When Trouble Comes – And It Will

Into every life some rain must fall – – – it does, and it will even in 2023   

Into every life sorrow must come – – – it does, and will even in 2023.

No one wants pain, grief, sorrow, and difficulty, I surely don’t, but no one is immuned. Therefore, in approaching this new year, expect it and prepare for it.

My deceased friend, Jerry Clower, got news one evening that one of their children was in critical care at the hospital as a result of a bad car accident. He said as he drove to the hospital he kept praying, “Lord help me to respond like I have always encouraged others to in dire circumstances.”

When trouble comes we should accept it as the norm for everyone. We should not live with an expectant attitude, but with the realization it is part of life. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” He forewarned us.

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to.” (I Peter 4: 12)

In proposing the following response to trials, I don’t want to be too simplistic. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1: 2 – 4)

This does not mitigate the pain, but it does give it purpose.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say God won’t give us more than we can handle. That idea comes from His promise He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to respond properly.

Unfortunately there are things we can’t handle. Fortunately He will help us, actually enable us to handle them. He is able.

There is an old hymn with a line that identifies one strengthening principle. It is, “Take your burden to the Lord, and leave it there.” This requires two actions on your behalf. First, taking it to the Lord, and the second, leaving it there. 

Resolve as did Job,  “When I am tried I will come forth as gold.” We, too, need to have this optimistic outlook for the stresses that we face as this will help us triumph through the most difficult of circumstances.

Yet another song gives us constructive insight:

“I must tell Jesus all of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me, He ever loves and cares for His own.”

The path of positive perseverance leads though troubles not around them.

Another old hymn asks: “Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? No, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me!”

The hours of adversity are some of the best times to share Jesus by giving others a live action version of the Bible. A “Woe is me” attitude has never attracted anyone to Jesus. A demonstration of the fact He is able to give strength for the trial has drawn others to Jesus. Live your faith to light the way for others – – – in 2023. 

Return and Renew

Christian ethics are Christ-centered. Our ethical outlook begins with Jesus and His view of life, and controls our ethical outlook. 

It is not based on the fact we are commanded to love, but on a love that commands.  When we hold Christ as our first love, that love commands, that is controls, our world view. The Ephesus syndrome results gradually and subtly.

“Remember” is an appeal to give your head over to Christ.

“Repent” is an appeal to give your heart over to Him.

The word “repent” used here in the Greek is in the aorist tense meaning to have a complete change of mental attitude and has no emotional reference at all.  

The biblical appeal to repent is as often applied to saints out of fellowship as to sinners out of grace. 

The Greek word translated “first” is “protos.” It is a word that suggests they still love, but with a quality and intensity unlike that of their initial love. Is that you? Then now is the expedient time to repent and return to your first love. These imperatives are all part of a single command based on an appeal to remember their first love and how much their enthusiasm for Christ has waned; how much their devotion has diminished.

Might your spiritual life be pictured as ashes on a rusty altar? Such indicates there once was warmth, light, and flame, but which reveals it has been a long time since there was an act of devotion performed there.

When the Holy Spirit is allowed to grip us with a true spirit of repentance we are willing to admit having let other lords besides Him have command over us. We will admit to having left our first love and appeal to Christ to recover us.

In 1632, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan of India died. Her title was Mumtaz-i-mahal, which means “Pride of the Palace.” He loved her so much he set 20,000 workmen to work building a tomb for her in the northern city of Agra. They labored for 21 years on the palace tomb.

As work was begun on the Taj Mahal, the coffin containing the body of his beloved was placed on the spot where the temple tomb was to be constructed. Time after time it had to be moved to allow construction. Soon it got shoved aside and ignored. Shortly thereafter, building materials were scattered around it. Lost in the clutter and pushed aside, it was at some time removed with other items considered trash. When the temple tomb was completed, the body of the one in whose name it was constructed could not be found. 

Spiritually, the same thing happens in the lives of some Christians. Gradually Christ gets moved aside until at last he is lost. Then we who are the temple of the Spirit are as devoid of Him as the Taj Mahal was of the Pride of the Palace. When it happens we must repent and return to our first love, Jesus.

Occasionally this happens collectively in a church. Christ gets pushed aside and is lost in the life of the fellowship. 

The first step away is the great sin of which to repent. However cold or carnal you might have become, it could never have happened without the first small step leading away from your first love. It may have been a small beginning which you can’t even recall that has led to a great departure. That departure may be so great you aren’t even sensitive to it. That makes it all the greater. That departure may even be hard for others to detect because you still wear the uniform, you still have the external performance, the right vocabulary with the right people, but inside you know and you know Jesus knows. 

Therefore, begin at the beginning again.

Go back to the fountainhead of your love — Jesus.

Go back to the fountain of thought about your Savior’s love for you. Return.

Hiding God’s Word in Your Heart

There is a definition of a New Year’s resolution being “a to do list for the first week of January.” Their life expectancy is about one week. Well, belatedly try yet another, the regular reading of the Bible. In Latin such a program is referred to as lectio divino, meaning “divine reading.” Since antiquity doing so has been illustrated by a term used of certain animals, ruminate, meaning “to chew the cud, or turn over in the mind.” Certain animals have more than one stomach. They ingest food, chew it, swallow it, later regurgitate it, chew it again, and go through the process again. Certain animals have four stomachs with which to do this.

First, take a bite and chew it. This is equivalent to first attentively reading the Scripture. Read it slowly so that at all the time you are paying attention to what you are reading. 

The next step calls for chewing on the word, that is, meditating on it.

This requires an undisturbed place of solitude where you can contemplate on the passage giving it deep thought. Mentally dissect the passages phrase or word by word and consider how they apply to you. Make it personal.

Let your emotions come along beside your intellect and consider how it relates to you emotionally. How do you feel about it? Resolve to apply it in your daily life.

Let your own heart interpret the text at this time. This is time spent in personal comprehension of the Scripture, not a deep dive in the text. That comes later. 

A third phase for rumination is study of the Scripture. The second stage being the meditative phase now has added to meditation the study of the word using resources such as Bible commentaries. There are numerous good free commentaries on the Internet. In the search bar enter: “Bible Commentaries.”

This is time to do as instructed: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2: 16)

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119: 11) 

Don’t only ruminate on the Word as part of your initial reflection, apply it as opportunity presents itself during your busy work day. Reflect on it until it becomes your basic nature, that is, you instinctively apply it. In this way it soon becomes your “go to” conduct even without conscious thought. At that stage in your rumination you will have ingested, and assimilated it. Thus, it becomes your energizing force.

To get started practice these steps using Philippians 4: 4 – 7. 

Everything Is Going to Be Alright, Nuh-Uh

“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” is a song by the German group Sweetbox. The song is based on Suite No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a catchy tune, but everything isn’t gonna be alright. However, you can be.

You will never be carefree. No one, absolutely no one, has ever been. Therefore don’t resent it not being. Expect it and deal with it.

There has never been a more cautionary statement than this by Jesus spoken to His beleaguered disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33) For good reason it sounds like our world.

There was purpose in the statement: “that in Me you may have peace.” The operative word is “peace.”

There was a warning: “in the world you will have tribulation.”

There is a challenge: “be of good cheer.”

There is a reason for good cheer: “I have overcome the world.”

There are two wonderful possibilities: you may have peace and good cheer.

You can share Paul’s confidence as when his life was threatened he wrote: 

“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1: 20)

He got it. Followers of Jesus live in a no lose position. It is confidence, based on the belief death is the end . . . . the front end of glory.

With the optimum care for holy boldness can be exercised in living large and attention given it with pluck. Though life is very good at robbing us of our hope, it does not have to be allowed to do so. However, God’s promise today is no less true than when first penned: “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Now, that is an unqualified commitment. If you believe it, rely on it.

A popular bumper sticker reads: “KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE. NO GOD, NO PEACE.”

Much is said about problems being caused because of difficulty with the supply chain. There is no problem with God’s supply chain. He is always in time, on time, every time. A word of caution, God’s clock and ours is not always synchronized, and we operate on His time. 

Jesus offers us peace that “passes all human understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) This peace is a “fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22), “not a fruit of culture.” That’s why God’s peace is never diminished. If it is not diminished that means there is a supply of it right now for you. Things aren’t always good, God is always good.

Remember Your First Love

Revelation 2: 1 – 5 

Perhaps Satan’s most insidious tool is masked behind the façade of success. When he cannot deceive us, divide us, or daunt us, what he will often do is divert us. He allows us to be successful when we get our eyes off Jesus and on other items or objects. He gets us away from our first love, the love we had first, and foremost. He uses good things to get our eyes off the one truly good thing, Jesus.

Jesus loves you. Do you love Him more today than at any time in your life?

If you have never trusted Him as your Savior, today is a matchless time to turn in trust and thrust yourself dependently upon Him with reliance for His grace in time and for eternity.

If you are a Christian and you cannot honestly say you are closer to Him than ever in your life, you have backslidden. Today is a marvelous time to return and renew your devotion.

Do you remember when the very citizenship of your soul changed kingdoms?  Remember the pure, almost sacred, feelings you had when you came to Jesus?  The paradise of first love is a germ that needs to be cultured and allowed to grow. The emotion may fade, but the relationship can and must grow in intimacy. Our emotions, that is our feelings change, as they must, but the confident relationship must grow.

As we grow spiritually, feelings may change, but facts don’t.

Sentiment must be stabilized by study.

Ecstasy must be embraced by experience.

Passion must be predicated on principles.

Persons don’t take giant steps away from Jesus. Their devotion most often deteriorates imperceptibly.  A flower dies so slowly that from moment to moment the decaying process is not noticeable. However, after a few days the difference is distinct.

Forgetfulness of our first love usually begins with a few slight indulgences that you formerly would not have tolerated. A casual brief venture into enemy territory may result in alienation from your first love. This often happens because of attraction by good things that absorbs our devotion more than our involvement in Him. Sometimes it is an evil thing. Often it is a good thing given gradual devotion. It might even be a thing as good as Bible study. It may be form rather than faith in worship.

If your zeal has waned or even if you are in fellowship sing to yourself:

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. See on the portals He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, yea who are weary come home, come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling oh sinner come home.”