Take heart!

John 16:31-33

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I was raised in a small town, where everyone knew everyone. If someone died, half of the town would be at the funeral. If someone “important” died, everyone would be. Today, my hometown is saying good-bye to their sheriff, who died unexpectedly early this week. No, it wasn’t in the line of duty, it was at home. He was only 44 years old. He was known as the “good cop” to many. Roads will close for the processional and people will line the street to show their respect.

So why do I share this with all of you, who really aren’t affected by this story? Well, because each of us go through something at some point in our lives were we just can’t understand why. It might be the death of a loved one, the mass shootings, or something like a divorce.

It’s important to note here that Jesus told us ahead of time, we would face trouble. He was very clear when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.” But he didn’t stop there. The rest of that verse is so important not to miss. Yes, we will have trouble, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We already know that we are going to live through some tough things. Let’s not forget that even through all of that, we have Christ, the Savior of the world, who has already overcome the world.

Today, my friends, take heart!

Thursday Devotional - What's Your Temperature?

Are you hot, cold or lukewarm? Physically speaking, I’m usually cold. Spiritually speaking, I desire to be hot for God!

As Jesus addressed the seventh church, He rebuked them for being lukewarm.

Revelation 3:14-22    ¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Jesus rebuked the Laodicean’s for their prideful reliance on their own material wealth. Kent talked about prosperity yesterday and I think today’s passage relates. Jesus seems to be telling the Laodicean’s that their spiritual depravity is significant. Maybe they thought God was pleased with them because of their material blessings and lack of troubles, but Jesus made it clear that was not the case.

I love how Jesus said he was “about to spit” them out. He is so loving and patient, that He gave them a warning. Out of love for them, He called them to repent and return to Him. Then, He would provide what they really needed – fellowship with Him.

What would Jesus say to you and me? Where do you and I think we have it together or are in control of our life? What would God say we really need from Him? Would He call us hot, cold or lukewarm? With His help, we can change our temperature!

Alice

Prosperity and Hope

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.   For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.   In those days when you pray, I will listen.   If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”  Jeremiah 29:10-14

One of the great debates for the sanity of the church is the idea of the prosperity gospel.  To simply it, let’s talk about Joel Osteen.  Many agree with Joel’s belief that if you trust in God you will prosper beyond what you see today.  Others feel that life is not about prosperity.  It’s about spiritual growth, and growth as any child knows can be painful.  Now to be clear, I fall in the latter ‘spiritual growth’ camp, but many of us in this camp are missing a very significant point about what Joel Osteen has tapped into.  And that is quite simply the word ‘Hope.’

As Christians, we are to always live with the hope in Jesus Christ.  When reading Jeremiah 29:11, many people conclude that it is all about the great things God has planned for them.  Kind of like the prosperity Gospel, right?  But you see when you read the entire context, you realize this is not about some great prosperous unknown.  This about knowing what God has already promised!  These verses speak to a people who have been exiled from their homeland and are enslaved in Babylon.  They are in a situation where they have to feel that they are to never find home or have anything of their own.  But God tells them to not be troubled or dismayed.  He has not forgotten them or His promise to them. They may have to wait a generation, but they will be free and prosperous again.  Thus, they are to live their lives for God with the hope their hearts and minds are connected with Him.  Now if you were middle aged back then, this had to be somewhat discouraging. However if they were to remain faithful, you would rest easy with hope knowing that the future was indeed bright.

Hope is about patience.  Hope is about trust.  Hope is about knowing something that will come to flourish in the face of all signs that say otherwise.  Our hope in Jesus Christ is not for our salvation.  It is rather that we are living a life for Him that when the day is done, we can say in the words of 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”  How hopeful are you in God’s promises to you?  How can you find hope in times of despair?  My prayer is that we prosper through good times and bad realizing that we always have hope through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Don't lose heart

Hello,

We hear the phrase often – “Don’t lose heart!” It brings to mind times when we are pushing towards a goal, but various obstacles keep getting in the way. Sometimes those obstacles are related directly to what we are doing, but often they are things that are unrelated – but zap our time & energy and distract our focus. For me, I find the unrelated obstacles the hardest to deal with.  I expect some difficulty within the mission itself, but it is easy for me to get discouraged when things I perceive as outside of the mission slow me down or take my attention away. I find it easy when that happens to sit back and blame the lack of forward motion for the mission on those things. Now, that blame may be true – but as soon as we start to focus on blame, we quickly fall into pity/woe is me mode and that is when the wheels can really come off from the mission. We begin to look at our circumstances and see everything we cannot control as negative, and our effort begins to also slip.

So what do we do? We take heart! To me take heart is a challenge to stop and examine the facts that brought you to that mission in the first place. We revisit what we are doing and why. Check out 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (NASB)

Here Paul talks about how they do not lose heart. They go back and in verse 5 revisit their mission – preaching Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a worthy mission, one that hasn’t changed even though the obstacles are big. So, they take heart and keep pushing forward.

Have a blessed day – and whatever obstacles are facing your mission, take some time to reflect – and take heart in what Christ has done for us.

(Bonus verse – John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (NASB))

Will Hill

Turn Words into Action

I’m moving off of Fridays and onto a weekend writing so I can have them posted by Monday morning.

32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. Ezekiel 33

I tend to listen to music while at work, and I had been sticking to my own albums for a while. A few weeks ago, I started using some of the automatic stations on Google Play and was thrilled when I found a few 90’s stations. I got excited and was gleefully listening to the tunes of my school days (yep, I realize I’m dating myself here).

Anyways, there’s a big difference between singing along with your friends or in your car versus listening to it in headphones in a quiet environment. The words that were jumbled suddenly jump out at you, in crystal clarity. Some of the songs I thought at the time were innocent were actually far from it. A few of them I stopped and listened to the words more clearly, really hearing what the song was about for the first time. It was a rather eye opening (or ear-opening) experience.

I’ve written before that music is something that speaks to me. I made the switch around two years ago to start listening to only Christian music, and I pay close attention to the lyrics now. When I sing at church, whether seated in the congregation or up with the praise band, I make an effort to mean every word that I’m singing. It’s my way to communicate with God. This isn’t the same for everyone - particularly my husband - but everyone should have something that they find this meaningful as a way to worship and praise.

Whatever that may be, pay attention to the “words.” Put those words into practice. Do not go through the motions without putting effort in. It may be music, it may be what you read, it may be what you watch, it may be how you spend your Saturday nights, but whatever it is, your actions have words associated with them. Make those words and actions praise God.