need perseverance. Once again, we can look at the world and we can see how we are trained now to end trials as soon as they happen. When we have a hurt, we go to urgent care or we go the emergency room. When I was a kid, going to the emergency room never happened. If we had a serious problem, we would just go to the doctor or wait for our doctor appointment, but now we go to the emergency room or urgent care for immediate response. No longer can we wait to be seen the next morning or next day, if something occurs in the middle of the night we can be seen immediately. 

In addition, we have medicines to care for any sort of ailment that may come our way. We take these medicines in large quantities so that we can continue on in our lives and in our normal routines. We have become completely adverse to experiencing trials and if they come, we try to get them to end ASAP. 

But trials are still inevitable. They still come our way. And Paul lets us know that we need to persevere through those trials. Here in these verses Paul links our rejoicing in hope with our persevering in trials. The way we make it through the trial is by having hope. It is to rejoice in our future. See, even here, in the trials we experience, we are being trained by the world to instead have self-reliance. That we make it through these times through self-effort. We are obsessed with diagnosing problems now so that life can continue uninterrupted. 

It really makes me thing what are the trials that I am experiencing right now in my life. What am I doing right now that would allow me to have hope and focus me on perseverance? 

• There are financial woes at the moment. It seems we go from expense to expense. Right now, it is medical expenses and ACT prep. We aren't giving nor saving right now. And I'm working hard to make sure we spend a small amount of money each week on groceries.
• Work is a constant trial. I feel so overloaded with all the work I have to do. And with Dawn's status being uncertain, it is creating further stress.

Devoted to Prayer

This is obviously a believer's continual ambition to have this attitude. Can anyone say they are completely satisfied with their prayer life? The more it is done, the more it is seen it needs to be done. This is one of those disciplines where I have no idea what it means to have success. I guess you could say I am committed to prayer and devoted to the notion that prayer changes lives. But, I cannot say my life mirrors a lot of praying. 

I know there are evenings when I think that we could be praying as a family or as a couple. I have tried this at times and it meant other things in the evening had to be temporarily set aside. But that time of praying didn't remain a part of our evenings. I get discouraged when I think I am the only one that wants it to happen. I get discouraged because urgent matters are always arising and taking the place of that time. 

I took a moment to pray today as I drove in to work. I didn't cover a lot of subjects, but I did take the time to pray. So, it just seems that there is a move from taking time to praying being a continual attitude and part of my lifestyle. 

I think the reason prayer is important is it gets our focus off of ourselves and the belief that our plans or how we spend our time daily is what is most important and it shifts our life over to God so that we can begin to see that He is most important. It is a time of surrendering to God and recognizing that only He can help. 

And maybe the real focus here is that tribulation should drive me to prayer. I do hear this from a lot of people. I hear often from people that when they are experiencing something difficult they say, "Would you pray for me?" I hope this means that we believe God will help and not simply be one of many assists in the ordeal. God should be it. 

 
Hope, Perseverance and Prayer
Paul once again shows a link between these three disciplines of our lives. Romans 5:3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." I remember this passage and Paul reminding us that the Christian actually has a sort of privilege in life for being about to have tribulations. It is actually a special thing and not something we are to run or flee from in our life. In trials, we have perseverance, which builds our character and focuses us on hope.

And then he groups these three together again in Romans 8:24-26, "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Hope and perseverance and once again inter-woven. They work together and this also moves us to pray with the Spirit interceding for us.  

Contributing to the Needs of the Saints
Galatians 6:10 expresses, "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." The cry of my heart is to be crying out for others in my life. Recently, I have been spending time helping out with the meals at home. My wife feels bad though I remind her she has done it for the last 23 years and now I am just doing it for the last 2 weeks. I am getting into it. It takes time. And I guess it takes time from other things, but it is enjoyable because there is the knowledge that I am serving others. 

I was reminded of this yesterday in the message I heard. How are we opening our lives to others? Are we having people over to eat? Who are we including in our lives? I notice how Pete and Schea do this with international students. We have opportunities. We need to make opportunities. We are too focused on just surviving.

Practicing Hospitality
This is literally the love of strangers. This one really stretches the comfort zone because we often, or at least I often, flee from strangers. I have people in my circle of influence that I may give the time of day, but reaching out to strangers and then thinking about the extra step of practicing hospitality and having warmth and love for them is something quite different. Yet, this is my calling. As I spoke to friends about earlier this morning, we are to look for opportunities to share God's truth with others. Lord, I need your help. Show me these opportunities and give me the strength to talk to people and then take the extra step of showing them love.

Promise: God will give me the strength to persevere through trials and show me how I can be an encouragement to others and show hospitality to friends and strangers.

Romans 8:35-37 - More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:35-37 - 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Message: The Love of Christ sets us apart and we are more than conquerors in Christ

Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.

What the Lord is Saying:


In chapter 3, Paul started asking questions and this is continued throughout the book. The questions are meant to possibly come from an imaginary person or maybe an individual that could possibly raise a question as Paul is speaking.

Paul continues in these verses to offer encouragement to the Christian as a face trials in their life, once again while they are in Christ. The Christian is saved at the end of chapter 3, the imputation of righteousness is confirmed by our father Abraham in chapter 4, and the believers death to sin is declared in chapter 5. In 6, 7 and 8, the believers life of sanctification is described. And through this process of being made holy by the Spirit of God a Christian will undoubtedly have questions, and come under attack and have trials. Paul wants to assure the believer that nothing can come against them. Yesterday, we had the reminder that no charge can come against us. There is nothing that can condemn us.

The love of God
Now in verse 35, Paul shows us how the love of Christ will never cease. [I wonder why love is mentioned here and not earlier. Paul has talked about the Lord being with us in prayer, that no charge can come against us, that God is there for those He chooses, and now, he culminates this with talk of the Love of Christ. Just interesting. It could just be a shift from the legal relationship we have in Christ, versus now in these verses the relational aspect of that relationship in Christ.]

Nothing

It is interesting then the list that Paul gives us of struggles to face. He had mentioned tribulation in chapter 5 reminding us that we can exult in our tribulations for they produce hope. Yet in this verse tribulations is the beginning point of struggles in our lives. Tribulations are something that we experience every day in some form or another. They can be small and they can be large.

Distress can occur because of a loss, like a job or a close friend or family member dying to soon.

Famine is something I rarely experience. I don't even know if I can say I have ever experienced famine. Can I say that I've had to go without food for a long period of time? Maybe, but it was probably my own choice.

Nakedness is also something that I've only experienced in a dream. And even in that dream it was humiliating and stressful, but in real life I never have. I guess it could also mean to be exposed or to be humiliated.I have been embarrassed many times but I'm not sure if I've ever really been humiliated.

In peril, I think that would be if I was scared of my life. I think I have experienced this a couple of times, But it has only been momentary, driving in the car, narrow narrowly missing a crash, on my bike, but never anything that lasted longer than a few moments.

And finally death or a sword. Definitely not on that one.

I think what this all is trying to say is that no matter how difficult the situation, even if it might end up in death, the love of God is not absent and remains with us, with me.

In verse 36, Paul quotes from Psalm 44 where the psalmist cries out to God for the alleviation of the suffering he endures for the sake of his faithfulness to the Lord. It is a stark reminder that suffering is not something that will be avoided or not present in the life of the believer in Christ. It should not take us by surprise. It is real and it will occur. And it has the potential of occurring in many forms, but no matter how or when or why, we can rest assure that the love of Christ remains with us. 

Not simply withstanding, but conquering
Verse 37 expresses that we don't simply put up with these difficulties in life, but we overcome them and work through them and eventually conquered them. The strongest sentiment here is that we conquer death.

Promise:  From Tabletalk, July 3, 2014, "Let our enemies do their worst---they cannot overpower our living and loving God."

Romans 5:3-5 - Our Christian Hope

Romans 5:3-5 - 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Message: We get to exult in our tribulations.

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord Says:

The Set Up
Verse 3 begins with, "And not only this." As if verse 2 wasn't enough. Verse 2 told me that I exult in the hope of the glory of God. In verse 1, I am told that I have peace with God. I have a peace that will always be there. It is not going anywhere. In verse 2, I have been admitted into grace; I have been given the best access card ever that will get me into grace. Grace is God's Riches at Christ's Expense. I get all the blessings of grace and this realization moves me to exult--to lift up--in hope (the certainty of the future), of the glory of God.

May I never dull of giving thanks to God for what He has given me. When I think about it, I don't comprehend it. I know me and I look at me and don't know why God would give this to me and not others. I look at others, I see them and can't figure out why He would choose me. But, I stand forever amazed and grateful and pray that I would not just hold this new life to myself, but would share it with others. Prayer needs to be a daily habit in my life and often I find so many other things to fill my life. But God wants me to pray and teaches me to pray in His word and so prayer needs to be a bigger part of my life. Thank you God for moving us as a family to pray, but I still have so much more free time to spend praying. I pray right now that I wouldn't lose sight of this.

Exult in Tribulations
Now I move to verse 3 and see the words "and not only this." You mean, there is more. The word exult is to boast in a position I now possess. The dictionary says exult is to show or feel a lively triumphant joy. And Paul is showing me that I get to and will exult in tribulations. Say what? Yes, show or feel a lively triumphant joy in my tribulations. Boast in the fact that I possess now tribulations. I still can't comprehend this. I've learned this before. I've studied James and seen that I am to count it joy when I experience trials and now here I see I can exult in tribulations. But, I rarely do this. I run from tribulations. And yet tribulations often drive me to my knees to pray. Think about it. Often, I don't pray as I should and yet when a tribulation comes I run to my knees to pray about it. So, obviously, having the tribulation is a positive for it got my focus more securely on the need to pray. God should never be my last priority, but He should always be my first priority.

It is one thing to submit to and endure tribulations without complaint, but it is quite another thing to embrace tribulations with exult. Everyone wants to live a problem free life and yet what Paul is stating here is the contrary thought that we can boast in the fact we have a tribulation.

I think of all those people I converse with online and prayer requests are there due to them wanting to get out of, as quickly as possible, a trial in their life. But, what if God has them right where he wants them? Maybe their perspective is to look through the tribulation to see what God can do with it. But, it is not that their is joy in having a tribulation, but it moves us to greater dependence and expecting God's deliverance from it. Hodge states, "The Christian feels that suffering themselves are an offering and a blessing." And this is a consistent them in the Bible. Matthew states, "Blessed are those that mourn." Ecclesiastes states, "Sorrow is better than laughter for when a face is sad, a heart may be happy." 

Tribulation is the Greek word thlipsis. It is not a mile discomfort, but a great difficulty. It is derived from the word which means to crush or break together with the idea of breaking. According to the ancient law of England, those who willfully refused to plead guilty, had heavy weights pressed on their breasts, and were pressed and crushed to death. Thlipsis is uses 45 times in the New Testament. It has the idea of squeezing grapes in order to extract the sweet juice.

Tribulation breeds patience
Patience seems to be the one trait that all people struggle with the most. Our culture, of late, has bent itself more and more on the notion that immediate gratification is the norm. Movies are a great example of this. Often my children will sit down to watch an old movie with me and the story will move slowly. There will be dialogue and discussion. It will slowly build up to a climax. I contrast this to the action adventure movies they often watch where their is excitement at every turn. There are fights and explosions constantly. The push to video games is a push to enjoy things more immediately. Learning often needs patience and many are not patient. Books are not being read anymore because they take too long. We'd rather have a quick summary. I don't think that it is that learning is despised as much as there is a desire to get on with the things in life we state we enjoy and entertain us. All of these things and more I feel are breeding impatience in people.

And yet, from these verses we see that tribulation breeds or brings about patience. It has been said that the best way to learn patience is to go through a difficult situation. Can you imagine praying that a person would experience toil so that they may learn patience? "Oh Lord, would you send a trial into this person's life?" That prayer would never be prayed. A person would be laughed out of church for praying this.

Tribulation brings about perseverance
At the end of verse 3, it states that tribulation brings about perseverance. Perseverance is to abide or remain under a discipline. Or subjecting myself to something that I would naturally rebel. In tribulation, I experience pressures, but perseverance is to not focus on the pressures, but to focus beyond them. It is the realization that out of evil God brings good.

The difficulties in our lives,
The obstacles we face,
Give God the opportunity,
To show His power and grace.

Do I accept God's dealings with me as being good? Do I desire to get out of a tribulation as quickly as possible or do I trust God through it, asking for His timing in the deliverance? Do I have confidence in God that He will deliver me or do I try to find my own ways of getting out of the trial?

Perseverance, proven character
In verse 4, Proven character is the Greek word dokime and in secular Greek it was used to describe metals that had been tested and determined to be pure. How do we know that our faith is real? Take it through a trial and see what comes out on the other side.

I know of many people that I thought were formerly of the faith of Christianity, but are not now. I wonder if what happened in their lives is trials came there way or questions about their faith came and rather than enduring them and coming out stronger on the other side, they instead punted their faith.

People punt so many things in their life that were once a commitment. Marriage is something that seems to have really been hurt over the last 50 years. It seems that marriage often happens for the wrong reasons. I remember counseling a man a couple of years ago and his marriage was barely hanging on, it wasn't surviving the trials, and when I discovered how the marriage began, he told me that they were attracted to one another and had sex quickly, the wife got pregnant and they got married. It started on a shaky foundation. It was a marriage by name, but when trials came it got weak. I'm not saying God couldn't save it and purify it, but without two people submitting to the Lord, at all, it failed.

Proven character, hope
In these verses, it has gone from tribulation, joy, patience, perseverance, proven character, and now it comes to hope. In our faith, we can almost welcome tribulation because we know it is going to cause us to depend on God. And through it, it will breed patience in our life. And I can work it out in my life because I can persevere or focus not on the pressures that I am experiencing, but the result that will come. And through this process I can know that, by depending on the Lord, I will be shown as the real thing. And this gives me hope.

When I know that I am pure and know that I can make it through trials, it confirms that I am child of God. Getting through the trials gives me that hope and assurance that God is there and in control. It anchors me in my faith.

I talk to so many people online that state, "I don't feel like a Christian. Things aren't working out in my life." That a testimony right there that a person has believed something different from the Gospel of the Bible. It is not to make life easy, but to move us to depend on our Lord and thereby confirm our faith and our future in Christ.

Do I accept everything that comes into my life as coming from the Lord? Do I give thanks (Ro1:20)?  And not only accept it, but rejoice in it?

Hope does not disappoint
Hope is the desire for some future good with the expectation of obtaining it. Psalm 40:1 has always been a favorite verse to me (Mostly because U2 introduced me to it in the song "40" on the War album). It states, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry." The Lord did not disappoint. He was there. And He came through. That passage later says, "He put a new song in my mouth."

I am a Christian. I know this. God has taken me through trials. And has confirmed Him in me. And this confirmation does not disappoint. In future times, it continues to show me that He is actually what I need.

Faith, Hope, and (now) Love
Here in verse 5, Paul culminates the look at tribulations to show us that they are there because God loves us. His love is being poured out on us and the testimony we have of that love is tribulation.

We want the patience of Job. But, we don't want the trials that Job faced. And yet, Job is a great testimony of how much God loved him. That's amazing. God pours out his love on us in the form of tribulations. God showed us His great love for us by sending His Son. And now God showers us and waters us more, pouring His love out to us. In verse 1, it was peace. verse 2, it was joy and now God confirms His love through training us to be patient, to confirm His love, our hope in the future, because God is there for us.

Through the Holy Spirit
So much is made of the Holy Spirit and the sensationalism of Him, to bring about riches and abundance and healing in our lives. And yet here, the Holy Spirit is working through tribulations. Through pressures. God's love is poured out into our lives through the Holy Spirit. This is the first mention of the Holy Spirit by Paul. And it comes on the heals of Paul showing us what the believer has received in being justified. He has received the Holy Spirit. He didn't have to ask for him or pray for him, he received it upon being justified.

Promise: The Holy Spirit entered my life because I was born of God. And He has the best in store for me.

Romans 3:18 - No Fear of God

Romans 3:18 - “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 

Message: The picture of no fear of God.

Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).

What the Lord is Saying:

Here in verse 18 is sort of an interesting, though apt, culmination of man's departure from God. It is somewhat similar to chapter 1. I am always reminded that as my turns from God, he stops giving thanks to God for His hand of providence in life. And here is the calling card of the sinner. We have seen that no one is righteous, the tongue is poison and our feet are swift to shed blood. 

But, more directly now before God, there is no fear of God. This statement really could be a summary statement of the problem with all men: no fear of God. This is a quote from Psalm 36:1, "Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes."

The stark reminder of this verse is man really doesn't care about God. Fearing God causes us to turn away from evil (Proverbs 3:7). The fear of God means our sin is constrained so without it, sin is unleashed. It always amazes me the surprise it seems the Christian world has in the world's sins. They don't fear God. How can we expect them to follow through on God's commandments when they don't fear Him? 

Deuteronomy 4:10 -  Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.
-- with an absence of God's words in our life, there is going to be an absence of the fear of God. 

Why is the fear of God so important? I think it is a recognition that God is there. It is interesting that when I'm breaking the law of speeding, I fear the police catching me. In a dark room, sometimes I fear not having light. Sometimes I fear being found out for not being as smart as people think I am. I fear people often, not wanting to talk to them about God, because I don't want their rejection of me or their verdict upon me. I think of money too much because I fear being without it. I have fears that my children will not walk with the Lord. But, I wonder if I really fear God. What often motivates me to not sin is the consequences of sin. I hope that what begins my desire to avoid sin is the realization that God is there. He created me. He has a purpose for me. He is in control. In some ways, I think fear of God is respecting who God is. It is recognizing that He is there, always. It is knowing that He is Holy. It is believing in Him.

Promise: Without fear of God, there is no foundation. Man is in chaos.

Romans 2:9-10 - The Sequence of Salvation

Romans 2:9-10 - 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Message: There is a tension of good and evil in our lives, both being the result of our faith or non-faith in Christ.

Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey. Chapter 2 seems to be written to the Jew though the Jew is not addressed till verse 17.

What the Lord is Saying:

Verse 9, There will be:

Tribulation - crushed by a weight; suffering brought on by outward circumstances; the Greek word thlipsis is used 45 times in the New Testament.

Distress - literally a narrow place and the painfulness associated with being in that narrow place, such as being in a tight corner with no way out. The idea is that the person will not know where to find relief.

4 terrifying words found in verses 8 and 9

• Wrath - Orge - God's attitude toward sin (verse 8)
• Indignation - Thumos - The expression of that attitude (verse 8)
• Affliction - Thlipsis - The result (verse 9)
• Distress - Stenochoria - The realization of entire helplessness (verse 9)

Every soul of man - This reminds me that God's judgment is equal and consistent and for everyone. It is universal. Although Paul uses the word "every", he further emphasizes that both the Jew and the Greek will be under judgment. This is important because we have already seen in verse 31 of chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2 of chapter 2 that Paul realizes that the Jewish person doesn't believe they are under the same level of scrutiny as the non-Jew. 

The word "does" in verse 9 may be the most significant word in this entire verse because it expresses the tenacity in which a person engages in evil acts. The work of this person is not just momentary, but it is consistent and continual until the evil is achieved. And I know this because of the Greek word that is used. It is katergazomai. Ergazomai means to engage in an activity with considerable expenditure of effort. The kata prefix of this verb means that the intensity of that activity is greater. Evil behavior is thorough.

This same word is also used in Philippians 2:12 where it states "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Katergazomai is also used here, but instead of the English word "does" we see the English word, "Work out."

The idea when we go to the gym to "work out" is we do something hopefully in a repetitive way in order to change something in us. In both verses, the working out or doing is speaking of intensity and repetition. 

The word evil or kakos is used 50 times in the New Testament.

The Good and Evil Tension
The contrast is clear. Man either does the work of salvation, sanctification, or does the work of evil, separation. Man either desires obedience to God or anything else, is disobedience.

The Bible repeatedly shows us clear contrasts, and yet, we just don't like living in those clear contrasts. We much more prefer standing in the middle between the two. We desire to borrow a little from each in our lives and then believe that we are safe as long as we have more of one than the other.

In addition, the chasm between the two is growing to the point that each opposite is a little less distinguishable. Gone are the days when most stores were closed on Sunday's. Now, it is rare one is closed. Chick-Fil-A is one that is always closed and there is almost this oddity about it. And because of this, the sabbath day has become more blurry and really not even distinguishable from other days. People no longer attend church with the same frequency. More and more the sins of yesterday are now seen as acceptable behavior. Atheism appears to never be more rampant than it is today and it should be because the presence of God in our lives is being pressed out. It is being overpowered.

Looking at the contrast between good and evil, right and wrong, holiness and worldliness, righteousness and unrighteousness, I need to be happy that the Bible speaks so clearly of the distinction because our lives in the world are much more grey. As the Leslie Phillips song voiced, "Black and White in a Grey World." The church needs to recognize this and train people to walk close to God and continue to live in Christ.

It amazes me how we think we can dance in both worlds and not be affected. Why do we do it? Because we love both worlds. And we think that we can.

Verse 10, and:

Glory - means to think highly of or give a proper opinion or estimate of something. The Greek word is used 166 times in the NT.

Honor - the worth or merit of an object; pay respect.

Peace - to bring together that which has been separated. Without peace there is division. It always conveys an inner rest. Peace or eirene is used 91 times in the NT. Eirene. Pamela's grandmother was named Irene.

Does - Once again this is katergazomai. A person's habitual conduct, whether good or evil, reveals the true condition of their heart.

Good - Greek word agathos. These are deeds done to benefit others.

Paul is not saying here that good works merit salvation nor is he saying that evil results in separation from God. But, we can clearly see that when a person does good, it is a testimony of who that person belongs. In the same manner, doing evil testifies of that person's allegiance. In both instances the deeds are habitual. And so the rewards that come are a result of habitual action, of which people have a heard time achieving (rather it is impossible) on either side of the fence.

Why does Scripture seemingly go back and forth? Why does it seem that one verse is speaking of being saved by God's righteousness through Jesus Christ alone, while other verses speak of living a life of good deeds. The problem thinking that it is a joint effort between God and man is then there are other scriptures that have to be punted. What I see is our obedience is part of our reward, but it isn't what brings us to the podium. We arrive at the podium solely on the basis of the perfect righteousness of Christ. 

Promise: There are always clear results to the way we live.

 

Zechariah 14

Message: The Lord will reign and rule the earth and all will be God's people.

Time: Zechariah foresees a picture of the Day of the Lord. The Lord returns.

What the Lord is Saying:

[I've been reading John MacArthur's sermon series on Zechariah and the basis of these comments is from those sermons.]

Jerusalem is mentioned by name 12 times in this chapter. "On that day" is reference 7 times.

The idea here is to approach this chapter literally because calling it symbolic then muddies the water and opens it up to mean anything, based upon the individual defining the symbol.

Here in verse 1, we begin the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is not one 24 hour day of a time of the Lord. We use the word in a similar way to describe things today, but here it spawns the rapture of the church and extending through the millennial kingdom.

• The Tribulation time when the Lord takes back the earth;
• the conquering of the nations at Armageddon;
• the judgment of the nations;
• the establishment of the Kingdom;
• the reign of Jesus Christ on earth for a thousand years; 
• the vanquishing of Satan;
• the whole great eschatological time block from the Rapture to the end of the Kingdom;
• the whole era of the end of history is the day of the Lord. 
• God sets up his own reign
• God removes the reign from unregenerate man

So, as this chapter begins, the idea of the day of the Lord above or this time period must be considered.

Verse 2, "I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem." That seems like an amazing thought. God here will gather nations to fight Jerusalem. God will instigate a war on His people. People today often say that religious people create conflicts or wars on others. And the reality here is that God is making a war on His own people. The people of Jerusalem, for the Day of the Lord, are coming back to Jerusalem. They are being regathered. And yet they are not all repentant before the Lord, but simply returning to Jerusalem. And in this fight the result will be "half in captivity, half in ruins." Half of the people calling themselves the followers of the Lord, his chosen people will be lost.

Verse 3 - It appears the Lord will then take those nations and move them out of his land. They will serve a purpose, but they won't set up shop among His people.

Verse 4,5, 6 and 7. -- The Lord arrives. "His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." "The Lord will come." After the purging of His people, the Lord will come to the earth. Christ returns.

This return will bring with it a change to the City of Jerusalem. For one, the sun and light of the earth will remain. No longer will there be night.

And right in the middle of the City, gushing living waters will be spring forth, creating a river to east and to the west.

Verse 9, and now the religions of the world will all culminate into one religion, the religion of the Lord. "His name alone will be worshiped." Not just in Jerusalem, but "over all the earth." 

Verse 10, and somehow and in some way the world will be flattened ("one vast plain") and "Jerusalem will be raised up." Jerusalem will be higher than anything else on the earth. This is where Jesus will live and reign, so it must be high. And (v 11) Jerusalem is be safe and free from being attacked and purified. Why? Because idolatry will be gone. And abandoning the name of the Lord and replacing it with something else will be no more.

And the people that have opposed the Lord, have opposed Jerusalem will be "like walking corpses." Amazing. The Lord is the life giver. He creates life and he can remove life as well. And those that oppose Him will lose their life (v. 12), really in an instant. And if you aren't hit with this plague, you will be fighting with one another (v. 13). And the wealth of all the world will come to Jerusalem (v. 14). Nothing will be exempt (v. 15) from this, but it will affect everything, man and creature alike.

The people that remain on the earth (v. 16), in the communities that had opposed Jerusalem will be tabernacled or will dwell among God's people. They will worship. They are people who will have turned to Christ at the Day of the Lord. People will continue to not turn to the Lord and those nations won't have rain (v. 17), but will have drought. Egypt will say they don't need rain because they have the Nile River. But the Lord clearly states that if the "no rain" doesn't get you, the plague will (v. 18, 19).

And on that day, this is incredible, everything will be sacred and everything (cooking pots, harness bells of the horses) will call upon the name of the Lord saying, "Holy to the Lord" (v. 20, 21). There will no longer be any degenerate or unclean person remaining. Holiness will abound. What a future state.

Promise: The Lord will return to His People and the covenant He has with all His people will stand firm throughout eternity.
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Jesus Calling: March 13

    Learn to live above your circumstances. This requires focused time with Me, the One who overcame the world. Trouble and distress are woven into the very fabric of this perishing world. Only My Life in you can empower you to face this endless flow of problems with good cheer. 
    As you sit quietly in My Presence, I shine Peace into your troubled mind and heart. Little by little, you are freed from earthly shackles and lifted up above your circumstances. You gain My perspective on your life, enabling you to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Rest in My Presence, receiving Joy that no one can take away from you. 

John 16:33

New King James Version These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:22

English Standard VersionSo also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

What the Lord is Saying to Me
Following the Lord doesn't mean that we are freed from having problems. Here we learn the importance of not letting our problems or circumstances mess up our life in Christ. In Christ we have a Joy of the Lord. That Joy is our strength. And our life is complete because of who we are in Christ. In Christ we have peace. As we live in the world, yes there is tribulation and trial, but we can approach our life in the world with good cheer because He has overcome the world.


My Prayer
Lord, I want to live a life daily with You. I want to follow You. So, help me Lord to not be engulfed with my problems or trials. Today, I will have problems presented before Me. I pray that I will walk with You through them and be of good cheer. And through it all my heart can still rejoice. No matter what the circumstance.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Zechariah 13

Message: What will the return of Christ mean to Israel? Israel will be cleansed from her sin.

Time: Written after the Temple Was Completed circa 480-470BC

What the Lord is Saying:

On that day refers to the tribulation period, a future time, when Israel will be cleansed from their sins and impurity. Is Israel cleansed right now? Right now, they have rejected the Messiah and cleansing comes by faith, but the Lord has always promised restoration for His people and one day there will be restoration for all. Israel will come to repentance and a fountain of forgiveness will be released on them.

Romans 10:3 reminds us that people try to establish their own righteousness and this is what Israel or Jewish people are currently doing. They are trying to decide on their own the standard of righteousness and this is also the greatest problem of people at large today. Most people are deciding themselves what it means to be righteous. They are mapping out their own way to define this rather than submitting to the Lord. People set up rules and they set up codes and ways that must be followed. They have erected perfect churches and those people set the standard.

Jesus does not just clean us one time, but his cleansing is continual. We are continually forgiven. Forgiveness happens because of the blood of Jesus. It was one act and yet the cleansing keeps on happening (I John 1:9).

Verse 2 speaks of the fact that the spirit of impurity and the false prophets will be removed from the land. Those agents of evil will be no more. What an exciting day that will be. Sin will continue because men and women will remain, but the spirit which is constantly moving people away from Christ and instead toward the practice of just good works will be removed. To the point that in verse 3 that if a child tries to prophecy his parents will stab him to death. Even though there is no closer union than a parent/child, the hatred of false prophecy will override that.

Verse 4 is interesting because the outer garment that is worn to identity one as a prophet will be no more. It will be gone. There are so many garments that are worn that try to set people apart and show them as papal people and yet, often, those that wear it aren't true to the calling of Christ. But, at this time, those clothes will be removed. No one will want to even come close to being attributed to a prophet.

Verses 7-9 seems to be distinct from the previous verse because "on that day" in not mentioned. This shepherd will be struck down. The sheep will be scattered. Two-thirds will die, one-third remain. And that remaining third will be brought through the fire. They will be pure, refined, purified, and God will answer them and call them His people. This could be talking about Jesus and His Church, which we now live in.


Promise: God's People are cleansed