“Grab your water wings and start swimming!”
There they were. Before them, a giant body of water waiting to engulf them. Behind them, a giant body of people waiting to engulf them. I can only imagine the anger and frustration. I can only imagine the comments and one liners that were being said. They followed God and this is what they get. Egypt’s army was closing in on them, they had reached the edge of the Red Sea, what in the world was God doing, and more, what wasn’t He doing!
We have all been there, or we are going there, and some of us are there right now. This is God’s normal way of dealing with His people. The Bible, from cover to cover, shows us that God brings His people to hopeless situations. What do I mean by hopeless? I mean, no visible, material possibility of positive outcome that we can comprehend. Hopeless, without hope, but not without God.
Abraham was promised a son but it wasn’t till he and Sarah were of an age that child bearing was an impossibility that they became pregnant.
Israel was promised deliverance from Egypt and slavery but it wasn’t till they were caught between a sea and an army that God delivered them once and for all.
David was promised to be king but it wasn’t till after he had been hunted by Saul that his kingship could begin.
We have been promised life in Jesus but it isn’t till we die that we live that life. Now, I don’t mean that life in Christ doesn’t start till our earthly, physical death. And I am not placing conditions on salvation: works. I am simply saying what Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Death is the condition of the promise, but we seem to forget this almost immediately and regularly.
We like to follow God only so far as we understand God, or more, only so far as we understand how we can make something work. If I can use a couple illustrations. We are the kid on the bike (God) with training wheels, one training wheel is perhaps money and the other job security. Or we are the tight rope walker with his long balancing rod and as long as we have a firm grip on that rod of back up plans we are ok on the tight rope of God. We never only want to have God as the option. We like to have God and our back up plan. But, that’s not really having God at all. And if you are God’s child, He wont leave you there. I’m not talking about salvation, I’m talking about sanctification.
Abraham against hope in hope believed. We try to avoid situations like that at all costs and when we near them or see them approaching we panic and start making plans to avoid them. But we need them. We need to see that God is our only hope, our only provider, and God is gracious enough to teach us this. We like to kid ourselves and believe that we can trust God absolutely even with a healthy bank account and a prosperous secure job, but when those things start dwindling and disappearing we start seeing just how much we trusted in those things instead. It is easy to trust God when we have everything figured out, but then, are we really trusting God. We are much more wicked than we like to admit and our sin is much more dominating than we realize, because of our sin we will cling to everything material before we cling to God.
Jobs and money and things and security are not inherently bad, they are not bad at all, they are not the problem, and at times we may have those things in abundance, those things are not the problem. We are. We have the opposite problem of King Midas, everything he touched turned to gold, everything we touch turns to sin. We pervert the good and make idols out of blessings. We are wicked. God is gracious to empty our hands of what we cling to, it feels mean and wrong to us, we gripe and complain and doubt and wonder how God could do this to us, and we question His love. We are like little children playing with knives or putting plastic bags on our heads and then complaining when our parents take away our new found play thing.
God brings us to hopeless situations that we can hope only in Him, this is not mean but reality. The truth is that God is our only hope. God provides for us everyday, everything we need. We think our jobs provide but it is God that provides through our jobs. We place hope and faith in everything before God, this is idolatry at its roots. We trust what we see and understand before we trust God.
God likes impossible odds for His children. Look at the history of deliverance in the Bible. Look at Joshua and Jericho. Gideon and his 300 men. David and Goliath. Daniel and the lions. Jesus and the cross. He brought Jesus to a giant wooden instrument of death and nailed Him to it and left Him in the grave three days, and then rose Him from the dead. Look at man kind lost in sin with no hope, no ability to change, nothing to offer God, what does God do? He promises a Savior born of a virgin. He offers Himself. He offers a Savior nailed to a cross for your sin. He offers a Savior risen from the grave for your justification. He says, “you are without hope, hope in Jesus.” Do not hope in morality. Do not hope in change. Do not hope in religion. Hope in Jesus. And God is still teaching us this lesson today because He loves us.
We define love as being made much of, God defines love rightly as making much of Him in us. I do not want to make light of your burden or act as if difficulty is easy. It isn’t, it hurts. I want you to trust God against all odds. This is not a self determination to get on with life or a stoic indifference. It is simple submission and trust. As God’s child by faith in Jesus Christ you can know with certainty that God has brought you to this situation and kept you in this situation.
It is when you have been delivered against all odds that we see God most clearly, when we cannot contribute our deliverance to money or man or chance or self, then we know God has delivered us. I am reminded of Abraham not accepting any money for fear that it would lessen the glory of God in His life by making God (apparently) share his deliverance (Gen 14:23). This should be our attitude as well. That the world would look in at out lives and know that there is no explanation but God, but sadly, we will avoid that circumstance at all cost, not because we want to dishonor God, but because we want to make sure we honor ourselves first. God can have His great glory in delivering us as long as we share the honor and glory.
What we need to see is this. God has brought you to this exact situation and this exact trial that you can learn to trust Him. God has already delivered you when you had no hope nor were even aware that you were without hope. God has in Jesus shown you that you can trust Him when the odds seem impossible. There was a day when the only Savior and hope for the world hung on a cross and everything seemed to be without hope or reason. There were three days that the Savior and Hope of the world lay in the grave and everything seemed to be without hope or reason. But on the third day God revealed His power and glory by raising Christ, not only alive, but victorious. So it is with us as we trust Christ, we come to situations of hopelessness and despair but it is there that Jesus moves most mightily and powerfully. It is there in the darkness of despair and frustration that Jesus meets our greatest needs. Don’t lose hope but against hope in hope believe (Rom 4:18). Jesus loves you.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Epaphroditus
How is the Lord merciful in sustaining life when the next life, the life to come is far superior to this life. If heaven is our true home (which it is) and Christ is more desirable then life (which He is) then how is Jesus merciful in leaving us here and not taking us to be with Him in heaven? What got me started thinking about this is Epaphroditus. Paul says in Philippians 2:27, that the Lord was merciful in sustaining Epaphroditus’s life in the face of illness. How is this merciful? Paul had just said a chapter earlier that to depart and be with Christ is “far better” then being here, but now he says that the Lord was merciful in leaving Epaphroditus here. How can this be?
I think that a couple of things are obvious right away. We know that the Lord’s plan has always been for us to be here for a time. Read John 17 and listen to how many times Jesus prays for us in this world, even asking that we not be removed from this world(17:15). We know that the great commission could not be fulfilled if we were not here. We know that the Church would cease to exist on earth without believers. These are fairly obvious but as I have thought about this verse I have had another thought.
God is merciful in sustaining all life all the time. He didn’t break routine by keeping Epaphroditus alive. The reality of life is that each moment, moment to moment, we are kept by God. Our heart beats at His command. The oxygen fills our lungs as He orders. I do not believe in any natural order of life. Sadly, most Christians are mildly deistic in their thinking. We may pay lip service to sovereignty but in our thinking (and acting) we attribute life to “chance” or “fate.” We like the thought that God can control and intervene but we tend to think most of the time He doesn’t. We think the sun rises by its power and the earth spins in orbit held steadfast by gravity, never attributing the power of God to these things. In our thinking God has made the sun and moon and stars and earth and you and me but then He stepped back having put everything in motion and watches it spin perfectly in order. This is not the picture the bible paints. That is deism, maybe mild deism because it allows God to intervene, but deism none the less.
God is in absolute control of everything. The sun rises each morning at His command. The earth continues to spin in orbit at His command. That is no other power apart from the power of God. He, and He alone, is the only self existent being giving and sustaining life. Our heart beats each moment as He commands our heart to beat, our heart has no natural strength to beat of its own. We can no more cause our heart to beat then we can cause it to stop beating. As our lungs fill with oxygen it is at His command. Life was created by God, it did not just naturally exist, and life is sustained by God, it does not just naturally sustain. All life, moment to moment, is kept by God, all of creation is kept by His continuing power and will, in Him all things consist (Col 1:17).
In His mercy He sustains all life. The purpose of that mercy may be different as Romans 9:22-24 tells us. Sometimes that mercy prepares for glory other times that mercy prepares for destruction but it is His mercy none the less that keeps life alive. So why was the mercy of God pointed out in sustaining the life of Epaphroditus? I think for a very simple reason and one that we can all learn from.
We are all mildly deistic in our natural thinking. We tend to exclude God even after salvation. We are like children born into the lap of luxury, never having to work for a dime. Every desire we have will be met and it will be met by someone else. We have been adopted into the family of God, we have been purchased by the blood of Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:4). We do not have to work for our salvation or earn our way to acceptance with God. This is all good in and of itself. The problem is our sin. We turn blessing into curses. We take the good God gives us and create idols. We are like children born into the lap of luxury only to have that luxury spoil us. We easily forget all that we have and often take it for granted. We become spoiled. But, just as sometimes happens with rich children in this life, we are reminded and taught that life is not just what we please. That we are not in control. Our grip has to be loosened.
Think of Epaphroditus, sick possibly dying. Death has a great way of making us take inventory of our lives. I think that Epaphroditus was a godly man, more concerned with others then himself, an example. He was sick and dying (for Christ sake) and yet still serving the Church. But, even Epaphroditus was a man and therefore sinful. The nearness of the throne of God would have impacted Him, just as it does us. When death seems imminent we live differently, we pray differently, we evangelize differently. We don’t know what happens to Epaphroditus. He is never mentioned again. But I’ve learned something from him.
It could be said at this very moment, as I write, and as you read, that God had mercy on us and sustained our lives. You who know Jesus understand this better then any. You know what God’s mercy is in sending His Son to die for your sins and then to call you to His salvation. You have tasted God’s mercy and live with a remembrance of your own salvation. But have you thought about how God has sustained you today. Your heart is still beating. Your lungs still fill with air. Even when you can offer nothing to God He keeps you not only alive but in His grace and love. Rejoice that today you were given yet another opportunity to live in Jesus and share in His glorious glory. And know, as Epaphroditus knew, you are closer to the throne then you know, live accordingly. Jesus is all there is and He has called you to Himself in love, let that drive you to live for Him.
And you who do not know Jesus, who do not believe in Him and His work, the mercy of God sustains you today also. Your heart beats at His command, your lungs fill at His word. He sustains you and gives you life. But His mercy is not forever. There will come a day that you will have to give an account of how you used His mercy or more how you neglected His mercy. He tells us in His word that His mercy and kindness should lead us to repentance but because of the hardness of our hearts we treasure up His wrath for the day of judgment. In not responding to mercy you reject mercy and scorn the goodness of God. Repent friend and turn to Jesus, that the mercy of God would cover you forever.
I want to wrap this up by saying what I intended to say. God’s mercy in sustaining our lives here and now and not taking us home to be with Jesus is merciful because it more enables us to live by the power of God for the glory of God, when that mercy is rightly understood. I will live differently when I am aware that God is sustaining me so that I can live differently for His glory. Life is not just happening naturally, life is unfolding according to the perfect plan of God for my life to His glory and in His mercy He keeps me here to more fully realize His power and glory. See that you are here and now only by the merciful sustaining hand of Jesus and live in that knowledge.
I think that a couple of things are obvious right away. We know that the Lord’s plan has always been for us to be here for a time. Read John 17 and listen to how many times Jesus prays for us in this world, even asking that we not be removed from this world(17:15). We know that the great commission could not be fulfilled if we were not here. We know that the Church would cease to exist on earth without believers. These are fairly obvious but as I have thought about this verse I have had another thought.
God is merciful in sustaining all life all the time. He didn’t break routine by keeping Epaphroditus alive. The reality of life is that each moment, moment to moment, we are kept by God. Our heart beats at His command. The oxygen fills our lungs as He orders. I do not believe in any natural order of life. Sadly, most Christians are mildly deistic in their thinking. We may pay lip service to sovereignty but in our thinking (and acting) we attribute life to “chance” or “fate.” We like the thought that God can control and intervene but we tend to think most of the time He doesn’t. We think the sun rises by its power and the earth spins in orbit held steadfast by gravity, never attributing the power of God to these things. In our thinking God has made the sun and moon and stars and earth and you and me but then He stepped back having put everything in motion and watches it spin perfectly in order. This is not the picture the bible paints. That is deism, maybe mild deism because it allows God to intervene, but deism none the less.
God is in absolute control of everything. The sun rises each morning at His command. The earth continues to spin in orbit at His command. That is no other power apart from the power of God. He, and He alone, is the only self existent being giving and sustaining life. Our heart beats each moment as He commands our heart to beat, our heart has no natural strength to beat of its own. We can no more cause our heart to beat then we can cause it to stop beating. As our lungs fill with oxygen it is at His command. Life was created by God, it did not just naturally exist, and life is sustained by God, it does not just naturally sustain. All life, moment to moment, is kept by God, all of creation is kept by His continuing power and will, in Him all things consist (Col 1:17).
In His mercy He sustains all life. The purpose of that mercy may be different as Romans 9:22-24 tells us. Sometimes that mercy prepares for glory other times that mercy prepares for destruction but it is His mercy none the less that keeps life alive. So why was the mercy of God pointed out in sustaining the life of Epaphroditus? I think for a very simple reason and one that we can all learn from.
We are all mildly deistic in our natural thinking. We tend to exclude God even after salvation. We are like children born into the lap of luxury, never having to work for a dime. Every desire we have will be met and it will be met by someone else. We have been adopted into the family of God, we have been purchased by the blood of Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:4). We do not have to work for our salvation or earn our way to acceptance with God. This is all good in and of itself. The problem is our sin. We turn blessing into curses. We take the good God gives us and create idols. We are like children born into the lap of luxury only to have that luxury spoil us. We easily forget all that we have and often take it for granted. We become spoiled. But, just as sometimes happens with rich children in this life, we are reminded and taught that life is not just what we please. That we are not in control. Our grip has to be loosened.
Think of Epaphroditus, sick possibly dying. Death has a great way of making us take inventory of our lives. I think that Epaphroditus was a godly man, more concerned with others then himself, an example. He was sick and dying (for Christ sake) and yet still serving the Church. But, even Epaphroditus was a man and therefore sinful. The nearness of the throne of God would have impacted Him, just as it does us. When death seems imminent we live differently, we pray differently, we evangelize differently. We don’t know what happens to Epaphroditus. He is never mentioned again. But I’ve learned something from him.
It could be said at this very moment, as I write, and as you read, that God had mercy on us and sustained our lives. You who know Jesus understand this better then any. You know what God’s mercy is in sending His Son to die for your sins and then to call you to His salvation. You have tasted God’s mercy and live with a remembrance of your own salvation. But have you thought about how God has sustained you today. Your heart is still beating. Your lungs still fill with air. Even when you can offer nothing to God He keeps you not only alive but in His grace and love. Rejoice that today you were given yet another opportunity to live in Jesus and share in His glorious glory. And know, as Epaphroditus knew, you are closer to the throne then you know, live accordingly. Jesus is all there is and He has called you to Himself in love, let that drive you to live for Him.
And you who do not know Jesus, who do not believe in Him and His work, the mercy of God sustains you today also. Your heart beats at His command, your lungs fill at His word. He sustains you and gives you life. But His mercy is not forever. There will come a day that you will have to give an account of how you used His mercy or more how you neglected His mercy. He tells us in His word that His mercy and kindness should lead us to repentance but because of the hardness of our hearts we treasure up His wrath for the day of judgment. In not responding to mercy you reject mercy and scorn the goodness of God. Repent friend and turn to Jesus, that the mercy of God would cover you forever.
I want to wrap this up by saying what I intended to say. God’s mercy in sustaining our lives here and now and not taking us home to be with Jesus is merciful because it more enables us to live by the power of God for the glory of God, when that mercy is rightly understood. I will live differently when I am aware that God is sustaining me so that I can live differently for His glory. Life is not just happening naturally, life is unfolding according to the perfect plan of God for my life to His glory and in His mercy He keeps me here to more fully realize His power and glory. See that you are here and now only by the merciful sustaining hand of Jesus and live in that knowledge.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Glory + Love = rejoicing
I don’t expect this to be of any length but at the same time the thought was so wonderful that I thought I should share it even in brief.
God’s highest reason, motive, for doing and willing all that is done is His glory. All that is transpiring in your life right now, good or bad, easy or hard, joy or sorrow is for His glory. What we see unfolding around the world, the events taking place, even the most heinous and wicked, even the most wonderful and beautiful are to His glory. This is hard for us.
We don’t understand God’s glory in poverty and hunger, even starvation. We don’t understand God’s glory in the dark and lonely hours of our lives. We don’t understand God’s glory when we can’t pay our bills and next months rent is already due. We don’t understand God’s glory when our children are sick, or dying. We don’t understand God’s glory when our marriages are falling apart. But we don’t really understand God’s glory even when all is well. We may enjoy the thought of the glory of God when life is good and rejoicing and happiness are easier but is it really God’s glory that we are enjoying or just the comfort and ease of life. I tend to think the latter.
All that is unfolding around us is for the glory of God, the reason the “good” things in life seem to glorify Him more and the “bad” things in life tend to glorify Him less is just because of our inability to see and understand His glory now. This will change, I have thought about this in other posts (happy? and memories).
But this is not all there is for us. Though all of God’s ways are for His glory, glory is not the only motive of God. All of God’s dealings with us, His children, those born again by faith in Jesus Christ, are in love. We understand this. We do not plum the depths of it or fully understand His love, but we understand love better then we understand glory.
Whatever is taking place in your life, believer, is in love from God. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that there is no more condemnation from God for His condemnation was completely satisfied in Jesus on the cross for you, in your place. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that God looks at you (even in your sin and weakness and inconsistency) and loves you even as He loves Jesus. All of God’s ways are in love towards you. Now we may not understand the depths of how this is but we can grasp it if we will look to the cross of Jesus and His sacrificial life and death in your place.
You look at Jesus and you see the love of God for you even when you were an enemy lost in sin, and there, in Jesus, on that cross, you see the guarantee that God loves you. God loved you when you were an enemy but now He calls you son. His ways are love towards you always. He does not ever look at you apart from His Son, or He never looks at you without looking through the lenses of Jesus.
God might bring great hardship and difficulty and pain into your life but it is in His love for you that He does, and it is to His glory to do so, which is what I really want to say and for you to hear. God glorifies His name in loving you. I can hardly say that calmly without holding back tears because of the joy that erupts within me. God glorifies His name in loving you! Think of this but for a moment, God seeks to glorify His name mightily and He always achieves what He seeks and He has chosen to mightily glorify His name by loving you. He works to love you mightily that His glory would increase in your life. This seems to be one of the greatest things I have understood and only pray that it might penetrate your heart as well. How do I word this that you may see as I see, feel it as I feel it…
I am more confident of God’s love over me because I understand His love will glorify His name if His love is lavished on me immeasurably. He has already shown how amazing His love is by sending Jesus to live and die and rise in my place when I was an enemy and that glorifies His name, but now, oh the joy, I am His son accepted and looked upon even as Jesus is looked upon and now too, He will love me to the increase of His glory. I know that God’s love upon me is to glorify His name mightily and that He always succeeds. I may not understand every circumstance or every trial but I know that God will not fail to glorify His name in pouring out His love upon me in Jesus. I hope you see this, that God’s glory is seen in loving you in Jesus lavishly.
I feel that my words have failed me in expressing this to you but I pray you would consider what has been said and rejoice that God’s glory is in loving you.
God’s highest reason, motive, for doing and willing all that is done is His glory. All that is transpiring in your life right now, good or bad, easy or hard, joy or sorrow is for His glory. What we see unfolding around the world, the events taking place, even the most heinous and wicked, even the most wonderful and beautiful are to His glory. This is hard for us.
We don’t understand God’s glory in poverty and hunger, even starvation. We don’t understand God’s glory in the dark and lonely hours of our lives. We don’t understand God’s glory when we can’t pay our bills and next months rent is already due. We don’t understand God’s glory when our children are sick, or dying. We don’t understand God’s glory when our marriages are falling apart. But we don’t really understand God’s glory even when all is well. We may enjoy the thought of the glory of God when life is good and rejoicing and happiness are easier but is it really God’s glory that we are enjoying or just the comfort and ease of life. I tend to think the latter.
All that is unfolding around us is for the glory of God, the reason the “good” things in life seem to glorify Him more and the “bad” things in life tend to glorify Him less is just because of our inability to see and understand His glory now. This will change, I have thought about this in other posts (happy? and memories).
But this is not all there is for us. Though all of God’s ways are for His glory, glory is not the only motive of God. All of God’s dealings with us, His children, those born again by faith in Jesus Christ, are in love. We understand this. We do not plum the depths of it or fully understand His love, but we understand love better then we understand glory.
Whatever is taking place in your life, believer, is in love from God. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that there is no more condemnation from God for His condemnation was completely satisfied in Jesus on the cross for you, in your place. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that God looks at you (even in your sin and weakness and inconsistency) and loves you even as He loves Jesus. All of God’s ways are in love towards you. Now we may not understand the depths of how this is but we can grasp it if we will look to the cross of Jesus and His sacrificial life and death in your place.
You look at Jesus and you see the love of God for you even when you were an enemy lost in sin, and there, in Jesus, on that cross, you see the guarantee that God loves you. God loved you when you were an enemy but now He calls you son. His ways are love towards you always. He does not ever look at you apart from His Son, or He never looks at you without looking through the lenses of Jesus.
God might bring great hardship and difficulty and pain into your life but it is in His love for you that He does, and it is to His glory to do so, which is what I really want to say and for you to hear. God glorifies His name in loving you. I can hardly say that calmly without holding back tears because of the joy that erupts within me. God glorifies His name in loving you! Think of this but for a moment, God seeks to glorify His name mightily and He always achieves what He seeks and He has chosen to mightily glorify His name by loving you. He works to love you mightily that His glory would increase in your life. This seems to be one of the greatest things I have understood and only pray that it might penetrate your heart as well. How do I word this that you may see as I see, feel it as I feel it…
I am more confident of God’s love over me because I understand His love will glorify His name if His love is lavished on me immeasurably. He has already shown how amazing His love is by sending Jesus to live and die and rise in my place when I was an enemy and that glorifies His name, but now, oh the joy, I am His son accepted and looked upon even as Jesus is looked upon and now too, He will love me to the increase of His glory. I know that God’s love upon me is to glorify His name mightily and that He always succeeds. I may not understand every circumstance or every trial but I know that God will not fail to glorify His name in pouring out His love upon me in Jesus. I hope you see this, that God’s glory is seen in loving you in Jesus lavishly.
I feel that my words have failed me in expressing this to you but I pray you would consider what has been said and rejoice that God’s glory is in loving you.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
happy?
Jesus is happy. Infinitely happy. Unwaveringly happy. His happiness knows no end. That might sound a little funny, maybe even trite but the reality is God is happy. He is deeply and unshakably happy. To quote Piper, “…the glory and the grace of Jesus is that he is, and always will be, indestructibly happy.”
That carries a lot of questions doesn’t it. How can God look down at His creation and be happy with the way things are going? How can God look down at life that is so destructive and remain happy? How can God be happy with His creation that is so unhappy? Not going to answer those questions though I think there are excellent answers to those questions. What I want to do is think about the comfort we have in an always happy God.
My first comfort is this, if God is happy then He is not worried. Jesus is in control despite all of our feelings and assumptions and thoughts to the contrary. If there is one thing that the scriptures make abundantly clear it is that God is in perfect control of everything.
My second comfort is this, the God that is happy and not worried is with me. I have come to understand that God with me is the same as God for me. God is not worried about my circumstances, He is happy with them. God is not against me in my circumstances but for me. If God is not worried and He is for me then I have no need to worry either.
My third comfort is this, if God (knowing everything) is happy and not worried and for me, then everything must be going according to His plan. He is not thwart-able in His will. If His will were in jeopardy then worry would loom on the horizon, but His will is perfectly accomplished even by His enemies.
It is easy to find yourself in a mess of your own making and feel that you have blown it, but the reality is, you are in a mess of your own making and you did blow it but that this God is still for you and not worried and if you will trust Him you need not to worry or be unhappy either.
Bad marriages are from God as are disobedient children and accidental death and tsunamis and foreclosure and everything that we encounter and these things make us unhappy, but they do not trouble God or take away from His happiness and they need not take away from ours. If we would just look up into His face and into His eyes, we would see our Father reassuring us and comforting us. Saying to us, “I am not worried, I am happy, and I am for you, trust me, you need not worry and I want you to be happy.”
Do you believe that, “God wants you to be happy?” I am convinced He does, He is conforming us to the image of His Son, and His Son, Jesus, is infinitely happy. We can be happy, not falsely so, not stoically so, but genuinely so. In the face of life and death and everything in between we can be happy because we can know the One that is happy.
That carries a lot of questions doesn’t it. How can God look down at His creation and be happy with the way things are going? How can God look down at life that is so destructive and remain happy? How can God be happy with His creation that is so unhappy? Not going to answer those questions though I think there are excellent answers to those questions. What I want to do is think about the comfort we have in an always happy God.
My first comfort is this, if God is happy then He is not worried. Jesus is in control despite all of our feelings and assumptions and thoughts to the contrary. If there is one thing that the scriptures make abundantly clear it is that God is in perfect control of everything.
My second comfort is this, the God that is happy and not worried is with me. I have come to understand that God with me is the same as God for me. God is not worried about my circumstances, He is happy with them. God is not against me in my circumstances but for me. If God is not worried and He is for me then I have no need to worry either.
My third comfort is this, if God (knowing everything) is happy and not worried and for me, then everything must be going according to His plan. He is not thwart-able in His will. If His will were in jeopardy then worry would loom on the horizon, but His will is perfectly accomplished even by His enemies.
It is easy to find yourself in a mess of your own making and feel that you have blown it, but the reality is, you are in a mess of your own making and you did blow it but that this God is still for you and not worried and if you will trust Him you need not to worry or be unhappy either.
Bad marriages are from God as are disobedient children and accidental death and tsunamis and foreclosure and everything that we encounter and these things make us unhappy, but they do not trouble God or take away from His happiness and they need not take away from ours. If we would just look up into His face and into His eyes, we would see our Father reassuring us and comforting us. Saying to us, “I am not worried, I am happy, and I am for you, trust me, you need not worry and I want you to be happy.”
Do you believe that, “God wants you to be happy?” I am convinced He does, He is conforming us to the image of His Son, and His Son, Jesus, is infinitely happy. We can be happy, not falsely so, not stoically so, but genuinely so. In the face of life and death and everything in between we can be happy because we can know the One that is happy.
memories
I have been reading a book that deals with heaven and one of the points that is made is that we will have memories in heaven of this present, earthly life. This was a little surprising to me. I hadn’t really thought about it before or read anything about it before this time, but it still surprised me. I had just assumed that this current life would have no place in heaven, how could it and heaven still be heaven. There is so much pain and death and suffering here on earth. Our days are filled with trial and work and frustration and taxes and everything else that makes Monday through Friday so burdensome. It seemed to me that Heaven must be void of these memories for it to be Heaven. It is kind of like taking a vacation but all you can think about is all the work waiting for you after vacation, just the knowledge can be a stress. Just imagine if for eternity you had to endure a memory that was only pain and anguish. It would seem to take away from the bliss of Heaven. But, my thinking is changed now, or not changed but more enlightened. As I said, I really hadn’t studied or thought about the matter much till now so it is not like I had a firm grasp on anything. My thinking now is grounded scripturally, and because of it I am persuaded that we will have our memories in Heaven and not only will we have them but they will all be glorious.
I am not going to go into all the reasons and scriptures supporting this. I will give one scripture and one reason. The scripture: Rev 5:9-10, this is the song of the redeemed. The reason: For the redeemed to sing of their redemption would be to remember that they were redeemed. If we were blank slates in heaven then everything that transpired, namely the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, would hold no real value. There are more reasons based off scripture but those two are enough.
They will be glorious memories. When I think about memories I don’t think of my own, I think of our foster children. I have no horrible memories, some sad or disappointing or painful but nothing traumatic. These children have experienced violence and pain and abuse and atrocities beyond words. They have the memories and the scars. They have the physical and mental damage evidencing to them everyday what they went through. They may want to forget but not be able to, but in Heaven, they will not want to forget. That is not easy to say, and I do not say it lightly. It is heavy and hard and difficult to fathom but I am convinced it is true; and that it is good. How?
Every moment of our lives, from conception through death is governed by the sovereign hand of God. How we were born, when we were born, to whom we were born. We did not create ourselves or choose where to be, but we were placed by God and for a glorious reason.
Everyone in Heaven has been redeemed by Jesus. That is the only people that will be in Heaven, those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior. Only those that repent of sin and turn to Jesus will inherit eternal life. And all that trust Jesus in this life have the promises of Jesus fulfilled for them, including the promise that everything works together for good to those that love God and have been called according to His purpose.
We have a hard time seeing how everything will work for good, but an all-wise, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God doesn’t. We may not be able to see the good that it has worked in this life but we will in the next and we will for all of eternity.
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” If we will have memories, which I am convinced we will and there will be no more pain, then the two must be reconciled and the reconciliation I see is glorious. Think, a day is coming when that which was intolerable and painful will appear good and right and worthy to be rejoiced in. Think, a day is coming when your greatest pain will be exposed for the glory working experience it was. Think, a day is coming when what seems so heavy and hard now will appear in its final state of good. Think of a day, when you can look back over your life, redeemed by Christ, and rejoice at His…sovereign; yes, sovereign, but loving hand guiding you into everything that you encountered, and in that day, it is seen for what it was, a stepping stone to good and a momentary affliction working for you are far greater weight of glory. For I do not consider our present circumstances and trials worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed to us and in us.
That rejoices my soul and steadies my life upon Jesus. Now, in the midst of your pain, you can rejoice to know that in Jesus, you will see the good and glory of even your greatest tragedy. You may not understand it now but you will be able to rejoice in it for eternity. Lord, open our eyes to see as you see, and to recognize a loving sovereign hand.
I am not going to go into all the reasons and scriptures supporting this. I will give one scripture and one reason. The scripture: Rev 5:9-10, this is the song of the redeemed. The reason: For the redeemed to sing of their redemption would be to remember that they were redeemed. If we were blank slates in heaven then everything that transpired, namely the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, would hold no real value. There are more reasons based off scripture but those two are enough.
They will be glorious memories. When I think about memories I don’t think of my own, I think of our foster children. I have no horrible memories, some sad or disappointing or painful but nothing traumatic. These children have experienced violence and pain and abuse and atrocities beyond words. They have the memories and the scars. They have the physical and mental damage evidencing to them everyday what they went through. They may want to forget but not be able to, but in Heaven, they will not want to forget. That is not easy to say, and I do not say it lightly. It is heavy and hard and difficult to fathom but I am convinced it is true; and that it is good. How?
Every moment of our lives, from conception through death is governed by the sovereign hand of God. How we were born, when we were born, to whom we were born. We did not create ourselves or choose where to be, but we were placed by God and for a glorious reason.
Everyone in Heaven has been redeemed by Jesus. That is the only people that will be in Heaven, those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior. Only those that repent of sin and turn to Jesus will inherit eternal life. And all that trust Jesus in this life have the promises of Jesus fulfilled for them, including the promise that everything works together for good to those that love God and have been called according to His purpose.
We have a hard time seeing how everything will work for good, but an all-wise, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God doesn’t. We may not be able to see the good that it has worked in this life but we will in the next and we will for all of eternity.
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” If we will have memories, which I am convinced we will and there will be no more pain, then the two must be reconciled and the reconciliation I see is glorious. Think, a day is coming when that which was intolerable and painful will appear good and right and worthy to be rejoiced in. Think, a day is coming when your greatest pain will be exposed for the glory working experience it was. Think, a day is coming when what seems so heavy and hard now will appear in its final state of good. Think of a day, when you can look back over your life, redeemed by Christ, and rejoice at His…sovereign; yes, sovereign, but loving hand guiding you into everything that you encountered, and in that day, it is seen for what it was, a stepping stone to good and a momentary affliction working for you are far greater weight of glory. For I do not consider our present circumstances and trials worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed to us and in us.
That rejoices my soul and steadies my life upon Jesus. Now, in the midst of your pain, you can rejoice to know that in Jesus, you will see the good and glory of even your greatest tragedy. You may not understand it now but you will be able to rejoice in it for eternity. Lord, open our eyes to see as you see, and to recognize a loving sovereign hand.
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