Strength in Troubling Times

Do you often have doubts? Are you currently dealing with a difficult situation? Do you know someone in a difficult situation who is asking you for advice? How do you get through difficult situations? What or who do you lean on?

We all are going through a difficult situation right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems we are either unemployed or one of the front-line workers. You may be a construction worker who is currently furloughed and having to file for unemployment. You may be a grocery clerk who has been put under additional stress to get the shelves stocked as quickly as the shipments come in. You may be medical staff having to treat patients with COVID-19 while continuing to treat other emergency patients.

Though many people may have welcomed the first week or two being off work, it quickly becomes old being forced to stay home. Even those who continue to work become tired of not just the stress, but not being able to get out to shop or eat at a restaurant. Our nerves are wearing thin and we all are looking for relief.

Where does that relief come from? It can only come from One person—God. Our faith in God will get us through. Our faith in God will provide us calm, peace, contentment, strength, and courage. It is our faith, our trust in God, that gives us the strength to continue. It causes us to go beyond what we think is possible and beyond what is possible without Him.

We are not alone in our struggles. Not only is virtually everyone else around us struggling, but Jesus’ apostles also struggled during their time with Him. He was in the boat with them when a storm blew up and started to swamp the boat. They were afraid they were going to be sunk. Yet Jesus simply chastised them for their little faith in Him—though I believe He did so gently.

During this challenging time, we not only need to lean heavily on our faith, but we need to exercise patience with one another. Of course, that patience will also come from our faith in God. We must hold on to the knowledge that God is still at work and in control—even if we don’t think so.

I pray we all hold on to our faith. I pray we all continue in strength and courage provided by God. I pray we are patient with one another. I pray each one of us come through this with a faith stronger than when all this began. Lean on God. Trust Jesus Christ. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit. Be patient. Experience God’s peace.

Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Quiet Time

Are you all alone? Do you feel isolated from family and friends? Does the idea of being alone cause you to feel uncomfortable? Are you focused on being alone or are you putting your focus somewhere else?

Our culture is normally a very busy culture. We had grown to the point of having every waking minute occupied by something. We have lists of things to do as long as our arm. Gone are the days of families spending time together discussing life and teaching children how to be successful. Is it any wonder our culture is filled with anxiety and fear?

The minds of our youth have become so accustomed to multi-tasking that they are bored if they are not doing so. Perhaps you have watched your children or done this yourself—there’s a phone in hand to play a game, read Facebook, or Snap Chat with someone while watching a TV show. Oh, don’t worry, you can follow along with the TV just fine while playing on your phone.

We don’t allow our brains to relax. We don’t stop to smell the roses. We are in a heightened state of alert, or at least a state of a highly active brain. We don’t know what silence is and if we encounter it, we are uncomfortable.

Jesus purposely went to quiet places periodically to spend time with His Father. He purposely spent hours in prayer. Jesus didn’t have all the electronics we have today, but I suspect He would have purposely put them down. He might have even left them sitting on the counter while He took a walk in the woods or mowed His yard or drove to the store.

During this period of staying at home, unless you are an essential worker or must go out to get groceries, is a perfect time to spend quiet time with your Father. It’s a perfect time to spend time reading your Bible. It’s a perfect time for family time talking about life and teaching your children how to live.

Jesus knew more about mental, emotional, and spiritual health than we know today. His example is one we should imitate. Our brains need downtime. We need to spend time with God, releasing our worries to Him and listening for His guidance. If we were to spend more time with God, we will discover peace and tranquility. We will start living a life of balance.

I pray we all spend quiet time with God each day. I pray we don’t go back to normal but continue in the abnormal practice of spending time taking care of our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. I pray each of us become closer to God during this time of social distancing. Spend quiet time with God. Spend time in prayer. Read God’s Word. Release your worries. Become a person of calm in peace.

Matthew 14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,

God at Work

Ever wonder if you are blessed? Have you looked at the little you have and wish it was more? Do you sometimes think God isn’t paying attention? Are you looking at everyone around you and thinking they are so much more blessed than you?

I’m sure we have heard the old saying, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s a rather simply saying the implies that we can’t see all that is happening with someone else or what the full situation is. Yet we continue to find someone to gaze at that we think has all that we would like to have.

There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting more for your family. God made us, especially parents, to desire providing the best we can for our families. We have a yearning to provide a better life for our children. We ask God to be with us as we work toward our goal.

There are times when it seems the bottom has fallen out from under us. During the current battle against the COVID-19 virus, many of us have lost jobs or been furloughed for a period of time. Some businesses are closing, never to open again. Some of our loved ones are infected with the virus and battling for their lives. Others are infected and have no ill effects.

We wonder at times where God is in all of this. If we didn’t question it, we wouldn’t be human. After all, only God can see the larger picture. Only He can see what we cannot. No, I don’t believe God caused the virus. I do believe He is very much at work, bringing good from the bad. It will only be much later, when we look back at this time months or years later, that we will see how He worked during this time.

Many of us don’t like the idea of waiting. We are impatient and want the answer now. We believe we need answers to continue one more day. Yet we forget that God is there with us. He does not abandon His people. He gives them the strength, courage, and encouragement they need to continue.

I pray we continue to hold on to God. I pray each of us reach out to God for the strength we need to make it through one more day. I pray we grasp the blessings He is providing and give Him thanks for them. Hang in there. Ask God to provide for your needs. Trust He is working. Know He is blessing you.

Psalm 16:5-8

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure. 

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; 

even at night my heart instructs me.  

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

The End Times

Are you worried about the end times? When the world will come to an end? Are you listening to others who are predicting when that will happen? Have you done any real investigation yourself? Why are you worried about it?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen far too many posts on social media attempting to associate all the recent wars, famines, and pandemic to the world coming to end. It is obvious the people drumming up this hysteria have spent very little or no time reading the Scriptures. Instead, they have hand-picked a few specific verses to justify their hypothesis.

Paul tells us to become mature and not be like children (or boats) being tossed about on the waves, being deceived by schemers (Ephesians 4:11-16). Folks, people have been predicting the end of the world for centuries. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

First, when we look at the Revelation that was given to John, his readers thought Christ was coming back within their lifetime. The book was written in the first century, roughly dated as 95. Since it’s been more than 1900 years since the book was written, we can safely say those people were incorrect in their belief.

Now, let’s look at several others. A French Bishop predicted the world would end before the year 400. Irenaeus, a famous Greek Bishop, predicted the apocalypse would happen in 500, based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark. Pope Sylvester II predicted the end would come before the year 1000, which caused riots throughout Europe. Pope Innocent III predicted the end would come in 1216 based on it being 666 years after the rise of Islam. Martin Luther, famous for opposing many Catholic teachings and the father of Lutherans, predicted the end would come prior to 1600. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, predicted Christ would come in 1836. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted Christ would return on March 21, 1844. Nostradamus, famous astrologer, predicted the end of the world would come in July 1999. All of these predictions were false and there are hundreds more like them.

People continue to try to predict when the end times will happen. Here’s the truth of the matter—plain and simple—nobody knows! Jesus told us not to be deceived. He says neither the angels in heaven nor the Son of God knows when the end will happen (read Matthew 24). If the Son of God doesn’t know when the end will happen, why do we choose to believe a mere human?

It is true that Jesus says in Matthew 24 that there will be wars, famine, earthquakes, and persecutions. Yet He also says there will be false prophets who will lead people astray. Do not be deceived by their uneducated ramblings. If we look back through the history of the world, we will find wars, famines, earthquakes, plaques, sicknesses, and persecutions in every century. We would likely find them in every decade, if we could read the history of every nation.

May I suggest that we stop worrying about when the end may come, which may be today, and spend our time obeying Jesus? Let’s love God and love our neighbor today. Let’s be prepared at all times for His return. For Jesus also tells us He will come like a thief in the night—totally unexpected. If we are in Jesus Christ, we have no reason to worry about when He will come. We will live with Him in heaven for eternity. Instead, let’s show the love of God to others in an effort to bring as many of them into the Kingdom as possible.

Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Fitting In

Are you in need today? Do you need food, housing, clothing? Are you blessed with plenty? Do you have more than you need? Will you rely on God? Will you be part of God’s plan to bless others? Do you know that God blesses some so they can bless others?

We, too often, think we need more than we really need. We allow our wants to be transformed into needs, at least in our minds. What we fail to realize is that our true needs can be boiled down to much less than we think. Yet our needs are more than just physical.

God blesses us with more than we give Him credit for. He not only blesses us with our physical needs but blesses us with non-physical needs. For example, God blesses us with His love. Sometimes His love comes through others. He works through family, friends, and sometimes co-workers.

God blesses us with our ability to learn. We don’t often think of this as a blessing from God. Yet if He hadn’t blessed us with this ability, who would have? He gifts us with many gifts because of His love for us. Perhaps you are a good at learning another language or math or science or history or engineering. God blessed each of us with an ability so that we fit into His overall plan.

There will be times when each one of us will need the help of others. There will also be a time when others will be in need of our help. This is what Paul was saying when he wrote to the Philippians. Paul found that he could be content in any of these situations because he relied on God to provide.

When we rely on God, we experience His wonderful plan in a beautiful way. We accept help from others when we need it and give help when it is needed by others. This is being part of God’s family. This is using teamwork. It is recognizing that no one can survive as an island. Each one of us has a part to play. We are to recognize where God wants us and the role He has set before us.

I pray that each of us lean on God. I pray we all recognize the gifts and abilities God has blessed us with. I pray we share our gifts and our blessings from God with others. I pray each one of us recognizes we are part of God’s family and have a role to play. Find your role and take it on with God’s strength. Accept help from others graciously. Help others lovingly. Be part of God’s family and His plan.

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Easter Morning

Have you ever been surprised with a gift so wonderful you couldn’t believe it was true? I believe we all have had good surprises during our lifetime, but I don’t believe any could be as wonderful as having someone you loved appear to you alive after being dead for three days.

Put yourself in the shoes of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they went to the tomb (Matthew 28:1). Remember, the day before was the Sabbath and they were at home observing the holiday. Now, the day after, they get up early to go to the tomb to mourn the death of their beloved friend and teacher. An earthquake happens and the stone in front of the tomb rolls away to reveal emptiness.

Typically, the stone would have been a large stone disc. It would have been heavy enough that it would have taken a couple strong men to roll it away from the tomb opening. Not only that, but the stone was normally held in place by a large rock. You see, the stone would have been rolled down a slope to cover the tomb opening and the rock kept the stone from rolling any further downhill. So, when the earthquake rolled the stone away from the opening, the stone would have rolled uphill. Amazing isn’t it?!

As we celebrate this Easter, let us remember that Jesus has indeed risen. Not only has He risen, but He is always with us. We might also marvel at other miraculous things that happened that morning and ponder the pure joy of seeing your Lord and Savior in all His brilliance after having witnessed Him being brutally beaten and crucified. I’m not sure we can fully comprehend how joyous that would have been for the two Mary’s and the apostles.

I pray we celebrate this Easter in joy and wonder. I pray we are amazed at the wonders of God and His miraculous power. I pray we live in Jesus Christ each and every day of our lives. Be in awe. Experience the pure joy. Celebrate Jesus Christ every day. Live for Him and with Him.

Matthew 28:5-10 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” 

Easter Eve

How well do you handle disappointment? How do you react when it seems your whole world has crashed around you? Who do you run to when you need a shoulder to cry on? Have you ever had to run for your life? What do you think your reaction would be?

We all have down times. Sometimes those down times go deep. We may end up in the deepest valley we could ever imagine. We search for a way out. We set and revel in our sorrows. We don’t want to go out in public. We can’t find the strength to get out of bed. We struggle with the simplest of tasks.

Yet there is always One who is with us. God does not abandon us (Matthew 28:20). He provides us with the strength we need to continue to move forward, according to His plan (1 Peter 4:11). It is when we are in the deepest of valleys that we need to rely on God more than ever.

Thinking about our own deep valleys, can we put ourselves in the shoes of the apostles on the day after Jesus was crucified? They thought He was going to be a king. They had put three years of their lives into following Him, hearing His parables, having Him explain them, and professing that He was the Messiah—the long-awaited Messiah of Israel.

The apostles were hiding on that Saturday. They feared for their lives, thinking the Jewish leadership would be coming for them next. The door to the room where they were staying was bolted shut. I can only imagine the way they felt—having their whole world crumble around them.

Put yourself in their shoes for just a moment. Imagine the man you’ve trusted to bring all things of promise, glory, riches, removal of your enemy from your country has been crucified and buried the day before. You’ve seen him tried, beaten, and brutally killed. How would you feel?

Most of us cannot fully imagine what that would be like. Sure, we’ve experienced some bad times, deep emotional valleys, and lost loved ones. What carried us through those experiences? Was it our sheer force of will or did we lean on God? One of those answers will help us get through them in better shape than the other.

So, as we go through this Saturday, many of us in despair, trust God to carry you through. As we all continue our worrying about the COVID-19 affects and whether we or one of our family members may be infected, lean on God. As we continue to attempt to isolate ourselves, spend time with God.

I pray we all reflect on the despair the apostles experienced. I pray each of us will take inventory of our relationship with God. I pray we trust God to get us through our current situation. Do not despair. Have faith in God. Know that Jesus fulfills His promises.

John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Seek the Truth

Do you recognize the truth when you hear it? Have you tuned your heart and mind to recognize it? When you hear the truth, are you willing to accept it? Will you follow the truth, even if it is hard? Do you accept the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as the truth?

We hear people talking all day long. Much of what we hear is simply people rambling on about something of little importance. We hear all kinds of rumors, even more so in regard to the current pandemic. “Who tested positive?” “Where did they come in contact with it?” “Why weren’t they listening to the experts and taking it serious?”

Of course, most of us aren’t contributing truth to the matter ourselves. We condemn the person we’re talking about with only part of the information. We heard one piece of it, and we’re not even sure if that is true, then we start talking about how stupid the person was. We fail to realize we don’t know the whole situation. We are not investigators who are interviewing everyone involved and collecting evidence. Yet we are quick to condemn.

It was much the same with Jesus. He was condemned without the Jewish leadership knowing fully who He was. They didn’t really investigate His deeds nor the prophecy about Him. They simply knew that He was pulling people away from their teaching and costing them money. The Roman Governor, Pilate, only condemned Him to appease the Jewish leadership and an angry mob. Have we considered we are just like them?

We are called to follow the truth. We are instructed to seek the truth. The truth we are to seek is Jesus. He told us explicitly that He is the truth (John 14:6). This seeking is not simply meant to be a scavenger hunt. It is to be an investigation, an earnest search, followed by our acceptance of His truth and following Him.

When we honestly seek to know Jesus, to know God, we will begin to obtain a heart and mind like His. The more we become like Him, the easier it will be for us to identify the truth when we hear it. We will be able to ignore the false rumors and point out the half-truths and lies we hear every day. We will give credit to those who witness, absorbing their message as truth.

I pray we all seek the truth and give up listening to the rabble all around us. I pray each one of us will accept the truth of Jesus Christ. I pray we follow His teaching as related by eyewitnesses and appointed apostles. Seek the truth. Seek Jesus. Discard lies. Follow Jesus.

John 19:32-35 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

The Image of Christ

What image comes to mind when you think of Jesus? Do you picture Him as being white, brown hair, blue eyes, a beard, and dressed in a robe that looks like a servant’s gown? Or, do you have a more majestic view of Him? Do you see Him as a King?

Most of us have grown up seeing portraits of Jesus as painted by European artists. If we haven’t grown up with those portraits, we’ve seen them at some time in our lives. He has been portrayed as a European rather than a Jew. When He walked this earth, He was of Jewish human heritage.

Of course, the human image He donned while walking this earth is not really who He is. He is far more than any human being could be. His heavenly being is beyond a human body. So, what does He really look like? Well, we are given an image of Him in Scripture.

Jesus is described as He is seen by John in the book of Revelation. This is His heavenly body, one that has been glorified by the Father. His glory comes from His obedience to the Father and on our behalf. He has existed from before time and exists outside of time. He was, is, and will be forever.

This is hard to wrap our minds around. We are used to seeing people in their human form and find it otherworldly to think of Him as He is described. Yet, He is otherworldly. He is not of this world. He came into the world from heaven and went back to heaven. Doesn’t it make sense that He would have a heavenly body? We are told there are heavenly and earthly bodies (1 Corinthians 15:40); and that our bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies as well (Philippians 3:21).

As we look at the description of Jesus in His heavenly body, we should not look at Him in horror, but in awe of how amazing He is. We should see His majesty and His power. We should see the brightness of His being. We should see His wisdom and His justness. After all, He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, and Judge of all people. He is also our Lord and Savior. Should He not be someone we are in awe of?

I pray we all see Jesus for who He is. I pray we see Him as our Lord and Savior as well as the King of kings and Judge of all. I pray we see His compassion for each one of us and His tolerance of our faults. See Jesus for who really is. Submit to Jesus as the ultimate King. See Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Bow to worship Him. Obey His commands.

Revelation 1:12-16 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Life Without Worry

Are your worried about this life? Do you wonder about what is going to happen? Are you concerned for tomorrow? Do you know where you will spend eternity? Will you follow Jesus and live in confidence? Are you looking forward to spending eternity with God?

There is more than enough to cause us to worry in the world today. We see the numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19 rise daily. We have a national election coming up. We hear of terrorist attacks, though those seem to have taken a backseat in the news recently. In fact, we hear less about crime today than we are used to hearing, yet crime is still happening.

We can be overwhelmed with all the bad news we hear. We look forward to those few tidbits of good news that are reported. Hasn’t it been this way for decades? We’ve seen some news services make an attempt to specifically insert a good news story every day, just to appease our desire to hear something good. Yet there is one piece of good news we can carry with us each day.

As we are reminded during this Easter season of our vulnerability, we are also reminded of God’s eternal promise. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are promised an eternal life with God, if we will simply believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Make no mistake, this is no flippant decision, but a commitment.

When we commit to Jesus, we will begin to see our lives change for the better. The Holy Spirit moves into our lives and begins rearranging priorities. He will take away the worries of this world, one worry at a time as we release more control and give it over to Him.

At first, we don’t notice much change. It’s sort of like someone moved a trinket from one table to another. Or, we may notice that something we once liked to do is no longer of interest. Over time, as we look back, we see there are more worries taken away. It all happens one step at a time. 

Could you imagine if it was a complete makeover all at once? We would go into shock. God knows what He’s doing and brings us along as we are able to handle it. Our responsibility is to continue to turn over our concerns to Him, release them to Him and He will take them from us.

I pray we all commit to Jesus today. I pray each of us who have committed will recommit each day. I pray that we all release our concerns to God and allow Him to take them. I pray each person will release control, knowing that God is truly in control. Commit to Jesus today and every day. Give your worries to God. Release control. Know God is in control. Trust God.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.