“God doesn’t give us joy instead of sorrow, or joy in spite of sorrow, but joy in the midst of sorrow. It is not substitution but transformation.”
-Warren Wiersbe
In John 16:21-22 Jesus illustrated this truth by the birth of a baby: “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”
The same baby that gives the mother pain also gives the mother joy! Her pain is not replaced by joy but transformed into joy. The difficult circumstances of life are “pregnant” with joy, and by faith we must give that joy time to be born. Tough circumstances often give birth to something beautiful and lasting in our lives. Think of the Apostle Paul. Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith in 1 Timothy 1:2. Timothy was a joy in Paul’s life, but do you remember where Paul found Timothy? It was in a town called Lystra, do you recall what happened to Paul in Lystra? He was stoned to death and God brought him back to life! The life that was born out of that ordeal, that suffering and pain, was this young man Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith.
Timothy became one of Paul’s most trusted and loyal companions. When Paul needed someone who had his heart to Pastor the church in Ephesus, Timothy was the guy he chose. Timothy in Paul’s life was birthed in Lystra, which was no doubt one of the most difficult experiences that Paul had ever gone through. People hurling rocks at him, his body bloody, bruised, and wounded so bad that it killed him. Imagine that type of suffering. How many rocks would it take to kill a man? Talk about sorrow! I wonder what was going through Paul’s mind as they were hurling those rocks at him? He was probably thinking: “This is it, Lord, I am ready to see you.” I doubt very seriously that he was thinking that his “son in the faith” was going to be born out of that ordeal, but that is exactly what happened. The next time Paul came to Lystra, Timothy became his companion, who no doubt was inspired by the work of God in Paul’s life and the reality that God had revived Paul’s life there in Lystra.
Joy is often born out of pain and resurrection is always preceded by death! So the next time you find yourself in a place of great pain and sorrow; you can rest. Take heart because the pain that you are currently going through is going to give birth to Joy! The difficulty is going to give birth to a son or daughter in the faith, Timothy or a Tanya. The death that you are experiencing in some area of your life is going to result in a glorious and beautiful resurrection!
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“Fear is the greatest enemy of our faith.” – Alan Redpath, The Making Of a Man of God
“Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” – Matthew 8:23-27
The disciples were seasoned fisherman who had spent countless hours on the sea! Each of the men combined had encountered more storms than they could possibly count. While traveling upon the waters of the Sea of Galilee, it was not uncommon for storms to come from out of nowhere. The frequent storms that occurred in the Sea of Galilee was because of an opening between two mountains that surrounded the waters. The opening created an open door for warm winds off of the Mediterranean Sea to blow upon the waters of Galilee and stir up fierce waves. Fierce waves shouldn’t have been a shock to the disciples of Jesus, but on this day it was different. The waves were greater than they had experienced before.
This was a storm more fierce than any one of them could recall in all of their experience on the waters fishing.
When the storm hit, the men immediately relied upon their years of training. Fishermen, no doubt would have turned the bow of the boat in the direction of the oncoming waves to prevent being capsized. The disciples did everything seasoned, trained seamen would do in the midst of such a storm, but it wasn’t working. As a result of their failing efforts, the men began to panic! Throughout the raging waters and overwhelming fear the disciples were experiencing, Jesus remained sound asleep in the boat. He wasn’t awakened by the sound of the wind howling, the waves beating upon to boat, or the shouting of the disciples, He slept like a rock! Either Jesus was very tired or He was a very sound sleeper because nothing seemed to awaken Him! I wish I could sleep like that!
The picture of Jesus asleep in the boat presents a powerful spiritual picture for us! You see, we all go through storms on a regular basis that can completely catch us off guard. Storms surprisingly come out of nowhere, like the wind coming over the mountains from the Mediterranean Sea that created such a storm experienced by the disciples. Our peaceful life can suddenly be stirred up by a notice of layoffs at work, a diagnosis of a serious injury, or a child who has gotten into serious trouble. These unexpected turns in life send waves of discouragement and despair crashing over our lives. But as Jesus was asleep in the midst of that storm, our Heavenly Father is at rest in the midst of our storms. The winds and waves of life that crash into us and over our lives never take Him by surprise. The Father is at rest, and He wants us to be at rest as well.
As I read this story here in Matthew chapter eight, I am not at all surprised by the disciple’s reaction. I have reacted that way and worse many, many times in the midst of the storms that have blown into my life. Mark in his gospel, which is Peter’s account of the life of Christ, adds this interesting phrase from the disciples, “The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
It is so easy to jump to that conclusion in the midst of the storm, isn’t it? Lord, don’t you care? That is the problem, you don’t care about me, you don’t care about my family. I’m sad to say that I have uttered those words in my heart more times than I care to admit. I am not surprised at all by the reaction of the disciples because I have reacted that way before, and my guess is that you have as well.
What I find really intriguing is our Lord’s response to them. He says, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” In other words, “You guys should know I’ve got this!” Jesus literally asks them, “Why are you afraid?” Now pause for a moment and think about that statement. Are you fearful right now about anything? Why are you afraid? Perhaps you are afraid because you don’t know how something is going to end. Perhaps you are afraid because a situation you are in doesn’t seem to be going in the right direction. Maybe you are afraid because you are hurting, and you’re wondering, is this hurt going to grow? Is it going to turn into an even bigger wound? When Jesus asked the question, he was really making a statement, “Guys, you shouldn’t be afraid because I am with you! Have faith in me!” Jesus says the same thing to us in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
The question He asks, “Why are you afraid?” He has a simple answer: We fear because we doubt that He is really with us. We fear because we doubt that He is for us. We fear because we doubt that He really cares! The Lord would say to us, “Look to Calvary, look to the cross. I cared enough to send My Son to die in your place. I cared enough to make a way for you to become Mine. Do you think that I would go through all of that, and then abandon you now? NO WAY, JOSE or Suzy, or you fill in the blank whatever your name is.”
Listen, friend, Jesus is with us through and through. Jesus is for us all the way. If you read the rest of Matthew 8, you will see that the disciples made it to the other side and we will too. The question is, are we going to make it freaking out, or having faith in the One who loves us and gave Himself for us, the One who promises He will never leave us or forsake us?
The last thing LaShanda Calloway saw before she died was people literally stepping over her to continue shopping as if nothing had happened. Calloway had stopped to shop in a convenience store in Wichita, Kansas when she was stabbed in an altercation.
As she lay dying, a surveillance camera recorded no less than five people stepping over her to continue down the store’s aisles. Only one stopped briefly—to take a picture of Calloway with a cell phone camera.
“It was tragic to watch,” police spokesman Gordon Bassham said. “The fact that people were more interested in taking a picture with a cell phone and shopping for snacks than helping this innocent young woman is frankly, revolting.”
Wichita police chief Norman Williams had even stronger words: “That’s crazy! What happened to our respect for life?”
Police chief Norman Williams that is a great question! In the book of Genesis we have the break down of the creation of man. The first five days God is speaking the world into existence, and at the end of each day God looked at what He made and said: It was good! But between day five and day six there is a pause in the narrative, as we hear this conversation that takes place among the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have this conversation. We hear them say; “let us make man in Our image.” In other words, what is about to be created is going to be different than anything else that we have made. Man and woman made in the image of God.
This is what theologians have referred to for a 1,000 years as the Imago Dei! The fact that
Mankind alone was uniquely made in the image of God. Made with a moral compass, made to live in relationship, first with God and then with other men and women. Mankind was uniquely made to rule over planet Earth. Mankind alone was the crown jewel of God’s creation. God made it very clear the value that he places on mankind when He declared in Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.” God did not issue any such punishment for killing an animal, because only man was made in the image of God!
God places great value on human life and even more so on the human heart! That is what led Him to send his beloved Son to Earth-to come and die for mankind that was lost in sin! Jesus came on a rescue mission to save man who was lost in darkness and bleeding to death with no hope of survival. Rather than neglecting the situation or stepping over man in his time of need, Jesus stepped into our world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.He became the wounded, so that we could be healed. He died so that we could live!
So I ask you this question, do stories like that of LaShanda Calloway break your heart?
Would you have stopped to help? Does your heart break over humanities condition?
Are you concerned that there are people around us who are lost and far from God and on a path that will result in them spending eternity in Hell? I hope your answer to those questions is yes, yes yes!
Learning from Nehemiah
One of the reasons I love the story of Nehemiah is, Nehemiah was a guy who cared! He is living in Persia, over 1500 miles from his homeland in Jerusalem. He has a job working for the most important man on the planet at the time King Artaxerxes. Persia was the nation in power at that particular time. He had an important position in the kingdom; his life was full of pressure and responsibility. He was responsible for keeping the king happy and alive. He had become a respected and trusted confidant. Nehemiah was probably born in Persia and had never been to his homeland of Judah, but we read in chapter 1 that when some of his countrymen from Israel came to Persia for a visit:
NEHEMIAH CARED ENOUGH TO ASK THEM HOW THINGS WERE BACK HOME?
When the men told him that things were not well, and the walls of the city were broken down leaving the inhabitants of Jerusalem unprotected and a reproach to the people around them, Nehemiah didn’t simply say “BUMMER, too bad so sad.” His heart broke for a place he had never been and people he had never met! Nehemiah’s heartbreak didn’t just last a moment, he was moved deeply. NEHEMIAH CARED ENOUGH TO PRAY!
Nehemiah went to the Lord with this burden and God began to move on his heart to do something. NEHEMIAH CARED ENOUGH TO PLAN! When given the opportunity to present his plan to the king, Nehemiah did so and the king responded favorably and allowed Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem on a rescue and rebuilding mission, becauseNEHEMIAH ALSO CARED ENOUGH TO ACT!
Do we care?
When we look around at the needs in our world, community, and our church do we careenough to: Ask, Pray, Plan and to Act? Now you might be prone to argue as I have before; “but Lord I don’t have anything to offer! Lord, I don’t have the resources or any spare time!” If you have ever felt that way before, can I remind you of the story of the little boy with five loaves and two fish?
You feed them?
Like many times in the life of Jesus He was ministering to a crowd of people that the Bible tells us was 5,000 men. Now, that doesn’t include the women and Children which could have taken the count to upwards of 15-20,000 people. We are talking a sea of faces! As the day wore on, the disciples came to Jesus at probably a break in one of His teachings and said: “Master the hour is getting late and the people will need to eat, so it is time to send them home.” Jesus answered “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT!” The disciples were probably like “WHAT!? Lord, how!? We don’t have enough!” Oh how I have been in that situation so many times. Jesus responded, “Well what do you have?” The disciples found a little boy who had five loaves and two fish. Two little fish, fish that were like sardines. It was probably the lunch his mother made for him that day. But, this little boy was willing to share so he gave the five loaves and two fish to the disciples. The disciples probably embarrassingly, then brought it to Jesus. The rest is history; Jesus took the food, blessed it, broke the loaves, and said to the disciples – “ok pass it out.” As a result, the food just kept going, going, and going and everyone ate until they were full. There were even leftovers for each of the disciples!
Lessons from the loaves and fishes
Ø Jesus can do a lot with a little.
Ø We need to be willing to give what we have to Jesus
Ø We need to be willing to step out in faith
As Easter is approaching, I encourage you to be like this little boy. Let’s be willing to do what we can to reach out to those we know who need to be rescued by Jesus. I encourage you to care enough to ask, to care enough to pray, to care enough to plan and to care enough to act. If you are, God might just use your life to do a miracle in someone else’s and to impact someone’s heart for all of eternity!
“Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” – Oswald Chambers
One of the saddest things that I witness on a regular basis as a pastor is people whose lives have been crippled by past failures, mistakes, sins, and hurts. I meet people all the time who are unwilling, afraid, or who feel unworthy to step out in faith because of something that has happened in their past. Now, I know that when we get wounded by the sins of someone else or our own stupidity or both, sometimes it takes a while for those wounds to heal. That place in our heart is going to be tender for a while. And when a wound heals, it almost always leaves a scar.
Years ago, I had hip surgery and because of the extensive nature of the surgery, the doctor peeled me open like someone would peel an orange. Consequently, I have a giant scar on my backside. But the thing about scars is that you don’t really notice them until you see yourself in the mirror or someone brings it up. Scars of the heart are similar. They are not noticeable until someone brings up that situation or you have some sort of an encounter with that person. Those memories come flooding back and the scar is brought into view again, the pain is remembered.
Now here is the reality about the scars of the heart; they can become the thing that defines you! The reminder of the “thing” or “event” that ruined your life; the thing or event that set you on a course toward destruction, seclusion and heartache. Or, on the other hand, that scar can become the pleasant reminder of the overwhelming and unending grace of God in your life. It is the thing that should have ruined you, but by the grace of God and the faithfulness of God, you are still standing and have moved on and are able to minister to others who have felt that same kind of pain.
What that scar becomes will depend largely on how you respond to the Word of God in your situation. Paul the Apostle, writing in the book of Philippians, declares “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:3-14)
Now, I want you to note that Paul doesn’t merely say, “forget the past.” We know that is easier said than done. No, Paul says the way that you forget the past is by focusing on something else and making it the priority in your life. Paul refused to be defined by his past, so he declared “one thing I do.” Paul would say to us, I am pressing forward toward the goal and the prize of getting to know Jesus more and finding my identity not in my past but in my relationship with Him! That is the goal. That is the focus! That is thing that I am pursuing.
When the past involves our past sins, we need to remember that the Bible declares that our sins have been forgiven and forgotten (Hebrews 8:12). They are put as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When my daughter, Amanda, was a little kid around three years old, she used to love to play with a calculator. She would fill the screen with numbers and then push the erase button and yell, “Clear!” and the numbers would vanish. That is what God does with our sins. First John 1:9 declares that if we confess our sins, that God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You spend the day filling up the screen with sins, and then you bring it to the Lord in heartfelt repentance and God yells – CLEAR! And just like that, your sins our gone. God sees you in His Son, Jesus, covered in the righteousness of Christ!
Dear friends, we need to believe that and live in that reality. Our sins have been forgiven and forgotten, and even though the scar from that sin might still remain, it must not define us because we have been forgiven and set free! When the scar is the result of someone else’s sin and the way that they hurt you, you need to remember what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:9 that the grace of God is sufficient. The word sufficient means “more than enough to get us through.” The grace of God is sufficient and His power is made perfect in our weakness. When we are weak, when we are hurting, it opens the door for the Lord to show Himself strong on our behalf, if we allow Him to. His daily measure of grace can be just what we need to get through the day when we reach out to Him and call upon him. When we learn to live in grace instead of the past, that scar becomes a symbol of God’s power being made perfect in the midst of our weakness and pain. That is how we can begin to follow the advice of Oswald Chambers and “Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” Daily living by faith in His grace and faithfulness is the key!
“Take heart. I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
In the heat of war, in the depths of the battlefield, nothing is more unsettling than the unknown. If I got drafted today and was placed into a firefight, I’d be sweating bullets! I’d be thinking, “Is this the end? Can I make it?”
Imagine if someone showed up with a crystal ball to show the soldiers the future: “None of you will perish! You fight hard but in the end you win!” That would give me great joy and cause me to want to fight harder!
Church, we know the end of the story in the war against Satan. We win! Jesus is victorious. The Enemy is crushed! Stop fighting like you don’t know if you’re going to make it, and remember that though we still face battles here on earth, the war is already won! Live in victory!
I read a great article in Relevant Magazine today that I thought was well-written and worth sharing on the subject of how we interact with a brother or sister who is in sin. Read it and I would love to hear your comments. – Pastor Rob
HOW WE MISUNDERSTAND ‘LOVE THE SINNER, HATE THE SIN’
There’s a difference between loving people and accepting their harmful behaviors.
A while back, an old friend of mine sat down across the table from me and looked up with the biggest smile on her face. “We finally had sex,” she said. “And it has changed everything. We are so much closer now. It’s like all of our problems just disappeared!”
Now, our culture would insist that I be happy for my friend and her boyfriend. After all, she was happy with her actions, and that’s all that matters, right? That’s what I believed at the time, so I took the easy way out and put on a smile for my friend, fake though it was.
We are becoming more and more interested in the idea of acceptance. For the most part, this is a great thing. The old, ugly theology of using love as a way to disguise judgement and hatred has given way to a warmer, healthier Christian community.
But, as with many cultural shifts, there is a balance to keep in mind. In our efforts to “love the sinner, hate the sin,” we often find it easier to ignore the sin altogether, and confuse blind acceptance with genuine love.
And in a lot of ways that’s a good thing—we should humble ourselves to listen to, love and accept others. But in a culture where “Only God can judge me” is a common phrase heard among believers and non-believers alike, it’s easy to wonder: Are we getting love and acceptance all wrong?
The Harsh Reality
The word “acceptance” as seen in our world today is really just a flowery covering for another not so beautiful word that none of us really wants to say: superficiality. Nobody wants to be or have a fake friend, and yet we’re all buying into a mindset that does nothing but foster surface level relationships.
So, when a friend has a real problem—perhaps an unhealthy addiction, a prideful attitude or even a problem with judging others—we’re tempted to leave them be. We don’t want to come across as unloving, so we use love as an excuse to avoid difficult conversations.
Love is messy and hard, while acceptance is clean and easy. Love sometimes means telling your friends they’re wrong. It sometimes means calling them out on their behavior.
I’m guilty of it too. In the aforementioned conversation, in my effort to be accepting of whatever made my friend happy, I was straying further and further away from the type of friend God calls us to be. In spite of what the world tells me, the Bible tells me that I am to hold my brothers and sisters accountable. This doesn’t mean I should have shamed my friend or launched into a lecture about purity, but given our level of friendship, I could have asked some questions or voiced loving concern.
True friendship, especially among believers, means we don’t just look the other way when a friend is doing something that may be harmful in the long run. Saying, “Yes you are sinning, but it’s making you happy. So just keep sinning!” may be easier and a lot less messy than the alternative, but it is ultimately destructive. So while you may think that just accepting someone’s sinful behavior makes you a good friend, the harsh reality is that it actually makes you a selfish one.
Love vs. Acceptance
“Love the sinner, hate the sin” has meant different things to different generations. Sometimes, it’s been used as an excuse to essentially ostracize people we view as “sinners” from the Church. But I often see our generation leaning too far the other direction: most of us take the phrase to mean, “Accept the sinner and their sinful behaviors, and just secretly hate the sin.”
The truth is, love and acceptance are not the same thing. The even bigger truth is that love is messy and hard, while acceptance is clean and easy. Love says, “Your actions are hurting you. And because I love you, I am going to hold you accountable.”
Love sometimes means telling your friends they’re wrong. It sometimes means calling them out on their behavior. Love sometimes means disagreements and arguments, but those ultimately lead to personal and spiritual growth.
The alternative would be allowing your friends to participate in behavior that is harmful to them and their salvation. I think we often forget the reality of Romans 6:23, which says that the consequence of sin is death. It is very straightforward and clear about that. It then goes onto say that in spite of this, our gift from God is eternal life. I say that acceptance of a friend’s sin is allowing them to go down a destructive path because of this truth spoken in Romans. The continuation of sinful behavior results in death. The acceptance of Christ—that is, leaving your earthly desires behind to pick up your cross and follow Him—leads to eternal life.
True love does not simply accept sin, because true love wants the best for our brothers and sisters. True love doesn’t just accept because true love cannot accept death for our brothers and sisters. So yes, love can get messy. It can be painful because it makes for more vulnerable relationships. But these are the relationships that are real. These are the relationships that encourage change and foster growth through the promotion of truth.
Grace on Grace on Grace
The thing about love is that it is so tightly tied to grace. Because real love is vulnerable and sometimes painful, grace is always necessary on both sides. Grace is necessary when a friend calls out your sinful behavior. We are all sinners in need of accountability, so there will inevitably be times when our own sins will be brought to light. Grace in these moments is realizing that you are being called out because you are being loved.
We are all sinful—no one person more sinful than the other. We should be coming from a place of love, rather than judgment or condescension.
And on the other end, grace is necessary when calling out a brother or sister. Grace in this situation is also realizing that we are all sinful—no one person more sinful than the other—and in that, we should be coming from a place of love, rather than judgment or condescension. This practicing of grace on grace on grace over and over again is the key to the growth and change that happens in real relationships. Grace is what makes us. It is what shapes us. And through Christ’s death on the cross and in our day-to-day relationships, grace is what saves us.
It is important to love all of God’s children. From the tax collectors to the Pharisees to the priests, we are all sinners.
Christian love says, “I love you for the broken, sinful person that you are. And because I love you, I will encourage you to be the man or woman you are called to be in Christ.”
Don’t just take the easy way out by condoning the continuation of sin, but rather, speak the truth in love and see real change and growth happen.
– By Suzanne Munganga
I was on my way to church one Sunday morning on a particularly beautiful southern California day, and that meant that the runners were out. The first guy that I saw looked to be in his mid 40’s and he had on regular shorts, a white t-shirt, white head band, and regular tennis shoes. He was sweating pretty badly and had a look on his face that said, “I shouldn’t have eaten that fifth slice of pizza!” He didn’t look like he was enjoying his run at all, but at least he was out there!
The second person I saw was a woman who looked to be in her early 40’s and she was wearing “old school” gray, Rocky Balboa style sweat shirt and pants. She was slightly overweight and was doing that run/walk thing that some ladies do, where she was taking big strides and moving her arms real fast. She was going for it; headphones on and a smile on her face! I almost honked and gave her a big thumbs up but I didn’t want to break her rhythm and startle her.
The third person was a guy who looked to be about 50, slim, and he had on all the right gear. Running shoes, those short thin nylon shorts (that are almost obscene), and a matching nylon tank top. He had a great pace, a bounce in his step and a look on his face that said, “I live to run!”
As I drove by each of them, my mind went to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 where he compares the Christian life to running in a race:
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
The Christian life is often compared to running in a race. We all have our own style and our own race to run. Some of us might be like the first guy; not enjoying it so much yet, and at times regretting our past decisions that are slowing down our process. Others of us might be like that lady; we have found what works for us and we are having a blast learning how to run with Jesus. And some of us who have been running for a while now are like that third guy; we live to run! It is a part of our lives, we have built up our endurance, we have rid ourselves of the things that hold us back and there is a bounce in our stride.
I think it is important to remember that whatever stage you are in, that the third runner started off like the first runner, and it took time, discipline, and endurance. Whatever stage you are in, in the Christian race, Paul’s words give us some helpful points to consider that will aid us in our race:
#1 We are to run with the goal to win!
#2 Our prize is not a perishable, earthly crown, but an eternal spiritual reward!
We run, looking forward to that day when Jesus meets us at the finish line and says, “Well done.” He will not judge us by comparing us with others who have ran, but His reward will be based on what we did with the race that He set before us and the tools He gave us to run with.
#3 To run well takes discipline!
Discipline is a word that a lot of people see as negative, but in reality it is a positive. Discipline involves developing the right habits that will aid us in growing as runners and will radically enhance our relationship with Christ. Things like having a consistent devotional life and saying “no” to things that will hinder us from running well!
So can I encourage you this week- run with purpose and run to win the race that is set before you! And even when it gets tough and the hills seem too high and the wind is in your face, run as Hebrews 12:2 declares – keeping your eyes on Jesus, who already won the race and is there to aid you in your race so that you can be a winner too!
“Expectations in your life just lead to giant disappointments.” – Michael Landon
I read this quote from the famous actor, Michael Landon, and thought how sad but true! All of us have experienced the disappointment of an unmet expectation. We expect things from our spouse, our children, our pastors, our friends, and from life in general. We expect our coffee at the local coffee shop to be done in a timely manner and we are disappointed when it isn’t. We expect to get what we ordered at the restaurant and for it to be delivered hot to our table. We expect the gas station to be open when our car needs filling.
But the reality is, people let us down and things don’t always work out the way that we have planned. Wherever there are expectations there will also be disappointments, except when we are talking about God! I will admit I have had times in my life when I felt disappointed with God, but in all of those occasions the problem really was not with God. The problem was with me or my perspective of God and how I believed He should act in a certain situation.
PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING
I find a phrase in 1 Peter 1:3 from the NLT intriguing: “Now we live with great expectations.” Peter is saying that as believers, we are to live our lives with great expectations. Is He serious? Doesn’t Peter know that if I do that I am setting myself up to be heartbroken and disappointed? Not when we are talking about God.
According to the writer of Hebrews, expectation is the characteristic of true faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When the writer of Hebrews uses the word “hope”, he is not using it in the way that we usually do, which is often more of a wish. I hope I get a raise. I hope he asks me out. I hope my team wins the World Series.
The biblical definition of the word “hope” is an absolute expectation of coming good! Hope in the Bible is describing something that you can count on. Something you can bank on! Something you can base your entire life upon! So when Peter says, “Now we live with great expectation,” he also tells us why we can live that way as believers. He continues in 1 Peter chapter 1 to describe what we have to look forward to!
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” “So be truly glad.* There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:4-8
WHAT ARE WE EXPECTING?
- A heavenly inheritance
- Divine protection and strength
- The knowledge that our present trials produce maturity
We live with Great expectations in a God who loves us and promises that the work that He has started in our lives, He will complete!
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6
I read this great reminder today from my friend Jon Courson in his devotional called “A Day of Feasting.” I pray it blesses you as much as it blessed me:
“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear!Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” – Isaiah 35:3-4
How are we to strengthen people who feel weak or fearful? We are to tell them the Lord is coming. That’s not “pie in the sky” theology. It’s God’s Word given to us practically. The way to strengthen people – whether yourself or others – is to say, “Fear not. Be strong. Your God will come and save you.”
We’re pilgrims, gang, on our way to a city with foundations (Hebrews 11:10) – a place that is solid and secure, a place that won’t shift with the changing winds of commerce or culture – Heaven. If we lose sight of this, if we begin to think this is all there is, we become vulnerable to discouragement and depression. “Lord,” we’ll cry, “will I ever get the job I want? Will I ever lose the weight I want? Will it ever be right between sisters and brothers?” I can get so discouraged if I think this is all there is. But if I realize God’s coming back and will set all things right, I can go on.
– Jon Courson
“Expectations in your life just lead to giant disappointments.” – Michael Landon
I read this quote from the famous actor, Michael Landon, and thought how sad but true! All of us have experienced the disappointment of an unmet expectation. We expect things from our spouse, our children, our pastors, our friends, and from life in general. We expect our coffee at the local coffee shop to be done in a timely manner and we are disappointed when it isn’t. We expect to get what we ordered at the restaurant and for it to be delivered hot to our table. We expect the gas station to be open when our car needs filling.
But the reality is, people let us down and things don’t always work out the way that we have planned. Wherever there are expectations there will also be disappointments, except when we are talking about God! I will admit I have had times in my life when I felt disappointed with God, but in all of those occasions the problem really was not with God. The problem was with me or my perspective of God and how I believed He should act in a certain situation.
PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING
I find a phrase in 1 Peter 1:3 from the NLT intriguing: “Now we live with great expectations.” Peter is saying that as believers, we are to live our lives with great expectations. Is He serious? Doesn’t Peter know that if I do that I am setting myself up to be heartbroken and disappointed? Not when we are talking about God.
According to the writer of Hebrews, expectation is the characteristic of true faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When the writer of Hebrews uses the word “hope”, he is not using it in the way that we usually do, which is often more of a wish. I hope I get a raise. I hope he asks me out. I hope my team wins the World Series.
The biblical definition of the word “hope” is an absolute expectation of coming good! Hope in the Bible is describing something that you can count on. Something you can bank on! Something you can base your entire life upon! So when Peter says, “Now we live with great expectation,” he also tells us why we can live that way as believers. He continues in 1 Peter chapter 1 to describe what we have to look forward to!
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” “So be truly glad.* There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:4-8
WHAT ARE WE EXPECTING?
- A heavenly inheritance
- Divine protection and strength
- The knowledge that our present trials produce maturity
We live with Great expectations in a God who loves us and promises that the work that He has started in our lives, He will complete!
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6
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