Never Too Late
Never Too Late
The angel said to him, your petition has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you will give him the name John. Luke 1.13.
Here’s what strikes me about this: the child-bearing years had passed. Most likely, the prayers of Zacharias and Elizabeth had ceased. They who once prayed had certainly resigned to the fact that God wasn’t going to answer.
Nevertheless, the angel affirmed Zacharias, saying, YOUR PETITION HAS BEEN HEARD!
We pray, and in our minds, we usually assign a time frame to our prayers. Think about it. Even if it’s subconsciously, we assign a time frame of expectation. When we pray for healing, we want it before it gets terminal. Duh. We pray for salvation for another before they go to deep into sin. We pray for addiction recovery for a loved one until we feel it’s a lost cause? We pray for life-transformation until we – well — just give up. We always impose our timeframe perspective to our prayers.
God doesn’t live in our time zone
This story reminds us that God answers prayer on His timetable, not ours. We think earthly; He lives in the eternal space! He will do it…in His way and in His time.
- God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age when they didn’t think it was possible. The same happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth long after they stopped praying for a son.
- Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after Mary and Martha gave up all hope. I mean, after all, he was dead. Jesus said to Mary and Martha, Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?
- Jesus rose from the dead after the apostle gave up all hope. The disciples on the road to Emmaus said, But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel… Luke 24.21. Thomas said, Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.
There’s a better way.
Let’s be among those who maintain hope, even when the situation seems hopeless! Perhaps you have been the captain of your own ship, tossed about by every wind and wave of doubt. There’s a better way. Set your anchor of hope in the harbor of Jesus, knowing that the past, present, and future are in his nail-pierced hands.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
Let us go before the Throne of grace in our time of need and pray, wept and plead with God. Let us then arise and live with the blessed hope that God hears us and is acting and will act ACCORDING TO HIS PERFECT WISDOM AND POWER. Let’s submit our prayers to His timing, not ours. After all, do you really believe your timetable is better than God?
Father, we give it all to you. Every need, every hurt, every hope, and every prayer. We give it all to you because You hear, You care, and You act! Today, we surrender “time and timing’ to You. Today, we surrender the manner of how You answer our prayers, as well. Praise You for all things, in all ways and at all times! Amen!
Humble Means
Humble Means
Luke 1:26 – 38 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant…Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’
Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done me according to your word. And the angel departed her.
This was a busy time for Gabriel: I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 1:19. Gabriel first appears to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist, and some months later, he appears to Mary to announce her virgin birth of Jesus.
What would it be like to be one who resides in the presence of God, but then on occasion, has to go on a mission to earth? Might be like living in the beautiful Ozark mountains with the stunning scenery, cool breezes, and mild temperatures – and — then going to Houston in August for a business trip. I’m just saying…
Seriously, one who stands in the presence of God — I can’t comprehend. I guess I can imagine, but whatever I conceive, even if I try to be as expansive in my thoughts as possible, I truly cannot comprehend the reality: to be in the literal presence of God. Yet, someday, I will behold Him, face to face. What a day that will be. Considering that day keeps me aware of the brevity of this life and the proper priorities I should keep before me.
Ok, back to earth —-
We are reading about the most significant era in the history of the world, the time of Christ upon the earth. The only rival era – not really a rival but a completion — in history, past or future, will be the Day of the Lord — His second coming and the events surrounding that period of time. But for now, we are plunging into the time of Jesus of Nazareth; living, breathing and walking among the men and women of Galilee.
This is a special time – But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4.4.
The fullness of the time came: within the administration of God’s perfect timetable, when the exact religious, cultural, and political conditions were in place, God sent His Son. The manner in which He sent Him, speaks to the manner of life He would live and the manner of life we should live as well. He was born into humble means, through a humble mother, to live His human life in humility and service. We should live likewise.
Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus.
What attitude is that?
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men.
So, He was fully God, equal to God the Father, yet, he took on the likeness of a man. Why?
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
It all begins with humble means, through a humble mother, in a humble manger, to live His human life in humility and service. In the future, on the Day of Lord, He will come as the mighty King, reigning and ruling. But His first visit to planet earth was as a servant. Someday, we will live in glory and honor ourselves. But for now, on the pilgrimage on planet earth, we are to serve, love, and walk humbly with our God.
Like Mary, may we say, ‘Behold, (I am) the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done me according to your word. And the angel departed her.’
Father, when we set our mind on our future home in heaven, it helps us maintain our humility while on earth. We confess our human nature tests us and tempts us to pride, self-protection, and pleasure. But remind us daily, through Your Word, that before we reign with You in the future, we first are to serve, to love kindness and justice and to walk humbly with You, our God. Amen.
God Sent an Angel!
God Sent an Angel!
Luke 1.13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard.”
Another Victorious Testimony
Do you ever felt discouraged when God doesn’t answer your prayer? I believe every Christian has experienced this discouragement at some level. For some of us, the discouragement has been excruciating. We feel that our heartfelt petition (for a good thing) is being ignored.
We feel especially discouraged because we see God answering prayers for others and not us. That should be encouraging to us, but we secretly may whisper, ‘that doesn’t happen to me.’ Often, others give testimony at church and tell of amazing answers to prayer. It is supposed to encourage us and give us hope. But it often causes within us an opposite emotion.
Yes, we know that it can happen to others, but what about me? It’s always others who win the drawing, the lotto, the award. It’s always others who have testimonies of answered prayers producing happiness, renewal, revivals, freedom, healings, the salvation of loved ones, etc.
In Luke 1, we find God answering the prayers of another specially-chosen couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. Well, this story has a little different twist. Maybe this narrative will have a better effect on our doubts. Perhaps this narrative will bring us encouragement regarding the long-lasting endurance of our petitions?
Let’s look at the context of the angel’s words of good news (your petition has been heard) to Zacharias. You might be surprised!!!
In the time of Herod the Great, Roman king of Judea, Zacharias served as a priest. He was married to Elizabeth. What do we know about Zacharias and Elizabeth? Well, there’s good news and bad news about what we know.
Good News: They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. Luke 1.6
Believe it or not, there is a lot of rich theology in this brief verse.
They are righteous before God, and no one is righteous in the sight of God without being saved. They were saved; not by following the law of Moses but by faith. People before Jesus and after Jesus were saved by faith; never by obeying the law. Just like Abraham, who believed in the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. That is justification. Also, they walked and lived out their righteousness and in a practical manner. This is the process of sanctification.
This is rich, rich Theology regarding how God saves us and keeps us.
Bad News: But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. Luke. 1.7
Most likely, Elizabeth prayed the way Hannah prayed nearly a thousand years before. (1 Samuel 1) Hannah was barren and prayed for a son.
She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly…’ O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life…’ I Samuel 1.10ff.
Elizabeth knew this story well, no doubt. It may have been her favorite text from the scripture. God answered Hannah’s plea and gave her a son that would alter the course of the nation of Israel. God gave Hannah, Samuel.
By faith, Elizabeth held this story of answered prayer close to her heart and continued to pray for a child. But the son never came. Now she is old.
Hannah had a son during her childbearing years. God answered her prayer. But not Elizabeth. How do we know? The text in Luke 1.7 says they were childless, and now both of them are old and advanced in years. The time of giving birth to a child was gone for Elizabeth.
- More bad news! Elizabeth was barren, AND God didn’t answer her prayers, heal her barrenness, and give her a child. Once they grew old and past child-rearing age, I assume they stopped praying. Wouldn’t you? We all would. The time had passed. God said no. Accept it and move on. Right?
Meanwhile, back at the temple
In this context, Zacharias was chosen to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. While he was in the temple alone, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. We’ll look into this further next time.
Father, You are about to do something amazing for Zacharias and Elizabeth long after their hope had dissipated. We are about to be reminded that ‘nothing is impossible with God.’ When our hope is diminished, and our spirits are crushed, You make Yourself known in the most wonderful ways. Our faith is sometimes weak as we look at our immediate situation around us. Instead, may we look up to You, with our eyes fixed on You, and maintain our hope. For nothing is impossible with God! Amen!
Do Something, Part 2
Do Something, Part 2
Luke 1.1-4
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,
2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;
4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
The beloved physician Luke is the human author of the Bible book before us. Luke opens with a formal prologue addressed to a Roman dignitary. I tend to think that Luke intended the books of Luke and Acts for wide circulation but addressed it to a Roman dignitary as credibility. Regardless, he stated that it seemed fitting for him to write it. He decided to use his experiences, his relationship, and his God-given skills and gifts to provide a sweeping account of the early days of Christianity. God blessed his faithfulness to take action and serve us by writing this wonderful account of Jesus.
What about you?
You also have experiences, relationships, and God-given skills and gifts. Are you using them to serve and God and others? For many years, this was a question that I avoided. As I was pursuing business success, I never fell away from God, per se, but I wasn’t serving God fully and faithfully with the gifts He had given me.
You are reading these words because my pastor, Jeff Wells of Woodsedge Church, The Woodlands, TX, challenged me. His challenge to me came both personally in private conversations and from the pulpit. He first challenged me hard to one thing: spend daily time with God. Daily means every day. I pushed back, but he relented, and I evidently agreed. I began doing it daily, and after 60 days, I developed a wonderful habit and ritual that has transformed my life: daily time with God in His word, praying and reflecting and then writing out a summary and application of the text. I began to grow in my faith when I intentionally began to do it daily.
Several months later, Jeff preached a sermon about fully utilizing the gifts God has given us to serve others. I realized that I should use my gifts to serve and encourage others. I reluctantly (resisting God’s calling at first) determined that God gave me basic skills in research and writing that emerge from my daily time in God’s Word—and that I should share them with others. I began to share them with a few friends and have since attempted (stumbling and failing at times) to follow God’s guidance as He opens doors for service and ministry.
Be Intentional
Take an inventory of all that God has given you. Then take small steps to use your relationships, opportunities, and skills to serve others. Just take small steps and let God open the doors (or close doors) in His time and according to His purposes. Consider this an adventure. Fight the nagging thoughts of self-doubt and fear and with small steps, begin to follow Luke’s example.
In the words of Luke, may it seem fitting to you as well—to use your gifts to serve God.
Father, You are the giver of all things. You have given so that we might give as well. Help us rise to the challenge of Luke’s example to use our relationships, opportunities, and skills to advance Your Kingdom and influence others for Christ. We are weak, but with You, we are strong. May we be faithful and begin with small steps toward our future life of serving You by serving others. Amen!
Do Something, Part 1
Do Something, Part 1
Luke 1.1-4
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,
2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;
4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
These opening verses form one long sentence, written by Luke, in polished and literary classical Greek. The rest of the book is written in the basic Greek language of the common people. This is the opening line of a two-volume set, Luke and Acts, that chronicles the sweeping history of the founding of Christianity.
Luke is writing to the most excellent Theophilus. This title indicates Theophilus was a Roman dignitary. Who was Theophilus? We’re not sure, but it may be one of the Roman officials who were converted to Christ through Paul’s ministry, (Philippians 4.22). Whether Theophilus commissioned Luke to write the two-volume set or Luke choose to send it to him, is unsure. I lean toward the later. Perhaps he sent it to Theophilus to establish credibility, but I suspect he envisioned his writings would go well beyond one person and reach and influence many. However, He undoubtedly had no idea the scope of the influence his writings would ultimately have.
It seemed fitting…
Luke acknowledges that others have compiled various accounts of the life of Christ. Nevertheless, he sensed a calling to use his relationships, his experiences, and his skills of research and writing to produce a carefully documented body of work as well.
- Relationships and experiences: he spent thousands of hours with the Apostle Paul and no doubt, took notes on the words Paul spoke, both private and public. Luke also, no doubt, had a close relationship with some of the other apostles and personal eyewitnesses of the life and times of Jesus.
- Skills: he was educated and obviously skilled and diligent in research and writing.
It seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order.
Luke was compelled to take action
Luke was compelled to use the relationships, his opportunities, and skills to serve and minister to others. He doesn’t say that God spoke to him and told him to do this. God compelled him, and Luke was sensitive to the leading of God.
What about you?
Are you faithfully serving God by serving others with the relationships, opportunities, and skills that God has given you? There is a calling upon your life as well! Luke was faithful to obey and considered himself a steward of what God had given him. What about your calling?
We are going to dig into this a little further next time as I share my stubbornness to take action and serve God with the gifts had has given me. I might challenge you with your calling, as well.
Father, You have given us much. May we be faithful and diligent to use the relationships, resources, and skills that you have given us to serve You and serve others. This is the hallmark of one who has a noble heart! Cause us to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind. And in loving You, may we love our neighbor as ourselves. Amen.
Luke
Luke
Introduction
The physician, the scholar, the servant!
We are going to spend some time on the life of Jesus. I’ve been reading, studying, and reflecting on Jesus for about 50 years. I still haven’t come even close to plumbing the depth of his Life; His words and the depth, breadth, and length of His person.
The study of the wonder of Jesus is before us.
Jesus is everywhere in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. But God was kind to give us four distinct pictures of the earthly life of Jesus to begin the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They certainly have similarities, but they are distinct as well.
Luke is titled after the author of the gospel. A book has more interest for us when we know the author personally. Let’s get to know Luke just a little bit.
Who is Luke?
We don’t know a lot about him, but what we do know is that he was a Godly servant of God. God used him to write a substantial part of the New Testament as well as travel with Paul as his physician and servant.
Also, He was educated and skilled in research and literature, which is reflected in his writing. Additionally, he was educated as a physician. We can observe from the book of Acts that he had a servant’s heart. Of all his skills and talents, his heart to serve stands above all else.
In his extensive narrative throughout Acts, he writes very little about himself. Even though he was well educated and most likely from a family of means, he humbled himself and took on the role of a servant to the apostle Paul and a servant of God as a researcher and writing of holy scripture.
God’s gift to Paul
What I love about Luke is that God created him to be the perfect comrade and ministry partner for the Apostle Paul. Consider this:
- Luke was a physician; as such, he was there for Paul during the physically demanding missionary treks, and treacherous journey’s over the challenging Galilean terrain. Cuts, bites, bruises, sprains, broken bones, dehydration, etc., were surely part of Paul’s daily experiences. Not to mention the abuse of his enemies including flogging and beatings. Paul needed a full-time doctor nearby in order to heal and mend and continue his ministry. God was so kind to provide a physician with a servant’s heart to be close to Paul during his adventurous and dangerous life of ministry.
- Luke was a skilled researcher and writer. This is evident from his writing. God gave Paul a partner, skilled in literature to document Paul’s life and teaching. What a blessing to Paul and even more to us.
- Luke was a servant. He clearly didn’t have an ego issue. He seemed well-pleased to exist in the background, serving Paul and us; writing much about God’s work while writing very, very little about himself or his own needs. God was kind to give Paul a servant-physician AND servant-literary scholar to be his trusted and loyal ministry partner.
Luke was surely smart, faithful, kind, loyal, trustworthy, and tough as nails! He had to be tough to keep up the travel schedule that Paul traversed in his journeys.
A book is always more meaningful when one knows the author. Luke is the author of the gospel before us.
Father, we are excited about studying the life of Your Son through the words of Luke, Inspired by You. What a gift You have given us in Your Word. May we read, reflect, and write under Your care and guidance so that we might walk closely with You! Amen!
The Power of a Leader’s Words
The Power of a Leader’s Words
As a person of faith I like to start out my day with early morning studies. I came across a set of scripture verses that really resonated with me and gave me great insight into a leadership principle I find invaluable. Tucked away in the the literature of the Old Testament is a key character named Boaz found in the story of Ruth. Boaz is described as a land owner and “a man of great wealth.” The story takes place during the labor-intensive time of the barley harvest. Boaz was fully staffed with a large crew of barley reapers.
As Boaz approaches the laborers he is employing, the first words spoken by Boaz is “‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they replied to him saying, ‘May the Lord be with you.’”
Here’s my question: Is there a correlation between how Boaz speaks to his employees and his great wealth? I say, yes, absolutely. Whether you are a person of faith or not, the principle is the same. Speaking words of blessing, affirmation and warmth toward those you lead engenders trust, confidence and warmth back to you in great measure.
Skeptics will say this is a Pollyanna moment and will open the door for employees to take advantage of you. I disagree and choose to make decisions and take actions based upon the belief that I have hired smart employees and professionals who truly care about the quality of the input of their contributions leading to excellent results. If they don’t measure up, then it will become evident and I will act accordingly.
I choose not to treat my people according to the lowest common denominator. Rather, I will speak to them according to my lofty expectations of them and according to my highest regard toward them. This will spur on even greater trust and confidence from them in me and the mission of the business.
Throughout a typical day, there will be opportunities for you to respond to employee situations accordingly with words of challenge, correction and guidance. But just as Boaz, the man of great wealth, let the first words you speak be words of blessing, affirmation and warmth.
Tell Me Why?
Tell Me Why
Grandson, Ryker
Tell Me Why?
Suffering, Lesson 6
So, let’s apply what we previously discussed regarding the sources of suffering. I go by the principle that coping with trials and suffering makes more sense to me when I know the purpose. I often initially scream, WHY! WHY! WHY! without really thoughtfully asking. I do more out of frustration. But when I come to my senses, I find it helpful to seek God and prayerfully reflect and ask ‘why?’.
So, we are now into the story of Job so let’s prayerfully ask ‘why?’ What was the source of Job’s suffering? Based on the sources of suffering I outlined in an earlier post, if I were taking this as a multiple-choice test, how would I answer? How would you answer? You can choose more than one.
- The consequences of our own personal sin and/or the sin of those close to us. This is the culmination of bad decisions. Nope, not this one.
- Hatred toward God within our society and hostility toward Christians. We sometimes suffer because we are ‘guilty by association.’ No, this is not from the hatred of men toward God. Job’s pain was inflicted directly by Satan.
- To refine us and strengthen us. We have two choices when we encounter trials: allow them to overtake us or allow them to fortify us. James 1.2-4 Yes, I believe this one applies to Job, although it is not stated directly as the purpose of God.
- To humble us and subdue our sin nature. God causes/allows trials in order rid us of pride, arrogance and self-dependence. Job didn’t have a lot of pride but he had some, so at first, I thought it was a reason. But God states that Job is a blameless and upright man when Satan accused him. So, the text doesn’t state this as a reason or source of the suffering but eventually, it was an outcome.
- In order for God to accomplish His purposes. God sometimes allows evil and then uses it to bring about good. Yes, this applies as well. God had a purpose and plan.
- To be an encouragement to other Christians. A result of our suffering should be our ability to now comfort others. Yes, Job 42 should be an encouragement to us. Ultimately, this is part of the value of the book of Job for us. If we think we have it bad, consider Job. In our suffering, be reminded that Job 42 is coming.
- To manifest the image of Jesus. No, this isn’t the reason for Job’s suffering. This occurs when we suffering for the sake of righteous, such as Jesus did. This is when we suffer as Christians and reflect the image of Jesus.
Is this helpful? If you are going through any trials or suffering at this time, is it helpful to prayerfully consider why? If you’d like, send me an email and let me know and also let me know how I can pray for you.
Father, help me to be a mirror that reflects the grace of Jesus so that all can see, You are a good and gracious God. I know that trials and suffering may come but that doesn’t stop me from asking you to protect me and those I love from the schemes of Satan and the pain he wishes to impart. Protect us Lord and watch over our lives with great care and tender protection. Amen!
Without Cause
Mt. Rainier National Park
Without Cause
Job 2
Lesson 5
In Job 1, Satan approaches God and slanders Job and states he will turn on God if he suffers. God allows Satan to cause the demise of Job’s possessions and his children. Absolutely devastating!
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’
Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
To sit here in my study, to pour over these words in chapters 1 and 2 and consider the plight of Job is an emotional and sobering experience. The relief and blessings we find at the end of the story in Job 42 is coming. But as we move from the devastation of Job 1 into chapter 2, things get worse before they get better. Much worse.
There’s a biblical reality in these two chapters that is very, very hard for us Christians to accept. Please remember that my writings in this blog is my attempt to share with you, in real time, my journey of digging deeper into scripture much more than I have done in the past. I am discovering rich truths about the nature of God that are mind—blowing. The side of God we see in Job is not the God that current Christian authors and preachers spend time discussing. What God does here is fair and righteous in every way, but it’s very difficult for us to accept from our human standpoint. Here it is:
God gives blessings upon blessings that we don’t deserve and didn’t earn. That’s the good news. He saved us not on the basis of anything we did. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy… Titus 3:5. On the other hand, according to Job 2, He allows us to suffer at times for no reason that we caused. Speaking to Satan, God speaks of Job; he (Job) holds fast his integrity, although you (Satan) incited Me against him to ruin him without cause, Job 2.3.
This is a difficult statement. God states that He caused Job ‘ruin without cause.’ Job didn’t deserve it. We are all wired to believe we get what we deserve. It’s difficult to accept blessings without earning them and it’s difficult for us to accept suffering we didn’t deserve. That’s why Job’s three friends reasoned that Job must have done something to deserve his suffering. Job stated, no, ‘I didn’t do anything to deserve this.’ Job was right.
I relish the blessings God gives me that I don’t deserve. But I hate considering that I may incur suffering that I didn’t deserve. But Job knew it was true and stated, The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
By faith, we believe that God is always fair and righteous in all His dealings with us. It takes faith because life can deal us some deep and painful blows. By faith, we believe there is a plan and a purpose. By faith, we believe that all things work together for our good, which sometimes means suffering for a time. By faith, we know that our time on earth is brief and eternity is coming. Now is the time to love God, serve others and walk humbly with our God. Soon will be our time to be in His presence and experience peace and joy for all time. Come Lord Jesus, come.
Father of all Comfort, when trials come, I often think of heaven; when earthly pursuits and attainments will fade, when being rich or poor is of no consequence, when being admired or despised is meaningless. Very soon, in heaven, all that matters is the presence of Jesus; to see Him face-to-face. Comfort me with hope and surety of eternity in Your glorious presence. Amen!