For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3
I went out for a run the other day and struggled through most of it. Somewhere in the last half mile, I decided it might be wise to walk the remainder of the way home. Shortly after I started walking, I met a young woman running in the opposite direction. As we met, she cheerfully encouraged me to start running again. As tempting as it was, I declined as my choice was not a matter of giving up but rather a bit of prudence for a few reasons: I have asthma and had forgotten to use my inhaler before running; my body is recovering from injury, and I’ve been pushing myself to meet various demands and have not been getting the rest that my body needs. In better circumstances, the encouragement would have yielded the desired effect of the other runner. However, under these conditions, I had to allow reason to overrule desire. As we endure in our walk of faith, we need be intentional as well.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)
This was not the topic that I originally intended for this week’s post, but given a few divinely inspired events, my plan was changed. As is my habit, I started the day with the “verse of the day” emails from Bible Gateway and KLove. The one from Bible Gateway was a portion of Psalm 139. It is a favorite of mine for many reasons; one of those is that it was the last passage my parents read together on the eve of my mother’s death. That circumstance coupled with the quote that I posted this week beckoned me to consider love and grief.
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’ Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”Hebrews 13:4-7
This past weekend Marie and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. While I would like to say that it was an entirely blissful 40 years, that would not be a true statement for two reasons. We are both fallible humans still in the process of sanctification and there have been trials that have tested our faith in each other and our God. However, what I am able to declare as true is that those 40 years have been blessed and I would, therefore, like to share a bit of our walk with you.
If you read from the beginning of Hebrews 13, you will see that Paul is asserting a list of essential behaviors for the body of Christ; they are in essence keys to living well. Honoring marriage is just one of them. However, if you look beyond the issues themselves, you see a few common denominators that allow for success in these areas.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 1 John 4:16-17
We all like to be reminded that we are loved…especially by those who are dear to us. My wife was out of town this weekend and I wasn’t feeling the greatest on several levels. At one point, I considered staying home from church on Sunday morning. However, realizing that it was not a wise choice in that moment and that there are others who would love to attend a worship service, but are unable, I rose to the occasion and went. During the praise time, the worship team led us in “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”. For various reasons, I desperately needed to hear those words.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.Ephesians 4:29
Idioms, colloquialisms, and slang are common in our speech and rather confusing for those trying to learn a language. I am guilty of using all three. Having lived in or traveled frequently to different parts of the country, it is possible for me to mix phrases from various regions in the same sentence…adding to the confusion. This became quite evident when I worked with a young woman from South America. She had just immigrated to the United States and while her command of English was good, she had not yet had much exposure to the variety of idioms, colloquialisms, etc. When combined with accents and cultural differences, conversations between us were sometimes laborious. I would later learn that for the first two years, she thought I was being critical when I was trying to reassure her because of the different views our respective cultures had on the use of a certain phrase. Fortunately, she was living with an older couple who regularly reminded her that in the U.S., the phrase was a form of encouragement. I still felt awful about the miscommunication and certainly would have chosen different words had I known of the stress it was causing her. Therein lies one of the issues with speech: miscommunication. As ambassadors for Christ we’re called to guard our speech and “unwholesome words” can take a variety of forms. There are many idioms used regularly in our culture.
I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3
In 1995 I had a grand mal seizure and was put on seizure medication without a thorough investigation of the circumstances. We would learn later that I did not need it. Problematically, if you take seizure medication and don’t need it, it can cause seizures. Consequently, for the next nine years I endured petit mals or absence seizures. The first one occurred after my wife and I returned home from a dance. While we were talking with our children, Marie noticed that my expression changed to a vacant stare. In order to avoid alarming our children she moved close to me, took my hand, lead me to our bedroom and had me sit down. In a few moments I returned to normal function. Through experimentation and discussion, we learned that while I could not initiate movement or speech, I could be led by others and I could nod faintly in response to yes or no questions. However, for the most part I was immobilized and temporarily stuck in a very confining world. As I think about those seizures, I’m reminded of times when I’ve been stuck in life. Usually, I’m immobilized by one of three things: fear, fatigue or indecision. Can you relate?
“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”Psalm 94:17-19
I was preparing to go to yet another funeral this morning and was looking for peace within my own heart. In this case, it was not a close friend, but rather the husband of someone I admire and have great affection for. His widow is a dear soul and a godly woman who has been so kind to me that I ache for her. We also have various connections with some of her children through church and business dealings. In fact, her son is one of the morticians that helped with both of my parents’ funerals. In short they are a family that I have great respect for as they regularly exhibit both kindness and integrity. With that on my mind as I spent time with God this morning, He brought Psalm 94 to me…or more specifically, verse 19 and reminded me that this is one of those times to trust Him to be all that we need. While the context of the psalm speaks to “evil doers”, the basic message still applies to all of our circumstances. Consider each verse carefully.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Most people are fairly comfortable being thankful for God’s provisions and for the people in their lives. While we may not feel that our circumstances are quite as perfect as those depicted in Norm Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want”, we can generally muster a fairly strong attitude of thankfulness. Certainly when we feel that things are going relatively well, we are filled with thankfulness, but what about when the times are tough. Thanksgiving of 1992 I woke up in the hospital after having an ERCP the previous day. I was in pain and groggy; I barely remember celebrating the holiday, let alone being thankful.
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
Life has a way of giving us unexpected events. Some are pleasant, some are trying and some can be terrifying. My wife and I have had a few of them lately and we had another one of those yesterday. Rather than the writing and the housekeeping that I intended to do, I spent the day in the Emergency Room with my older daughter who was in pain. The most obvious possibility of appendicitis was ruled out, so more tests which all came back negative. After roughly six hours, we left not knowing the origin of the pain. We knew several things that it wasn’t, but had no plan of action to relieve the symptoms or better, cure the problem. While the time spent yesterday was wearing, I can honestly say that I was not anxious. I was concerned as any good father would be, but I was not anxious. To some extent, I have learned not to let the “what if” scenarios rule my mind. However, and more importantly, I have learned that God is in control and He will see me through every situation as He always has. I have learned the truth and have matured enough in my faith to understand that I need to battle fear with trust in my Savior. While I haven’t perfected the skill, I am gaining strength and ability in that endeavor. John 14:27 gives a concise argument for putting our fears to rest.
“Peace I leave you.” It’s a gift with no strings attached. All we have to do is trust in our Savior and give our heart to Him. It’s always available when we need it and inexhaustible. Part of our sanctification process is learning to trust it and apply it as necessary, but it is always there for us. We can’t earn it, we don’t get extra, we don’t store it up, we just go to the source when we need it and apply it to the need at hand.
“My peace I give to you.” As I said, we know the source…it is God…God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit working on our behalf to give us peace through the Son. 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Romans 11:33-36 remind us that everything in existence is from God, sustained by God and belongs to God. Psalm 86 adds to the picture. Verse seven reminds that when we call on Him “in the day of trouble” He will answer. Further verse 10 says: “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” God cares for us, He is able, everything in heaven and earth is available to Him and He will provide the peace that He promises. He is in complete control of every situation in our lives.
“Not as the world gives do I give to you.” I fear that too often, this is the primary stumbling block to true peace within our souls. Instead of looking to what our savior offers, we look to what the world offers. God has given us many pleasant things on this earth that seem to provide a sense of tranquility. We have beautiful scenery and beautiful weather that can calm our souls. Most of us in the first world don’t have to be concerned with having food, clothing or shelter. Consequently we feel secure as all of these things provide some amount of tranquility and a sense of control. However, they can be removed in an instant. The stories of Job and Joseph are two great examples of how trials can come out of nowhere. Landscapes change with natural disasters, jobs end abruptly, the pleasure of food only lasts until we are hungry again, accidents as well as illness take loved ones from us and immediately our sense of peace and tranquility vanishes and we must readily admit that we are not self-sufficient as God is. Yet our faithful God is always at hand offering peace that is inexplicable in those trying moments (Philippians 4:7). It is peace that we not only enjoy when life is going well, but peace that stays with us in those stressful and terrifying moments of life. In short, the world offers a temporary and conditional peace while God offers us peace that is constant and unconditionally offered. It is peace that we can count on in every circumstance of our lives.
“Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” This is the choice. We can allow ourselves to look at the problem worrying, fretting and concerned with the lack of control or we can look to the peace that Christ offers knowing that our God is in control, loves us and is working for our good in all circumstances allowing His peace to provide divine calm in the midst of trials. It is a form of self-control that grows with maturity. At first it can be difficult, but the more we trust God and look for His hand at work in every situation, we more readily rely on Him for the peace and strength to be content in every circumstance of life. At the end of the matter, not only are we more at rest, but we also recognize God’s greatness and turn our thankfulness into worship to glorify our God as David did in Psalm 86.
As I left the hospital yesterday I was concerned for my daughter’s wellbeing. The scary “what ifs” kept trying to creep into my mind and take control. Yet God was at work before the situation arose. The previous night I had started exploring topics write about this week. I had settled on peace and had a few scriptures in my mind. Consequently, when fear tried to creep in, God had already set up the defenses and I was able to remain calm and peaceful remembering to choose His peace over worry. This morning I received a call from my daughter. She had seen her physician and the source of pain was a tear in an abdominal muscle. It will heal in time. There is no need for surgery and no lurking disease and certainly no need for fear as God is in control just as He always is. He was in control just as He has been with broken ankles, major illness, the care and death of parents, and job losses, etc. God has been in control of every event of our lives and His peace has been available as well, but it has been up to us to His consolation.
When we accept God’s gracious gift, we have the ability to patiently endure our circumstances and receive His consoling encouragement for our souls. Whatever you are facing today, turn to Christ and accept His peace. It is a gift, it is certain, it is lasting and it is lovingly offered.
May the lovingkindness of the Lord to lift you up and His consolations delight your soul driving out your anxious thoughts.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”Colossians 3:12
Some of the definitions or synonyms of kindness are: benevolence, humanity, generosity, charity, sympathy, compassion, and tenderness. As indicated above, scripture calls us to be kind and engage in charitable acts. However, there are times when our best intentions may not be charitable at all. For example, the Sunday after I was released from my last major hospitalization, very well intentioned people, who truly cared about my well-being, greeted me with a hug…many of which were quite firm. The problem was that I had just had a PICC line inserted and every hug involving my left arm was painful…so much so that I had to start doing body checks to protect myself. Another example was while I was caring for my father. In the last months of his life, visits from people became difficult for him and anything more than about five minutes would cause stress to the extent that he would beg me to send them away. Some people graciously accepted the request, but others insisted on staying which created an awkward situation leaving me no choice but to demand that they leave. My point is that there is a darker side to charitable acts that can, in fact, harm rather than help or encourage. As in all things concerning godliness, we must be intentional about in our compassion to avoid having a negative impact.
