Strange Week

Hubby has an immune system disorder tells us to avoid crowds. However my vehicle was rear-ended NewYear's Eve on a very icy street and he had to go to a crowded office involving that. Someone in that room had an unwanted germ or virus and he came home with it. He is still coughing. This nasty visitor waited until Tuesday to invade me.

The strange part is the therefore. For two nights, I had vivid dreams involving verses I remembered with that word in them. I did not remember much when waking up, yet these dreams were like like having devotions without opening my Bible.

I'm not feeling well, better in the morning. A friend brought over a huge pot of soup this afternoon. This is God caring for me. I thought of these verses:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2) 

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. . . (1 Peter 4:1) 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (1 Peter 5:6)

Jesus endured far more than this and all those dreams reminded me that whether God is chastening me or has other reasons for this, He loves me and asks me to endure -- without grumbling or resenting His plan 

PRAY: I felt good this morning and dreadful this afternoon, but You set Your joy before me and I am grateful.

 

 

God does not make identical cookies . . .

My mother left me a box full of letters. They are a novelty in these days of texting and other means of communication, but a precious record of life when she was alive. Some of them have dates but a few are not dated. With a bit of work, I can use the content to figure out the approximate times those undated letters were written. For instance, if they mention that a certain child was just born, the year is easy to find. If they mention some world event, that is also easy to find.

Dating the books of the New Testament is done that way. I’m not sure how many scholars decided James is likely the earliest book of the New Testament, written about A.D. 45, but most of the other books/letters are easy to date.

For instance, the content gives clues to 1 and 2 Thessalonians by mentioning they were written from Corinth before or during the time of Gallio which would mean A.D. 50 or 51. Galatians could have been written as early as A.D. 47/48. These books show struggles with faith issues such as the place of good works in the life of Christians and the return of Christ.

Some of the writings from John the apostle are considered the last of the books to be written. Tradition and indications in the books themselves reflect problems the Church faced near the end of the first century. John deals with the identity of Jesus Christ as well as salvation issues including how a person can know if they are a child of God.

How important is the order in which the NT was written? I’m not sure. In its present form, it is not in chronological order, which does hint at a major truth concerning my Christian experience. That is, how I or anyone else grows as a Christian is not in a tidy ‘step one, step two, step three’ sequence. This is important when I start comparing my progress to others, when I realize new Christians have a better handle on certain virtues than I do, or when God shows me something that I should have realized years ago. The Christian life if not that orderly. God brings truth to me in the sequence and time that He knows is right for me. I might take years to learn what others understand quickly or I might get it right away but others fail to grasp what I already know.

For instance, the Christians in Thessalonica were quick to get it . . .

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

On the other hand, the Christians in Corinth were slower to respond to truth as they struggled with their problems . . .

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:1–3)

And the church in Galatia struggled with a different problem:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6–7)

Being a Christian and growing is faith is not a cookie-cutter process. I might have one problem that disappears as soon as it is confessed while another person struggles with a similar issue for a long time. The reverse is also true. No wonder God tells us to stop comparing ourselves with one another, but to keep our eyes on the goal:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

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Lord Jesus, it is easy to use others as a measuring stick for my spiritual life, but that leads either to pride or self-pity. Instead, enable me to keep my eyes on You, reading Your Word for what You want to say to me, that I might be obedient and become more like You.

God's Basic Premise

Some preach a ‘prosperity’ gospel telling people that all their troubles will be over when they give their lives to God through faith in Jesus Christ. That would be lovely, but it is not true. Scripture does not back it up. The story of Job verifies that even the most faithful believers can experience deep troubles. Verses like the following also show that Christians face various trials. Not only that, God uses those trials to test and mature our faith!

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4)

Humanly speaking, most people tend to base their happiness and sense of well-being on external circumstances. People are happy if they have a good job, or a good day at work, or if their children are well behaved. Even those who suffer setbacks will say as long as they have their health, they are happy.

Job lost everything, including his health. He complained about his situation and about the unfair accusations of his friends. He was frustrated with the silence of God yet even could say:

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10)

The basic premise is that eternal matters are God’s priority and He is far more concerned with my character than my comfort. He is teaching me to trust in Him only; He is the source of my well-being. In fact, the Holy Spirit can give joy no matter what is going on in my life.

One way I know is that the joy Jesus had did not depend on His circumstances. The Word of God points out that could face the cross and the horrible death of crucifixion without losing joy:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)

Even on that awful day when He bore the sin of the world, my sin included, He looked at the shame of it with contempt and was instead focused on the joy that was His because He fully trusted His Father.

David also knew where his joy came from . . . 

 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

D. L. Moody quoted a friend who told him, “The world has yet to see what God can do to a man who is fully committed to Him.” Certainly a big part of what could be seen is that incredible joy, regardless of all that a fully committed person would face.

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Lord, there have been times when You eclipsed my trials with joy — giving me a glimpse of that fullness of joy that David knew regardless of the stress he was under. In today’s devotional, Tozer says we often allow trifling and minor incidents to disturb our fellowship with You. I cannot control Your flow of joy but I can say NO to all that blocks it. Perhaps the biggest is wanting to be happy all the time in that worldly sense where nothing is going wrong and I’m totally comfortable. Instead, grant me the grace to accept Your baseline and abound in joy even as affliction and trials come my way. 

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Today is 9/11. Those who survived experience nightmares still and have memories that haunt them continually. I spent much of today praying for God to give them peace. 

Eternity on my mind

Because of the mind of Christ, those days that are difficult, those times that seem hopeless, and this life that is so fleeting do not bother me, at least as long as I allow His mind to rule my thinking. Jesus has an eternal perspective and is happy to share it with His children. That is, when this life turned against Him, He had His mind on something else and therefore could say, “Not my will but Thine be done.”

The secret of thinking that way is in looking to eternity. The Bible tells me to “run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despised the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2, personalized)

The older I get, the more excited I am at the thought of eternity with God be. However, even without the aging process and the inevitability of dying, there have been tough times where God showed me that having Jesus living in me was a treasure beyond compare. How else could I stay calm in threats to my family? How else could I endure physical pain and close calls to health? How else could I not worry when life became hopeless and I was helpless? It is Jesus, my treasure, who gives victory . . .

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh . . .” (2 Corinthians 4:7–12)

Knowing Jesus and trusting Him means “knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” When I die, I will live forever with God. I will also share that joy that enabled Jesus to endure the cross. With this secure, then all else is bearable, even seems a small thing. Because of Jesus, life is as the rest of this passage says . . .

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

This is not a pie-in-the-sky faith, nor is it a form of defeatism. It is not an excuse to be uninvolved in life. Rather, having this treasure means death not my enemy, and life is an amazing adventure where I can confidently give it my all knowing that He is with me. Even on those days where my confidence lapses or I worry instead of pray, I still have that deep sense of hope and joy, not because of me, but because of this amazing treasure that lives within.