Author: kezha1

As the Apostle Paul writes here, our present condition is not our final one. Our Salvation has begun, and we have the Holy Spirit as the down payment, (II Corinthians 1:22 & Ephesians 1:13-14) but until then, we are to wait patiently with hope. Hense, our Christian life is a series of opening and closing of doors…each orchestrated by God to teach, admonish, and allow us to serve. But there are also excruciating times when we are forced to “wait in the hallway”. Often times likening this “Spiritual hallway” to a desert place…unproductive, barren, and dry…making us feel more like a nomad than a child of God. Nevertheless, we are to wait… so as we wait patiently in the hallway for God to open the next door, we learn to praise not pout with future hope in our hearts.

As the Holiday Season approaches, it’s a good time to take a moment to reflect on the meaning of the season and what our focus should be. In the happy moments…praise Him. (James 5:13) In the difficult moments…seek Him. (Psalm 46:1) In those quiet moments…worship Him. (Lamentations 3:26) And in every moment of the day…thank Him. (Psalm 79:13)

Paul is speaking here about the Church as a family…a body brought together out of the commonality of shared & mutual love for Jesus Christ. Our love for one another needs to be genuine & authentic…with no masks or feigning false compassion. For we are to abhor any form of deception or wickedness towards our brothers…literally detesting it with horror and not tolerating its presence in any form.

We must be constantly wary of letting circumstances change the way we view God…rather than letting God change the way we view the circumstances. If we allow Him, we can find joy in the aggravation, good in the frustration, blessing in the battle, and grace in the midst of the problem. Sure, the situation may not change at all…but the way we look at and regard it will if we let God change our perspective.

Our faith is put to the test when we seek God in the midst of adversity, not after. It becomes very evident when we can praise Him in the middle of the storm, not afterwards. (Psalm 42:5) When we can place our trust in His care in the valley, rather than only on the mountain top, (Psalm 56:3) or when we determine to follow Him in the darkness, not just in the bright light. (John 8:12) It’s God’s desire that when we are experiencing our deepest troubles that we seek His personal care and not wait until it’s behind us…saving us from so much anxiety, stress, and fear.

When you experience the kindness of strangers, how does it make you feel? When someone stops to help you with a flat tire on the highway…or compliments you waiting in line…or goes above & beyond to help you find something in the store. How does their unsolicited benevolence make you feel? In Luke 10:25-37, we read about the Parable of the Good Samaritan…a man who while traveling on the road came upon a wounded stranger, and rather than walking past, stopped to help him. In Matthew 25: 34-40, Jesus calls His disciples to care for strangers just as He did. So, the next time you have the opportunity to show kindness to a stranger…remember how that kindness made you feel, and go ahead and do it!

The world today is a scary place, full of violence, destruction, and catastrophes. But this Proverb encourages us to not look at the temporal turbulent viciousness of the world, but to use Godly wisdom in seeking right relationships and orderly existence among the ungodly. It goes on to reassure us that our trust in God is where we can find hope & confidence…or as Job 4:6 tells us, “Your blameless ways (integrity) are your hope.” Finally, our confidence in God will be rewarded as He protects & rescues us from the many life-threatening calamites that will beset us in the world. (Job 5:19)

Charles Spurgeon had an interesting way of looking at obedience to God when he wrote,” Submit yourselves under the hand of God, and affliction will lose its sharpness. Self-will and repining cause us a hundred times more grief than our afflictions themselves.” Thus, it’s pretty easy to understand…we can either willingly give our burdens to God and become dependent on His Will, or we can sit in the corner with our problem fuming, grumbling, and longing for something else to happen. Across Scriptures God echos these words…”Obey Me!” And if we do, we’ll discover in that act obedience, our focus will no longer be on the acute piercing pain of our affliction, but rather on His grace, mercy & love.

Jeremiah is acting as God’s agent here in the metaphor of refining silver. God asks him to “test” his fellow countrymen…discerning their hollow words of devotion and examining their false integrity. In the verses that follow, (28-30) we see how the refining process has yielded nothing of value…the people stubbornly remaining unfaithful, wicked, and completely hardened to Jeremiah’s warnings…their worship deemed as worthless.

To Believers in Christ…to those who follow Jesus…Thanksgiving Day isn’t just a holiday…it’s a way of life and the manner in which we should worship God daily. It starts with gratitude for God’s blessings, both big & small, and should be something we practice every day…for thankfulness starts in the heart and is expressed in our praise to Him for all things He has given us. So, today as you enjoy the holiday, resolve to be more thankful…to God & to others.