Disguised Opportunities

“But I want you to know, brethren, that

the things which happened to me have

actually turned out for the furtherance of

the gospel, so that it has become evident

to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest,

that my chains are in Christ; and most of

the brethren in the Lord, having become

confident by my chains, are much more

bold to speak the word without fear.”

     Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

Paul had an eternal perspective on his imprisonment, realizing that it fulfilled prophecy for the work God intended him to do (Acts 9:15). What may have seemed a hardship from an earthly viewpoint actually furthered the Gospel rather than hindering it.  Paul could have been depressed and discouraged when his plans seemed to go awry but instead he realized God was still at work and his chains were part of His plan.  So Paul changed his focus from missionary journeys to prison ministry and rejoiced in what God was doing through him.

The Bible is replete with many other instances of God using difficult situations to become great opportunities, for the good of His people and for His glory.  The stories of Joseph and Esther come to mind as just a couple examples. And that’s how God works in our lives too. The challenge for us is to see afflictions and trials as disguised opportunities for spiritual growth, to trust God's purposes for us are being fulfilled through them.

I have a dental appointment this morning.  God helped me so much in the past to overcome my fear of going to the dentist, and yet now that I'm in Minnesota with a new dentist, I’m anxious all over again.  Yet, I remember God’s faithfulness in the past:  I’ve felt His sure presence during procedures, calming and strengthening me, helping me through it all.  And I’m trusting He will be with me this time too.  This is a great chance for God's faithfulness to be proven to me once again, so that I will know His sustaining grace and my faith will be strengthen as a result.

What difficult circumstances are you facing?  I encourage you to adopt an eternal perspective and see them as disguised opportunities for God to work in your life.  Press in to Him and remember His past faithfulness. Trust the Lord to use the situation for your good and His glory.

Thursday Devotional - Distraught after Victory

Back to Joshua…

The first battle in the promised land, the battle of Jericho, was miraculous and significant, as we saw several weeks ago (11/15/18). God moved first and then made it easy for the Israelites to do their part. It also gave them confidence in God to move forward against the other people in the land. However, the Israelites’ very next battle failed. Joshua was distraught and confused.

Joshua 7:7-12           ⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

I can understand Joshua’s frustration, confusion, and distraught feelings. However, God had promised to defeat their enemies if they fully obeyed Him (Deuteronomy 28:7), but if they didn’t carefully follow His commands He would cause them to be defeated by their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). I don’t know why Joshua didn’t think about this, especially since God specifically reminded him of this on the 7^th day circling Jericho (Joshua 6:18  But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.). Maybe Joshua never dreamed someone would take things belonging to God after such a miraculous victory God brought at Jericho!!!

When you and I are distraught and confused by God, let’s remember that He doesn’t ever change. He doesn’t make a mistake. We’re the ones that don’t see the big picture and are missing something.

Joshua was ready to give up. However, he did the right thing by going to God with his questions and frustrations and God had the answers! Let’s remember to be like Joshua.     

Alice

Simple And Complex

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:11-12

A pastor challenged me the other day saying, “We all know that we sin because we are sinners.”  There is great truth to that, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.  However, it felt like for lack of better term ‘generic.’  The statement seemed hollow because it was too simplistic.  We are sinners, and thus, we sin.  But our issue with sin is much more complex than that.  I worried I was overcomplicating the situation, but that was not the case.  When we first came to know God, it was a very simple generic understanding of these simple truths: 1) There is a God, 2) we are not Him, and 3) He loves us unconditionally.  Today, I write 500 or so words on one facet of each of those truths He has taught me, and He connects with me through many different interactions.  The homeless man on the street, the woman holding her baby, a couple praying together, and even a phone call from my mom remind me that God is everywhere.  So, which is it?  Is our connection with God simple needing repetition, or is it complex in meaning and value as many of our relationships are?

Our relationship with God is both simplistic and beautifully complex.  The simplicity of it is as the pastor pointed out to me is God must be our provider.  We are like children; dependent on Him for everything and trusting that He knows what is right and just.  This concept is easy to grasp.  However, God is also beautifully complex.  I emphasize the word ‘beautifully’ because as we learn more of Him and grow in our faith, we build on our understanding of Him, and since God is good, what the relationship produces is the same.  It is what moves us to tears as we gain greater knowledge of His will, and it opens our eyes toward finding His purpose for us.  It is incredibly complex because while we are inextricably linked to Him and each other, no two pathways are the same.  That is His intention, and as one of my churches preaches, a mosaic of people cannot be obtained by everyone looking and thinking the same.  It is only through challenging and sharing that we gain greater understanding of His kingdom.  It is why we can look at verses like today and see both the child and adult in us.  The child harkens to Jesus’ teaching of one must be like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 18:3, 19:14).  Yet we must be foundationally solid to better recognize the innerworkings of our spiritual growth that makes us stronger disciples for Christ (see Hebrews 5:12-14).

God is our everything.  He is the foundation of our faith and light at the end of the tunnel.  He can help us get through the most difficult of times and keep us on the righteous path when we don’t.  Paul’s point in today’s verse is not to say we have all the answers.  Instead, it is to challenge us to seek them.  It is to not settle for where we our in our relationship.  It is to continue to push, struggle, and fight for it is only then that true growth is achieved.  Don’t overcomplicate the journey.  Trust that Christ is there to guide you through it.  How can God’s simple truths reassure you today?  Where can you embrace the beauty of your complex relationship with God?  My prayer is that we grow spiritually by understanding our simple and complex relationship with God.  Amen.

Be Comforted

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

This scripture is often used to comfort someone going through a loss.  Have you ever looked at the content of it though?  The beatitudes are really digging in to how we should live.  So, what is it that we are to mourn in order to be blessed?  We are to mourn our sins.  It is when we really repent of our sins and mourn what we have done, that is when we will be comforted. 

I often tell my son that saying sorry does not mean anything if you just turn around and do the same thing again right away.  The same is true when we sin and ask God for forgiveness.  Yes, he will forgive us over and over again, just as we would do with our child.  But it is not until we really realize what we are doing and start to mourn over that sin that we truly repent and receive the comfort that is talked about in this verse.

Today I want to encourage you to seek out if there is some sin in your life that you need to really mourn.