PETER’S CALL TO SUFFERING

“But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” Notice Peter’s main point in this passage: “For to this, IE., suffering, you were called.” The Apostle Paul said it this way: “No one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.” The word “afflictions” is translated from the Greek thlipsis and literally means to crush, being also translated difficulties, trouble, adversity, distress, hardship, anguish, suffering, tribulation, and the like. The writer of Hebrews defines thlipsis as “a great conflict of suffering”, and in scripture thlipse encompasses ill health, poverty, the loss of loved ones, and all the perils, hardships, and persecution that can accompany one’s profession in Christ. And, suffering must be endured… patiently, if it is to be commendable to God.

“For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil … Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good.” It is better to suffer unjustly for doing good than to suffer justly for doing wrong. Saints are appointed to suffering, and Christ is our example. And yes… our suffering as a saint can be the will of God.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

Since Christ suffered in the flesh for you and me, we should arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose by patiently suffering rather than fail to please God. And here is a golden nugget of revelation: For whoever has suffered in the flesh, having the mind of Christ, is done with intentional sin – has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God. This means we no longer spend the rest of our natural life living by our human appetites and desires… Self, but we live for what God wills! Saints, suffering changes us, enabling us to become Christlike and obedient to God’s will.

Hear the words of the Apostle Paul from the Amplified Bible: “Moreover, let us also be full of joy now! let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (IE., Christlikeness), approved faith and tried integrity. And character of this sort produces the habit of joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.” Suffering produces Godly character, the nature of Christ within.

Peter said suffering is experienced by the whole Christian brotherhood, and that God would, “after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” Suffering has a divine purpose, our perfection, to establish us, strengthen us, and settle us.

Hear the words of James the brother of our Lord: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience … that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The goal of suffering is our perfection, Christlikeness, that we may be completely free of spiritual imperfections, lacking nothing in the spiritual realm.

SUFFERING… COUNT IT ALL JOY

(1 Peter 2:20-21, 3:17, 4:1-2, 19, 5:9-10; 1 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 10:32-33; James 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)

GIVING TO GOD

So what’s the deal with “tithing”? The word tithe simply means “one-tenth part.” Under the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, the Israelites were required to give three different tithes, totaling a little over 23 percent of their income. The first tithe was 10 percent of all of their possessions (Lev. 27:30–33; Num. 18:20–21), which was given to the Levites for Temple Ministry. A second tithe was taken from whatever produce was left after the first tithe was given. Jewish interpreters consider this to be a second tithe for feasts and sacrifices (Deut. 12:17–18; Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:21). Finally, a tithe was given once every three years to support the poor (Deut. 14:28–29). On top of these tithes were the voluntary freewill offerings given out of their own will and desire above and beyond their normal tithes (Ex. 35:29; Lev. 22:23; Ezra 3:5). 

When it comes to the New Testament teaching on giving, we must realize that the Mosaic Law no longer binds us. This leads us to the question, “Should we still give according to the Old Testament system, or are we able to give less or even more?” 

Concerning this, Paul wrote, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6–8). 

As Christians who are no longer under the Law, we give because of the grace that God has given us. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul commends the believers in Macedonia for what is often referred to as “grace giving.” Paul describes the qualities of this benevolence as being generous (2 Cor. 8:2), willful (2 Cor. 8:3), directed by God (2 Cor. 8:5), shared (2 Cor. 8:6), active (2 Cor. 8:7), and motivated by love (2 Cor. 8:8). This kind of giving should not be done out of a “legalistic” mentality, but as the Lord leads you to give (2 Cor. 8:8). 

In the Old Testament tithing system God set a standard for giving. Under the New Covenant of Grace God allows us, individually, to set our own standard of giving. We are not under compulsion to give; rather, we should give cheerfully and prayerfully as the Holy Spirit leads us. In a sense giving measures both our love for God and our level of spiritual maturity as we align our heart more and more with the heart of God through spiritual growth. Most importantly, giving to God is an act of worship, and God is seeking worshipers!

GIVING: A MATTER OF THE HEART

“CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART”

“My brothers and sisters in Christ, boast and rejoice when you are surrounded by trials, afflictions and hardships, knowing these pressures of life, which test your faith in God, produce God’s patience. And God’s patience produces Godly character and Godly character produces hope in God. And God’s hope graces us, because the love of God is lavishly poured to overflowing in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. So let God’s patience completely finish its objective, that you will be perfect... spiritually mature, completely whole in mind, body and spirit, never wanting anything.” (Rom. 5:3-5 sandwiched into James 1:2-4, John’s Translation)

These passages carry the same context and word usage, and develop one of the Apostle Paul’s favorite themes, the saint’s conformation... transformation, into the nature of Christ. Notice the progression produced by the Pressures of Life: *Patience, *Godly Character, *Hope, *Love. Godly Character is the character, virtues, values, and attitude of our Lord, His nature living in us as our nature. Jesus commanded His disciples, “You shall be perfect”, speaking of a progressive process of transformation that would grow them into perfection… complete maturity… godliness, “Just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Jesus set the standard of our “perfection” – Christlikeness, and Paul defined the process – the pressures of life.

Jesus said “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life”, Paul said we would have need of endurance, and James, the brother of Jesus said to “Count it all joy” when we encounter life changing trials and tests of faith. And yes these “difficulties” will produce a great need for patient endurance.

Submission to the Lordship of Christ and death to Self, our carnal fleshly nature, are the instruments of this heart surgery, our life in this world is the operating room. Our transformation is the number one item on God’s agenda, and He will not relent until the nature of Christ is formed in us… For we are “predestined to be conformed (IE., transformed) to the image (IE., nature) of His Son, that He (IE., Christ) might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

“AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD,

BUT BE TRANSFORMED

BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND.”

(Matt. 5:48, 7:14; Rom. 8:29, 5:3-5, 12:2; James 1:2-4; Heb. 10:6)

REST... PEACE... PATIENCE, AND GOD’S PLAN

If “The Way” stretches before us for ten thousand miles like a timeline, God will show us the next two inches and expect our faith and trust as we inch our way along. This is hard on our flesh… hard on our faith; He knows it and we need it. Faith only becomes a personal possession through trials and tests, the works which challenge, stretch, and purify dead faith into living faith. Remember, “Faith without works is dead.”

Entering the rest of God is apprehending and accessing His peace, the peace that passes our understanding – the peace that is better than knowing why. To apprehend is to know and understand that God has made provisions for our peace through His commands to be content, rejoice, and give thanks in all things, “For this is the will of God for you.” To access... enter, His peace is to put these precepts into practice by the setting of our mind on things above. This “putting into practice” is, of course, an act of living faith. There will be a battle, for our carnal fleshly nature, Self, wants to know “why”, wants to maintain control, wants to make all the decisions, and will keep us bogged down in the mire of life in the thorn bushes if we let him. Patience, which we all need, is endurance under pressure, and is the product of God’s peace, not vice versa: We have patience because we are at peace. Hearts willfully content, rejoicing hearts that offer up a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving – disregarding the circumstances of life – obedient trusting hearts… these hearts find the peace of God. So my prayer is that we will enter God’s rest finding His peace and thereby profiting from a patient heart that lives in the now and leaves the future to God. Amen, So Be It!

We all have need of patience and peace as we live out God’s unique plan for each of us. Joseph spent 22 years in holes, chains, and prisons before stepping into God’s plan. But since the 22 years no doubt prepared him for how God would use him, it was in reality all God’s plan – God doesn’t waste time, He owns time. We will, at times find ourselves in a different place than we expected, but our ever-present Lord is not the least bit surprised or worried. Saints, we should not look at adversity and affliction, the unexpected chunk-holes of life, as a waste, for it is God who works in us, willing and doing of His good pleasure, turning our bad into His purposeful good. As we rejoice and give thanks in all things – bad is a thing – we will enter the rest and peace of God and find the patience to patiently trust God to turn our bad into His good. Our trials and tests are, ultimately, valuable preparation for the “righteous works” God has prepared for each of us, and prepare us for our adoption into the royal family.

“FOR YOU HAVE NEED OF ENDURANCE

(IE., PATIENCE UNDER PRESSURE),

SO THAT AFTER YOU HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD,

YOU MAY RECEIVE THE PROMISE.”

(Heb. 4:1-10; 1 Thess. 5:18; Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5; Col.3:2; Heb. 10:36; Rom. 8:28; Phil. 2:13; James 2:20)

FEAR OF THE LORD

Twenty eight times scripture uses the phrase “The fear of the Lord”, and multiplied other passages address this precept. In both the Hebrew and Greek testaments to “fear” God carries a strong sense of reverence, respect, and honor. But fear is more than this. Fear is a special motivation to be obedient – a call to obedience – that “the fear of Him might be before you, that you may not sin.” Jesus admonished: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body … But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him”! We do not fear those whose judgment is merely physical and temporal, we fear God whose judgment is final and eternal. Fear of God is an essential part of faith for our belief in God is based on our knowledge of God – who and what He is – which in and of itself produces fear. The natural response when the finite comes face to face with the infinite is fear: Awe and apprehension of the unknown – what the all seeing, all knowing, ever present, all powerful God might do… trembling in His presence. Mature faith must include a healthy dose of fear – we are talking about the God who lives in unapproachable light – but faith itself rules out anxiety of any sort, producing ultimate trust in its place. Fearing God involves trust, not terror, and promotes confidence. Fear of God becomes a refuge, a shelter from the storms of life. Fear, along with holiness and prayer, is the basic impetus for Christian activity.

Fear is more than an attitude, it is observance of God’s ways and doing what we know pleases Him, for true fear is a response to God’s commandments. As the Apostle Paul said relative to his need to obey God’s will for him: “For necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel”! The Greek word anagke is translated “necessity” here and means compelling force as opposed to willingness. And, “woe” is translate from the Greek ouai and means an exclamation of condemnation. Paul clearly seen fear of the Lord as a special motivation to be obedient and avoid displeasing God, for “the Lord will judge His people … it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Scripture states the fear of the Lord is a treasure of knowledge and wisdom, bringing obedience to His commandments and understanding, as the Spirit of the Lord rests upon those who fear Him. It is wise to fear the one who holds our breath in His hands. To do otherwise is foolish and can lead to a casual disregard of God – a taking of the divine for granted. You see, fear of God is synonymous with the worship of God. It is most unwise to give little attention to our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to underestimate the value of our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to fail to appreciate our loving Daddy. And… It never hurts to sometimes call Him Sir!

“THE FEAR OF THE LORD... IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM”

(Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Pr. 1:7, 9:10; Is. 11:12, 33:6; Ex. 20:20; Dan. 5:23; Lk. 12:4-5; Acts 9:31; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:16; Heb. 10:31)

 

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Worship is one of those activities that can be, or become, form without substance, so it is important saints understand what worship as a biblical term, means. Worship is used in the Bible eighty-nine times translated from the Hebrew word shachah (54) and the Greek word proskuneo (35) which have equivalent meanings. Proskuneo is derived from two Greek words, “pro” which means “To” and “kuneo” which means “Kiss”, To Kiss. There were several senses associated with the evolution of proskuneo’s meaning over time including, reverence, homage, adore, to prostrate or kneel with forehead to the floor. Proskuneo’s literal meaning at the time of the writing of the New Testament was to kneel or prostrate oneself while throwing kisses at the same time. Proskuneo is a concrete term, used only of a divine object, and demands visible majesty, being most effective in the presence of God. As containers – temple vessels of the living God – we are, effectively, in His presence 24/7 since He dwells within us. We are never forsaken and never alone. We really should act like we believe this.

The English word “worship” (from the old English “weorthscipe”) is derived from the word “worth” which means “value” and the native English suffix “-ship” which means “condition.” “Worship” asks the question, “What is the condition of value” or, put simply, worship ascribes or declares value on its object. Worship is the willful submission of our body (position) and our soul and spirit (attitude) to a loving God, bring Him worth and openly declaring His value! And, true worship is in Spirit, the product of God the Holy Spirit revealing God the Son in us: As we allow the Spirit’s progressive revelation of Jesus Christ within we become what we behold – changed in degrees of God’s glory – we become Christlike, a pure act of worship! This conformation of our nature into the nature of Christ is the Holy Spirit glorifing God the Father through us. We can worship God at all times and in all places because worship is first and foremost an attitude of the heart captivated by God and ruled by His Spirit – worship in Spirit and in truth. The lifeblood of a saint is worship for everything we do as a Christian practicing our faith is worship… everything! Our life, when focused on things above, becomes a love song we sing in the spirit realm to our loving Savior every moment of every day. A fully submitted life, walking in the Spirit, declares the value we place on the object of our worship: Declares our position of prostration. Declares our attitude of throwing kisses to the one we adore. We all understand worship as a physical act, and yes we may humble ourselves in prostration and we may throw kisses to the Great Lover of our soul. But ultimately worship should become our life – our life become our worship – a love song of 24/7 devotion to our ever present Daddy, His ever present Spirit, and His ever present Son… our Lord and Savior!

DECLARING OUR SAVIOR’S VALUE

MONOSCOPIC ORIENTATION

The Apostle Paul said “For whom He (IE., God) foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image (IE., nature) of His Son, that He (IE., Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God’s plan from the get-go has been that all who come into covenant relationship with Him will be transformed… take on the character, virtue, values, and attitude of His Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit has been given this essential task, “for it is God (IE., the Holy Spirit) who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The Apostle John called our transformation into christlikeness the perfection of Christ’s agape love in our heart: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Scripture uses the Greek adelphos, translated “brethren” in this passage, 160 times to refer to a spiritual brotherhood of believers, a fellowship of love based on identity of origin and unity of faith, a community of life which God calls His family. “As He (IE., Jesus) is” refers to His nature, and “so are we” indicates His nature should become our nature, “in this world.” Saints, our “Salt” and “Light” is the nature of Christ which we convey to the world in our daily life, for “as He is, so are we in the world.” We reflect the nature of our Firstborn Brother to the world!

The renewing of the mind is a basic ingredient in the saint’s transformation into Christlikeness, for our mind must be made new again, relieved of its attachments and desires for the world and refocused on things above. It is important, therefore, to understand two characteristics of our fallen human nature which greatly affect the Holy Spirit’s work in our heart. First, we humans tend to be monocular – of single vision. Our “monoscopic” orientation causes whatever we focus on to become principle and dominate our life, enhancing our vulnerability to addictive behavior. Secondly, we are very Self-centered, to the point of narcissism. The two great opposing forces vying for control of man’s mind and heart are the power of God’s agape love and the power of man’s monocular Self-centeredness. Most of our time is spent in making sure our “Self” is very well cared for. Coupling these two characteristics, monoscopic Self-centeredness, produces the proverbial worst case scenario: A Self-centered life with a mind singularly focused on that which appeases and gratifies Self, our carnal fleshly nature, to the exclusion of all else. This is why the “lust of the flesh”, “lust of the eyes”, and “pride of life” worked so well on Eve and works so well on us. This is why – as demonstrated in the Sower Parable -- “the desire for other (IE., nonspiritual) things”, “the cares of this world”, “the deceitfulness of riches”, and “the pleasures of life” will choke – literally overpower and suffocate – our spiritual life, leaving us in bondage to the powers of darkness with an empty “Christian” profession. It is essential we understand and deal with these two aspects of our nature as saints of God pursuing the Mind of Christ: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus … Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Mental renewal can only be accessed through the death of Self enabling Christ-centeredness, and a setting of our monocular vision on “things above.”

WE BECOME “BRETHREN” AS WE BECOME CHRISTLIKE

(Note: the Sower Parable must be read in all three passages to get the full meaning: Matt. 13:3-9, 18-23; Mk. 4:3-9, 14-20; Lk. 8:5-8, 11-15; Phil. 2:5, Rom. 8:29;Phil. 2:13; 1 Jn. 4:17; Col. 3:2)

WHAT NEW CREATION REALLY MEANS

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Many saints misunderstand being “born again” thinking it is an instantaneous act rather than a process. It is both. By one Spirit we are baptized into the Body of Christ... baptized into His death, set apart unto God to be made holy (IE., sanctification). This is an instantaneous two-fold act act whereby our enslavement to sin is broken and the nature of Christ is implanted in our heart awaiting release. We have become a new creation in the sense that we are no longer enslaved to sin, no longer under the old ways of the law, but walking in the newness of grace with the implanted DNA of our Lord in our heart. Now comes the tedious work of the indwelling Holy Spirit to conform... mold and shape, our nature into the nature of our Lord’s. This is a lifelong transformation process of submission to the Lordship of Christ and dying to Self, the carnal fleshly nature we were born with, that the Christlife may reign supreme in us, literally becoming our life. This is a thorough and dramatic change in our character, virtues, values, and attitude beyond the normal or physical level, a willful act, and it won’t happen overnight. You see, His life must replace our life – Christ living His life through us as our life. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” As Paul submitted to the lordship of Christ and progressively died to Self the nature of Christ replaced his carnal fleshly Self nature. He became Christlike. Christlikeness is every saint’s destiny, “to be conformed to the image (nature) of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Frances Frangipane said it best: “As awesome as being forgiven is, the Son of God did not lay down His life only to secure our forgiveness; the eternal goal of His sacrifice was to secure our full transformation. Forgiveness is but the first stage of transformation.” Our metamorphosis is to become new creations, to progressively become beacons of radiant light reflecting the holy nature of Christ to a world drowning in sin’s darkness. “For neither is circumcision now of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but only a new creation, the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah.” (Amplified Bible)

FORGIVENESS IS BUT THE FIRST STAGE OF TRANSFORMATION

(2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15, 2:20; Rom. 8:29 Amplified Bible)

GOOD PLEASURE

Five times scripture records the “Good Pleasure” God has in His willing and working in the lives of His saints:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing... Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will … In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself … Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom … For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure … Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power."

“Good Pleasure” is translated from the Greek eudokia, and means that which seems good or well, with the sense of will, choice, delight, pleasure and satisfaction. God’s good pleasure is not the arbitrary whim of a sovereign, but represents that which in the wisdom and love of God would contribute most to the spiritual well-being and blessing of the saint from God’s perspective and in accordance with His purposes. The delight, pleasure and satisfaction God has in willing and doing in and for His children is derived directly from the fact that what He does for them is dictated by what is eternally good for them. So… sometimes God’s willing and doing in us… hurts!

Father, fulfill all the good pleasure of your will for us which You purposed in Yourself… the good pleasure of Your Kingdom released in us. Will and do in our hearts Your good pleasure fulfilling all the good pleasure of Your goodness… the good pleasure of your work of faith and power in us, in Jesus name, Amen… So Be it!

IT IS THE FATHER’S GOOD PLEASURE

TO GIVE US HIS KINGDOM!

(Eph. 1:5, 9; Lk. 12:32; Phil. 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:11)

TRUST GOD OR FEAR THE STORM

“Yes, though I walk through the deep, sunless valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You (God) are with me … For He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down nor relax My hold on you! Assuredly not! … Fear not, there is nothing to fear, for I AM with you.” (Ps. 23:4; Heb 13:5, Is. 41:10, Amplified Bible)

Overwhelming comfort: Hear the words of Hebrews 13:5 from the Wuest Greek New Testament: “For He Himself has said, and the statement is on record, I will not, I will not cease to sustain and uphold you. I will not, I will not, I will not let you down. So that, being of good courage, we are saying, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear.” “I will not let you down” is repeated three times in the original Greek text for emphasis. This technique only occurs a few times in the Bible highlighting the message in this passage as very important! This is our comfort when our heart is overwhelmed: Our Daddy Himself has stated this in the eternal record of His omnipotent word: “I will not fail you, or give up on you, or leave you without support. I will not! I will not! I will not leave you helpless, alone, forsaken, or let down! I will not relax My hold on you! Absolutely not… Not now… Not ever! So… My beloved child, Be of Good Cheer!

Ultimately, we can either trust God or fear the storm. The strength of faith -- faith that looks at God rather than the storm -- faith that knows our God is greater than any momentary affliction life can throw at us -- is its audacity to hope, giving sustaining evidence of the unseen reality of God’s presence. God’s presence during our darkest hour gives us the audacity to hope … come what may! And hope is hopeless without trust. Faith in the face of adversity is to trust (hope) in God’s goodness in spite of any apparent evidence against it, recognizing His ways are above our ways, knowing He is working all our “Things” into His eternal Good… knowing His love for us is relentless. (Rom. 8:28)

Storms never win: The Cross of Christ proves beyond any doubt… Storms never win! Rather than put our faith, hope, and trust in a certain outcome, we need to put our faith, hope, and trust in a certain Someone. Storms may cast a “shadow of death”, but it’s only a shadow, death has been defeated. Storms test and approve our faith, burning out the dross of doubt as we choose faith, hope, and trust over doubt, fear, and worry, developing “the word of our testimony.” (Rev. 12:11) And Daddy, the great I AM, is always with us… His abiding presence is always enough… more than enough…

STORMS NEVER WIN

SO... BE OF GOOD COURAGE!

TWO OPPORTUNITIES AT LIFE

Christians get two opportunities at life. The first opportunity is finite with a pre-established beginning and end. We can call this life a Dot... a heartbeat... Dot-Life, life as aliens in a fallen sin fabricated world. The second opportunity is infinite with no ending... extending into forever. We can call this life a Line... an infinite line... Line-Life, life as the redeemed children of God. Being a fickle stiff-necked people we tend to live in the Dot... live in the now. We would do well to live in the Line… live in the Blessed Hope we have in Christ. God has given us great and precious promises about Line-Life including the promise of a New Heaven and a New Earth, the new home for the righteous. Assuming the Lord tarries in His return, only two things stand between the drudging misery of Dot-Life and the love, joy, peace and sheer beauty of Line-Life, that marvelous world where we will live happily forever: Only two things: Death and Resurrection. It is a simple and obvious fact, that if we never die we will never be resurrected. As the result of sin’s curse death is an enemy of God’s people, a powerful fear provoking tool of the powers of darkness. And the disease of aging, the curse of sin, is the number one cause of death accounting for more deaths than all diseases, fatal accidents, nature’s catastrophes, and wars combined. But Wait! Romans declares “We know that all things work together for good ... according to His (IE., God’s) purposes.” So while death is an enemy, because of the death and resurrection of our Lord, death has been turned into God’s eternal good, the vehicle by which we receive our glorified bodies and enter the glory of never-ending life... Resurrection Life… Line-Life. If we never died we would never be resurrected into the joy of eternity with our Savior and our spiritual family – we would remain a Dot! Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a saint, for it leads to God’s best! Death is simply the door to Line-Life. Father, teach us how to access the essence of Line-Life now, living purposeful lives as Kingdom builders, never fearing death, ever anticipating the full reality of what awaits us when we step through death’s door.

EndNote:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

“DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY”

(Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 15:54-58)

DON’T STUMBLE OVER THE BRICKS

Life has a way of tossing bricks in our pathway... speed bumps on the road to eternity with our Lord. Now we know from God’s word that adversity has a purpose, for every brick... every bad, will, ultimately, be turned into eternal good for those who love God and are called by His name. The bricks of life arrive in many shapes and sizes, may be physical, financial, relational or emotional, and may be gift wrapped as a blessing. For the saint the Bible speaks of specific categories of bricks: 1) Trials and tests of faith. 2) The transforming work of the Holy Spirit. 3) Reaping what one has sown. 4) Chastening, scourging, and rebukes of the Lord. 5) Persecution for godliness. 6) The devouring attacks of the enemy, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. 7) Tests of the heart. Paul called these bricks “light affliction” that produce an eternal weight of glory... the partaking and sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Bricks are the pressures of life we feel and deal with daily, and they are all, in a sense, tests of faith meant to prod our will toward spiritual transformation -- the shaping of our nature into Christlikeness.

Worry is the way the world responds to the pressures of life, conforming to the world’s way of handling bricks. Worry is fear all dressed up, masquerading as something normal and dripping with anxiety: We all worry, right? But, for the blood bought saint, worry vents our fears, giving fear an inner voice denouncing our faith in God. Worry is unmitigated doubt! This makes worry about the worse thing a saint can do. There are only two ways to respond to bricks, Fear or Trust, and we all know what fear gets us... more bricks, for Christlikeness is at the top of our Daddy’s agenda. We must learn to trust our loving Father unequivocally and depend on Him unconditionally: He has proven His insatiable love for us. He has promised to never leave us forsaken. He has promised to turn our bad into His eternal good. We must never ever doubt that He is with us, in total control, and will take care of us. You see, we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. If we truly love God how can we not trust Him… is love without trust even possible? Just as worry bears the fruit of fear, doubt and ultimately depression, trust bears the fruit of love, joy, and peace... even in the worse brick storm. “By their fruits you shall know them”...

THE SECRET TO WEATHERING BRICK STORMS:

TRUST IN GOD UNEQUIVOCALLY…

DEPEND ON GOD UNCONDITIONALLY…

(Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17; 2 Tim. 1:8; 1 peter 4:13; Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 1:5; Heb. 13:5; Matt. 7:20)

THE LANDING PLACE

“For no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man: That is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear. But God is faithful to His Word and to His compassionate nature, and He can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will always also provide the way out, the means of escape to a landing place, that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.” (1 Cor. 10:13, Amplified Bible)

Point One: God personally adjusts and adapts temptation to sin, ensuring it is common to the human experience and bearable. Just as in the time of Job He sets both the type and limits of satan’s attacks.

Point Two: God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability and strength to resist or power to endure. In this He is faithful and can be trusted.

Point Three: God will always provide a way out, an escape to a safe landing place, a strong tower of refuge.

Point Four: We will be – all of us – tempted (to enticed to sin), tried (to test), and assayed (to determine the quality of). God brings us through adversity and affliction in order to encourage and prove our faith and confidence in Him, and conform us, through our growing submission and dependence, into “the image (nature) of His Son.” (Rom. 8:29) Temptation and trials are simply sculpturing tools used by God, the Master Potter, to transform us into vessels of honor fit for Kingdom use.

Point Five: God’s purpose is that we become capable and strong and powerful, that our faith increases and grows strong through use as we bear up under the enemy’s attacks patiently. And, our faith – our shield during bad times -- pleases God who rewards us, as we “diligently seek Him”, with more faith (Heb. 11:6). Temptations and trials not only test, approve and grow our faith, changing us from the inside out, but also grow our power to endure… for we “have need of endurance.” (Heb. 10:36)

Note: Endurance is consistency, perseverance, steadfastness, the capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with passive complacency, but with a hopeful fortitude that actively resists worry, fear, doubt, weariness and defeat.

THE LANDING PLACE

OUR DADDY’S ARMS…

THERE IS NO SAFER PLACE TO BE!

HEALED BY THE GRACE OF GOD

Once, when I was doubting God about a serious life threatening physical need, the Holy Spirit spoke this question very clearly to my heart: "How can you love someone you don't trust" After some deep soul searching I decided to let my love for God be demonstrated in trust... "Though He slay me trust"! From that moment forward I stopped all medical intervention and simply trusted God as a demonstration of my love. It did not matter whether God healed me, kept me alive by divine intervention, or took me home to be with Him, although in all honesty I had my preferences. I simply realized that I am God’s possession, one of His jewels, bought with more than a King’s ransom… the precious blood of Jesus. He knows what is best for me and the plans He has for me, far better then I. After a few months all symptoms disappeared. Healed 18 years and counting...

Endnote: There is no surefire single recipe to access divine healing. God sort of does what He wants, within the confines of bringing His eternal good out of the circumstances of our life, for “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.” How God fixes my “thing” may be quite different from how He chooses to fix your “thing.” But all our “things” will produce God’s purposeful good for us… all, not some!  He is God you know… and He has spoken! Love, Trust, Obedience, Dependence… These things are all important, but healings will always be a unique supernatural exchange between God and an individual. Pondering “Why” is a dead-end that wastes time and dilutes our faith for God never answers this question. The question God is eager to answer is Who. It is far better to recognize Who is with us in times of affliction and adversity: “Fear not, for I AM with you.” And the undisputable fact that God will never leave us forsaken: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

HOW CAN YOU LOVE SOMEONE YOU DON'T TRUST?

HOW INDEED…

(Job 13:15; Is. 41:10; Heb. 13:5; Rom. 8:28)