" Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I love this verse, and it especially rings true when God is blessing me and when I am experiencing wonderful things in the Lord. However, when I am beaten, battered, overwhelmed by trials and loss, does this verse still ring true? Can I truly say, "I thank you Father for this loss, or I rejoice in this sickness?" Can I praise God when someone is taken from me? Would I bless the Lord if I lost my job or my health? It is a sobering thought to think that I would find myself being angry at God or disappointed in Him during hard times rather than truly praising Him in all things.
I try to think of the story of Job in the midst of trials. Read Job 1:13-22. Talk about a bad day. Job had all of his wealth and all of his children taken from him in one day. Imagine experiencing that kind of collapse. Your life's work, your job, all of your time and effort spend to build your wealth up in order to provide for your family and live comfortably was taken at once. No time to save some of it from disappearing. No time to make a decision that would change the outcome. Then on top of that, all of his children are killed in one day. I can't imagine the pain that Job and some of you may have experienced. To lose a child, that you raised and that is so dear to you, that you had imagined them growing old and marrying someone someday and starting a family of their own, was gone in an instance. Job experienced such loss, and his response to it all is, "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground to WORSHIP and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:20-21) I can say that I have never experienced that kind of loss or despair, but if I did I would hope I would be able to react like Job.
However when something bad happens to me, which pales in comparison to Job's loss, my initial reaction is certainly not to worship. I look for someone to blame, I become angry, I despair, I will pray to God for a reason why, I will wonder if I had committed any sin that would have caused this, but rarely does it come to mind for me to worship the Lord.
The problem for me starts with perspective, I look at my trials and the bad things that happen to me as something that I don't deserve. "If there was any justice in the world, these things wouldn't happen to me!" The funny thing is that if I really wanted justice, I would be bound for hell and eternal separation from God because of the sins I have committed. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) We were created to be God's ambassadors of His glory on earth, but we have fallen so short of that calling. God is a holy God and he can not be in the presence of sin, which means us. God created us to be with Him, to commune with Him. Not only did we receive loss when Adam sinned, but the Lord did as well. His desire for us to show His glory and be reconciled to Him was so great, that He sent Christ. God came down to earth in the form of servant (human likeness, Phil 2:6-8) and experienced a broken world for 33 year and ultimately experienced all of our sins (something He had never experienced) when He died for us. "He who knew no sin, became sin for us." (2 Cor 5:21)
God and sin can not ultimately co-exist. Moses, who was sinful, wanted to see God's glory but was told that if he saw God's glory he would die. (Exodus 33:20) God describes Himself to Moses in verse 19 in Exodus 33, "And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." and then look at the verse when God actually passed by, "Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." (Exodus 34:5-7) God is abounding in love and faithfulness, slow to anger, gracious and compassionate, forgiving sin, and still maintaining and never compromising His holiness.
Seeing what are sin has done to us and who God is it is easy to explain why we have loss. How do we explain the unexplainable loss that happens to us? The death of thousands to an earthquake or some other natural disaster. It all goes back to our sin. We are not proper representations of God and as a result sin entered the world and now we live in a corrupted and fractured creation. Terrible things that can not be explained, such as earthquakes, famines, and destruction takes place because of sin; creation was never intended to experience this, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it (Adam, See Genesis 1:28), in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:18-23)
So what should our response be to loss, pain, and suffering, whether it can be explained or not? Rejoice in the Lord in all things! If I received justice, I would die for my sins, so every breath that I take in is truly a gift from a gracious God, that is slow in His righteous anger towards me. I need to stop thinking that the earth revolves around me and my happiness. "The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" (Psalms 24:1) Look back to Exodus 33:19, He chooses whom to have mercy and compassion on. We are not entitled to anything. So when we think about what we deserve and who God really is, all trials and all hardships fall woefully short from His grace. So be thankful in all things. I pray for the perspective of Job, that in everything, I will worship the Lord!
Psalms 100
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Here is the song I was listening to while I was writing this:
http://youtu.be/9jYLTn4fKYQ
May the power of God be revealed to us all in His love, mercy, and grace.
Love in Christ,
Daniel
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
How Can We Find Peace?
Peace seems like such an elusive goal. There is a restlessness in the hearts of all men, we are looking for rest, and we are looking for peace. Conflict is exhausting, it is messy, and it incurs loss. Since, the birth of sin in Adam, true peace hasn't existed. It didn't take long for it to boil over, see the famous story of Cain and Abel. The lack of peace is not rooted in the conflict between man and man however, it is based in the conflict between God and man. Sin is not something that we do to our fellow man, but to God and God alone. "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge."(Psalms 51:4) David wrote this Psalm after he had committed adultery and murder, however he is faced with the painful realization that he has truly sinned against God and not his fellow man. Sin at its root is against God, however when we sin against others, the consequences still effect our fellow man.
God is the true source and giver of peace. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13) When the Lord gave the priestly blessing to the Israelites, one of the blessings was peace. (Numbers 6:24-27) However, sin is the ultimate inhibitor of peace with God. Sin needs to be done away with in order to have access to the peace given by God. The only way to receive forgiveness of sin was the shedding of blood: "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22) The judgement for sin has to be dealt with and the consequence for sin is death. "For the wages of sin is death.." (Romans 6:23)
God is a gracious and loving God, but He is also a just and holy God, and He will not deny himself. So in order to have peace with God a sacrifice had to be made. Someone had to be the sin substitute for our sins, some one had to be the two goats in Leviticus 16 (Day of Atonement). Now imagine, that Jesus, the Son of God, came down from glory and honor and humbled Himself to die for all of us. Please read Philippians 2:5-11, so that the a true picture of humility and servitude can be seen in what Christ did for us. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:12) He that knew no death, became death for us! Don't you see Christ did what we could not, and through Him the righteous requirements of the law were met for us. "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4) "and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Col 1:20) It is through faith in Christ that we can receive this atonement for our sin. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)
So through this faith in Christ, we can now have peace with God. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)
So what is gained in peace with God? Read Ephesians 2:12-18 and I am going to highlight verse 18: "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." The same thing is said in the above verse in Romans 5. So through Christ's sacrifice, along with salvation and all of the other amazing gifts we have in Him, (I will blog about that later) we have access to God because we are finally at peace with God because our sins no longer block us from Him. Think about that! We now have a direct link to the Father, the Creator of all things, God Almighty, because of the peace we receive through Christ. Here is also where it gets cool:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
We receive peace on both sides of our petition. So we have access to God with the peace found through Christ and now God graciously gives us peace to sooth our anxious hearts and minds as we offer our prayers to Him. God is the giver of good gifts, (James 1:17) His timing is perfect. However, most of the time, His timing is not our timing. So as we wait for our prayers and petitions to be answered, God gives us peace that transcends all understanding. Our ability to trust Him comes from the peace He gives us and is confirmed in the hope seen in His promises coming to fulfillment. So I implore you to allow this peace to reign in your life! "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Col 3:15) We are so quick to forget how good of a Father we truly have, and get caught up in the instant gratification of our culture and expect God to do the same. Rest in His peace that He freely offers through His Son, Jesus. Allow it to permeate you completely, so that when the unknown, or trials come your way that you can take solace in the peace spoken about in John 16:33. Also, boast only in the cross, because without it, we would have nothing, which includes peace.
I will close with this. "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." (2 Thes 3:16)
Peace be with you all through our Savior Jesus Christ,
Daniel
God is the true source and giver of peace. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13) When the Lord gave the priestly blessing to the Israelites, one of the blessings was peace. (Numbers 6:24-27) However, sin is the ultimate inhibitor of peace with God. Sin needs to be done away with in order to have access to the peace given by God. The only way to receive forgiveness of sin was the shedding of blood: "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22) The judgement for sin has to be dealt with and the consequence for sin is death. "For the wages of sin is death.." (Romans 6:23)
God is a gracious and loving God, but He is also a just and holy God, and He will not deny himself. So in order to have peace with God a sacrifice had to be made. Someone had to be the sin substitute for our sins, some one had to be the two goats in Leviticus 16 (Day of Atonement). Now imagine, that Jesus, the Son of God, came down from glory and honor and humbled Himself to die for all of us. Please read Philippians 2:5-11, so that the a true picture of humility and servitude can be seen in what Christ did for us. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:12) He that knew no death, became death for us! Don't you see Christ did what we could not, and through Him the righteous requirements of the law were met for us. "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4) "and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Col 1:20) It is through faith in Christ that we can receive this atonement for our sin. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)
So through this faith in Christ, we can now have peace with God. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)
So what is gained in peace with God? Read Ephesians 2:12-18 and I am going to highlight verse 18: "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." The same thing is said in the above verse in Romans 5. So through Christ's sacrifice, along with salvation and all of the other amazing gifts we have in Him, (I will blog about that later) we have access to God because we are finally at peace with God because our sins no longer block us from Him. Think about that! We now have a direct link to the Father, the Creator of all things, God Almighty, because of the peace we receive through Christ. Here is also where it gets cool:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
We receive peace on both sides of our petition. So we have access to God with the peace found through Christ and now God graciously gives us peace to sooth our anxious hearts and minds as we offer our prayers to Him. God is the giver of good gifts, (James 1:17) His timing is perfect. However, most of the time, His timing is not our timing. So as we wait for our prayers and petitions to be answered, God gives us peace that transcends all understanding. Our ability to trust Him comes from the peace He gives us and is confirmed in the hope seen in His promises coming to fulfillment. So I implore you to allow this peace to reign in your life! "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Col 3:15) We are so quick to forget how good of a Father we truly have, and get caught up in the instant gratification of our culture and expect God to do the same. Rest in His peace that He freely offers through His Son, Jesus. Allow it to permeate you completely, so that when the unknown, or trials come your way that you can take solace in the peace spoken about in John 16:33. Also, boast only in the cross, because without it, we would have nothing, which includes peace.
I will close with this. "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." (2 Thes 3:16)
Peace be with you all through our Savior Jesus Christ,
Daniel
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Do What is Right and Persevere, God Will Reward You
Hi Guys!
Thank you for all the support and the love that you have showed me through this blog and I hope that I can return the favor with encouragement in Christ and through His word. I was reading in James today (A side note, I absolutely love that book) and through some of Paul's letters and I was encouraged in the promises of the gospel!
I struggle with waiting patiently for things to come, especially when the timing seems to just make sense. I selfishly want these done on my time and when I see fit. That is the case not only when I am good things, but in my trials as well. It is hard to press through when it just seems like you are getting no where or that your efforts are in vain. I want to encourage you to keep pressing though, keep fighting, and keep doing good works. Your reward will be great, in this life or the next. (Mark 10:29-31, Romans 8:18)
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4) This is crazy, if you think about it. Consider it pure joy that you face hardship, pain, and suffering? Take time to think back on your trials or difficult times, a death of someone close to you, a betrayal of someone that you cared about, the loss of something important to you, a deterioration of your health, or a time that was financially difficult. What did you receive after you got through that trial? Maybe you are still in the midst of this trial, if so take heart in God's promises. The test of your faith will produced perseverance. Your faith in God was put to the test and you needed to depend on Him more than you had before. Draw on those times when dependency on Him got you through your trial, because you will soon face another, so that you can reach a further level of reliance and hope in God. Here is a scripture that correlates with that, Romans 5:1-6.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
By our faith in God we have been given access to His grace, we hope in His glory, and that hope will not put us to shame, despite our trials, because of God's great love that He was poured on us! We should not fear or cower from our trials, because through them, we gain an increasing hope and an increasing dependency in the God that richly loves us. This is a promise to stand on and to take refuge in! I went all the way to verse 6 because I love what it shows, God's timing is perfect. When it seems like the trial will overtake us, or that the good that we are doing is just in vain, hold fast and push through with the strength of the Lord and you will be rewarded! "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)
Not only can we be encouraged in our trials, but also when we are doing what is right and it seems like it is going unnoticed or to not avail. Galatians 6:7-10:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
I feel like this scripture is commonly used when we are doing things wrong and from this we get the famous colloquialism, "you will reap, what you sow." Meaning stop doing wrong, or you will get what is coming to you. The same takes place when you are doing right, you will get what is coming to you. I love the encouragement that verse 9 gives, do not become weary, because God's timing is perfect, (I feel like I saw that somewhere else), and you will reap a harvest, so don't give up! I have seen God work in this way, but you also may not be the one that reaps the harvest, it may be someone else. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
We have all be called to a purpose in our service to Christ, whether to water or to plant, it doesn't matter. God will make it grow, God will draw people to himself, and we are just co workers in His service. What a blessing that is and for our work we will be rewarded!! (see verse 8)
I want to encourage once again to push through your trials and suffering, to strive to do good and display the gospel to all people. You will reap joy beyond anything you have ever experienced. I pray that we all will gain a deeper dependency on God and His grace to His glory! What a blessing it is to be found in His love! I am praying for you all in your trials that you will persevere! God will always sustain us and strength us through any suffering. For we are more than conquerors through Him that has overcome the world! (Romans 8:37, John 16:33)
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
Daniel
Thank you for all the support and the love that you have showed me through this blog and I hope that I can return the favor with encouragement in Christ and through His word. I was reading in James today (A side note, I absolutely love that book) and through some of Paul's letters and I was encouraged in the promises of the gospel!
I struggle with waiting patiently for things to come, especially when the timing seems to just make sense. I selfishly want these done on my time and when I see fit. That is the case not only when I am good things, but in my trials as well. It is hard to press through when it just seems like you are getting no where or that your efforts are in vain. I want to encourage you to keep pressing though, keep fighting, and keep doing good works. Your reward will be great, in this life or the next. (Mark 10:29-31, Romans 8:18)
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4) This is crazy, if you think about it. Consider it pure joy that you face hardship, pain, and suffering? Take time to think back on your trials or difficult times, a death of someone close to you, a betrayal of someone that you cared about, the loss of something important to you, a deterioration of your health, or a time that was financially difficult. What did you receive after you got through that trial? Maybe you are still in the midst of this trial, if so take heart in God's promises. The test of your faith will produced perseverance. Your faith in God was put to the test and you needed to depend on Him more than you had before. Draw on those times when dependency on Him got you through your trial, because you will soon face another, so that you can reach a further level of reliance and hope in God. Here is a scripture that correlates with that, Romans 5:1-6.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
By our faith in God we have been given access to His grace, we hope in His glory, and that hope will not put us to shame, despite our trials, because of God's great love that He was poured on us! We should not fear or cower from our trials, because through them, we gain an increasing hope and an increasing dependency in the God that richly loves us. This is a promise to stand on and to take refuge in! I went all the way to verse 6 because I love what it shows, God's timing is perfect. When it seems like the trial will overtake us, or that the good that we are doing is just in vain, hold fast and push through with the strength of the Lord and you will be rewarded! "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)
Not only can we be encouraged in our trials, but also when we are doing what is right and it seems like it is going unnoticed or to not avail. Galatians 6:7-10:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
I feel like this scripture is commonly used when we are doing things wrong and from this we get the famous colloquialism, "you will reap, what you sow." Meaning stop doing wrong, or you will get what is coming to you. The same takes place when you are doing right, you will get what is coming to you. I love the encouragement that verse 9 gives, do not become weary, because God's timing is perfect, (I feel like I saw that somewhere else), and you will reap a harvest, so don't give up! I have seen God work in this way, but you also may not be the one that reaps the harvest, it may be someone else. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
We have all be called to a purpose in our service to Christ, whether to water or to plant, it doesn't matter. God will make it grow, God will draw people to himself, and we are just co workers in His service. What a blessing that is and for our work we will be rewarded!! (see verse 8)
I want to encourage once again to push through your trials and suffering, to strive to do good and display the gospel to all people. You will reap joy beyond anything you have ever experienced. I pray that we all will gain a deeper dependency on God and His grace to His glory! What a blessing it is to be found in His love! I am praying for you all in your trials that you will persevere! God will always sustain us and strength us through any suffering. For we are more than conquerors through Him that has overcome the world! (Romans 8:37, John 16:33)
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
Daniel
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