This week has been one for the record books as we proceed into the uncharted waters of a pandemic. So the Scripture today is especially important to not only read, but to internalize. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Jesus…not mandatory isolation, or calamity on the air waves, or the fear within us. And Paul was so persuaded of this that he wrote, starting in verse 38, “For I am convinced that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation , will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This virus may have us sequestered from friends…but not from God. It may have us cut off from our Church, but not from the Body of Believers. Finally, this virus will never be virulent enough to take God’s love away, and “In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”
Month: March 2020
I Corinthians 15:57-58 ” But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
The Apostle Paul could be writing these Scriptures to us today…Dear friends, stand firm and let nothing move you. For it is only by the Lord’s help that we can choose faith over fear, peace over panic, and worship over worry. Paul goes on to exhort us to look beyond ourselves and serve others. For just because we’re facing difficult times doesn’t mean what God has called us to do is now exempt, futile, or pointless in His eyes. Quite the opposite! Earlier in this Chapter, Paul writes that we are God’s fellow workers, (I Corinthians 3:9) and nothing we do in His Name will ever be insignificant, unimportant, or unworthy of the calling. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost and dying world today and make a difference!
Isaiah 40:1 ” Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.”
Right now in these uncertain and troubling times, we are all looking for comfort. Looking for encouragement, hope, and reassurance to displace the fear and apprehension we’re feeling and witnessing around us. Chapter 40 of Isaiah starts out with this verse, telling us that God is there to give us strength and hope…that His word stands forever (verse 8) and ends with these powerful words, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” (verses 29-30) Our comfort will be found in God and God alone…for in Him we will find hope and strength for another day.
Philippians 1:12-13 ” Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
As a Christian Community we have been handed a big bag of lemons. We are self-isolating, quarantined, and staying away from others. But if you consider where Paul was when he wrote this letter…he was in prison! And Roman prisons were dark, dank, holes in the ground where the rats ran free and food was scarce. But yet, Paul, made lemon-aide out of the lemons he was handed! For even though he was chained, cold and hungry he saw it as an opportunity to serve God and preach the Good News of the Gospel. So think how you could take that bag of lemons you’ve been handed today and creatively make lemon-aide out of them. With many children home now, have them reach out to Great-Grandparents, Great-Uncles, and Aunts who are stuck inside their homes. It gets pretty lonely when its just you, the TV, and the dog or cat. For the younger ones, they could color pictures or make cards to send to family members As for you, think how you could reconnect with old friends, call those elderly neighbors nearby to check in, start a online Bible Study or Pray Group with friends, and get back into your Bible. Let’s look at this time as Paul did…and make lemon-aide out of that bag of lemons.
Nehemiah 2:5 ” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’ “
Throughout all of Biblical history God has used heathen kings and rulers to accomplish His work. In this Scripture, God used the Persian Emperor, Artaxerxes, to offer Nehemiah government funding and military escort to rebuild the wall surrounding Jerusalem. In Exodus 9:16, Moses declared God’s message to Pharaoh, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My Name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Even Pilate was used of God. For when Pilate threatened Jesus that he had the ultimate authority to either crucify or free Him…Jesus replied, ” You have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above.” ( John 19:11) Those in power have never been or will ever be beyond the reach of God’s hand…for it tells us in Proverbs 21:1, The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.”
II Corinthians 4:16-17 ” Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
The apostle Paul who wrote this is probably one of the best examples of someone who looked beyond discouragement and refused to give in to despair. For here Paul calls the overwhelming mental, physical, and spiritual distress he has endured as “light and momentary troubles.” But how could he do this? The answer is simple…he was allowing the Lord to renew and restore his mind daily…or as Colossians 3:10 tells us, “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” When we become discouraged, fearful, or overcome with the current troubles in the world today, we need to be reminded that as we go through all these hardships, they are achieving for us righteousness and eternal glory for His namesake. Therefore, we do not lose heart.
I Chronicles 28:9 ” And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
Ulterior motives, lip service, or selfish plans and purposes…God sees through them all. We may think we’re fooling everyone with our holier than thou attitude…but we’re not fooling God for a moment. What He wants from us is authenticity, integrity, and a open heart. For those are things He can work with! And I’m really sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not all about you or what you think you need to be doing that He wants today. We are instead to be seeking His face always, not our own selfish agendas.
John 8:12 ” When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ “
The question today is…are you walking in the light or in the darkness? Are you allowing panic, anxiety, and fear to rule and reign in your life or are you putting your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ? Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” While verse 19 says, “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they don’t know what makes them stumble.” If you’re allowing the fear of the unknown to over-ride good judgment today, I urge you to stop…take a really deep breath…and consider. A wonderful word out of the Psalms is Selah…to pause. Pause to consider what has been the driving force behind all your actions lately. Is it fear or faith…panic or peace…agitation or assurance?
Psalm 68:20 ” Our God is a God Who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”
In looking up the Hebrew words in this short verse, I found some interesting things. First, the Hebrew word for “saves” here occurs only once in the Old Testament…its meaning – deliverance. Next, the Hebrew word for “Lord” is the covenant name of God. Finally, the Hebrew word for “death” here means deadly sickness or plague. We need to be reminded today that our God is a covenant-keeping God who delivers us out of all our calamities and distresses. (I Samuel 10:19) And as the Psalmist wrote, “You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before You in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13) And as both Jeremiah and Ezekiel proclaimed… it’s only from the Lord that comes escape.
Acts 17:23 ” For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To an unknown God. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”
The world seems to be worshiping at the altar of the god of the unknown right now…trying to appease something they don’t understand…filled with panic rather than peace. But here Paul recognized this and instead pointed the people of Athens to the one true God. In talking to the Samaritan woman at the well Jesus spoke of this, “You Samaritans worship what you don’t know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:22-23) Bottom line, the world needs Jesus right now. They need to turn away from the god of the unknown with all its distress and fear and instead face their Savior, Jesus Christ, and receive peace and comfort. So ponder this… now might become one of the most important times in modern Church history for souls coming to Jesus out of fear and desperation. The question is – Are you ready to make the unknown known to them?
Safetypinlove 