Present, Past, and Future

Death and life is set before you. We can choose life even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. Because we have attended three funerals of saints of God who were friends of ours in the past two weeks, many reflective thoughts are racing through my heart and mind.  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.  Why is it precious?  The obvious reason is that He longs for us to share His love and glory forever with Him.  Perhaps it is also because it is a holy time of reflection, past, present, and future.

Past, because we tend to reflect on all the special times and ways this person has impacted our lives.  We note the characteristics that made this person unique.  Maybe most important, we have the open opportunity to remember the good and forgive and forget the shortcomings.  It is a time to let go of hurt and disappointments, and instead choose to give thanks for the blessing the person was in our lives.  God's comfort is real and yet it may take some time to let the hope of resurrection overcome our grief and loss.  God even gave the Israelites 30 days to make this heart adjustment with the death of Moses.  

Present, because it is a special time where people pause for a moment in their normal routine to show respect for the value of the life of the person who passed.  We also tend to "be there" for others in order to extend comfort and support at this time of loss.  Family and friends can unite in an atmosphere of love and acceptance with a genuine concern for each other.  Peace overcomes striving and petty differences.  God blesses unity, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity."  

Future, because most people are confronted with the fact that death is a reality, and the need to consider what will happen to them when their time comes.  Often God awakens even worldly people to look at what is the purpose of life.  This "special" time is precious to God as people humbly take inventory of their own lives and their relationship with God and others.  At a recent funeral service, it was my privilege to review Romans 10 and how to accept Jesus's death and resurrection for our sins, and then lead those who wanted to confess Jesus as Lord in a simple prayer.  Only God knows the hearts of those who used this precious milestone to give their life to Jesus or to renew their commitment to Him.  Nothing on earth is more precious than coming to know Jesus. 

A simple prayer based on Romans 10.  "Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and dying for my sins.  I believe you rose from the dead, having paid the total price for my offences.  Because you love me that much and willingly gave your life for me, I willingly choose to confess with my lips, that you, Jesus, are my Lord.  I repent of living my way and choose to set my heart to love and follow You as Lord by keeping Your Word."  God promises anyone who believes in his heart Jesus was raised from the dead and confesses with his lips, the Lord Jesus, will be saved. 

You Will Make It!

How is your bracket?

The reason people ask that question is because, by now, we have all failed.  Sometimes life seems like that NCAA bracket, with our mistakes giving us a common denominator.  What did the famous Scottish poet Burns say, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."    

The situation of the Israelites as described in Jeremiah 29 and 30 was worse than anyone could imagine.  The leaders were killed or taken captive.  Dead bodies were everywhere with no one to even bury them.  The temple was burned and completely destroyed.  And those who were still alive were treated like cattle and transported to be slaves in Babylon.  In the midst of this failure is where God spoke the phrase we like to remind our young people, "God has good plans for you, to give you a future and a hope."

Furthermore, Jeremiah encourages the people to build houses, plant crops, and give sons and daughters in marriage.  In short, don't quit.  Continue doing the things, the responsibilities, that God has given you.  God is never done with bringing us into His inheritance, but sometimes there are other internal changes that have greater priority in order to be capable of handling the good He has planned for us.  Adversity is a great motivator to seek God.  There is a saying from WWI, that every man has a God in a foxhole.  And that is exactly what Jeremiah reminds the people that God is calling, "When you seek Me with all your heart I will be found."  Use the current need and situation to lead you into a greater dependence on God's promises and His faithfulness.  God is in the business of restoring what the enemy has stolen, and turning what was meant for evil into good.  He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.  He clearly has a plan for our future and our hope.  We will make it.

In Jeremiah 30, God promises some powerful encouragement.  "Yet I will not make a complete end of you, but I will correct you in justice."  No one enjoys being corrected, but God's ways are life and peace.  Revival, or the abundance of His life and peace, always starts with people humbling themselves.  God promises to dwell with the those who are humble and contrite in heart.  The trials of today often cause us to "break up the fallow ground" and let the rain of God's mercy and righteousness soften our hearts.  After humbling ourselves before God, He releases His intended purpose, " I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds," says the Lord.  (Jeremiah 30:17)  

Jesus, His resurrection and the promise of ours, is our hope.  We are destined to share His nature and glory forever.  God has given us this awesome vision so that no matter what happens, we know that we will not perish.  Not only will we not perish, but all things continue to work for our good, for us who are called according to His purpose.  The verse "without a vision the people perish" may also be translated, "without a vision the people cast off restraint." (NKJV)  The point is that unless we know the hope, the vision of "we will make it," we are tempted to give up and cast off the disciplines of living for the Lord.  

Our bracket may fail, our situation may not always be as planned, there may be a need to seek God and repent, but our God never changes and His word to your heart today is "You will make it."

God Will Answer!

 A simple verse in Psalm 38 states, "For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God."   Hope, of course, suggests choosing to believe a promise of what someone will do in response to our actions, and is future.  Therefore, we could say that our whole life, all we are, all that we hold as truth, all that we do, depends upon God being faithful to answer and keep His promises.  Paul even suggests that if God doesn't do what He says, we are the most pitiable of all men.  

  My dad used to say that getting old isn't so bad when you consider the alternative.  That same principle applies to choosing to believe God is faithful and will confirm His Word.  What is the alternative, to believe in man's thoughts and ways, being sort of a high-class animal with no purpose of life and nothing to look forward to?  However, we as believers have an assurance, a peace within our spirit, that establishes our relationship with the Lord Jesus to "know" Him and His character (which we often simply refer to as His name.)  We believe who God is and what He has done for us which gives an eternal future and a hope for each of us.  Hebrews 11:6 demands that those who come to God "must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  Jesus spoke with authority pointing out that when we pray, fast, and give, God who sees in secret will reward us openly.  David declares, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 

 It really isn't a blind faith as the skeptic would like to say, but rather a revelation, a "dawning" of light and understanding, that He not only is real but that in His love He freely died to deal with our sin.  Perhaps the key revelation that motivates us to choose faith is the honest realization that we have a sin nature, a strong tendency to selfishly do and think whatever pleases ourselves. In short, that we have done wrong and are guilty.  We need forgiveness.  On the positive side, Romans 1:20 states that all creation reveals the eternal power and divinity of God.  Then, the coming of Jesus Christ, and the record of His Word, not only show God is real, but that He loves us.  He is love Himself, choosing to lay His life down for each of us out of sheer love and commitment.  He deliberately and willing paid with His own blood for all the sin and evil we have ever committed. And to complete His mission, He has sent His Spirit to let us know for sure who Jesus is and what He has done.  John 16:7 uses the word "convict" of righteousness, sin, and eternal judgment so we know where we stand with God forever.

Therefore, each of us have been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) and we can choose to receive this gift and exercise the power God has given us (life and death is in the power of the tongue) to settle it by declaring with our lips that Jesus is our (my) Lord.  The rest of peace that making this choice establishes in our hearts becomes the basis of believing that God is and also keeps all His other promises.  Yes, as our Psalm 38 verse declares, when we hope in Him, God will answer.  

God is good and He desires to answer prayer, waiting for us to ask so He can be gracious (Isaiah 30:18).  My encouragement based on this truth is that no matter where you are at, whatever the problem or circumstance, put your hope in the Lord (usually through simply praying with the faith you have and stating the truth of God's Word about the situation) and then rest in knowing "God will answer."  

 

Got Hope--It's What You See?

We live in a world that has lost hope.  Even in America, there is such division and hatred that the majority of comments in the news and social media are negative.  Discouragement and even suicide are often reported among teens.  People do not see things getting better and therefore, in their own despair can only strike out in critical judgment.

Psalm 11 asks "If the foundations are shaken, what can the righteous do?"  The more focused question is what is hope and how do we get hope?.  We commonly use the word "hope" to mean "wish", such as we hope the Broncos win today.  However, the Biblical definition of hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised.  When man fell, he allowed sin and death to enter the human race, and a condition that Romans 8 describes as "the whole creation groans...from the bondage of corruption."  Naturally our minds tend to likewise see things going wrong, have anxiety and fear from things out of control, and in general, expect negative circumstances.  Have you ever heard of Murphy's law?

There is an answer.  We can change the "old flat tire" of negative thinking and put on a brand new tire of "positive vision."  Proverbs declares "without a vision, people perish."  The Word of God was given to man to renew his thinking and transform his picture of life.  As a man thinks so is he.  Thinking is more than rational thoughts.  It is the imagination, the picturing, the vision and goals that drive our actions and well-being.  What do you see in your mind when someone mentions a dog?  What if we added a large fierce dog?  Or a small black and white beagle?  The point is that words trigger a picture in our mind.

God wants us to have a living hope, an image that He makes "all things work together for our good."
His Word paints a picture of us being loved with an everlasting love, of being overcomers, and of being a people who enjoy abundant life and peace through His Spirit.  He sent forth His Word and delivered them.  His Word delivers us from our negative carnal thinking to embrace a new picture of us as now being His workmanship capable of being a light in the darkness.  This truth opens up a whole new world of purpose and hope for the future.  God Himself is for us and with us.  How can we fail?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away. ( Peter 1:3)  This truth is like an anchor to the soul, that through the finished work of Jesus and with the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead now living in us, we are assured to make it..  We let the Word of God transform our thinking and what we see God has done and continues to do for us.

By faith, and faith is the assurance of things hoped for, we transfer our hope into reality.  Take time to deliberately let the Word of God paint fresh pictures of hope and vision in you.  Read it, think about what it says, picture this in your life, and continue to meditate on His truth until you can see it.  God is faithful to be found by those who seek Him.  What do you see?