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So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35 (NCV)
You started out strong enough. You went to church and a small group Bible Study. Maybe you even had one in your home and you were the leader. As a young person you had aspirations of being in the ministry or even being a missionary to some far off culture. You had visions of winning entire villages to Jesus Christ.
Then reality hit, and it hit hard. You never saw that divorce coming. If only you’d studied harder in high school, maybe your grades would have allowed you to get into college. Your health issues kept you from attaining many of the dreams you had at one time. You wonder what happened to your spouse. He/she once held the same values, the same fire you had for ministry but now, it’s the one hindrance in an otherwise great relationship and it’s keeping you from feeling fulfilled and squashing your ability to use your gifts.
There are those that will tell you that the level of your ability to ‘live for Christ’ is a measuring stick of your love for him. Often, it’s the other way around. The realization of our weaknesses and failures is proof of our love for Christ. That may seem like backwards thinking, but the more we desire to live for Jesus, the more His Spirit will show us areas that need change…and the more the enemy will try to send us on huge guilt trips.
Jesus shows us where we can change. Satan reminds us change is impossible. Jesus gently calls us to him. Satan screams accusations. Jesus calls to you through the darkness. Satan reminds you of the dangers lurking in the dark.
When you feel misunderstood, Jesus understands. When you feel attacked, Jesus sends endurance and safety. When you feel pressured to give in, Jesus sends encouragement to press on. “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.” Isaiah 42:3 (NLT)
Take courage pilgrim. While we walk this Wilderness Road complete with rocks and the threat of attack from the bluffs on either side of us, we have one who walks with us. He knows the way. He is ready to defend, encourage and protect. He’s ready to walk with us all the way. When we reach the end; when endure this road we’ve travelled; victory will be ours and the reward great!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I need your strength today to be strong. My own fear of failure and the enemies attack have done their work to keep me defeated. Empower me today to be strong through your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tiger Woods. Bill Clinton. King David. Ted Kaczynski.
All these people have something in common. They were hiding something. Oh it’s a short list. There are many, many others. Some famous, some unknown. Some hid things in their lives that were major, heinous actions. Some were not. Some have been found out either by admitting their secret themselves, or getting caught red-handed. Some are still hiding.
King David gives us a glimpse into how it feels when we hide. He talks of even his very joints hurting, about loss of sleep, about the fear. Fear is a great motivator to sin. We fear being alone. We fear being caught. We fear being made ashamed. We fear so we do things we know are wrong.
When I was in second grade I took an extra package of crackers from the lunchroom at school. At that school, in that time, that was a no-no. But I slipped them into my pocket without being seen and snuck onto the playground. A strange thing happened on the playground though. That small little package of saltines began to burn. It seemed like everyone was watching me. My leg began to hurt. Finally, the pain was unbearable. As quickly as I left the lunchroom, I returned with the crackers. I announced (confessed) to the cooks my sin, put the crackers on the counter and left before the police arrived.
Now I look back and wonder how many years the cooks laughed over that one, but the lesson still remains planted in my mind. Sin hurts. It weighs us down. It haunts us to no end. We can ignore it. We can pretend it doesn’t exist. We can hide it. But deep inside it sits like a lump in our stomach.
I may be an idealist, but I don’t believe most people sin because they enjoy the sin. They sin either because of ignorance or because they do what they do to cover other pain.
I don’t think the person who goes out and gets drunk does it for the joy of a hangover the next morning, or waking up in jail or a hospital bed or with someone they don’t know. They turn to alcohol or drugs to hide the pain.
I don’t think the person who turns to pornography does so because they enjoy exploiting women. Deep down inside they are looking for love and acceptance. Even false love and acceptance (in their mind) is better than none.
I don’t think the person who involves themselves in an affair does so in order to destroy their families and kids. They are only seeking to relieve the loneliness.
Here’s the good news. You don’t need to hide anymore. You can come to Christ for complete forgiveness. You can get rid of the feeling of guilt and shame and remorse and fear once and for all.
He came to die so you can live. He gave his blood so you can be free.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that I don’t need to hide anymore. Thank you for seeing through my sin and rebellion to know my pain. Forgive me for the hidden things in my life. In your name I pray, Amen.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16 (NLT)
I like how Max Lucado describes God’s love in his book “The Eye of the Storm”.
“Water must be wet. A fire must be hot. You can’t take the wet out of water and still have water. You can’t take the heat out of fires and still have fire. In the same way, you can’t take the love out of [‘God’]…and still have him exist. For he was…and is…Love.”
God is our ultimate example of what love is. How we view love is how we view God. How we define God is ultimately how we define love.
If God is truly love, how does he respond to those who struggle with addiction? If God is love how does he respond to someone in an adulterous relationship? If God is love how does he respond to you during those times you are feeling lonely, depressed, overwhelmed or frustrated?
We need only look at Jesus to know that answers to that question. Jesus said, if you what to see what the father looks like, look at me. See how I treat people who reject me. See how I treat people caught in the trap of sin, of abandonment, of disease. See me. See God. See love.
There are some who prefer to see God’s love in the light of his wrath. They live their lives in fear of what God will do. They pattern their lives according to the world’s standard of love, a standard that says, “My love for you is based on your performance. If you do as I say, I’ll love you. If you don’t meet my expectations, my love for you will die”.
That’s not Gods love. God’s love for you says that even though you aren’t the richest, or the most beautiful, or the strongest. I love you. Even though you struggle with life, can’t be trusted, put things off far too long and too often. I love you. Even though you may be going through the consequences of poor decisions, even that doesn’t take away the fact that God loves you more than ever.
Don’t allow the worlds view of God’s love to take away from the facts about God’s love. God’s love doesn’t spew hatred for anyone. God’s love doesn’t dwell on fear. God’s love doesn’t seek revenge. God’s love seeks what is best for you. Our human form of love can die, but God’s love will never die. You can trust him to always be there for you regardless of how bad life gets.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m so undeserving of so great a love. It’s so hard to fathom what your love is like because we humans have diluted it so much with performance, fear and demands. Empower me to live in the light of your love without distraction from the world. Amen.
Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. 1 John 4:18 (NCV)
As my children approached the age where they could drive, we made a family rule. It was a simple rule intended to instill the importance of safety, not intended to cause pain or harm. The rule was that if, in the first month of driving on their own, they got a speeding ticket, they would lose driving privileges for one week. I’d get their license and their keys.
One night my daughter was returning from the city with some friends. As she came off the interstate and onto the highway leading home she instinctively hit the cruise control. Within a mile she was back up to the interstate cruising speed. Within a couple more miles she saw the dreaded flashing red lights in her rear view mirror.
The problem was, the interstate speed was too fast for the highway speed. She was given a ticket for speeding. I still remember the night this all happened. She walked into the house license and keys in hand and gave them to me. She then told us what happened (her version of course). In the course of the conversation she mentioned that one of her friends asked if she was afraid to come home and tell me about the ticket. My daughter told her “No, I know what will happen.” That was the end of it.
I wish I could say this was an example of every disciplinary action at our home, but it wasn’t. It does given an example of God’s love though. My daughter knew well in advance of the consequences. There was no yelling or screaming, and there were no surprises. In a love relationship that’s how ‘wrongs’ are handled.
When the Father came looking for Adam and Eve for his evening walk, they hid in the bushes. Why? They were afraid. Did they have reason? Well, they thought they did. However, God certainly wasn’t surprised by their actions. There is no indication in scripture that the interaction between God and the couple was full of anger. He was harsh with the serpent, but he was gentle in handing out the natural consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin.
That first account of sin is a perfect example of love without fear. Even though God handed out consequences, he also handed out healing. When God took away the fig leaves and clothed them with animal skins it was a symbol of taking away the shame and offering emotional healing.
God’s not into punishment. What he is into is doing whatever is necessary to bring us into a loving relationship with him. A loving relationship built on trust, mercy and grace. A relationship that drives out fear and brings peace.
The phrase “Just wait until your father comes home” is sometimes used when punishment is inevitable. But when it comes to your Heavenly Father there is no fear in his return. He loves you. The sin you bear need only be a temporary glitch in the relationship. A glitch that can be forgiven through Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, I praise you for your love and patience with me. I thank you for the fact that your love is a love that harbors no fear, no revenge and no anger. Empower me to live free of the lies the enemy tells me about your anger with me. Help me to show love to others the way you have shown love to me. Amen.
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” John 14:8 (NLT)
The word Father had a completely different connotation to Philip in his day than it does to us today. The term ‘Father’ was much more than a symbol. It conjured up in the minds of every Jew a man that was honored, revered, feared and loved all at once. He was the essence of stability, love, consistency and trust.
Philip was seeking what each of us wants in life. Someone that could be trusted to do what he said he’d do. Someone in whom they saw power and intimacy and leadership and sensitivity. Today, everyone has the same longing deep within them. We all long to have someone in our lives we can count on to be, do and say what they say they will.
My apologies for a moment to the women reading this post. Mothers too have a powerful influence in our lives. But to get the full essence of Philips request we need to realize the immense influence of fathers in the emotional, physical and spiritual development of each of us.
In the same way we need to realize that the ‘father’ that Philip sought is still being sought by many today. While it’s impossible for anyone to fulfill all the qualities of our heavenly Father, it’s imperative that we as fathers strive to work towards that goal.
So, what does our heavenly Father look like? Watch Jesus.
Ask the woman who was guilty of adultery. Remember, she wasn’t accused. She was guilty. Jesus makes no effort to exonerate her. He doesn’t argue her guilt at all. He simply says she was not condemned. What a Compassionate Father!
Question the man who lived his entire life rejecting God. That is, until his dying breath on the cross when he begged Jesus for mercy. Moments later he joined his Savior in Paradise. What a Merciful Father.
Ask the blind man who spend his entire life in physical darkness only to be misunderstood when Jesus gave him sight. What an Understanding Father!
Listen to the father of the seizure ridden boy as he tells the story of how Jesus healed his son and how, that night, he and his wife slept soundly for the first time in years. What a Sensitive Father!
Hear the story the paralytic by the pool recount. He’d given up any hope of healing. His disability started out being physical but grew to the point where it was emotional (I’ll never make it to the pool. I’ll never be healed) and then spiritual (even God has forgotten me). Then Jesus came. What an Encouraging and Healing Father!
Max Lucado states, “Faith begins when you see God on the mountain and you are in the valley and you know that you are too weak to make the climb.”
It’s during those dark times in our lives that we echo the words of Philip. I don’t understand all that’s going on. The future scares me. Just show me the Father and I’ll be okay.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Daddy, God of all creation. Thank you for being the kind of Father I need for all time. When I feel weak and am unsure I can go on, help me to see Jesus so that I can see you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 