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““Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” John 14:1
It’s no secret at all that we live in difficult times. Fear, anger, hatred, and discouragement seem rampant. I remember rowing a boat across my grandfathers small lake. It would take a few t red hours to get from one end of the lake back to his cabin. By the time you got close to the end your arms and legs were aching. But I remember looking over my shoulder and seeing the dock getting closer and realizing I could make it!
It is much easier to get through the difficult times when you see the end in sight. And for us as believers to know who’s waiting for us on the other side makes it even easier. Someone once said, nothing worth attaining issue gotten without pain.
When you’re in a tunnel it’s dark and scary. But when you see the light at the end you realize you’re going to make it through.
That’s the way it is when we follow Christ. There will be dark times there will be rough seas there will be rocky trails. But we know who waits for us at the end and when we get there this will all be worth it.
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” Philippians 3:20-21
It’s human nature to judge everything by what we can see, touch, feel and hear because our bodies are created to respond finitely.
We can get sucked into the mindset that says “This is all there is.”
When we see life as being the sum total of all that we will ever experience, it gets discouraging. We want more from life. We want better relationships. We want more toys in the garage. We want to feel validated by those around us. We want to be free of the pain of abuse.
As believers in Jesus we should never forget that what we see here is temporary. The beauty of Jesus coming to earth is that he experienced firsthand the weakness of the human body and soul. That means he understands our longings. That means he understands our desires and our disappointments.
Jesus left us with an amazing promise. He promised us that the things we experience here on earth are temporary. The beauty we see will be better some day because he will return and bring us home to be with him. When we get home to be with him the struggles of today will seem minuscule in comparison to what we’ll see there. And these weak bodies? They will be transformed into bodies that will never get old, never get weary, never fail us! So don’t be discouraged by your weakness.
Don’t be afraid of the way things are around you. Remember that in the end we will be victorious and perfect because of Jesus.
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” James 5:13
God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
You may have heard that said, or you may have even said it yourself. James pens this verse to remind us that when life is unbearable we need to cry out to God. On the other hand, during the good times we need to praise God. In one sense, James is saying the same thing twice. The prayers we offer up when life is hard are prayers of petition. The praise we offer up when life is good are prayers of gratitude . Either way, regardless of the way life is, James teaches us that we should always go to God.
God is good all the time, when The raise you were hoping for finally comes through. All the time God is good, when downsizing forces you to lose a career of 30 years.
God is good all the time, when the doctors report comes back encouraging. All the time God is good, when the test results are scary.
God is good all the time, when that relationship you hoped for is better than expected. All the time God is good, when the person you loved and trusted leaves you.
God is good all the time, when the person you voted for wins the election. All the time God is good, when the future looks dismal because the election didn’t go as hoped.
God is good all the time, when those investments paid off. All the time God is good, when you’ve lost everything you had.
Life can deal hard blows. The only thing that we can really count on, is the fact that in the good and the bad, God is good. When you approach the father, the father who loves you more than anything else, praise him in the good times and rest in his arms in the bad times. Because God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
If I could summarize this verse in three words I would use these words, DO YOUR BEST! The writer to the Hebrews reminds them and us of the many people that have gone before us that have been victorious in their faith. These bastions of the faith were by no means perfect. They were murderers, they were adulterers, they were thieves, they were liars, they were guilty of every imaginable sin possible. They are honored not because they are perfect, but because they knew where to go for forgiveness and for strength to carry-on in spite of their faults. We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help cleanse us and help us move forward. The word picture the writer uses is out of the ancient Greek games in which athletes would strip and be completely naked when they ran races in order that nothing will hold them back that is what we are to do with God. Get rid of everything so that we can be pure before Jesus. God never promised us that we will win every race we run. But he will help us to get back up and try again when we falter! Run hard! Run with endurance! Trust him for the results. Just do your best with his help and his Spirit within you.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 