October 15th, 2019
Remain (as long as you can).
Anyone doing a great work will occasionally feel like quitting. It is almost always too soon to quit. When you feel lost, stay where you are, your Father will find you. As Paul said to Timothy, who wanted to leave his post in Ephesus, "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine." (1 Tim. 1:3). James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (The Message)
Remember (as much as you can).
When we are under stress, it is easy to forget the most basic biblical truths. Life is hard because the world is not the way it's supposed to be. The shalom of God has been rejected and because of that, no good deed goes unpunished. When we are tempted to ask the question, "why" we must remember that God is too good to ever be unkind and too wise to ever make a mistake. Tell yourself, "Nothing touches me that does not first pass through the hands of a sovereign, loving God.
Rest (as well as you can).
God modeled for us Shabbat or the Sabbath. After He created the world and everything in it, He rested. He didn't rest because He was tired. He rested because he was finished. Properly understood, Shabbat should contain a note of celebration as we look back over all we have accomplished and give thanks.
Relate (as deeply as you can).
The Gospel according to Isaiah presents "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." We know this man to be Jesus. His prayer in the Garden, "Father, if there is any way, let this cup pass from me." The silence of the Father indicates that there was no other way to save the world than through an agonizingly painful crucifixion. This thought leads to Paul's ambition "to know Him, and the power of His resurrection AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING." (Phil. 3:10). To truly know Jesus, we must experience what Jesus experienced.
Resist (as fiercely as you can).
There is no growth without resistance. An athlete does not increase physical strength without resistance exercises. In a similar way, a Christian does not increase spiritual strength without resistance. Even in the world of viticulture, winemakers "stress" the grapes for a better product. They intentionally withhold water from the grapes so that their roots are forced deeper into the soil which produces a sturdier and more fruitful vine. Don't seek suffering (suffering has a way of finding us all by itself). but seek the Lord in the midst of suffering and resist the evil one. The promise in James 4:7 is, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
- Gary
Anyone doing a great work will occasionally feel like quitting. It is almost always too soon to quit. When you feel lost, stay where you are, your Father will find you. As Paul said to Timothy, who wanted to leave his post in Ephesus, "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine." (1 Tim. 1:3). James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (The Message)
Remember (as much as you can).
When we are under stress, it is easy to forget the most basic biblical truths. Life is hard because the world is not the way it's supposed to be. The shalom of God has been rejected and because of that, no good deed goes unpunished. When we are tempted to ask the question, "why" we must remember that God is too good to ever be unkind and too wise to ever make a mistake. Tell yourself, "Nothing touches me that does not first pass through the hands of a sovereign, loving God.
Rest (as well as you can).
God modeled for us Shabbat or the Sabbath. After He created the world and everything in it, He rested. He didn't rest because He was tired. He rested because he was finished. Properly understood, Shabbat should contain a note of celebration as we look back over all we have accomplished and give thanks.
Relate (as deeply as you can).
The Gospel according to Isaiah presents "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." We know this man to be Jesus. His prayer in the Garden, "Father, if there is any way, let this cup pass from me." The silence of the Father indicates that there was no other way to save the world than through an agonizingly painful crucifixion. This thought leads to Paul's ambition "to know Him, and the power of His resurrection AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING." (Phil. 3:10). To truly know Jesus, we must experience what Jesus experienced.
Resist (as fiercely as you can).
There is no growth without resistance. An athlete does not increase physical strength without resistance exercises. In a similar way, a Christian does not increase spiritual strength without resistance. Even in the world of viticulture, winemakers "stress" the grapes for a better product. They intentionally withhold water from the grapes so that their roots are forced deeper into the soil which produces a sturdier and more fruitful vine. Don't seek suffering (suffering has a way of finding us all by itself). but seek the Lord in the midst of suffering and resist the evil one. The promise in James 4:7 is, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
- Gary
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