Fond Farewell

Hello Friends!

It is with a bittersweet spirit that I write to let you know that this is my final post.  God is starting a new chapter in my life.  Although I have no idea what is next for me, I do know that He has prepared something good for me to do (Ephesians 2:10)!  And so it is with faith that I obey His call to move on from a ministry that I have enjoyed so much over the past four years.  As we have worked through God's Word together, it has been challenging, humbling, encouraging and at times, difficult.  But God has been faithful to lead us through, and we are the better for it.

As I move on to the next phase of my life I wanted to pray for you as Paul did for the believers in Ephesus as he suffered in prison (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Father,Son, Spirit; I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower your people with inner strength through Your Spirit.  Then You, Jesus, will make Your home in their hearts as they trust in You.  Their roots will grow down into Your love and keep them strong.  And may they have the power to understand, as all Your people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is.  May they experience Your love, though it is too great to understand fully.  Then they will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You.  In Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, Amen.

And I leave you, sweet saints, with this:

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!  Amen."  (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT).  

Can God and His Word be Trusted?

"'This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth,

the LORD who formed it and established it--

the LORD is his name.'"

Jeremiah 33:2

The people of Judah needed a little reminder of Whom they were dealing with.  They needed to be retold Who it was that was sending them warnings of the coming judgement lest they ignore the messages and continue on with their own plans.  It's important to keep in mind that God was behind the words spoken to them by Jeremiah the prophet so that they had no excuse for rejecting Him.

I often need a similar reminder of Who is behind the script recorded on the pages of the Bible.  Or Who is responsible for that still, small voice that sounds as a warning to turn the other way, or as a guide at moments of indecision, or as a comfort just when I need it.  It's so easy to disregard, to write it off as my own imagination or to ignore as irrelevant or out of date.  God gave to Jeremiah a qualifier of sorts right up front:  Here is why you can trust My Word.

Authority.  "Who died and made you king?  You are not the boss of me!"  I remember using these lines on the playground whenever a particularly controlling classmate would try to give me orders.  I instinctively knew my peers did not have the authority to give me orders and it incensed me when they tried to do so. 

God, however, does have the authority to give orders, to enforce obedience to His commands and to make decisions on my behalf.  As LORD, He has the right to manage my affairs and by His name I know that He is in charge of all that I see, of everything that exists.  It is all His responsibility to rule.  Since He is the King of the world, it is my place, then, to submit to His authority.  He is worthy of my respect.  His Word is meant to be observed.

I can trust God and His Word because He possesses all authority under heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:21, Matthew 28:18).

Power.  He spoke the world into existence.  Where once there was nothing, He created something.  Once He finished making all things, He was perfectly able to guide His masterpiece much like a talented conductor directs every musician in his orchestra.  He has the ability to know the thoughts of each of His children, to perfectly understand every unique personality, to coordinate the lives of millions of subjects, to care deeply for the plight of humans (Psalm 139:1-6, Matthew 10:29-31). 

Because of God's great power, there is nothing He cannot do.  He is not bound by the constraints that restrict me as a human.  He operates outside of the boundaries of time.  Yesterday is the same as tomorrow for Him and the distant future is like today.  The laws of nature keep me from flying, or growing younger, or coming back to life once I'm dead.  God does not have these same limitations.  Nothing is off-limits for Him.  He can stop the sun, or part the waters of a sea, or cause a fortified city to crumble on its own (Joshua 10:13, Exodus 14:21-22, Joshua 5:13-6:20).  He can bring life back to a man three-days-dead, spontaneously combust a drenched altar, and restore skin ravaged by leprosy through a simple dipping into the Jordan (John 11:43-44, 1 Kings 18:30-35,  2 Kings 5:14).  There is nothing God cannot do, so great is His power.

I can trust God and His Word because He is all-powerful and mighty to save (Genesis 18:14, Zephaniah 3:17).

Supremacy.  He is above all things.  There is nothing that is greater than He.  He sits high upon His throne, reigning over all the earth (Psalm 97).  The earth is His and everything in it (Psalm 24:1).  The Lord is sovereign over every detail, every power, every authority.  Even that which seems invincible is under His thumb.  He rules over all of His creation.

Even though the world seems out of control, God is still firmly in control.  Even though my life often feels out of control, God is still firmly in control.  Even though the rampant evil looks to be sending all of mankind into a tailspin, nothing happens outside of His will.  He is supreme over every detail of my life; nothing falls outside of His domain.  While I may feel my problems are my responsibility to solve, they actually fall within His area of expertise.  He may not move world affairs in the direction I would if I were in control, or resolve my issues to my liking, but I can be assured that His way is better for His children and will give Him maximum glory.  

I can trust God and His Word because He has supremacy over all, and His plan is a good one.

It can be hard for me to trust God and His Word.  When it comes right down to it, I may wonder why I can place my faith in Him.  To ease my mind, He reassures me with the reminder of His authority, power and supremacy.  When I recall such truths, I am compelled to take Him at His Word.  Can God and His Word be trusted?  Yes, they can, no matter what.  But it takes faith to do so.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to do what He's telling me to do.

When do I doubt His plan, wondering if it could be the best He has for me?

How am I usurping His authority by trying to be in control of my own life?        

Jesus is Our Righteousness

"In those days and at that time

I will cause a righteous Branch

to spring up for David,

and he shall execute justice 

and righteousness

in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved,

and Jerusalem will dwell securely.

And this is the name by which it will be called:

'The LORD is our righteousness.'"

Jeremiah 33:15-16 ESV

Like the people of Judah, I am no good on my own.  I am completely incapable of earning God's favor, of meeting His standard, of living according to His moral law. I am headed for death, not physical death but the second death (Revelation 20:14, 21:8). Yet Christ changes everything because He is my righteousness.  What does this mean for me (1 Corinthians 1:30)?

Right.  Naturally, I'm wrong.  In my flesh I'm God's enemy because of my selfish desire to gratify my own fleshly appetites (Ephesians 2:3).  Without even trying I earn God's wrath.   Despite the fact that I think I'm pretty good and live fairly decently, my behavior is considered as evil by God (Colossians 1:21).  And this wrongness, this darkness in my flesh called "sin" separates me from God (Isaiah 59:2).  No matter how much I may want to interact with Him, we are estranged.

Thankfully, He wants to restore my bond with Him even more than I want His presence.  He went so far as to send His Son to earth as a flesh-and-blood man in order to die on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for my sins (Romans 3:25).  Now, through repentance and faith in Him I can find that Jesus bridges the gap between me and God, and my relationship with God is restored (Romans 5:10).  In God's eyes, I'm considered as righteous and holy because the righteous and holy blood of Jesus covers my sins like a blanket (1 John 1:7, Isaiah 1:18).

In Christ, I am made right with God through no effort of my own (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8).

Pure and Holy.  I'm anything but wholesome and virtuous.  In my flesh I am corrupted by sin, sullied by selfishness, tainted by evil.  Even though I adhere to clean-living standards, I'm far from pure.  Despite the fact that I try to stay above the mess, keeping out of anything that is considered as down and dirty, I'm hardly morally upright by God's standards.  I may try to look good on the outside, but my attitudes are often wrong, my motivations impure, and I usually have an ulterior motive for doing the good things I do.  According to Him, I'm as filthy as can be.

Thankfully, in Christ I am not seen for what I am but for what Jesus is.  His perfection becomes mine when I surrender my life from Him, realizing that my sinful ways are taking me down the wrong road and desiring the journey that leads to life instead.  Through faith in Jesus I find that while there is no good in my flesh, there is nothing but good in Him, and it is His righteousness that becomes my own (Romans 7:18, Philippians 3:9).  When I don Jesus like a garment, I can live differently, because I've been regenerated into a new creation (Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  I can let go of the old ways because they're gone as His sacrifice on the cross has made a new way for me as surely as Jesus rose again on the third day.

In Christ, I am made pure and holy and can live a new kind of life by surrendering to Him.

Free.  I'm bound to its stinking, rotting flesh (Romans 7:24).  I'm destined to die, born to be condemned, heading to Hell in a hand basket (John 3:18, Romans 6:20-21, Revelation 21:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  I'm not able to do good no matter how hard I try, and it's frustrating (Romans 7:19).  I get this feeling that I'm a slave, that I'm bound to my sin.  It both defines me and controls my life.  Sin is my master and I am its slave (John 8:34).

Thankfully, Jesus came to set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).  Repenting of my sins, realizing the destiny it's earning me and turning toward God through faith in Jesus Christ breaks the shackles of sin that binds me to my flesh.  Now I have the choice of obeying God as the Spirit enables me to do.  And in Him I am able to produce godly fruit in order to bring glory to God (John 15:5).  The blood of Jesus breaks the power of sin in my life so that through Him I can resist the temptation to do what comes naturally (Romans 6:10-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13).  I now have a choice to live as I always have or to nail those sins on the cross, turning from them and walking in freedom (Galatians 5:1, 24).

In Christ, I am set free from the power of sin, given the ability to walk in righteousness (Romans 6:19).

Jesus came to be the righteousness of those who believe in Him, turning away from their own fleshly ways.  When I do trust in Jesus wholly and completely I am made right with God so I can enjoy communion with Him, am deemed as pure and holy despite my filthy nature, and am free from being bound to my flesh.  The righteousness that comes through Jesus makes all the difference to me!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let Jesus take over my life instead of trying to live the way I think I should.

When do I get frustrated with my inability to break free from my old ways?

How am I failing to turn my efforts into faith so that I can walk in the forgiveness Jesus offers?                             

Harsh Mercy

"'Have you noticed what people are saying?

--"The LORD chose Judah and Israel

and abandoned them!"

They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy

to be counted as a nation.

But this is what the LORD says:

I would no more reject my people 

than I would change my laws that govern night and day,

earth and sky.

I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David,

my servant, or change the plan

that David's descendants will rule the descendants

of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Instead, I will restore them to their land

and have mercy on them.'"

Jeremiah 33:24-26 NLT

It seems harsh and cruel, as if God had deserted His people.  In reality, it was quite the opposite.  In His punishment, He was demonstrating a harsh mercy because without this hard time of exile, His people may never come back to Him.  And without this severe kindness, the rest of the benefits would not follow.

Healing.  Humans can be quite hardheaded.  We can be given every good thing, lavished with life, abundance, prosperity, security and love yet fail to acknowledge the Source of all these good things.  It often takes a harsh wake-up-call to remind me from where all good things come.  It might take a wounding of sorts, a taste of bitterness that leaves me reeling in pain in order to bring me to my senses.

Once I come around, realizing how dependent I am upon the Lord, He heals my wounds.  He brings about peace of mind, tranquility of spirit, and harmony in my relationship with Him (Jeremiah 33:6).  He builds up many treasures of eternal value, overflowing my cup with His love, joy, grace and riches untold.  And I enjoy robust health, especially in my spirit which is the part of me that matters.  Even if my body remains ravaged by the forces of this dark world, my spirit can soar free in the flow of His great love for me.  What can anyone or any circumstance do to me if God has me firmly in His clutches (Romans 8:31)? 

Even when God uses harsh difficulties to bring me back to Him, He heals the wounds that follow, generously giving peace and prosperity to me as His beloved child through repentance and faith in Jesus.

Restoration.  There are many things that can hold me captive.  Addictions of many kinds, habits of various sorts, tendencies that lead me toward self-reliance and self-obsession, anything that rules me, that has a hold on me, that controls me.  As much as the people of Judah were held as prisoners by the Babylonians, I can be owned by whatever drives me.

But God created me for more than this, for something greater than living only for myself.  He made me for relationship with Him.  And when He frees me from the captivity of all that binds me, His mission is to restore me to this original intention for me.  He can rebuild my life to what it was meant to be, back when God first designed me, before sin ruined His perfect bond with me.  Through repentance and faith in Jesus, I can taste a renewal of this Father-child relationship and see how sweet it is to live in harmony with Him as I was always meant to live (Jeremiah 33:7).

Even when God uses harsh difficulties to bring me back to Him, He restores me to my original condition as a precious, well-loved child through repentance and faith in Jesus.

Cleansing.  Part of what holds me back, weighs me down, is guilt over my sins.  There are so many ways I fail, fall short, crash and burn.  It sometimes seems to define me, to color me, to give me my identity.  I feel unworthy of living as a child of the One True God, of standing in His presence, of asking for His mercy.

Yet in Christ, I have all this and more.  In Christ I am forgiven, set free from the burden of guilt, identified as His heritage, the bearer of His inheritance (Romans 8:17).  Once God gets my attention, sometimes by bringing out the big guns of suffering, wallowing in the muck, hitting rock-bottom, I find forgiveness in Christ.  Through faith in what Jesus has done, I realize the futility of living my old life and develop a taste for this new life He has brought forth in me.  Even though my sin makes me His enemy I can do something different, turning from my old ways and treasuring His ways.  And when I do, Jesus calls me a friend (John 15:14-15).  And I can live as one who is forgiven, no longer tainted by the sin that used to define me (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Even when God uses harsh difficulties to bring me back to Him, through repentance and faith in Jesus, He cleanses me from all unrighteousness and presents me as holy and blameless before Him (Jeremiah 33:8, Colossians 1:22).

God's people of old must have felt abandoned by God, but they were anything but forgotten.  In the same way, I may feel like yesterday's treasure, discarded as He moves on to someone else.  In reality, God may be using severe tactics in order to get my attention or further refine me.  Consequently, I can be sure that this harsh mercy will end in healing, restoration and cleansing.  In God's hands, it truly is all good.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to walk by faith when I feel all alone.

How can I remind myself of the truth of God's promises to heal, restore and forgive?

When do I lose hope, falling into despair when I could look to the promises of a faithful God?

The Prayer of the Righteous

"'O Sovereign LORD! 

You have made the heavens and earth 

by your strong hand

and powerful arm.

Nothing is too hard for you!

. . .See how the siege ramps have been built

against the city walls!

Through war, famine, and disease,

the city will be handed over to the Babylonians,

who will conquer it.

Everything has happened just as you said.

And yet, O Sovereign LORD,

you have told me to buy the field

--paying good money for it before these witnesses--

even though the city will soon be handed

over to the Babylonians.'"

Jeremiah 32:17, 25 NLT

Jeremiah did the foolish, the wasteful, the stupid.  He paid good money for land that was about to be handed over to the Babylonians.  Why would he do such a thing?  His prayer reveals much about the maturity of his faith, and I can glean much from it about how my own faith will grow.

Obedience.  Jeremiah was pure of heart.  Instead of weighing the pros and cons of buying the field God directed him to purchase, or relying on his own understanding of the wisdom of doing such a reckless thing, or asking himself how this action would make him look to his peers, he obeyed God (Jeremiah 32:9).  Once his cousin came to offer the land to him, just as God had said he would, giving him the assurance the directive was from God, Jeremiah did as God directed him to do (v 8).  Noncompliance was not even considered.

As I grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ, He will allow hard things into my life to purify my heart, as well, giving me the desire to obey Him above all other aspirations.  I will begin to grasp the importance of doing as God commands and desire to please Him more than I want to satisfy myself or others.  Tithing will no longer be a difficult step of faith but a delight.  Instead of feeling discomfort or revulsion when coming in contact with the mentally ill, drunken street people, or the hardened convict, God's love for the unlovable will flow from me as I fall in step with Christ.  While I used to begrudgingly spend a few minutes in prayer and study of scripture, I will grow in my desire to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from His Word.

As I grow in Christ I will develop a heart that is pure like Jeremiah's, desiring to obey God more and more each day.

Values.  Jeremiah's value system was upside down and backwards from the world's economy.  He treasure his bond with God more than his freedom, reputation, money or even his life itself.  He would probably join the apostle Paul in saying, ". . .to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).  What could be better than to enter into eternity with God?  But both men knew that glorious day would soon come, so to stay on this wretched earth for the sake of reaching the lost and doing His will was their desire, as long as God was using them for His purposes.

As I get to know Jesus more and more, disentangling from the corruption of the world, my value system will go through a transformation process.  I may at times feel as if I'm going through a sifter or being tumbled around like a grain of sand in an hour glass as God changes my standards and alters my ideals.  While I used to treasure my comfort, guarding my "me time" and being stingy with my resources, God changes the way I look at what I have.  I realize everything belongs to Him and has been entrusted to me as a gift so I stop holding on to things like they're mine and let Him use all I have as He sees fit.  As I give Him more and more control, I see that His grace abounds and I never feel overextended or strained.  Instead, I find joy in giving generously as He gives, whether it be of my money, time, or gifts.

As I grow in Christ my value system will change until I discover what Jeremiah knew; that my relationship with God is my greatest treasure.

Faith.  He didn't doubt God would do as He said He would do.  Jeremiah understood that God was utterly faithful to deliver upon His promises and he staked his life on this belief.  He knew God enough to trust that He could do anything, overcome any obstacle and accomplish the most impossible feat.  His faith reminds me of the young shepherd boy's when he was willing to face a 9-foot seasoned warrior with only a sling and a few smooth stones.  David's belief that God was with him gave him the kind of courage most of us only dream about (1 Samuel 17:37,46).

What would it look like to live without doubt, free from fear, unrestricted by insecurity?  I need only look to David or Jeremiah to see my future as my vision of God grows larger and larger.  The more I know about God and His character, the less I am likely to hesitate when it comes to trusting God to do the "impossible."  I'll walk forward in confidence, believing God can change the hardest of hearts, open the most secure of doors, or make a way where it seems there's none.  

As I grow closer in my relationship with Jesus I will see Him more and more as He truly is, limiting Him less and less until I allow Him to operate in my life in His full power as Jeremiah did.

It is not easy to walk by faith since I often desire to gain fully understanding before I commit to an action.  As I grow in my relationship with Jesus, however, I'll become more and more like Jeremiah, wanting to obey God more than anything else, valuing my bond with Him as my greatest treasure, and building my faith until I realize nothing is impossible for God.  When I do, I'll be able to utter the prayer of the righteous which says, "Nothing is too hard for You!"

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to take off the limits I place on Him in my doubt.

When do I judge something as impossible?

How do I doubt God's sovereign power in my life?

  

Now That's Love

"'This is the covenant I will make with

the people of Israel after that time,'

declares the LORD.

'I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another,

"Know the Lord,"

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.'

declares the LORD.

'For I will forgive their wickedness 

and will remember their sins no more.'"

Jeremiah 31:33-34

They did everything wrong, yet God loved them enough to offer a new way, a radical, more personal covenant with His people.  The law was originally written on stone tablets, meant only for the people of Israel to follow, yet destined to remind them of how flawed they were, how thoroughly unable they were to stick to it at all times.  Even though God loved them perfectly, they strayed as any flawed human would, forsaking His original covenant.

Then came the Man who paved a new way, offering intimacy through God by faith, not by birthright, not by futile effort in obedience to the law and forgiveness found only through animal sacrifice.  And this fresh promise made relationship with God possible for all, no matter the background, or nationality, despite the problem of sin.  Everyone is invited.  How does this new covenant change everything?

Internal Compass.  Without Jesus, I need to try to figure out which way to go, how to live to please God, dependent upon my ability to pay attention to the letter of the law, watching my p's and q's.  Apart from my Savior, I need to live with the constant guilt of failure to meet His standard, dreading the end when I must stand before Him and give an account of my life, knowing how far I fall short (Hebrews 9:27).

With Jesus,however, I have the benefit of God's Spirit dwelling within to lead me down paths of righteousness for His namesake.  He convicts my heart when I'm headed in the wrong direction, letting me know I've strayed outside of His will, not so He can punish me but because my waywardness will hurt me.  I am securely bound to Him by grace, not by works, so I can't earn my way into His family nor can I lose my place through my failures and foolish mistakes.  I am thoroughly forgiven and empowered by the Spirit to live in a way that honors Him. Now the only sacrifices I make are the sacrifices of praise to God that come from a grateful heart (Hebrews 13:15).  I am a part of a living temple and my offerings of a life fully committed to Him are accepted by God through faith in Jesus, the always acceptable One (1 Peter 2:5, Romans 12:1).

The second covenant makes it possible for me to live in forgiveness as a well-loved child and to please Him by following the lead of His indwelling Spirit like an internal compass.

Direct Influence.  God has always been the one to initiate a relationship between the people He created and Himself.  For instance, He called Abram, sending him on a journey to an unknown destination and giving Him the designation of the father of many nations (Genesis 12:1, 17:2-4).  Abram's only choice was in believing or not.  And he chose to trust God enough to do what He said to do.    

In this new and improved covenant, God takes it a step further and teaches me directly, giving me understanding and insight as I read His Word or sit in His presence (1 John 2:27,1 Corinthians 2:13).  He even opens my heart to Him, giving me an awareness of the wretchedness of my own sin so that I will turn from it and accept His gift of salvation through faith in Jesus (Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Acts 5:31).  And even the faith I use to trust in Him as my Savior comes from Him (Ephesians 2:8).  In other words, I am saved by faith from beginning to end, from first to last; it's all a work of His direct influence upon me (Romans 1:17).

The second covenant makes it possible for me to be directly influenced by God through faith in Jesus.

Forgiveness.  Under the original covenant, forgiveness was temporarily granted through the sacrifice of animals according to God's explicit instructions (Exodus 29:10-14,Leviticus 17:11).  As His people approached the temple on a regular basis, required to bring sacrifices in order to atone for their sins, they were always aware of how far they fell short of God's standard.  Their sin was always before them (Isaiah 59:12, Psalm 51:3).

Under the new covenant, Jesus gave His life as the final, permanent, complete sacrifice given once for all (Hebrews 10:10).  Those who fall under grace through faith in Jesus, find themselves with a clean slate for all time, and are presented to God as one who is pure and clean (Colossians 1:22).  Jesus' righteousness becomes mine by faith so that I'm secure in the knowledge that I'll be judged according to His perfection instead of my shortcomings (Philippians 3:9).  Through faith in Christ I am made new and the sin that has plagued me now becomes as far removed from me as the east is from the west (2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 103:12).  

The second covenant makes it possible for me to walk in complete and permanent forgiveness, despite my inability to earn such a benefit.

The first covenant gave the people of Israel a taste of God's goodness.  But it wasn't until Jesus that all of His children learned of His great love through the gift of His Son.  Through faith in Jesus I can now find guidance and direct influence through His indwelling Spirit and the freedom of living in permanent and complete forgiveness.  Through Christ, I have all of this and more, despite my unworthiness of such a gift.  Now that's love, that He loves even the likes of me (1 John 4:10, Romans 5:8)!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to believe Him at His word:  I'm forgiven in Christ!

When do I feel branded by my failures, forgetting that God has removed my sin from me by faith in Jesus?  I'm no longer identified by my sin.

How do I walk through life like I'm weighed down by my sin instead of accepting the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus?

Foundational Truths

"'For I know the plans I have for you,'

declares the LORD,

'plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you

You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you,' declares the LORD,

'and will bring you back from captivity.  

I will gather you from all the nations and places 

where I have banished you,'

declares the LORD,

'and will bring you back to the place from which

I carried you into exile.'"

Jeremiah 29:11-14

There are some things I need to know about God and the way He operates, especially when going through the bittersweet time of discipline, hardship and/or trials (James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12:4-11).  These foundational truths will help me to press on.

Temporary.  It may seem the hard times last forever, that there is no end in sight.  It makes it challenging to endure when I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Will I ever emerge again into the sunlight?  Am I destined to dwell in this darkness forever?  I despair.  Then I remember that I'm a child of God, bought by the blood of the Son, securely placed in His arms as His most precious possession (1 John 3:1,1 Peter 1:18-20,James 1:18).  He is testing my faith, refining my character, sanctifying me into the image of Jesus (1 Peter 1:7, Psalm 66:10, Romans 8:29).

Therefore, I can confidently proclaim that it is all for my good and His glory, this trouble I face.  But there is even more good news.  It will not last forever.  There will be an end.  Not only is it for my good, but it is temporary.  Knowing there will be an end, even if I cannot detect it, can help me to carry on.

This difficult time I presently face as a child of God is temporary by nature.

Restoration.  I can feel ripped off.  So many things seem to have been taken away from me.  My health.  My financial security.  My youth.  My loved ones.  I've given up a lot to follow Christ, yes, but sometimes I lose things of which I never intended to let go.  In order to whittle down my life to the necessary and to reveal His best for me, God sometimes takes away that which has become a problem, takes up too much space, or has grown into an idol that overshadows God in importance.

It's easy to lament what is gone, acting like Lot's wife, looking back with longing to what I'm leaving behind.  In reality, though, what I'm gaining is far more valuable.  And like the woman of long ago who failed to see how God was rescuing her from the harmful influence of Sodom, I often mourn for what was my undoing.  I must seek a godly perspective that allows me to see the good that God is giving me to replace what He has merciful removed.

If I'm healthy, I may forget I'm dependent upon God's mercy and instead rely on my regimen of diet, exercise and clean living.  If I'm financially secure I may not depend upon my Father who desires to be my sole Provider, instead relying on my bank account.  When I'm young I feel invincible, failing to treasure each moment as a gift of God and instead take tomorrow for granted while wasting today.  While God may take away what has become an idol in my life, He replaces it with something of far greater value.

As a child of God, I can trust Him to restore all I've lost as I walk the narrow path that leads to life.

Homecoming.  God wanted His people who were enduring 70 years of exile in a foreign country that He would gather them back to the Promised Land.  It must have spurred them on to think that they were not destined to live in such a forsaken place forever.  One day, they would return to their beloved homes, united under His headship once again.  

Today, many of God's beloved people are wandering into foreign lands. He faithfully goes after those lost ones, gathering them unto Himself where they will become part of His family. The picture of Jesus as a Good Shepherd who doesn't rest until all of His sheep are safely in the fold is a powerful reminder of His great love for us (John 10:16, Luke 15:1-7).  He died in order to make it possible for all peoples to be united by faith in Him (John 11:52).  And not only do we have the hope of eternity together, but God designed us to live life together in the hear and now.  He placed us firmly within a network of other believers so we can draw strength from each other, encourage one another and constantly lift each other up in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:11, James 5:16).  While heaven's homecoming will be a glorious day, I can experience a taste of that simply by living authentically within His Body today.

My heavenly homecoming can spur me on but my present troubles are not mine to bear alone, as God has given me a family with which to share my joys and sorrows (Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:15).

It is not easy to endure hardship as a child of God.  But there are certain truths I can keep in mind as I walk this rocky path.  I can remember that these present difficulties are only temporary, what has been removed will somehow be restored, and I have a family to lean on, both now and when I'm called to my heavenly home.  With these foundational truths laying the groundwork for my faith, I will be able to press on toward the finish line (Philippians 3:14).

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to build my life on His promises.

When do I build upon a different foundation?

How am I discouraged by today's difficulties?        

The Sure Hope

"'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.'"

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

Things couldn't get much worse.  The nation of Judah, God's chosen people, were in captivity, exiled from their beloved land, carried off by the Babylonians to live as foreigners in their strange land.  But God had not forgotten them.  As far away as they were from the temple, as distant as they felt from His presence, they were still on His mind.

He has not forgotten me, either.  No matter how far away I feel, how much on the fringes, how homeless and hopeless, desperate in my suffering or exiled in my sin, I am still on God's mind.  Here is the sure hope I have in Christ.

Good Plan.  It's nice to know God has a plan, although sometimes I may wonder when I look at my life.  It may seem like a series of unconnected, haphazard events that have no bearing on the arc of my life.  But He has a blueprint for my life that will bring about good for me and glory for Himself.  Even though I take many missteps and get off-track, His plan works around my weakness, superseding my humanness so that He always prevails.

I was recently talking to an older friend who was telling me about her long, productive life.  As she gave me a birds-eye view, I could see a pattern.  God had begun preparing her at a young age for the difficult task of later caring for her mother and then her husband as they progressed through the stages of dementia.  She trained in the field of nursing, entering into the specialty of caring for the memory-impaired, working for years in that line of work long before she knew her loved ones would be touched by such tragedy.  Yet she never considered there was a master plan let alone an Architect behind her decisions.  She saw it as just a series of random events that happened to work out in a positive way.

In reality, God has such a plan as this for each life, whether it is acknowledged or not.  Thus, I can look forward with hope to the good things He has in store for me.  When I take a close look, desiring to see His handiwork, I will see His mark.  If He went so far as to sacrifice His own Son in order to save me from eternal separation from Him, won't He do whatever it takes to give me the life He created for me (Romans 8:32)?  Is there anything or anyone, including myself, that can stop His plan from unfolding?  I think not.

I have the hope of God's good plan that is designed for my good and His glory.

Attentive.  It's hard to imagine or even fathom.  God is so big, so awesome, so majestic, why would He even bother with the likes of me?  With all that He has on His plate, keeping the planets aligned and the stars from crashing into each other, each heart beating and every complicated system running, how is He even able to pay attention to what is going on with my insignificant life?  Yet He does.

If God had a refrigerator, my picture would be proudly displayed there.  He delights in me, tickled by my very existence (Zephaniah 3:17).  There's nothing I have to do to prove my worth or to capture His eye.  I already have His undivided attention because I was created for His purposes.  The very fact that He made me in His own image gives me unimaginable worth.  It causes Him to rejoice over me!  Therefore, when I cry out to Him, He hears, even if I can't imagine such a thing.  When I share my heart with Him, He treasures such intimacy, even if He feels very far away at the moment.  When I speak, He listens, even if I feel abandoned.

I have the assurance of God's attentive and compassionate nature.

Approachable.  He is holy (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 77:13).  Hallowed is His very name (Matthew 6:9).  Consecrated is His divine nature.  My sin makes coming near to Him impossible (Isaiah 59:2).  I feel dirty and ashamed to even think about reaching out to Him.  I mean, who do I think I am, anyway?  To approach God himself?  Forget it, it's just not proper.

It's good to understand God's holy nature and to stand in awe of Him, yet Jesus changed everything.  When He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for my sin, His blood covers my filthiness when I trust my life to Him, making me appear as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).  Because of this imputed righteousness that comes by faith in Him, I can unashamedly come to God whenever I wish (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:16).  The heavy curtain that used to shroud the holy of holies that represented God's presence in His temple has been torn, symbolizing God's accessibility through faith in Jesus (Matthew 27:51).  The heart of God is for Him to be part of His peoples' lives.  It is not His desire to exist as an aloof deity who sits high above and never interacts with those He created.  Instead, He desires to be found.  And He made it easy for the common man to find Him if they look with all their heart.

I have complete and total access to God through faith in Jesus.

Even when I'm at my worst, have hit bottom, couldn't get any lower, I have hope.  How?  Because God designed His creation to be infused with it.  Hope is found in His good plan for me, in His attentive nature, and in His approachable Spirit.  Through Jesus, I have a sure hope.  And so, you see, no matter how bad things seem, there is good to be found.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to look for His handiwork in the midst of the mess.

When do I despair, feeling as if there is no hope?

How do I fail to look for God, feeling like He's far away even though He's right there waiting to be found?