In this world, there are some heartbreaking difficulties to be dealt with. God is going to be victorious in the end, of course, and all will be well. But let us not demand a premature cessation of sorrow. For now, our path is one of PATIENCE rather than perfect happiness.
We must get out of our comfort zones and take the gospel to those around us. The Lord is not going to be pleased if we simply give up, retreat to the safety of our church buildings, and settle into a routine of doing nothing more than “motivating the tribe.”
The multi-dimensioned nature of truth is one reason we need to study all of the Bible. It is only by exposing our minds to every page of the Scriptures that we can avoid over-emphasizing one part of the truth at the expense of others.
The person who says he has no regrets is either lying or has not lived long enough in this world to make any mistakes. So the question is: what are we to do with the memories that bring us pain when we they resurface in our minds?
The Lord’s Supper energizes us, stiffens our courage, and sends us back into the world with a greater determination to endure. The joy is coming. The day of rest awaits us. The victory celebration is being prepared. But in the meantime, Jesus’ endurance shows us how to CONTINUE.
A limited view of God hinders our joy. When “the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1) is left out of our spiritual growth and when “the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9) is no longer what we yearn to be rescued from, our “joy” is going to be a poor substitute for the real thing.
At present, we are “works in progress.” In an important sense, growth in the resemblance of our character to that of Jesus Christ is what being a Christian is mainly about. Here are three ways we should look forward to being like our Lord in eternity.
We cannot remain in fellowship with God and neglect either His will for how He is to be worshiped or His command that we show mercy to others. But neither of these will get us to heaven if we forget the heart of the matter: repentance from our sins and reconciliation to God.
I would like to write more often about the church, but some say that would be offering more information on a topic most people would like to hear less about. I’ve been told that emphasizing “church” is impertinent (and even dangerous), so here’s my defense.
Hardship, sorrow, and penitence for sin clarify our perspective. So here is the truth we must accept and be thankful for: it is in the “valley” that our vision is able to see some things most clearly. And these truths are often the very ones we need to see the most urgently.
