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That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
Growing old physically is somewhat natural. We don’t have to think about it. It just happens. We can help it along of course with healthy habits, but we can’t stop the aging process.
Spiritual and emotional growth is different. Spiritual and emotional growth is often a matter of choice. We all know the stories of those who have gone through adversity, rejection, and disaster. Some have lived the rest of their lives as victims. Their bodies may have healed. Their situation may have improved, but they remain a slave to the effects of the situation that wounded them.
Others seem to take the negative and turn it into a positive; to take the problem and see the possibilities. Their attitude isn’t affected by the attacks. The hardest attacks to endure are the attacks others level against you. The words they speak echo in our minds even though facts prove them wrong. The expectations they have of you are unrealistic and perhaps not even verbalized until it’s too late.
What’s the difference in being a victim and being victorious? For the believer in Jesus it’s a matter of choice. We choose to listen to what God says about us, not the critical voices. We choose to evaluate our actions according to what the Holy Spirit tells us about ourselves.
While our bodies may grow weary, with Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit, our outlook on life is constantly refreshed. It’s his Spirit within us that gives us the strength to move forward when our bodies and mind say to stop.
Never give up. Compare the accusations you may be going through to what the word of God says. Be open to the need to improve, but close your mind to human fickleness. Remember, every day is a new day. Every ‘problem’ is a possibility. Every attack is an opportunity to validate who you are in Jesus. Be refreshed. It’s a new day!
Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalms 55:22
One of the things I’ve always struggled with is asking for help. Asking for help is a sign of weakness. Asking for help can be placing a burden on someone else. Asking for help implies I don’t know what to do next.
All of those things aren’t necessarily true but that is how my brain works if I let it. The truth is, God created us for relationship. God created us for community. God created us to help each other bear the burdens of our lives.
That’s why, from the very beginning he states, ‘It isn’t good for mankind to go through life without a helper.’ (Genesis 2:18) We normally think of that in relation to the creation of woman, which is true, but in the broader sense, God knew we needed community.
We need to love on one another. We need to bear the burden’s of one another. We need to pray for one another. We need to encourage one another.
While all that’s true, there are some burdens others have that, in reality we can’t bear. We can pray for each other. We can do all sorts of other things to lift each other up, but the reality is some burdens can only be placed on the shoulders of Jesus, who is more than willing to take them on.
The burden of rejection from people you thought loved you. The burden of misunderstanding when you have done your best. The burden of unmet expectations. the burden of blame. The burden of criticism. I think you get the picture. Add your own burden to that list.
The reality is, even the most well-meaning people will reject you. But Jesus never will. NEVER. He doesn’t ask us to cast our burdens on him, it’s a command! You will be misunderstood, attacked and abandoned by some, but never by Jesus.
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalms 36:5
What we believe about God and how we live in the presence of God can be two dramatically different things. The old pictures of an angel and a demon sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear is much more than an artists creativity. Often times, it’s a fact of life. As followers of Jesus we know the promises he gave us.
‘In this world you will have trouble but I’ve overcome the world.’
‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’
‘My peace I give you, not the fickle peace of the world, but a peace you can’t understand.’
‘I will fight the enemies of your soul.’
‘Even in the dark times you can count on my love.’
These are just a few of the many, many promises we base our faith on. But if you are like me, there is a dichotomy between faith and reality. What we know in ‘theory’ doesn’t always transfer to what we feel in our hearts. Fear, worry, confusion, hurt, discouragement can attack in an instant, and often its source is places and situations we’d never expect to happen.
For me, I find three things that can help going from faith to reality. First of all, retreat. Step back to evaluate the situation. I like to get to a quiet place where I can just be with my thoughts for a time.
Secondly, regroup. My retreat time varies by situation, but is temporary and with purpose. Once I’ve had some time to refocus, I regroup. Regrouping often leads me to God’s word and he promises, sometimes it includes close friends who share my faith.
Thirdly, resume. Don’t allow the attacks of your faith keep you from moving forward. It’s the process, not the winning that gives us strength. Our strength doesn’t rest in our activities and our acceptance. Our strength comes from the Holy Spirit that indwells us.
Retreat (temporarily); regroup (with God’s word); Resume (with God’s power). God’s love is far greater than anything we can gain from the world.
The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one! Song of Songs 2:13
Each spring I notice a rather interesting activity in the north country where I live. People are out walking! Now, you may say, what’s interesting about that? Just this. As spring turns into summer the numbers dwindle, there may be a slight uptick in the fall, but most of the time the number of walkers in spring is more than any other time of year?
Why, you may ask? Because winters are long, cold and dark. But when spring comes we can smell the freshness of new life. The air is full of the aroma of flowers. The birds sing in each morning with gusto. The winter is over. The time of new life and warmth is here!
As the year wears on, the heat increases and schedules get busier, somehow we fail to find time to walk, to enjoy the season we are in, to bask in the warmth of the sun.
Song of Songs is thought to be a love poem written between two lovers, but with pictures of our relationship with Jesus. In Song of Songs 2:13 the writer implores his lover to join him in a walk of sorts. To get up and smell the roses. To enjoy the new season before them.
Each new season is filled with challenges. Each new season is filled with the unknown. But this verse urges us to see the positive in each situation. We don’t know what lies ahead, but we walk with someone who loves us, protects us and longs to see us succeed.
Enjoy the ‘walk’ of this new year. Bask in the warmth of the SON. Enjoy the intimate fellowship of one who loves you more than you can imagine.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:1-2
It’s a new year. As I write this we are a few days away from watching celebrations across the world as we enter in a brand new year. People will get engaged. Relationships will be healed. Goals will be set. Resolutions will be formed.
Each year is the same. We talk of hope. We talk of new goals. We talk of new opportunities. The problem is, the vast majority of those things pledged entering the new year will go unfulfilled. Changes will be temporary. New crisis’ will form. Life will, at best, go unchanged.
Are we better off than we were a year ago? If we look at things from a worldly point of view I think we’d all agree things aren’t getting better. In fact, if you look at things like world hunger, wars and rumors of wars, disease, relational and racial conflict, mental health issues and more, it can get pretty depressing!
So, how can we rise above the discouraging things looming in the shadows of the future and maintain a positive outlook on life?
Perhaps we need to look at the world situation through the eyes of our new life. Paul reminds us that when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we are no longer citizens of earth, but of heaven. Here, in Colossians he tells us to focus on the realities of heaven. He isn’t telling us to be so heavenly minded we are of no earthly good. Not at all. But he is challenging us to allow the situations we face to pass through the lens of Heavenly Realities.
What are some of those Heavenly Realities?
- Our God is Sovereign. All things are under his control, especially those things we don’t understand, those things that worry us, those things that cause us pain.
- God never asks us to understand him, he asks us to trust him.
- God’s love for us is new every day. He never gets weary of hearing from you, watching over you, helping you heal.
- You are God’s number one! You are made in His image; given eternal life through His Son, Jesus; Empowered by His Spirit to accomplish all He has planned for you.
- The worst day in heaven will still be better than the best day on earth.
These are just a few things we can focus on as we enter a new year, as we enter new challenges, as new worries attack us. Can you think of more? The true hope of the new year looks back to that baby in the manger!
