Trials and Tribulations

Quote:  How different that is from how we have all been taught to view things today. Usually not more then a half a second goes by before we're angry at the person(s) or circumstances that have us down or that have hurt us in some way. Rarely do we instead search our hearts for any sin that may be in us, much less asking the Lord to search us and reveal to us any sin that may be in us!

Oh boy! I never saw it that way before. That gives me a lot to think about. Thanks Cindy.

Yeah it just shows us yet again how different God's Ways are from the worlds ways. Sometimes it's very hard to understand God's Ways too, especially in regards to sin. The world works very hard at telling us that we're innocent of wrongdoing especially under certain circumstances, and we all tend to think it's the same way with sin, but that's not true.

When I first discovered this, it really put me in a tail spin. I didn't like it one bit and kept thinking how "unfair" it was. I finally realized that it was the world that had taught me that it was unfair and that fairness had nothing at all to do with it. It wasn't about fairness, it was about "righteousness" and purity from sin, and more then that it's about the Holiness of God.

For those who are wondering what I'm talking about it's this: When we do something that is a sin, even if we do it unknowingly, or unwillingly, it is still a sin. For example, (and this is the one that really put me in a tailspin) if a man rapes a woman, we quickly say that the man sinned but we place no fault on the woman. God does not "fault" the woman either, but the woman DID sin, even though she didn't "want to". She still had sex outside of marriage and that is a sin. Even if the person being raped is a child and/or if it's incest, the child has still committed a sin and the sin needs to be cleansed. Sin defiles us, it makes us "dirty". God cannot ignore the dirt just because we didn't do it on purpose or because we weren't willing. He forgives us yes, but the sin took place and that's a very hard concept to swallow. Well, at least it was for me.

Anyway, this is another reason it's so important to ask the Lord to reveal any sin that is in us to us and why it's so important that we study and know God's Word.

Here's a story I'm sure you're all familiar with. It's about Abraham and how during his wanderings he would sin and tell people that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. Well then the king of that nation always wound up taking Sarah as their wife and of course finding out later that they'd sinned. In this particular case the king took Sarah as his wife but hadn't yet slept with her when he discovered the problem:

Genesis 20:2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

Genesis 20:6-7 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.”

Now Abraham had most certainly sinned against God by lying so he wasn't free from guilt either, but God took care of that too. But when the king asked Abraham why he had lied, he did what most of us would do, he made excuses!

Genesis 20:12-13 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

So what he was saying was, "it was only a little white lie". Like I said, God handled Abraham's part in lying later, but what I wanted to point out in this story was the fact that the King didn't know he was sinning, and yet he was still just as guilty as if he had known. In his case the Lord prevented him from actually sleeping with her but the sin of marrying another mans wife was still there. God told him then that He would forgive the Kings sin when Abraham prayed for him, which Abraham did.

We don't need a priest to pray for us any longer because we have Jesus now, but we do need to ask Him to forgive our sins, even hidden ones, unwilling ones, and sins committed unknowingly.

When we have been going through a trial searching our hearts for sin and asking the Lord to show us any sins, should be the first thing we do, so we can confess and repent of any that are found, hopefully learning our lesson so the discipline won't be so long. (I am not saying that all trials are because of sin in our lives, they aren't! I'm only saying that we should immediately search for any so that if there is sin present, we can learn of it so that we don't repeat it and confess it so we are forgiven.)

This is very important to God because He speaks of it all though the Bible. Here are some (not all LOL) verses that tell us to do this:

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 19:12-13 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

Psalm 26:2-3 Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

Job 34:32 Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.

Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Haggai 1:5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

Galatians 6:4 Each one should test his own actions.

Psalm 66:10 For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

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Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

We've been studying about this and I posted a couple of devotions I read today about it already.  I'm also currently reading Genesis again and today's reading just happened to be about Joseph.  This is a great story to learn about trials and tribulations from if you'd care to read it.  Let me quote a couple of passages from what I've been reading today.  I'm sure it will jog your memories about what is going on in this story:

Genesis 42:18-21 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”

Genesis 42:27-28 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

We have already seen that one way that God disciplines us is with trials.  I'd like to point out something in the above passages.  Notice in both passages that the brothers immediately realized that they were being punished by God and did not blame other people or circumstances for what happened to them.  Although quite obviously another human being had put the silver in their sacks, they knew it had been done because it was God's Will and so did not place any blame on the other person at all.

How different that is from how we have all been taught to view things today.  Usually not more then a half a second goes by before we're angry at the person(s) or circumstances that have us down or that have hurt us in some way.  Rarely do we instead search our hearts for any sin that may be in us, much less asking the Lord to search us and reveal to us any sin that may be in us!

Later after Joseph had again put their silver back in their sacks along with his own cup in Benjamin's sack, the brothers confess their guilt still not realizing that Joseph is their long lost brother:

Genesis 44:16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”

Again the brothers have accepted that this trial has come on them because of their sin against God and against their brother Joseph and their father.  Finally though after hearing a heart rending plea from his brother Judah, Joseph finally relents and tells them who he really is and explains what happened to them:

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

Genesis 45:5-7 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So in this story we see two very different reasons for trials and tribulations, for if you read the earlier part of the story, you see that Joseph had a great deal of tribulation while he was in Egypt before he was finally appointed by the Pharaoh to over everything.  He even spent two years in prison!  Remember, that Joseph's father was also undergoing Trials and tribulations because he thought his son was dead all this time.  So for each of these people involved in this story, even though they are all interconnected, there are different reasons that they underwent the trials they did.  For some it was due to their sins and for others it was simply part of their life that they had to trust God to get through, knowing He was in control and would work all things to their good.  I'd also like to share what one of my commentaries says about this:

Joseph was an OT type of “Christ … who … when He suffered … committed Himself to Him who judges righteously … that we … might live”
1 Peter 2:20-24 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

The Open Bible

This has already gotten much longer then I intended so I'll end it now.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story too though!

 

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Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

Genesis 22:1-2Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

As we have already seen, all who are born again go through trials and tribulations for various reasons. Those trials can be to deepen our faith, to discipline us for sin, and they can even simply happen because the world hates us because we have the Spirit of God living in us. There is still yet another reason for our Trails and that is to actually test our faith. This is what happened to Abraham.

The first thing I’d like to point out is that this test didn’t happen until after Abraham had had time to mature in his faith. Notice the passage starts out with “some time later”. This test for Abraham had to be the most difficult of his whole life. I cannot even imagine what he must have gone through when the Lord told him to sacrifice his only son to Him. The Lord did not announce to Abraham that this was a test though, all He did was tell Him to go sacrifice his son. What is amazing is how Abraham reacted to the Lord’s command. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t ask the Lord “why”. He didn’t try and find a way around it, by asking if he could perhaps offer something else instead. Knowing God didn’t approve of child sacrifice, he didn’t even ask the Lord why He was being inconsistent! Instead, he got up first thing in the morning and started out on the 50 mile hike to do what the Lord had told him to do!

Genesis 22:3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

When he arrived at the mountain, after what must have been a very emotionally difficult trip for Abraham, he still didn’t show any doubt at all. He had not told anyone else what he was really planning other then that he was going to worship the Lord and offer a sacrifice; but he didn’t tell anyone that the sacrifice would be his son. Perhaps he wanted to spare his son from fear or worry. We don’t know why for sure but that certainly seems reasonable. By the time they arrive though, even Isaac is starting to wonder what is going on because Abraham hasn’t brought a lamb with them.

Genesis 22:7-8 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

How his heart must have broken when Isaac asked that question, and yet he stayed strong in his faith and simply said that God would provide the lamb for them. He then proceeded to build the alter, gather the wood and get everything ready. Finally, with no other choice left open to him, he bound up his only son and laid him on the alter.

Genesis 22:10-12 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Can you imagine the scene now as Abraham with tears cuts the binding from his son and holds him, praising God? Then, looking up, he saw a Ram caught in a bush and knew that the Lord had indeed provided the sacrifice for him that day. So he and his son sacrificed the Ram to the Lord together.

I don’t think I can imagine a tougher test can you? Let’s look at what the Lord said to Abraham when he had “passed” his test.

Genesis 22:12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

This test had been to see just how deep Abraham’s faith was. Did he truly fear God? Abraham passed this test and because he did and because we now have God’s Word, we can see many ways that God used this incident in one man’s life to help a great many of His children grow. He truly does work all things to our good!

What does this story teach us about faith? It shows us that faith is obedient to God, surrenders and submits all to God, waiting on Him; and that understanding comes after obedience, not before. It also shows us another truth which is that God doesn’t provide until there has been personal sacrifice. Just as Abraham had to deny himself to do God’s Will, so do we. True faith is costly. It brings to mind when Jesus said this:

Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Thank You Lord for these Trials that test, grow and refine our faith. Thank You for teaching us “the fear of the Lord”; that You are all that matters; that You really are our “all in all”. Thank You that You love us enough to discipline us and grow us into vessels that bring You honor and glory, so that we become more like our Lord Jesus every day. Strengthen us Lord and help us, so that we may always please You.

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Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

I thought that perhaps today we should take a closer look at the passages we ended with yesterday.

Ephesians 5:3-7 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

In the above passage Paul lists a number of things that are not to be part of our lives and says that God will discipline us when they are part of our lives. The temptation here is sometimes to look at this list as a check list and then make sure we don’t do “those things”. That can be helpful at times, but there’s more to it then just a check list. Notice in the first sentence Paul says that the reason he says this is because these kinds of things are improper for us who have been born again. We are holy now, we are not like the rest of the world.

This reminds me of what one of my teachers in high school told me. He was a godly man, and in those days it wasn’t a crime to be known as someone who is born again. Anyway, he was teaching 10th grade math. We were all very excited because it was our first day of “high school”. We thought we were really “grown up” now! Well, he brought us down a peg or two right at the start when he informed us that we really weren’t 10th graders yet! We thought he’d lost his mind! He explained it to us though by saying that throughout that year we would be learning how to be 10th graders, but that we really wouldn’t completely know how to be 10th graders until we finished the year! Well, that certainly gave us something to chew on for awhile!

So how does what Paul said relate to what my teacher said? Often when we are born again, we’re all excited thinking that now we are “new creations” and we are holy people, God’s chosen ones, all of which is true. However, we haven’t really learned “how to be” that new creation”, that “holy person”, that “child of God” yet. This is why Paul and the others often explain to us how we should be acting; what we should be doing, etc.

The Lord knows that we’re still learning too, which is why He disciplines us, just as any good human father would do. He also has Paul add a further admonition to us at the end of this passage that says, “therefore do not be partners with them”. God has told His people, first the Jew’s and now us, that we are to be separate from the world. That means we are to separate ourselves from those who are not born again. We can witness (and should) to those not born again, but we are not to have close personal relationships with them, such as being close friends, or married etc. If we have married someone who is not a believer, that too is forgiven us of course, but it is God’s Will for us to be separate from those not born again, and He has many good reasons for that. I don’t want to get into that for now because it would make for a very long study, so I will do that another day. Suffice it to say for now, that when we are disobedient and insist on being close with non believers that we invite discipline and hardship into our lives just as Paul says.

These then are some of the reasons God might discipline us. I realize this has gotten kind of long so I will close for now. But before I do, let me quote a little more of that passage for us so we can think on it over the weekend.

Ephesians 5:1-21 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.  Therefore do not be partners with them.  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

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Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

Besides discipline, there is yet another possible reason for those who are born again to have trials. Jesus told us that those who really follow Him and who are really living their lives for Him, will be persecuted.

Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Usually when we think of being persecuted for our faith, we think of people dying for Christ like they did back in the disciples times and are even now in third world countries. That is of course persecution, but it is not the only form it takes.

Being persecuted for our faith can and does often happen in families where some of the family members are not Christians. It causes division and great heartache in all the members of that family. It can cause problems when raising children when one spouse is not a believer and cause a struggle over how, when or if  the children are disciplined.

Persecution also happens frequently on the job when co-workers or the boss are not Christians. Persecution can take the form of the believer being ridiculed and made fun of, insulted, or even being given the worst sort of jobs, or even losing their job because the owner or boss didn’t like them because of their faith.

Even in our society which is one of the most free ones in the world, believers are constantly ridiculed, put down, and treated like they are some kind of imbecile or idiot at best, or treated as though we are prejudiced and bigoted, or some kind of terrorist fanatic at worse. We know too that because we are in the last days that this will only get worse and not better.

In the following passage, Peter tells us that we shouldn’t be surprised when we suffer because of our faith. In fact he tells us to rejoice instead:

1 Peter 4:12-16 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

Peter explains that we should be joyful when we are persecuted because it let’s us know for sure that we are living our lives the way we are supposed to be. It is a testimony that we are not living “in friendship with the world”, but instead that we are abiding in Christ. He even goes so far as to tell us that when the rapture happens, if we have suffered in any way for our faith that we will be glorified with Christ!

Romans 8:17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Not only will we be glorified but as a result of our suffering for our faith, we will be rewarded by being allowed to reign with Christ:

2 Timothy 2:12if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;

Therefore when we are going through trials that have happened because of our faith, when we are being persecuted because of it, we can rejoice because it is a sure sign that we are living our lives the way the Lord wants us to.

However, Peter also tells us that there is another reason that God allows persecution to happen in our lives, and it’s the opposite of the other one. When persecution happens because we are living right, then we are blessed by it, but it can also happen as a disciplinary action done by God to purify us.

1 Peter 4:15-19 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

This is not saying that we earn our salvation but rather that once we are saved, God expects us to live in obedience to Him. When we don’t live in obedience, then we will be disciplined by Him. This is another reason that it’s so important to know our bibles and to stay in constant contact with the Lord through prayer. It is through doing those two things that we can determine just how the Lord wants us to live. This is another reason that our Lord told people to “count the cost” of following Him. Being a Christian is not an easy life, although the Lord does help us. If not for His help, we couldn’t do it at all.

James puts it even more bluntly then Peter does. He tells us that when we choose to “be a friend of the world” rather then living as we should, that it makes us an enemy of God. He says that the Holy Spirit who indwells us is very jealous of us and wants us for His own. He has no intention of “sharing” us with the world!

James 4:4-5 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

Jesus Himself told us that we can’t have our cake and eat it too.

Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Finally let me leave you with this quote from Ephesians which also warns us of the consequences of being disobedient and not living as we should.

Ephesians 5:3-7 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.Therefore do not be partners with them.

From today’s passages we can see that trials can come on us due to the fact that we are living right, because the world hates God and hates those who belong to Him; and they can come on us because we are not living obediently. When that happens, the trials come on us as the consequences of our sin and are God’s discipline meant to purify us and strengthen our faith.

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Our God still works miracles!

I was thanking the Lord last night for all He's done for me this past year and decided that I wanted to share some of it with all of you. He truly does still work miracles!

I don't want to go into a lot of detail, so let me just say that I have lost everything I own, except for the clothes on my back and the clothes my children were wearing 3 times in my life. And I really do mean "everything". It did teach me that "things" aren't so important, but at the same time, security became very important to me, including "financial security". During that time i also went through a period where I was severely depressed and in a psych ward for two weeks. This was all before I was saved--about 16 years ago. I was a mess and so was my life. That was when I began searching for God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I knew He was the only one that could help me. I don't want to repeat myself so if you would like to read about how I came to be saved, I posted about that here:
http://www.fresh-hope.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18086&highlight=Love+Jesus!

I need to give you just a bit more background so you will understand just what an amazing God we have. Almost 10 years ago I got hurt at work and became disabled due to chronic back pain. The disks in my back are all messed up and cause me to live with a great deal of pain every day. This happened AFTER I was saved however and because I was unable to work, unable to even get up from the couch for the first year, I spent all my time studying the Bible and praying.

However, a large portion of people who live with chronic pain also have to deal with depression--for obvious reasons. It's not easy to live with this kind of pain day in and day out, knowing it won't go away. It was only with the Lord's help that I was able to continue to grow in Him and keep any depression from getting a hold on me. It was 3 years after I was injured that the Lord gave me Fresh Hope as my ministry.

As many of you know, my husband got laid off from work last January, so it's been almost a year now. I will admit right up front that this has been one of the hardest tests I've ever gone through, especially considering my background. If it wasn't for the Lord, I know I wouldn't have made it through even the first few months much less through 11 months with my sanity intact. I am dead serious about this.

There is NO way that I could have handled this before I was saved. There was no way I could have handled this even two years ago. If the Lord hadn't made sure that I had grown enough in Him to face this, I would have fallen flat on my face and probably been in a psych ward within the first three months easily. As you can easily see from the background information I gave you, depression should have been able to grab hold of me very easily, and without the Lord it would have.

I "should" be anxious, worried, tense, scared to death, angry, and full of fear, but I'm not. I really truly am not. I do not feel fearful at all, nor do I feel anxious or worried. Oh, I have my moments when i go to the Lord and tell Him that I just don't see how we can possibly keep on going; or tell Him that I really can't handle much more. In fact that's what I was doing last night. It was then that He reminded me of all of this and of just how far He has carried me. Yes, He is carrying me. I could not, and cannot do this for myself. I swear that to you. I am not strong emotionally, but He is. It was last night that I realized just how truly miraculous this is.

That's why I decided that I had to share it with you all. I'm not special. The Lord will do this for anyone, not just me. I used to wonder what made Peter and the other apostles change so much--how they were able to be so strong and face beatings and pain and eventually death for Jesus. I knew even then that God doesn't change and that if God had done something for them that caused this change to come over them, that He could and did still do it today. I even knew back then that most people in the church talked about it, but even they didn't have it. I wanted it though. I wanted to have that change in me.

The Lord led me to a few verses that seemed to prove this to me and made me want it even more; I knew that somehow this had to do with our salvation. Here's one of the verses:

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Ever since the day I was saved, I have seen God's power at work in me. The more I grew in Him, the stronger His power worked in me and the more He did. In fact, it was really His power that enabled me to grow toward maturity in Christ and still is. But I have never seen His power more obviously at work in me before now!

I truly know and am experiencing what Paul meant when he said that the Lord stood by him and strengthened him. (2 Timothy 4:17 ) It is really amazing! He is really amazing! I do not know His purpose for this in my life, at least not beyond teaching me to trust Him fully for all things.

I do hope and pray though that what He is doing for me will encourage others. I do not know how things will all work out in my life. Will we lose everything again or not... (again for me anyway lol) And while losing everything is certainly not something I would desire, nor is it something that I would look forward to, I do know that if it does come down to that, that the Lord will still be with me strengthening me and carrying me through the experience so that it really won't hurt all that much.

That's the other part that amazed me last night in my talk with the Lord. I realized that as much as I love our little house, and all our "stuff", that lack of money and lack of a job cannot take away from me the things that are the most important of all to me, and that's the Lord, my husband, my children and their families and all of you here. (and of course our kitties lol) Those I will always have, because even if some die, I will see them again in heaven and will never lose their love, so I really am secure!

So while the world reels because of all the economic problems, we who are in Christ Jesus and shielded by His power can rejoice as our lives prove what an awesome God we serve!!!

1 Peter 1:3-7 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I wasn't aware of this, but my church had a "testimony" Sunday recently and my oldest daughter, Michelle spoke as did two others. It always amazes me to hear others testimonies, and especially those of my children. If you would like to hear her testimony of how the Lord worked in her life this past year, you can hear it here. (her's is the last of the three testimonies on this audio)

How I've Seen the Lord This Year

http://www.trinityevchurch.org/asset...ec27Sermon.mp3

Discuss this post with us on Fresh-Hope!

Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

In Hebrews again we are told that we too should endure hardship as discipline just as Jesus did.

Hebrews 12:7-11 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Here we are told that the purpose of these trials is so that we can share in His holiness. The trials ultimately produce righteousness and peace within us as we turn to Him and His Word to guide us through these times. Note however that we must be “trained by it” for it to produce this effect in is. How then are we trained in it? For many of us, we are trained by repetition. How does a runner train for a race? He practices running, he strengthens his body, and he runs the course set for him over and over, trying to go faster each time. The same is true for us when we are “in training” with the Lord as our coach. The main difference is that our “practice” is done during this life time each time a similar circumstance comes along. So we practice how we should be reacting each time it happens. In the mean time we strengthen our souls by studying His Word and spending time with Him. Just as the runner is wanting to run his best to win the prize, so we too should be wanting to “live our best” to win the prize our Lord has set before us. That’s why “the prize” is there!

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

What prize or crown is that Paul is desiring for himself? He tells us that in several passages but I’m only going to quote one here:

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

We have discussed this subject in other studies so I’m not going to go over it very much here. In case someone missed those studies, let me just say that our reward, our “prize” is to be ruling with Christ, judging even the angels, and many other wondrous things like that. What we will be doing during our lives in eternity depend on how well we run the race here.

Philippians 3:13-15 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Paul tells us that we are not to focus on the past or on our failures, but rather to simply keep striving to do our best so that we can please our Lord and win the prize He has for us. When we go through these trials and suffering, we need to be saying something along these lines to ourselves and to our Father, “I want to please the Lord, I want to learn from this experience, (not to mention not wanting to have to repeat the lesson!) so please teach me how you would have me handle this situation and what fruit you would have me produce.” When we do that, the Lord is faithful and He will teach us and guide us so that we are trained and so that it will in fact produce the fruit of righteousness and peace within us. That fruit of righteousness and peace is how we become holy like He is holy. It is how we become more like Him every day. It is also how we can know for sure that we are abiding in Him instead of living in the world as the unsaved do. (we talked about this in our study of 1 John: The principles of all genuine fellowship with God )

Come and discuss this with us on Fresh Hope!

Trials and Tribulations

If Jesus is God incarnate, why did he need to learn obedience?

This is a great question and not one I'm sure I can answer adequately but I will try. Let's look at the verse again:

Hebrews 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

That immediately reminded me of this verse:

Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

We know that Jesus was and is God, therefore He was already perfect and He didn't have anything to "learn" so to speak. Remember he was speaking with the wisdom of a scholar in theology at the Temple when He was only 12 years old! So we know that Jesus has always been God and always will be God, BUT He had never been a "man" before--by that I mean He had never been a human being before. I think it was that, that He had to learn--that and suffering as a human. He learned what it is to be human and to suffer as we do. The actual living of His life and the actual suffering, gave the Lord the experience of what He already "knew". With that experience, suffering became a reality for Him, just as it is for us.

Remember this verse?

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

This too is showing that Jesus went through this life to gain the experience of humans so that he could truly relate to us. It wasn't that He didn't "know" or "understand" before, but simply that He didn't have the life experience itself.

Hebrews 2:10-11 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

It's not that Jesus wasn't "perfect" before, He had to be because He was and is God. But he needed to be made "like us" in order to be the "perfect" High Priest for us so that He could better relate to us. This is also referring to making Him "perfect" in a "legal" sense in the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah. In order for Him to be the Messiah, He had to meet certain qualifications and those qualifications included that He had to suffer.

Now for the "obedience" part of it. Jesus did everything He did in obedience to the Father. He tells us that Himself, so we know it's true. Again however, Jesus had never been human, nor had He ever had to be obedient in spite of circumstances in His life like we do. As we said before, being God, He had the "knowledge and understanding" but He didn't have the experience. Now he has that too. As the Messiah, bringing salvation to us, He also had to teach us what to do after we were saved. He knew it would not be an easy road for us, so He not only taught us in words what we needed to do, but modeled it in His life.

So I think this is simply saying that Jesus "humanity" was completed or "perfected" by living as a human and suffering. He "learned" I think could be translated as He "experienced" instead and make more sense to us. Like that verse about Jesus "growing in wisdom and stature", it too is talking about Him growing in His experience of life, not in "what He knew and didn't know" because since He is God, He obviously already "knew" everything. The only thing He could have been said to lack was the experience of living a life as a human being.

God is just amazing! 

For my personal "testimony" for lack of a better word, about Trials, if you're interested in what the Lord has been teaching me about them, I posted about it here:

Our God still works miracles!

 

Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

1 Peter 1:3-9 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Why does our Lord allow us to go through such terrible trials during our lives?  We know without a doubt that He loves us because He sent Jesus to die because He loved us so much.  Wait a minute…He sent Jesus to die….Jesus suffered greatly, both physically and mentally/emotionally during that time.  That is the most painful death anyone could ever go through, and yet His loving Father not only “allowed” it, it was His Will!  How did the Lord deal with this?  What does the bible have to say about this?

Hebrews 5:7-8 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

Hebrews 12:2-4 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

We are told that Jesus learned obedience because of his sufferings and trials.  He didn’t try to get around His Father’s will for Him, nor did He complain and grumble about it.  Instead, He endured all His trials, right up to and including death on a cross for us.  How did He endure it all though?  I can’t even imagine (and don’t want to) what He went through for us!  He did it all because of the joy set before Him.  He knew that He would soon be with the Father again and sitting on His throne.  More importantly He knew that because of His obedience that now we would be able to join Him in heaven.  We’ve discussed the fact that the joy of the Lord is our strength too in other studies so I won’t cover that again here.

This weeks promise: God promises to fill you with joy!

If Jesus Himself had to go through trials and suffering, then why would we expect to get through our lives without them?  Especially if we are really God’s children?  We cannot have it both ways.  Either we believe that God loves us and that we are born again and now His children or we don’t.  If we really are born again then God Himself assures us that He will  discipline us because He really does love us.

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

God’s word tells us in the passage from 1 Peter that our trials and suffering cause our faith to be strengthened and deepened proving the reality of our faith.  This then is so we can “know” and not just “believe”.  These trials prove that our faith is genuine and not some counterfeit.  It proves to all who know us that we are indeed born again and saved for eternity.  In turn, this brings glory to the Father.

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Getting Ready or "While we wait"

So what do we do while we're waiting for the Lord to come and get us? Does the Bible tell us anything about how we should be preparing for the rapture? I believe the bible actually has quite a lot to say about it. Let's look at just a few things for now:

1 Peter 1:13-17 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

For those of you who have the KJV, the first line is stated in a very old fashioned way but means the same thing:

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

So how do we prepare our minds for action? Remember, we should always let God's Word interpret itself, that way we're not putting our own meaning on things. God tells us over and over how we are to do this, and it's really quite simple. It's the daily practice of it that is difficult to get into, especially at first, but it's imperative that we do so!

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

We are to study and reflect on His Word and strive to become mature in Christ. If we do not do this, then we simply will not be able to fulfill His will for us here. We also will not be ready for Him when he comes back for us which is a real shame. In the verse above Paul tells us that if we study then we will not be ashamed of ourselves when Christ returns for us. Remember the first passage from 1 Peter he says that we are to: "set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." How can we do that if we don't understand it? How can we understand it if we don't spend time with Him and in the study of His Word? In Romans he tells us that God's Word was written for us for a reason:

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

So the Lord, knowing we would need encouragement, endurance and hope, gave us His Word and He expects us to make use of it and to know it well.

The only way we can "prepare our minds" is through spending time with the Lord and through the study of His Word. How can we be obedient, or handle His Word correctly or do His Will if we don't know what His Word says or if we don't understand His Word? How can we truly look forward to the rapture even if we don't really understand what is going to happen at the rapture? It would be like telling a baby about Christmas and expecting them to get really excited when they won't have understood a word of what you're saying. It's the same with the rapture and the rest of God's Word.

The more we study and learn, the more excited we get because we have a better understanding of what's going to really happen.

God doesn't lie to us. He says that He came to give us life and give it to us more abundantly.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

He tells us not to fear, not to be anxious, not to worry etc and the Bible tells us that as Christians we really shouldn't be having to deal with those kinds of feelings. Yet many still are. I'm not saying that Christians don't have trials and problems, we do! At the same time however, Christians shouldn't be getting super depressed, worried anxious, and stressed out because of them. So why are we? It's because we don't know and understand His Word! He meant those things and He still does!

Even Paul got frustrated because the people weren't learning:

Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

We wonder where God's blessings are but the greatest blessing He could ever give us, sits gathering dust in our homes.

We sing the song, Christ is my All in All, meaning every word, and yet for someone who is supposed to be our All in All, we spend very little time with Him or His Word. If you made up a chart showing what you talked about every day in general, what percentage of your daily time would be spent talking about your "all in all"? If you had a chart showing who you spent your days talking to in general, what percentage of your time every day would you generally spend talking to your "all in all"? If you had a chart showing how much time you generally spent every day in doing things like "being at work, " "cleaning house", caring for your children, and studying God's Word, what percentage of your time would you be spending daily in the Word of your "all in all'? Kind of eye opening isn't it?

Do you know the Truth of these words? Do you experience them in your life, or are you still dealing with depression, anger, worry, and anxiety?

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

That is a good picture of someone who could really say, "Christ is my all in all"! Paul kept his eyes on Jesus which is what we should be doing. He studied God's Word and spent time reflecting on it and spent time with the Lord. He didn't "just believe", he "knew" what his hope was! He knew what his future held because he really truly knew the One who held his future! Join me then and let us take his advice and follow his example:

Philippians 3:17-21 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Let us resolve to truly make Christ our all in all this year so that we can be prepared and make Him proud of us, when he returns!

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Waiting on the Lord –what does it mean?

Waiting on the Lord –what does it mean?

Yesterday we looked specifically at what waiting on the Lord means for us today in relation to this being the end times and the command that we are to wait and watch for the Lord’s return. Today we’re going to look at other ways we are to wait on the Lord. And what it means for us today.

Psalm 39:1-13 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth— each man is but a breath. “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.”

In the first passage we’ll look at, David is the one writing. He starts off by saying that he vows to guard his ways so that he won’t sin by saying things he shouldn’t. Every thing seemed to get worse for him after that. When he says his heart grew hot within him, he’s saying that he is being convicted of his sins. That conviction caused him to meditate or reflect on God and His laws. It was then that he began to recognize that the things that were happening to him were discipline from the Lord,. He asks God to show him and remind him of just how short our lives really are, so that he can get his priorities straight. He doesn’t want to be running around busy doing things that aren’t of value to the Lord. He wants to please God.

Thinking on all he is going through and suffering as discipline, David cries out to the Lord asking Him, “What do I wait for now Lord, my hope is in You!” In other words David is telling God that he is aware that his only hope comes from Him and that He is the only one that can save him and forgive him. He begs God to remove the discipline, to end it as it is just to much for him to bear any longer. When David says that God’s correction makes mans beauty (KJV and “wealth” NIV) melt away like a moth, he is referring to his health and strength being taken away from him by the Lords discipline. So whatever the Lord was permitting, it must have been pretty heavy.

Notice however that David never says or implies that God is wrong or bad or mean for having disciplined him in such a harsh way. Instead David agrees with God that the discipline was necessary because he needed correction. He says that because of God’s correction he now understands that without God, life is vain and not worthwhile at all. Although David was obviously feeling overwhelmed by the discipline of the Lord and feeling that he just couldn’t take it anymore, his reason for asking the Lord to remove the discipline from his wasn’t just because of that. He asks to have it removed so that he won’t be a reproach to the Lord any longer. He wanted to be a good witness for the Lord instead.

How was David “waiting on the Lord” here? He was waiting for the Lord to hear his cry of repentance, forgive him and remove the discipline from him. David was undergoing what we might also refer to at times as “a time in the desert” when no matter how much you cry out, the Lord doesn’t seem to hear you. We can see from this psalm though that although it might seem that way, the Lord really does hear our cries.

How very differently David handled “waiting on the Lord” then we usually do. Perhaps I should say then “I usually do”. I know for myself that when the Lord’s hand is heavy on me in discipline, that my reaction is usually to whine, cry, make excuses for my past behavior, say it’s not my fault, say how unfair it is, etc. That most certainly is not the godly way to deal with it. When we do that, making excuses and saying it’s not fair etc, that just causes our time of waiting to last longer. Like any good father, the Lord is not going to stop the discipline until we have recognized the fact that we are being disciplined and why and have repented from our sins.

This is especially difficult for us today because we simply aren’t taught much about the Lord’s discipline, if we’re taught about it at all. It’s as though most would simply like to pretend that it doesn’t happen any more, which is just plain silly. God doesn’t change and He doesn’t lie. He tells us right out that He disciplines those He loves and He tells us why:

Hebrews 12:5-10 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

How are we to respond when the Lord disciplines us? That’s what the psalm we’re looking at today teaches us. We should turn to God’s Word just as David reflected on God’s ways and the scripture he knew. We need to turn to God in prayer, not admitting to Him that we have sinned and that His discipline is deserved. We need to show Him, just as we would our earthly father if he was the one disciplining us, that we have learned our lesson, and we need to ask His forgiveness. When we’ve done that, we need to then “wait on the Lord” patiently, knowing that everything that is happening is happening for our good (even though we don’t like it). Like David, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord, asking Him to show us His ways and teach us to walk on His paths, to show us what He would have us do. Then we continue to wait patiently and humbly for the Lord to answer our prayer.

If you recall from yesterdays study, when the phrase “wait on the Lord” is used, it is talking about a “hopeful waiting”, not a discouraged one. So when we are waiting on the Lord in a situation like this, our wait should still be hopeful and expectant because we know that the Lord is good, all the time!

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How do we wait for the Lord to come?

How do we wait for the Lord to come? Waiting on the Lord –what does it mean?

Often throughout both the Old and New testament we see the phrase, “wait on the Lord”. This is something that has always been hard for people to do but I think it’s especially hard for us now because now our lives are lived in such a fast pace. We are taught by the world from infancy to expect instant gratification and waiting is generally seen as a “bad” thing and something to be avoided if at all possible today. I even find myself getting annoyed at waiting for a full minute to heat my dinner in the microwave at times, so waiting is not something that comes easily to me either! Let’s look at some of the ways we see this phrase in God’s Word today and see how it applies to us and what if anything we gain by “waiting” on the Lord.

Jude 20-23 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.Be merciful to those who doubt;snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

1 Corinthians 1:7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

The type of waiting for the Lord mentioned in the above verses is something we’re especially familiar with since we all know that the Lord will be coming for us soon. Don’t let that first verse confuse you; even though we are already saved and in effect already have eternal life, that life begins when Christ comes for us at the rapture. That is when He brings us eternal life by instantly changing our bodies into new, immortal, incorruptible bodies.

I know most of us here are eagerly waiting for Jesus to come for us, and be revealed to us as He really is and that’s exactly what will happen at the rapture. The Lord tells us that even creation itself “waits” for this moment:

Romans 8:19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

When Christ returns for us at the rapture, He is revealed to us as He really is and we who are His children, will also be revealed for what we really are then—His children, complete with immortal, incorruptible bodies!

Did you notice in the first verse that it says we’re waiting for the mercy of our Lord to give us these bodies and eternal life? This shows us once again that when we do receive our new bodies at the rapture and begin our new lives, that it is only because of His mercy and not because of anything we have done to “earn” it.

Now each of these verses gives us a little hint of “how” we are to wait. Let me post the first one again so we can look at it once more.

Jude 20-23 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.Be merciful to those who doubt;snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

The first one tells us that we are to build ourselves up in our faith while we wait. Notice here that he doesn’t tell us to go to church or Sunday school so that the pastor or teacher can build us up in our faith. He tells us to do it ourselves for ourselves relying on Him to teach us and guide us. The word “and” is included in that showing us that part of building ourselves up in our faith is done through prayer in the Holy Spirit.

Praying in the Holy Spirit here is not talking about praying in tongues. By this he is telling us to pray in the power of the Spirit as our hearts our indwelt and enlightened by Him. In other words, praying as we are led by God not just about the things we normally would pray for. When we do that it draws us ever closer to the Lord and our relationship with Him deepens.

The third thing he tells us to do is to keep ourselves in God’s love while we wait. Since we’ve just been studying 1 John we already have a good background for understanding what he’s saying here. We know that the way to keep ourselves abiding (living) in the love of God is by keeping ourselves in a close relationship with the Lord Himself. These are all linked together because we build our faith through the study and reflection on God’s Word and through prayer and we also build our relationship with the Lord, making it a closer relationship and deeper one through those very same things.

So in those first two sentences we are given 4 exhortations: to build, to pray, to keep, and to wait. Now what does it really mean to wait? I’d like to share the definition of “wait” with you from a bible dictionary as I think it gives us a much better picture of just how we are to “wait”.

WAIT. (Lam. 3:25) qavah (kah-vah); Strong’s #6960: To wait for, look for, expect, hope. This verb is found some fifty times. Qavah is the root of the noun tiqvah, “hope” or “expectancy.” Qavah expresses the idea of “waiting hopefully” (Gen. 49:18; Job 30:26; Ps. 40:1; Is. 5:4; 25:9). In the present reference, even in the overwhelming tragedies Jeremiah experienced, he had hope in God’s salvation and was willing to wait for it. Also (Mic. 7:7) yachal (yah-chal); Strong’s #3176: To wait, tarry, hope, trust, expect; be patient; remain in anticipation. Yachal appears thirty-eight times in the Old Testament. Its first occurrence is in Genesis 8:10, in the account of Noah’s waiting seven days, from the time he first sent out the dove until he sent her out again. Yachal is often translated “hope” (Pss. 31:24; 33:18; 130:5, 7; 147:11). The correct way to hope and wait for the Lord is to steadfastly expect His mercy, His salvation, and His rescue, and while waiting, not take matters into one’s own hand (compare Gen. 15:1-17:22).
[1] [2]Hayford's Bible handbook.

Did you notice that several other words are always used in conjunction with the word “wait”? We are to wait with hope and with expectation of receiving, and we are to do this “steadfastly”. To wait steadfastly means to wait determinedly, immovable in our hope and in waiting. Immovable meaning not allowing scoffers or doubters to move us or cause us to change our minds or waver in our responsibility to wait and not to allow them to cause us to lose our sense of anticipation.

Finally he tells us to be merciful to those who have doubts, meaning that we should help build them up and encourage them in their faith so that they can grow to maturity in Christ. With those who are wandering off into heresy however we are to snatch them from the fire to save them, meaning again that we are to show them the errors of their ways so they can repent and turn back to the Lord. He continues saying show mercy mixed with fear.. Here he isn’t talking about worldly fear but Godly fear, “the fear of the Lord”. We are to show them mercy by showing them the error of their ways doing so in the fear of the Lord reminding them this way that the Lord is not someone to be trifled with.

The last verse we’re looking at today shows us again that we are to wait eagerly:

1 Corinthians 1:7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

This makes me think of how my children waited eagerly for Christmas morning to come each December. They would get so excited and so eager that they always had trouble sleeping those last couple of nights! This is how we should be feeling as well!
Every day when we see the news, although it’s “bad” news and shows how bad things are getting here, instead of getting us down, we can instead see them for what they really are: signs pointing to the soon return of our Lord. Just like children waiting for Christmas morning, every sign brings us closer to our Lord’s return! How can we not be excited about that!

In conclusion today we can see that as we wait, we are only to be passive in the sense that we are not to try to take matters into our own hands. Other then that though our waiting should be spent in excitement as we work hard to build our faith and strengthen our relationship with the Lord.

Maranatha! Even so come Lord Jesus!

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Our Blessed Hope

Our Blessed Hope

Titus 2:13-14 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

I quite honestly have never really understood why others don't accept the pre trib view when it's so obviously biblical, at least to me. I think the only one that I've ever come even close to understanding was the mid trib view. Now though I think I've finally realized the crux of the matter for all of them and it's really surprising in a way because it's a mistake I made too for a very long time.

Most of us when we think or talk about the rapture, we are thinking of it being God's "rescue mission" in a way. We're thinking of it in terms of the whole purpose of the rapture being to rescue us from having to go through the Tribulation, but that's only a part of what the rapture is all about!

The rapture is the culmination of our spiritual journey. It's the completion of our salvation as the disciples called it. That's why it's called "our blessed hope!" This is the part that all the other views are missing as well. They're not taking this into consideration with everything else, which is why many of them don't understand what it means when we say it's "our blessed hope". In fact, I think many of us didn't understand why the rapture was and is our blessed hope either.

When we accept the gift of salvation, we are saved, 100%. This is when we are given the new nature, which is also referred to as a new spirit. This is our eternal incorruptible spirit which the Lord gives us; a spirit that cannot die, cannot be damaged or corrupted by sin in any way.

However, because we already have another spirit/nature, we are constantly being torn between the two of them. The old spirit doesn’t just “disappear” when we receive our new ones. It will remain with us until we die or are raptured. At that time, because it is corruptible, it will die and that will leave us with only one nature/spirit. The spirit we will be left with is the incorruptible spirit, the one that can never die.

So now here we are, we’re saved and we have that incorruptible spirit to prove it. It will live forever, which means that we too will now live forever. It is pure so it will live with God which means that we too will live with God, but something else still has to happen first before we can live there physically. We must get rid of that corruptible spirit and we must get our incorruptible bodies.

This is the “salvation” we are eagerly waiting for. It’s not just that we will immortal bodies, fly through the air and escape the tribulation, although that’s usually what we focus on. We cannot have those perfect bodies until the old spirit is gone. So what we are waiting for as well is the final death of our old spirit so it will no longer plague us.

As we’ve said, the death of our old spirit happens either at our physical death, or if we are still alive at the time when the Father sends Jesus to get us in the rapture, then it will happen at that time. In an instant, the twinkling of an eye, our old spirit will die, so we will only have the one perfect one left, and our old physical bodies will be remade to match our new spirit. We will finally be “whole” and our salvation will be complete. We will be ready for heaven!

This then is the time line if you will of salvation as seen if the person dies before the rapture:

• the instant we are saved we receive a new spirit; we become a new creation
• we then spend whatever time we have left in this lifetime studying to show ourselves approved and doing our best to please the Lord, denying ourselves and making our lives our sacrifice to Him; preparing ourselves for our eternal lives.
• We die leaving this corruptible body behind and when we die, our old nature also dies so it will no longer plague us. We are in heaven immediately on death in our spiritual bodies enjoying heaven and the Lord. We are free of sin forever!
• The rapture happens and in an instant we receive our incorruptible physical bodies which match the incorruptible spirit we received so long ago when we were first saved, and our salvation is now complete and we live with the Lord forever in our new bodies.

Obviously if the rapture happens before we die, then at the instant of the rapture we receive our new bodies as it says in number 4 and our old spirit dies as it says in number 3. Either way, whether we die first or are taken in the rapture, we along with all other believers will receive our physical incorruptible bodies at that point in time.

This is why the rapture is our blessed hope. When we die we do get rid of our old nature, but we do not yet have our incorruptible bodies. It is at the rapture that our salvation becomes totally complete; totally finished, because at that moment we are both rid of our old natures and receive our new bodies and we will be like Him! That is our blessed hope, that we will finally truly be like Him! Not divine as some heresies would have us think, but complete, immortal, sin free, and living with Him forever!

I find God’s plan for us more and more amazing as I read and study God’s Word. The studies, no matter what subject or book in the bible that I’m studying, have shown me over and over how His plan for our redemption began at the beginning of creation and ends with the rapture. It’s also shown me how very very important our lives right now are. Now is the ONLY time we have to prepare for our eternal lives that we have ahead of us. There will be no second chances for that either, just as there are no second chances after death for salvation. If we don’t make the best of this life after our salvation, to prepare for our real lives, then we will miss out on a very important and very necessary part of our training that will not be available for us again. Whoever made up that quote that this life is like school for us was not far from the truth. I don’t know about you, but I want to come out at the top of my class so I can have even more to do and enjoy in my real life!

Romans 8:23-24 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

Galatians 5:5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

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