A Not-So-Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 2, 2023 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Not-So-Happy Mother’s Day

Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief
 
Nothing is more shocking, emotional, or final than the death of a loved one. Facing the death of someone you love— a parent, a spouse, a close friend—is one of life’s most difficult experiences. Your head is spinning with so many thoughts, feelings, and emotions. You can’t grasp that you’ve had your last visit, your last conversation, your last meal, and your last holiday with your loved one. Your mind is flooded with things you wish you had said or done. You want to say, “I love you,” one more time, and you want to hear it said to you. Your warehouse of memories is filled with fond and painful remembrances, and you are holding tightly to that treasured collection of fading photographs. You don’t feel ready to say goodbye or to deal with the grief that’s overtaken you. This article is written to help you make sense out of what appears to make no sense and to point you towards hope even as you are experiencing the darkness of death.
Remember a few scriptural truths
When you are dealing with grief your emotions race and your thoughts are scattered. In the middle of this confusing and hard time, you need to remember a few simple truths from the Bible. God will use them to help you understand what you are experiencing and to give you hooks on which to hang your emotions. You can’t prepare for the death of a loved one. Whether death results from a sudden accident or a long illness, it always catches us unprepared. Death is so deeply emotional and stunningly final that there is nothing you can do ahead of time that will help you sail through your moment of loss. Those who knew that death was coming and those who were taken completely by surprise will go through many of the same things. The Bible includes many poignant stories that mirror our experience. The story of the death of David’s son, Absalom, gives us a picture of a grieving parent. Absalom plotted to take David’s place as king of Israel. When his rebellion was crushed, he was killed, even though David had ordered his soldiers to take him alive. David knew that Absalom’s actions might lead to his death, but that didn’t lessen his grief. 2 Samuel 18:33 (ESV) tells us, “And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Death shakes us to the core
David’s cry is the cry of every grieving parent. Whether it is unexpected or predictable, death shakes us to the core. The pain is inescapable. Don’t feel guilty or embarrassed if you feel unprepared to face it. There’s no way to be ready for what you are going through. Death was not part of God’s original plan. One reason death is so hard to accept and understand is that it’s completely out of step with the life God planned for this world. The apostle Paul calls death our “enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). Death is the enemy of everything good and beautiful about life. It should make you morally sad and righteously angry. Death reminds us that we live in a world that is terribly broken; it’s not functioning according to God’s original design, where life was meant to give way to life, on into eternity. It’s biblical to treat death as sad and unnatural. God encourages you to mourn. Death was never meant to be. When you recognize this, you will hunger for a final restoration of all things. You will long to live in a place where the last enemy—death—has been defeated.
It’s normal to feel alone
You are never alone in the darkness. Death is one of the loneliest experiences of human existence. The circumstances you are dealing with are individual and unique. It’s normal to feel as if no one has been through what you’re experiencing. It’s normal to feel all alone, even when you are surrounded with people. But the death of a loved one is a universal experience, and a company of mourners surrounds you. Yet there is an even more powerful way in which you are not alone. Your Savior, Jesus, has taken another name, Emmanuel, or “God with us.” This name reminds you that, as you came to Christ, you literally became the place where God dwells. You have a powerful Brother, Savior, Counselor, and Friend who not only stands beside you, but lives within you! His presence makes it impossible for you to be alone in this moment of pain (John 14:15-20). Good can come out of the very worst of things. Is death a bad thing? Yes. But the Bible tells us that the brightest of good things can be found in the midst of evil’s darkness.
God defeated sin and death
The death of Jesus Christ is a powerful demonstration of this truth. On the hill of death outside the city, the best thing that ever happened came from the worst thing ever. What could be worse than the killing of the Messiah? What could be more unjust than the illegal execution of the one perfect person who ever lived? In the sermon he preached on the day of Pentecost, Peter said that Jesus’ death was an evil thing done by evil men to the one truly good person in the whole world (Acts 2:22-36). But this terrible moment was under God’s control. God planned that this ultimate evil would accomplish ultimate good. In this dark moment, as Jesus died on the cross, God defeated sin and death—two enemies we could not defeat on our own. In the same way, God can and does bring wonderful things out of the darkest moments of our lives. Your Lord is present with you in this darkness. He has planned that even the darkest of things would result in redemptive good for His children. He surrendered His Son to death so you could have life. And He will not abandon you now.
Death is an enemy, but this enemy will die
One day death will be put to death. The death of a loved one should remind you that God’s work is not yet complete. Because of sin, death entered the world. When sin is completely defeated, death will also be defeated. The apostle Paul talks about Christ’s present ministry this way: “For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). Jesus died so we would no longer have to die. When He rose from the dead, death was defeated. Until Jesus returns, we still experience death, but one day life will not give way to death. Children will not mourn their parents. Parents will not mourn their children. There will be no widows or grieving friends. Yes, death is an enemy, but this enemy will die. The present reign of Christ guarantees this. One day life will give way to life for eternity. As you weep, remember that the One who weeps with you understands your heartache. He is “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). But He does more than understand; He also acts. Jesus will not let death reign forever. On the cross He defeated death, and His resurrection is your guarantee that one day, all who believe in Him, will be resurrected to a life of glory and peace. One day He is coming again to end physical death and to usher in a new heaven and earth where there will be no dying, no tears, and no sorrow (Revelation 21:1-4).
What You Need to Do
Grieving leaves you emotionally volatile and mentally confused. It’s painful in expected and unexpected ways. Death interrupts your plans and messes up your schedule. Sometimes death brings people together and sometimes it drives them part. Death mixes the best and the worst of memories. Because death is this confusing mix of emotions and experiences, it is often hard to know exactly what to do when it has entered your door. Here is some biblical direction:
  1. Be honest about your emotions.
    Being a Christian does not mean being a stoic. God doesn’t want you to hide your emotions or wear a happy face mask. He wants you to come to him with complete honesty. In the Psalms, God invites us to bring our honest grief to him. Psalm 34:15 depicts God as a loving father, watching over His children and listening for their cries. Psalms 13, 22, 42, and 73 picture God’s people running to Him in grief and confusion. Don’t hide your emotions; when you are struggling, run to the One who knows you completely and loves you faithfully. As Peter says, “Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)
  2. Run to where comfort can be found.
    When he was suffering, the apostle Paul said an amazing thing about the Lord. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…” (2 Corinthians 1:3). All real, lasting comfort has its source in the Lord, because He is the Father of compassion and comfort. Think about this. Your heavenly Father is in charge of comfort and compassion. He exercises His loving power on earth so that comfort will be available. Whenever anyone, anytime, anywhere experiences real comfort, it is because God, the source of all true comfort, has made it happen. It is never useless to cry out to Him. He has the power to bring hope and rest to your soul in ways you could never conceive. God, in His grace, has assigned this job to Himself.
  3. Don’t fall into grief’s traps.
    Moments of sorrow are also moments of temptation. You have an enemy who wants to use this moment to tempt you to question God’s goodness and love. He will tempt you to be envious of others and to become angry and bitter. The struggle of grief is not just a struggle of sorrow, but of temptation as well. Look out for grief’s traps. Watch yourself for signs of doubt, anger, envy, self-pity, bitterness. When you see these things in yourself, run to Jesus for His forgiveness, strength, and protection.
  4. Open yourself up to God’s helpers.
    God designed life to be a community project. We need the help of others in our lives to become the people God created us to be (See Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 13). When your heart is breaking and your eyes are blinded by grief, you need the help of others more than ever. The godly friends that Jesus has put in your life can help you see things you would not see by yourself. They can help you remember God’s goodness when you are tempted to forget. They will exercise faith for you when your faith is weak. When you are in despair, they will bring the comfort of Christ to you. And they will gently warn you when you are tempted to get off track. Don’t try to go through your sadness alone. God has placed helpers in your life. Look for them, and be patient with them. Since no human comforter is perfect, their comfort will not be perfect either.
  5. Be thankful.
    Even in the darkest of moments, you can find clear signs of God’s presence and love. The apostle Paul says it this way. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Notice the little preposition “in” in the middle of the verse. We are called to be thankful in every situation. This doesn’t mean that you will always be thankful for what you are going through, but it does mean that you can be thankful for what God is giving you to sustain you in your grief. In your darkness, there are always little lights of God’s grace and love to be found. Search for those lights. Pay attention to the good things God is doing, even in this dark moment, so your grief can be mixed with heartfelt gratitude.
  6. Don’t neglect your spiritual habits.
    When you are overwhelmed with sadness, it can seem pointless to pray. You may feel too weak and emotionally distracted to read the Bible, be with your Christian friends, and attend public times of worship. But you need these spiritually productive habits in your life now more than ever. God has called you to do these things because they mature your heart and strengthen your soul. They remind you of who you are and who the Lord is. They reconnect you to your identity as His child and help you to remember that a time is coming when you won’t have to face death ever again.
  7. Celebrate eternity.
    Look beyond this moment of grief to an eternity with God. When you entered into God’s family, you started a journey that won’t end until you are with your Lord in eternity. The heart-breaking pains of life in a fallen world will some day end. The crushing sadness of death will end. Some day your grief will be gone and it won’t return. So, as you grieve, remember what is to come and be thankful. You have a bright future that does not include sadness and death.
  8. Give away the comfort you have received.
    Scripture says that God comforts us, not only to bring rest to our hearts, but also so we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4). If you have experienced God’s comfort in your time of grief, you are uniquely able to understand what a fellow griever is going through. So what you do or say will give other mourners hope and rest. Don’t hoard your comfort. Your experience has qualified you to be an active part of the army of helpers that the God of compassion sends into our broken, hurting world. As you face the death of a loved one remember you are not alone. Jesus endured death for you so that even in the face of death you would be able to live with hope, strength, and courage. And because of what Jesus has done for you, good things can happen even in the darkest moments of life. Don’t let grief rob you of life. Choose to live and experience the grace that Jesus died to give you.
 
We would like to pray for you. Send us a prayer request and let us go to the Father with you. 

Why Is The Resurrection So Important?

Posted on Apr 4, 2023 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

If you’ve grown up in the church, you’ve heard it a hundred times: Christ died on the cross and rose again; without Christ’s death and resurrection, there would be no salvation. But what does it all really mean? The death and resurrection are always spoken of together, but rarely is it broken down into what each part actually means.

Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead after he died? Why was the resurrection significant? Sometimes, it seems like more emphasis is put on the death with the resurrection just tacked on as an afterthought.

The resurrection proves Jesus is God.

The truth of the matter is that if Christ only died, but never came back to life, there would be no chance of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:14). If He didn’t rise again, everything He said about being God, about being the Father’s Son, would have been a lie, and His death would be nothing more than the death of a liar.

But because He IS God, because He DID rise again, we know for sure that everything He said is true, and He has the authority to pay the penalty for our sins before God and grant us salvation.

Romans 6:23a tells us that “the wages of sin are death.” Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Every person has sinned, and since God is a God of justice, for every crime there must be punishment. For every person that has sinned, a life must be given in payment for that crime.

The resurrection proves Jesus is worthy.

Jesus Christ was fully Man and fully God (John 10:30; John 1:14). Jesus Christ never sinned (1 Peter 2:22). Yet, despite this, Jesus paid for a crime he never committed and died a sinner’s death—but not His sin for He had none, but our sin because we can hardly help ourselves (1 John 2:2). He did die; He did suffer the wrath of God (Romans 5:6-11). But because He was sinless, death could not hold Him down.

Christ took on the punishment for each person’s sin, but because He Himself never sinned, He could not be condemned to eternal death for it.

The resurrection proves that there is hope.

This is where the Christian faith hinges. Without belief in the resurrection, our faith means nothing (1 Corinthians 15). If we believe Jesus was resurrected, then we accept that He is God—that He is able to take on our sin in our place so that we can be free. No other religion was founded by a Person who died then truly came back to life, promising that His followers would do the same.

Christ’s Resurrection shows us that He conquered sin and conquered death. It shows us that He is, indeed, the Son of God who “takes away the sin of world!” (John 1:29) Christ’s Resurrection proves that when we ask to be saved through Jesus Christ, and His blood does cover us, we are sinless before God because the blood needed to pay for our crime has already been spilled.

Now, because death could not hold Christ, death cannot hold us (1 Corinthians 15:49). Because death could not hold Christ, and we are under Christ, we now have “the free gift of God” that “is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on YOUR behalf. If you believe in Christ, you will not stay dead at the end of your physical life, but you will be resurrected into an eternal life with God. Now, that’s something to hope for!

 

Kingdom Build

Posted on Nov 5, 2021 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kingdom-Build

 

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of God has been advancing and men who have God’s identity are laying hold of it.

When our view of God is right, our identity as God’s man is settled (as in, no more competing identities), and we are willing to sacrifice our agenda for His service, it’s time to build something that will outlast us.  It’s time to invest in something we can’t take with us but something we can send ahead to eternity.  It’s time to get busy building the kingdom of God right where we live, in our local church, and in our world.  It’s time to start thinking outside the box and dream — dream big God dreams. The thing that advances the kingdom, which, by the way, is the heart of God, is the people we touch in our life.  His heart is people that live in our context, our circle of influence. Our influence is not only our words but our actions, how we sacrifice and care for those around us.

The kingdom doesn’t need more religious guys.  It requires bigger, hairy, audacious dreamers.  Think I’m playing you? Jesus repeatedly described the kind of man God uses for breakthrough works of His Spirit in the world.  Could He be talking about you?

As soon as John started talking about a Messiah, the battle line was drawn, men throughout the centuries have been challenged to cross that line, out of comfort and into risk for their King.  Forceful men have been moving from within with God’s vision for kingdom expansion and even today, forceful men still hunger and thirst for the kingdom of God to explode in people’s hearts wherever they may be. It’s about winning men you know, to join forces and affect the course of history.

Thank you Father, your heart for every person born is overwhelming.


Men Of Iron

Posted on Jul 29, 2021 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17

Every day it becomes increasingly more difficult to cultivate friendship. As adults, our lives are bogged down by work, family, and myriad other responsibilities that take up all twenty-four hours every day.

However, friendship is often an area we neglect to take seriously. And the Scriptures warn against this.

The Bible strongly encourages that we develop friendships with other believers. In Proverbs 27:17, Solomon writes, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Chances are that you’ve heard that verse before, but we often neglect to consider its implications.

Solomon is saying here that friendship is a way to build others up by removing the crud. Iron sharpening isn’t easy or pleasant work. It is dirty, hot, and dangerous. That is what friendship is like. When you begin to develop true, honest relationships, everything in the dark gets brought to the light.

If those friendships are genuine and Christ-honoring, they’ll be painfully beneficial.

We see this idea of genuine friendship modeled throughout the entirety of Scripture. From the bond between Jonathan and David to Jesus and his disciples, and even in the foundations of the early church in Acts, these relationships all point to authentic friendship.

We aren’t meant to live our lives in isolation. This way ultimately leads to folly and destruction. That isn’t to say that we rely on the approval of others, or create a friendship for its own sake. But we ought to develop close-knit relationships with other believers, folks who will walk with us shoulder to shoulder, and beat down the gates of hell with us.

When we begin to view friendship in a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting way, then our friendships will truly mean something. Only then will we know what it means for iron to sharpen iron. And we will begin to chase after holiness while helping our brothers and sisters do the same.

Entering into genuine friendships is a declaration of war against our enemy, the devil. To not pursue friendship is folly and only leads to destruction.

Choose the hard road. Choose genuine friendships.

 

Equilibrium

Posted on Apr 11, 2021 in Devotions, Discipleship |

Merriam-Webster defines equilibrium as a state of intellectual or emotional balance. It is vital for your emotional equilibrium that you counterbalance anger, fear, and guilt with optimism, hope, and joy. The promise of the whole-person approach means that the health aspects of a person can support the weaker characteristics until the whole person is strong and well.
 
Intellectual, relational, physical, and spiritual aspects of your life can also assist you in sustaining the life-affirming emotions of optimism, hope, and joy. 
 
As men, we have a real struggle finding balance. What should a typical day look like for a Christian man? How do I balance everyday life without losing focus on God and what’s important? How do I prioritize effectively? These, and many other questions, are at the forefront of most, if not all, Christian men.  We know we need to strengthen our walk with the Lord, but are sometimes overwhelmed by questions like;
  • In what ways can I get out of my normal routine and create a godly one?
  • What are some applicable tips to help me use my time better, especially for personal growth?
  • I want everything I do to reflect Jesus. I want integration there. I want a clean break between my work and my family. How do I do that?
  • Are hobbies okay?
How can we juggle all the demands on our time, intellect, emotions, money, and relationships?
 
No man fails on purpose. Quite the opposite. When our feet hit the floor every morning, we’re looking for a win.  But these are turbulent times to be a man. It feels almost impossible to live out a biblical model of manhood.
 
We all feel it, don’t we? Something about this world just isn’t right. There are so many voices phishing to get inside our heads. It feels like we’re being “hacked.” Spiritually hacked.
 

The answer is to live by priorities. Priorities can help us manage the pressures that will otherwise manage us.

 
A common complaint is having too many priorities. Investor Warren Buffet, the “Oracle of Omaha,” said you can only handle five priorities. He was fanatical about knowing what you want, learning the tools you needed to get there, whittling your list of priorities down to five, and then making everything beyond your top five priorities what he called your “avoid at all cost” list.
 
Of course, there’s no iron law about how many priorities a man can have. And while there’s no “one size fits all” answer, we can reflect and settle on our priorities in five major areas: Loving God, Loving people, Job, Ministry, and Money.
 
By focusing on our top five priorities, we will know how to intentionally release the power of God on the issues that matter most to us. We’ll be able to walk with confidence in the one identity that matters most: Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Hold The Rope

Posted on Feb 15, 2021 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 Hold The Rope

Don Bond

In this season of uncertainty, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have “held the rope” with us for so long. At Orchard, we have had a monthly gathering of men for a long time called Hold The Rope. This is a gathering where the men of the church fellowship over a meal and spend time together as men. I don’t know all the when’s and why’s of how it started, but not being able to meet with my friends and mentors due to the Covid Crisis has been sorely missed on my part.  It has been on my heart for a while now, and thoughts about why do we call it Hold The Rope have been floating around my mind.  I have been doing some reading.  I came across this book by John Piper and I would like to share an excerpt from it.  Mr. Piper shared in his book Andrew Fuller: Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Mission, that the commitment (and the oath) to “hold the rope” was wonderfully demonstrated by a band of mission-minded pastors from the 1700’s.  Here is an excerpt from John Piper’s book:

“Andrew Fuller, more than anyone else, felt the burden of what it meant that William Carey and John Thomas (and later, others) left everything for India in dependence, under God, on this band of brothers. One of them, John Ryland, recorded the story from which came the famous “rope holder” image.

He wrote that Carey said:  Our undertaking to India really appeared to me, on its commencement, to be somewhat like a few men, who were deliberating about the importance of penetrating into a deep mine, which had never before been explored, [and] we had no one to guide us; and while we were thus deliberating, Carey, as it were, said “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” But before he went down . . . he, as it seemed to me, took an oath from each of us, at the mouth of the pit, to this effect—that “while we lived, we should never let go of the rope.”

This struck me hard.  I don’t know if this is what the founders of the Hold The Rope ministry here at Orchard had in mind when they named it, but it sure describes the ideal it has come to represent.  As men, but especially as believers, have a mission.  That mission can be summed up quickly as: To Know Christ, to Grow into his likeness, and to Show him to the world. According to scripture, men are to be the leaders, both physically and spiritually, of the home and family. We are the backbone, if you will.  We can’t do this alone though.  We have Jesus, but we also need the strength and wisdom of other Godly men to help hold our rope while we are holding the rope for our family.

I was reading in Acts chapter 9 and came across the story of Paul’s conversion.  With the light of “hold the rope” image, I saw something that was there all along, but had never clicked before.  Saul (better known as Paul) had been persecuting the church in Jerusalem for some time and he got permission to hunt for Christians in Damascus. On the way there, Christ met him in a blinding flash of light, and Saul was struck blind. You’ll remember, God’s assurance that Saul had become a believer to Ananias—behold, he prays. He knew Christ. After being restored to sight, some experts say that Saul spent the next several years in the dessert studying the faith. Whether or not that was the case, however, is irrelevant. At some point, he began to preach to the Jews about Jesus, and he grew bold and powerful (he grew into Christ’s likeness and began to show him to others)—so much so that the Jews in Damascus decided it was time to kill Saul. But some of the other believers found out about the plot and they lowered Saul in a basket during the night, allowing him to escape unharmed. I want to focus on those other believers for a moment. You see, we hear a lot about Paul’s ministry, but it would never have happened if it weren’t for some folks willing to hold the rope for him. If we are going to be engaged in ministry for the Kingdom of God, we need to have a system of support, i.e., believers who are willing to hold the rope for us.

At Camp Whispering Pines, there is a high ropes course. For those who don’t know what high ropes are, picture a series of obstacles set 35 to 40 feet up in the air. It is definitely a faith-growing experience. When you were getting ready to go up that tree and when you got up there, there was one very important question that became very, very important: Who is holding the rope? In fact, there were a series of verbal commands that the climber and the rope holder would go through to make sure that the climber was safe. I remember a story from one of the youth groups that was on the course. They had a guy who played football—a big offensive lineman. When he got up to the catwalk, he asked, “What happens if I step off?” He was told he would drop a little bit and then come to a stop. So he stepped off. And he dropped a few inches, stepped back onto the catwalk, and walked across as calmly as if he were on the ground. You see, he knew someone was holding the rope.

I have been asking myself, “What does it mean to Hold The Rope (or be a rope holder)?” At least three different jobs that are needed sprung to mind. Some people may have more than one job, but other times, it may take three different people.

The first category of rope holders are Intercessors: Those who will stand in prayer and lift that person, group, or situation up on a daily basis. Gen 18:20-33. Abraham is an intercessor not only for his nephew Lot and his family, but for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When you read this passage, you can see the spirit of the intercessor. He is full of holy boldness. Not timid in the requests. Also, he is not irreverent towards God, but has a reverent humility. Finally, the intercessor needs a bit of importunity (I know, that’s a $5 word that basically means to solicit in a pressing manner; think of a pushy telemarketer). Each time Abraham asks, he pushes a little further. Are we willing to respectfully but boldly press God for the needs of others?

The second type of person needed is someone with the gifts of helps and service. If I were to describe this with one word, it would be support. These are important, since being a believer doesn’t come with an easy button. The gift of helps is seen in that person who is able to work behind the scenes to relieve others of detailed or routine jobs. They relieve them so they can focus more fully. (1 Cor. 12:28, Romans 16:1-2, Acts 9:36, Mark 15:40-41) Service is the ability to see things that need done. This person is a doer, not looking for praise, but just wanting to make sure things are done and the mission can continue. (2 Tim. 1:16-18, Romans 12:7, Acts 6:1-7, Titus 3:14, Galatians 6:2,10). Now I began to ask God, “What is the difference between these two?” And what God showed me is that a person with the gift of helps always works behind the scenes. He is away from any form of public service. On the other hand, the person with a gift of service will do whatever needs done. They don’t seek out the public eye, but they won’t shy away from it either. I also need to say that these gifts are not mutually exclusive; i.e., you may have both gifts.

Finally, we all need some Encouragers. These are persons with a gift of exhortation, that ability to reassure, strengthen, encourage, and affirm others. This can simply by praising what is already going on, or by helping them move from their problems to a resolution to that problem. (Romans 12:8, Acts 14:21-22, Heb. 10:25)

When this crisis is over and it is safe, I am praying that we can continue this ministry of Hold The Rope. Without the support of other believers on a regular basis, we are much more likely to fall prey to the attacks of the enemy.


More Jesus!

Posted on Jan 7, 2021 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

As this new year begins, it appears that this year won’t be any different that the last one, and that’s ok.  Crazy, I know, but I have realized that we don’t need a new President to make everything better.  We don’t need a Democrat or Republican to make all the sorrows of the world go away.  What we need is more Jesus!  Not just as a nation, but personally.  If we have more and more and more Jesus, the rest of the world’s cares and concerns don’t have near as much of an impact.  When you look back at His time here with us, you realize that He didn’t let the cares of this world cause Him stress.  The reason He didn’t let stress get to Him sounds very simple, but it is powerful nonetheless.  He knew who is in control of it all. He used the scriptures to demonstrate and show who controls all things. God is in control and none of what happened back when Jesus was on Earth or what is happening today has caught Him by surprise.  The lyrics to an old song from my younger days keeps ringing through my head: “When you don’t understand, When don’t see his plan, When you can’t trace his hand; Trust His Heart.” 
 
 
How do I get more and more of Jesus & how can I get closer to Him?

I have learned that the closer we get to Jesus, the stronger and happier we become. Sometimes in life we may not have that certain someone to encourage and push you forward, but when we experience radical intimacy with Jesus, every aspect of life seems to just fit in and fall into place. Getting closer to Jesus is an ongoing process that involves any number of steps.  Now, I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject by any means, but here are four simple things that the Lord put on my heart:

  1. Spend quality quiet time with Jesus. Quiet time can involve reading various gospel oriented books or listening to devotionals or even Christian music. Just taking some time off to sit and think about certain verses or passages from the Bible would also amount to quiet time. It’s frankly just isolating ourselves from this noisy world and letting God know that we are waiting on him. So quality quiet time would surely make us feel closer to Jesus.
  2. Attend church regularly. This doesn’t mean just taking up space in a pew hoping that Jesus will seep in through osmosis.  We need to be sure that we try to actively engage ourselves in the worship. When songs are being sung, sing along from the heart, when the Word is being preached, we need to listen intently and open our hearts to the message He has for us. Being engaged in church can have you leaving Spirit-filled and closer to Jesus.
  3. Read the Bible. The Bible is the inspired Word of God himself.  Consider, if you will, the following verses:
    1. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” KJV
    2. John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
    3. Since we refer to the Bible as the Word of God, and the above verses tell us that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” & “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” it is my humble opinion that the Bible is a manifestation of Jesus. Keep in mind that I am not a biblical scholar by any stretch.  The way I figure it, the best way to have an intimate knowledge of Jesus and to be as close as humanly possible to Him is to, not just read, but ingest, dwell on, meditate on Jesus, the Word of God.
  4. Talk to Him. The best way that I have found to get to know more about someone is to talk to them.  It is the same way with Jesus.  Jesus is our friend.  No, He is more than just a friend.  We are His family. We should talk to Him like He is in the room with us.  Jesus is always listening and will never leave us or forsake us.  Regular, meaningful conversations with Jesus are the best way to get closer to Him.

Believers Shouldn’t Worry About The Election

Posted on Nov 9, 2020 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The election of the President has stirred up both anger and celebration. The media, both social and traditional, are fanning the flames on all sides.  As a believer, I am finding it hard to watch or read. Much of what I see on social media is coming from “Christians”. Many are worrying about the outcome to the point of stressing themselves to a frenzy.

On November 1st, our pastor brought a message entitled “Commander And Chief” dealing with this very issue.  Almost a week after the election, we still are not certain who has been chosen to be the President.  It looks like it will be a while longer before we know for certain.

Everyone is quite concerned. This is very understandable with the world situation and the stakes high. We wonder who might be able to keep things on a steady course.

Believers must participate in the election process. Now that doesn’t mean we have to vote for someone in every office even if we cannot find enough common ground.  It just means that in general we are to take part in the government as requested.

But even though we are to vote, believers shouldn’t worry about the election results. Here are four reasons why:

  1. God is in control

God is sovereign, meaning He is ultimately in control of everything, including election results. No matter who is elected by human vote, God is also in control. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and.

I came to this realization of biblical truth recently. When I finally did, it brought great peace to know that while people do things, God is still in control.

There is no situation where this is better described than in the issue of political leaders. Romans 13:1 says, “Every ]person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” NASB

Whoever becomes President, Senator, Governor, Mayor and so on, is elected ultimately under the direction of God.

Sometimes we might think He made a big mistake, but nonetheless, He is in control.

Perhaps God uses some leaders to judge people, or to humble people so that they look to Him.

We may never know why God has placed the leaders in office until we get home. But one thing we do know is that He is in control.

This gives us peace.

  1. Worry is always wrong

Sorry to be so blunt, but the Bible is really clear about this.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NASB)

If you are a believer and worrying about election results, you are disobeying God’s Word. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, knowing this, I never worry about anything, I just get “concerned.” The problem with this explanation is that word translated “worry” means something akin to “concerned.”

  • too many hours watching political channels or listening to talk radio
  • fretting about the election results
  • debating or arguing with the “other side”
  • constantly posting our viewpoints on social media

Staying involved is not wrong unless it gets out of balance—an obsession. In fact, we should participate. But we should not be involved to the extent that the election, politics and government become our passion.

I have strong political and moral views. But, hopefully, I don’t allow those opinions to become my focus.

What should be my focus? The answer is in the latter half of the verse cited above.

Again, it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)

Instead of worrying, we are to turn our concerns over to God in prayer and thankfulness. The result is wonderful peace.

Don’t you love the promise, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

  1. Believers are citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:20a states clearly, “For our citizenship is in heaven”

Sure, we are citizens of a country on Earth. But ultimately, we are foreigners here. Our real citizenship is in Heaven.

So why would we get worked up about election results here on Earth? Every one of us will soon be leaving to spend eternity on the other side.

The Leader of the Eternal Kingdom is the “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16).

Our lives in a country here are a flash-in-the-pan compared with our lives in eternity. Thus, worrying about this life is not only futile, it’s silly.

Why do we fret? Because we get our eyes off the goal. So we must do as The Apostle Paul wrote about earlier in this chapter:

“Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB)

  1. Our real hope is in Christ

If we are worrying about an election, it’s a sign we’re trusting in the wrong thing!

Our hope must NOT be in:

  • Politicians & political parties
  • Money
  • Positions of influence
  • Family members
  • Occupations
  • Education

Each of these have their place, but it is not their place to be our ultimate hope!

Soon all these will be gone, as a result of the next election, retirement, financial reversal, deaths or our own death. None are permanent and reliable.

There is only One who is permanent and reliable: The Lord!

“6 Certainly every person walks around as a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.”
(Psalm 39:6-7 NASB)

 

For nearly four decades I’ve watched election results, elected officials, political parties and political movements come and go. Through them I’ve come to affirm what the psalmist wrote 3,000 years ago: “My hope is in You.”

 


Looking For The Light When All You See Is Darkness

Posted on Oct 13, 2020 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Looking For The Light When All You See Is Darkness

 
Everyone knows that one person who always sees the bright side. They’re sickening, aren’t they? The ones who pipe up in the dark moments with the obscure silver lining that’s absolutely true and positively irritating? They are unfailingly cheerful to the point of living in denial.
 
It’s true that those overly positive people can make you want to claw your eyeballs out or plug your ears (or at least stuff a sock in their mouths), but the reason they’re so irritating is that we know they’re right. Especially if you’re a believer, you know there’s always a bright side. Now, that doesn’t mean we can’t be sad. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t grieve. But it does mean that grief and sorrow shouldn’t ever get the better of us, because God is stronger.
 
We don’t have to live in darkness, because if you follow Jesus, you can always look for the light.
 
“7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.
8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”
 
 
What is light anyway? It’s all well and good to talk about light and darkness in symbolic terms. It’s very poetic, but I’m practical. What does it even mean?
 
All throughout the Bible, God calls Himself the Light. Jesus calls Himself the Light. The Word is called the Light. What do all those things have in common? Well, one major thing is that They’re all 100% true. God can’t lie. Neither does Jesus, neither does the Bible. God’s truth is light that shines in the darkest moments of our lives.
 
Even when we’re surrounded by the darkness of fear and uncertainty or loneliness or sorrow or pain, what we need to remember is that all those things will lie to us. Fear and uncertainty tell us we’ll never be good enough. Loneliness and sorrow and pain tell us that this life is all there is. And that’s not true.
 
In those moments when the darkness threatens to overwhelm you with its lies, remember the truth. Let God’s light in. Stop hunkering in the shadows, letting our enemy whisper his devious lies to you to break you, to stop you, to scare you. That’s what he’s doing. Don’t let him.
 
Instead, get up and look for the light. Look at your situation and try to see God in it. If you’re a believer, He’s there. He may not be obvious, but He’s present. He probably won’t be where you expect Him to be, but He’s there. But you don’t have to acknowledge Him for Him to work. He’ll do His part without your knowledge, but if you can see Him, it makes life a lot easier.
 
On one hand, it’s irritating to be around people who always see God working. They just have this cheerfulness that nothing seems to touch. And in some cases, that’s bad, because humans need to feel. We all experience sorrow and sadness, but if we don’t allow ourselves to feel it–to admit to feeling it–and to learn to manage it, we’ll run ourselves into the ground.
 
Even negative emotions have a purpose, and you should never ignore them. Just don’t try to face them without God’s help. You won’t get through life without falling. Everyone falls, but you don’t have to stay there. Get up. Look for God’s light, and don’t stop until you find it.
 
So don’t let the darkness slow you down. Don’t let the lies break your spirit. God has plans for you, friend.

The Beauty Of The Broken

Posted on Oct 7, 2020 in Devotions, Discipleship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Japanese Art of Kintsugi

 The Beauty Of The Broken

God never throws away the broken pieces of our lives; He redeems all of them.

Not too long ago, I dropped one of my favorite coffee mugs and broke it into several pieces. I was quite frustrated because it happened to be a sentimental heirloom to me—one that I purchased on our honeymoon twenty years ago. I swept up the shards in frustration and tried to piece the cup back together. That disappointment led me to a discovery into the 500­year­old Japanese art of kintsugi.

In Japan, rather than tossing broken pieces of ceramics in the trash, craftsmen often practice the art of kintsugi, or “golden joinery,” which is a method of taking broken pieces and restoring them with a lacquer that is mixed with gold, silver, or platinum.

The story of kintsugi is said to have begun in the 15th century when Japanese military commander Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke one of his beloved Chinese tea bowls and, disappointed with the shoddy repair job it was treated to, urged Japanese craftsmen to come up with a more pleasing method of repair. Thus the art of kintsugi was born. Collectors soon became so enamored with the new art that some were accused of deliberately smashing valuable pottery so it could be repaired with the gold seams of kintsugi.

As an art, kintsugi will make a mended vessel look more aesthetic and become more valued than it was before it was fractured. As a philosophy, kintsugi treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, something of a redemptive beauty, rather than something to disguise, cover up, or replace altogether. It has similarities to the Japanese philosophy of wabi­sabi, an aesthetic worldview that sees beauty in the flawed, the damaged, or the imperfect. The idea behind the technique of kintsugi is to recognize the entire history of the object, with all of its cracks and flaws, and to visibly incorporate the repaired fissures into the new piece. It beautifies the breakage and treats it as an important part of the object’s history, thus valuing the fractures instead of disguising them or glossing over them. The process typically results in something far more beautiful and elegant than the original.

To throw the broken pot away is to destroy its unique story. To repair it the kintsugi way is to continue its tale of adventure, triumph, and redemptive beauty.
 
The world is full of people with broken hearts, broken spirits, and broken relationships. We see damaged goods all around us. And we see it in ourselves when we are courageous enough to go there.

In fear of rejection, we’d rather cover up the damaged parts of our lives and work harder at putting our best pieces out front for others to see. We feel ashamed of our weaknesses and fear that if people really knew us they wouldn’t have anything to do with us. This is because we are keenly aware that we live in a culture that rejects broken things too easily rather than one that embraces the value of damaged goods.

Think about some of the cracks and fractures in the lives of the men and women God used throughout the Bible: Moses had a speech problem. Jonah was self-absorbed. David was an adulterer and a murderer. Samson was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. The Samaritan woman had a whole string of divorces. Zacchaeus had engaged in extortion. Peter was hotheaded, impulsive, and temperamental. Naomi was a bitter widow. Elijah was suicidal. Leah wasn’t attractive enough. Joseph was abused and abandoned. Jacob was a liar and a schemer. Martha worried about everything. Timothy had an ulcer and Noah got drunk.

What’s significant is that none of these things defined these people. What defined them was their relationship with God. But what I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t omit their weaknesses and their failures when it describes their victories. Just like in the art of kintsugi, the broken pieces weren’t something to be thrown out, they were a part of the whole redemptive story—one that God gracefully wrote despite their flawed personalities, their broken humanity, and their obvious weaknesses.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul was struggling with an antagonizing “thorn” in his life. We’re not sure exactly what it was but we do know that it bothered him so much that he pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away. But the only response he got was: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That response caused Paul to become good with the weaknesses in his life because he realized that Christ would be glorified in all of them. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)

There is truly a beauty waiting to be discovered when we begin to realize that God is using everything in our lives, including our brokenness, our pain, our failures, our weaknesses, our fractured relationships, our shattered dreams, our disappointments, and our cracked personalities, to bring about a very, very, beautifully redemptive story. He assuredly is making all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

Remember that as you take time to abide in Him today.


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