We are broken people, living in a very broken world, and so it’s not hard to see how self-destructive our human nature is and just how easy it is to make trouble for ourselves. We are constantly bombarded & enticed by sin…and it’s so very easy to succumb to unethical & immoral activity without much thought for the consequences. But sin of any kind will always have the same unhappy results as it lures, traps & entangles our very being.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Acts 14:21-22 ” They preached the Good News in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God,’ they said.”
Even as Jesus called those who would follow Him, He never sugarcoated the hardships they would have to endure for the sake of the Gospel. He was very upfront that they would be persecuted. And so likewise, His Apostles bluntly prepared new Believers to expect suffering along the path that led to glory. But Jesus also promised peace…”In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And so today, we too can remain faithful when we are being crushed by the weight of distress & affliction…knowing His peace & comfort is real.
Psalm 29:11 “The Lord blesses His people with peace…”
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, ” A sense of perfect peace with God is the grandest thing in all the world with which to travel through life.” For to know Christ is to truly know peace. It’s serenity in place of being scared, of remaining calm in the midst of calamity, and feeling tranquil rather than succumbing to turmoil. Jesus reassured us of this in John 14:27 when He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.” And even if intellectually we can’t fully comprehend it all, we can nonetheless be at peace in the midst. (Philippians 4:7) That’s because this perfect peace is the manifestation of true reconciliation with God…purchased by Christ’s death…and is the supreme remedy for all fears.
Ezekiel 22:30 ” I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap…”
When an attacking army breached a wall around a city in Ezekiel’s day, the most dangerous assignment was to repair the gapping hole as quickly as possible. Those brave soldiers could easily end up both restoring the wall & battling the enemy at the same time. When we use the term “standing in the gap” for someone, it’s more of interceding on their behalf in prayer…of standing in the breach of illness, suffering, or pain and thus making their “wall” whole again. In Psalm 16:23, it tells us that Moses stood in the gap on behalf of Israel. But ultimately, there is only One Mediator, One Intercessor that stands in the great chasm between God and humanity…and His Name is Jesus Christ. (I Timothy 2:5)
Colossians 4:12 ” Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the Will of God, mature and fully assured.”
Paul had never actually visited the Church in Colosse. It had instead been evangelized & founded by one of his friends and c0-workers, Epaphras, who had brought the Gospel Message to his hometown. But when Epaphras had visited Paul in prison to give a report, the Roman guards had seized & arrested him also. But this didn’t stop Epaphras from endeavoring in prayer on behalf of his fellow Believers…interceding, encouraging & imploring them to preserve, to be truly obedient & fully devoted to fighting against any obstacle that would impede God’s Kingdom, against any forces of darkness, and against false teaching & temptation….all the while standing in the gap for his beloved Church.
Isaiah 49:5 ” And now the Lord says – He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant…”
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ was a servant to His Heavenly Father, we too become servants when we accept Jesus as our Savior…we are turned into servants of God’s own purpose. That’s because we’ve been created to glorify God and to have an ongoing intimate relationship & joyful fellowship as we serve Him. God’s great plan & purpose for all mankind can be summed up for us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Think about it, before we were ever born, our purpose in life was set into place by our loving Creator, Ruler, and Redeemer.
Psalm 52:8 ” I will trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.”
From the time we can talk as a child the word “why?” is on our lips anytime someone tells us to do something. We constantly want to know the reason and/or purpose of the request asked of us. And with God, it’s no different. Anytime we’re going through some trial, tribulation, or suffering our first recourse is to ask God “Why?” But God isn’t under any obligation to explain why to us…He just desires obedience. God is sovereign and, “He does whatever He pleases.” (Job 23:13, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6) And so we must be content that the “Why” may not ever be fully explained by Him, and we may never totally understand…but one thing we can know is that the heart of God is accomplishing exactly what He desires. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, “We cannot always trace God’s hand, but we can always trust God’s heart.”
I Corinthians 15:58 ” 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.”
Jeremiah 48:10 reminds us that, “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness…” And the biggest culprit of becoming remiss in our service to the Lord is discouragement. Therefore, we need to persevere in the faith no matter how we “feel”. When it says “let nothing move you” it doesn’t imply inactivity. We must be fully active in the work of the Lord & we must therefore guard against feelings of discouragement when our emotions tell us that it’s all pointless & a waste of time. (Galatians 2:2, Philippians 2:16, I Thessalonians 3:5) Sure, serving others in the name of the Lord can be a thankless & wearying job…but realize this – your efforts are not in vain, and one day you will see all the fruits of your toil.
Proverbs 14:15 ” A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”
The term “simple man” here means a person unskilled in the use of critical judgment or thinking. In other words, they can’t think for themselves and make good decisions…and would rather just follow the crowd, believing everything they hear is true. This lack of common sense & wisdom never can lead to anything good…but it says that the prudent man gives thought to his ways…thinking before he acts. This type of shrewd, smart person strives with real insight & discernment to grasp and comprehend what is right & good in God’s sight & his own life.
Matthew 11:2-3 ” When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, ‘Are You the One Who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ “
Even before John the Baptist was born, he had recognized that Jesus was the Coming One…the Messiah. Luke 1:41 tells us that when Elizabeth heard her cousin Mary’s voice, the baby leaped in her womb. Later, when John began his Ministry he proclaimed the Coming of the Lord. (Matthew Chapter 3) And when John saw Jesus walking nearby he told his disciples, “Look, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) So why is John now suddenly questioning who Jesus is? He’s heard of all the miracles and has no misgivings that Jesus is indeed the Messiah…but John also sees all the suffering of God’s people…including himself, and desires assurance that Jesus is in fact the executor of divine justice for which God’s people have been longing for.
Safetypinlove 