Month: February 2024

A great quote I came across by Charles Spurgeon is, “When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what He is, and take heart.” We see that especially in the life of Paul as he prayed to have the thorn in his flesh removed.  The Lord replies to him in II Corinthians 12:9,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” So when we look at our frail, wishy-washy, & feeble lives, we need to see it through the eyes of Jesus. For we can always rely on Christ’s power…and depend on the One who has commissioned us. (II Timothy 4:17) For it’s by His grace that will accomplish His purposes in a fallen world filled with weak & broken human beings.  

They are everywhere…the unlovely among us. They seem to be always disagreeable & unpleasant to be around. Maybe they’re that overbearing relative that no one wants to see coming through the door at a family gathering. Or they could be that egotistical co-worker that can only complain, gripe, and weasel out of work all day. But I’d like to challenge us all today with this…”If Jesus loves them, so will I.” That’s because if you think about it, we all are unlovely in some way…our selfish desires ruling over our life rather than God… but God still faithfully loves us. So if He can love the unlovable, so must I. 

Jonah just knew it would happen… and now he was mad at God. That’s because he understood two things clearly…. the people of Nineveh were very evil , and God was compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. (Exodus 34:6) And so there sat Jonah, indignant & burning with self-righteous anger at God for showing pity to them. But God ignored Jonah’s selfish & prideful tirade and instead focused on the real problem when He asked, “Do you have the right to be angry?” (Jonah 4:9) For the other thing Jonah knew well was that God is sovereign in His purposes to those He chooses, (Exodus 33:19) and that His desire is to bestow mercy on undeserving sinners chosen by grace…just as He did when He spared the Ninevites…or for that matter, Jonah in the belly of the fish.

A drink offering, usually wine, was poured beside the altar by the priest, symbolizing his dedication in worship to God. Paul had come to the point of totally giving up his will for the Will of God…and of willingly accepting the consequences without complaint…no matter what God sent his way. In this verse Paul is comparing his service & ministry to the Church in Philippi to his life being joyfully sacrificed on their behalf. He had no reservations about what had happened to him, because he saw their faith, unity, and love and he could only rejoice.

Do you know someone that you can always call when you need encouragement? Someone that’s been the cheerleader in your life…who will build you up, and not tear you down? Someone who will give it to you straight as they exhort, comfort, edify, and console… always assured that it will be Spiritually sound and Scripturally based. These are very special and trusted friends that will make a positive & lasting impression on your life…and you would do well to hold them very near & dear to your heart.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “God uses people who fail – because there are not any other kind around.” And we can see this throughout the Bible…great men that failed miserably but were still used mightily by God. Men like Moses who was a murderer, David who was an adulterer, Jonah who flat refused to obey God’s commands, Matthew who was a turn-coat tax collector, extorting money from his fellow Jews for the Roman Empire, and then we have Paul who was one of the early Church’s most ardent persecutors. They were all unrighteous and fallen men…or as Psalm 14:3 concludes, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” But this still didn’t stop God from using them for His glory. So remember this… regardless of your sketchy background…regardless of how many times you’ve messed up in the past…God can still use you.

For many of us it started during the Pandemic…self induced isolation that often led to loneliness. But as things changed for the better, we were able to come out of our self-imposed fortresses and engage with the world again.  That is except if you were caring for a loved one at home. I found this out this past September when I became the sole caregiver of a spouse that could not be left alone. Yes, there were many agencies that offered supplemental care, and I took advantage of all that was available…but I was and still am the main caregiver. That’s when I had to take a hard look at my isolation and ask the Lord to reveal His perspective concerning it. We are called unto intimacy with the Gospel, and because of that, a deep abiding fellowship with the Lord. Thus, we’re to draw near to the intimacy & love of Jesus…realizing then that we may be isolated, but we don’t have to be lonely…we may be separated, but we’re not forgotten by Him.    

Faith building…both individually and corporately isn’t “doing” things but rather “believing” things. It’s a deliberate building on the foundation of what we already know…the gift of eternal life & our atonement by the work of the Cross of Jesus. And just like a healthy vibrant body needs to be fed good food on a regular basis…our faith needs to be fed the bread of life daily. But if we’re only getting spiritually fed on Sundays, it’s no wonder our faith will be famished and our doubts and fears thriving. So it’s quite simple then…feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.

Here, Jesus is speaking of His crucifixion on the Cross…the first step of His exaltation via His resurrection and ascension. The Cross of Jesus was as Isaiah described a sign or a banner of hope (Isaiah 11:10) that exerts a universal attraction & draw to all people of all nationalities without distinction. So our job is to continue to lift up the Name of Jesus…exalting & glorifying the work He did on the Cross for all mankind.