Author: kezha1

In Ecclesiastes 7:2 a funeral is called a house of mourning…bringing into sharp focus the indispensable perspective on the universal & terminal condition we call death. But this doesn’t make the death of a loved one any easier, does it? And as we begin our journey of grief, we desperately want to return to what we once knew as “normal”. But that type of “normal” will never exist again. And so our journey of loss now becomes one of finding our “new normal.” Which brings this verse in Proverbs into perfect perspective. Outward joy and hidden grief can comfortably coexist together as our “new normal” slowly comes into view.

When I stop to think of my parents…their work ethic, modest lifestyle, and humility, I can see that Jesus was their example that they followed all their lives. They always put others ahead of themselves in serving, volunteering, and giving of their time and talents. It’s this type of Christ-like humility that accepts a place of service with genuine concern for the needs and interests of others…while in contrast, selfish pride is competitive by nature and tries to lift a person above others, dividing and promoting conflict rather than harmony. I Peter 5:5 tells us to clothe ourselves with humility towards one another, for when we cover ourselves and our humble and faithful obedience with the love of God…people won’t see us, they’ll just see God’s love in action.

I was recently asked if I was employing Artificial Intelligence to write my Devotionals. I quickly answered that I had something far superior to AI…I have daily sought the help of the Holy Spirit these last thirteen years to compose my Devotionals! In this verse, Jesus is explaining the work of the Holy Spirit as He leads, instructs, and freely declares God’s Truth. (John 16:5-15) Thus, when He spoke of the personality of the Holy Spirit, Jesus meant that the third mode of being in the Trinity was a person not a force. That’s because, the Holy Spirit is a real and distinct person, not some impersonal power…so it’s possible for us to enjoy a personal relationship with Him. (II Corinthians 13:14) The job then of the Holy Spirit is to comfort, guide, and teach the elect…revealing the Word as only He can…as He guides us into all Truth. (John 16:13) Therefore, no AI program on earth will ever be able to know the mind of God as the Holy Spirit does.

In this passage, Paul teaches us the profound truth about the transformational power of suffering and hope. Instead of viewing affliction as a burden to be avoided at all costs, Paul urges us to rejoice in it. That’s because, through our sufferings, our endurance is tested and strengthened…and in the end, we experience hope. And this hope will never be frustrated, but rather is guaranteed in the here and now by the love of God. Therefore, this type of quiet, enduring hope is the assurance of something not yet fully experienced… as God’s love is poured out in the midst of our struggles…offering us the strength and comfort we need to endure. Our sufferings also challenge us to ponder how they can lead us to a deeper intimacy with the Lord, as we learn to lean more and more on Him.

God can turn our darkest moments around if we choose to worship Him in the storm. He can then use the mess we find ourselves in as a message for others. God can set us free from disturbing thoughts and emotions…from anxiety and feelings of devastation…from deep sorrow and suffering. For if we actively choose to worship God in the middle of the storm – we take our eyes off the whirlwind and onto the only One Who can do something about it. If you’re familiar with the Old Testament Chapter of Job, you know it’s a story about extreme human suffering through no fault of his own. Job’s storm was huge…in a blink of an eye he had lost everything…leaving him overwhelmed and asking where God was. But just as Job thought He was nowhere to be found…God literally spoke to him out of the storm. And it’s the same for us…God is with us in the storm and will stay with us until it’s over…for all storms end. But during the tempest, we can still have peace within if we choose to worship. (Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 25:4)

Doubters can refuse God’s Sovereignty…they can reject His Divine Authority, and deny His power. But God created time, it’s under His control, and someday He will suspend it. It’s called the Day of the Lord, or The Second Coming as seen in Obadiah 21 and Revelation 11:15, when God’s promise of a new moral order will happen here on earth as He rules over all the nations. (Psalm 22:28) It will be a time of repentant submission as, “Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear, for in the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.” (Isaiah 45:23-24) On this day of judgment and deliverance, every human on earth will realize either with joy or agony what Paul wrote was true in Ephesians 4:5-6, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.”

The ultimate choice is ours to yield our will to God’s Will. It says here that the benefit will be peace, not internal hostility and unrest…and who couldn’t use a little peace right now? We are then given the chance to receive God’s Divine Law and allow it to be establish in our heart… where it can flourish and grow. And who couldn’t use some Godly wisdom about now? Finally, the gist of all these verses are…we need to change and turn back to the God Who created us…but the choice, chance and change is all up to us.

In His discourse with the disciples in this verse, Jesus is predicting their abandonment of Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:56) But earlier in John 8:29, He had also told them, “The One Who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone.” So today, we can take much comfort from this fact… that even when we feel deserted and left behind by people, the Lord has not, nor will ever, forsake us. In Deuteronomy 31:6 it tells us that, “The Lord goes with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you.” which is also repeated in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Thus, with this kind of Divine reassurance, we really don’t have anything to fear, for the Lord is always with us. (Isaiah 41:10)

Jesus was very candid with His disciples in this passage…harkening back to the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, who wrote, “Your brothers will hate you because of My Name.” (Isaiah 66:5) This opposition between God’s people and the world-order is nothing new…it’s been happening since Biblical times when the faithful were cast out of the community for their beliefs. So regardless of the persecution we may have to endure, we must always remember this one thing…the world’s hatred isn’t due to what we’re doing wrong, but rather in what we’re doing right in the eyes of the Lord…namely our allegiance to Christ Jesus.

Elsewhere in Scriptures, the Apostle Paul again calls our present sufferings “light and momentary afflictions” in contrast to the eternal blessings that await us. (II Corinthians 4:17) Thus, sharing in His suffering is the pathway to sharing in His glory…meaning a transformational manifestation of God’s glory in our personal being. And as we consider this revelation, it will more than wipe out all our present and transient harm, pain, and loss…as we look forward on hope to the future as children of God. But while we’re in the midst of these sufferings it’s still hard. That’s why Peter reminds us to, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” (I Peter 4:13) In other words, When we suffer for the sake of Christ, we are enduring because of His great love for us…and as we experience mistreatment, it can only unit us closer to Him.