Prepare for Life

May you have a wonderful 2023 as you carry the lessons learned from my sink cabinet into your new year. 

We all tend to look ahead and worry about the what if's of our future. We can get obsessed and debilitated churning with anxiety as we anticipate what could happen. Into these dark thoughts shines a shaft of pure light. God promises His presence and His grace when we need it. The reality of these promises calms our soul and counters our fears with His perfect peace, a peace that passes understanding. No matter what the future holds, God will be there. His grace is sufficient.

The book of Psalms is the book of praise! It is a handbook that shows us how to view life through the lens of praise. In the Psalms we praise God not just from our heads but from our hearts. Even the psalms that describe difficult, trying experiences usually finish with a resounding chorus of praise to God. As we meditate upon the book of Psalms we will begin to make praise the default position of our hearts.

Psalm 1 opens with this exclamation, “Happy, happy, happy is the one!….” In this psalm the Holy Spirit describes how to be happy. It introduces our culture sheet. God sets forth the conditions of our heart that need to be met in order for us to thrive, to bloom wherever we are planted. He gives us the key to happiness. Remember God is not mean. He is not withholding something good from us. He is simply telling us how it is, setting forth the parameters for our happiness. Learn more in the Podcast.

I know in my head that what the Bible says about joy is still true, but I am not feeling very joyous right now. Just as the book of Ecclesiastes talks about seasons in life, this is a time for mourning not rejoicing. We all feel a keen sense of sorrow, grief and shock. I hope I am not right about this, but it seems that our days are growing darker and darker; depravity unabated, is this the new normal? I wonder if we are reaping what we have sown as a nation by turning our backs on God and His ways? It feels like evil is having its heyday.

Paul in Philippians 3 shows us the way to live an intentional life. There were things Paul needed to put behind him. He said it this way,“Forgetting what lies behind.” Philippians 3:13. He was referring to things in his past that could hold him back from focusing on his goal. Some of the things were positive things like his ancestry, his orthodoxy, having a fine intellect and outstanding education, excelling in his job. For Paul these good things offered the temptation to trust in self and not put his wholehearted trust in God alone. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Philippians 3:7

One of the ways our lights shine is when we follow the Lord in the little, hidden places of our lives. Our light shines when we walk in forgiveness toward someone who has hurt us. Our light shines when we seek reconciliation in a broken relationship. Our light shines when we let peace rule in our hearts. In Philippians 2 Paul gives us a few more concrete things we can do to let our lights shine.

Have you experienced a setback? Have you been side-lined? Maybe you have done nothing to deserve some mistreatment. Maybe your future is uncertain. You know you are not in control. But God is. Take your eyes off your circumstances and put them on the Lord. He is able. Trust Him in your difficulties. You will not miss your destiny. “God who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. Don't get mired down in your current situation, don't complain. Praise God. Pray for others. Be thankful. And as you set your eyes on the things above you may be surprised that you, like Paul, will find joy in the midst of trials.

Do you really believe Jesus was resurrected? Why is His resurrection so important? What difference does His resurrection make in our daily lives?

There is great mystery surrounding the cross of Christ. For three hours, from noon to three, while Jesus hung on the cross everything went literally black. Total darkness fell over the land. The curtain came down. Luke said, “It was as if the sun stopped shining.” Matthew, Mark and Luke each describe this three hour period with one sentence, “Darkness came over the land.” John covered this time with silence. Then he picks up by saying, “Later, knowing that all things had been accomplished….” John 19:28. Jesus subsequently said, “It is finished.” John 19:30. But what was accomplished? What was finished? And why the darkness?

As you approach Holy Week and behold Jesus in the Gospel readings of His trials, don't be distracted by the travesty of justice and his scourging, mocking and beatings. Don't forget who He is. Some day, maybe within your lifetime, you might live to see His return. “Behold, He comes riding on the clouds, and every eye will see Him even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. Revelation 1:8. This hope will not disappoint.

Earlier when Jesus came to Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday the people praised God joyfully with a loud voice as they laid coats and palm leaves in his path. The Pharisees were disgusted and demanded that Jesus rebuke the people. He answered, “If these become silent, the rocks will cry out!” Luke 19:40. I think something similar is going on in Gethsemane. These men who came to arrest Jesus probably didn't know who he was nor were they seeking a savior. But they fell prostrate before him when he revealed his divine, eternal identity. His words carried power, authority and majesty. Their response was entirely appropriate. Their actions were necessary. If they didn't fall to the ground, the rocks would cry out.

There is no way to minimize the anguish the Lord felt in Gethsemane as he anticipated the cross. His suffering was part of His sacrifice. It was so real that he literally almost died, so real that he cried out like a wounded animal. He didn't blithely go through the motions of obeying the Father's will, he bore the full weight of the horror of the cross. Nothing about this was easy for him. He felt fully the anguish of the cross as he willingly took on this task.

As we come to the final week of the earthly life of Christ we are down to his last precious moments. Every second was important. Each action the Lord took and every word he spoke were full of significance. One fourth of each of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke focus upon the this time period. Almost half of the Gospel of John is concerned with this last week.

Weekly Devotional Jesus didn't stop Mary; he stopped the biting criticism and shaming of Mary. “Leave her alone. She has done a good deed to Me. She has done what she could, she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.”

I found a treasure this week and I want to share it with you. A friend of mine sent me the questions that John Wesley and his band of fellow believers used for reflection. You may remember John Wesley. As a young man in 1738 Wesley had a radical encounter with Jesus Christ. He went on to form “classes and bands” for study and accountability and eventually founded what became the Methodist denomination. I am not a Methodist, but I think these questions are great! They get to the main point of our faith, where the rubber meets the road— how we live out our faith each day. These questions are simple and to the point. Your answers will help you evaluate how you are walking with the Lord and where you may need a course correction.