Month: March 2020

“For our light and momentary trouble are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

            What do you see when you look at the world around us? When you turn on the news or open a newspaper? What about as you scroll through your Facebook feed or look at Instagram posts? Do you see joy? Or happiness? Or excitement and anticipation? I sure don’t. What I mainly see right now is panic and fear. A month ago, we couldn’t have predicted what our world is like today. So much has changed in such a short amount of time! We now live in a world dominated by fear. People are afraid of getting sick, or of running out of essential items. All of this has made us afraid of each other. We feel like we’re caught in a situation where we have little or no control. I think that’s what creates the hoarding. It’s an attempt to have a little bit of control in the midst of an uncontrollable situation. We may not be able to control the spread of this awful virus, but at least we have toilet paper!

            The truth is that we’re never in control. We never know what the future is going to hold. It’s just much more obvious right now than it usually is. That can be a good thing if it causes us to lean more heavily on God. So in that light, let’s take a look at this verse. First, what we’re experiencing are “light and momentary troubles.” It doesn’t matter what we’re experiencing. Of course, there’s the pandemic but we all have other struggles as well. But whatever they are, we can be confident of two things. In the light of eternity, our struggles are light and they’re momentary. They won’t last forever. The saying “this too shall pass” applies to every one of the troubles we face on this earth. It certainly doesn’t feel like that as we’re going through them. But that’s because we see them through the lens of this world, not the lens of eternity.

            Not only are our troubles light and momentary, but they always achieve eternal glory for us. And that glory outweighs every single problem we could ever experience on this earth! That’s a reason for praise! The harder our struggles, the greater the glory will be! And that’s not a momentary glory. That’s for eternity! No wonder Paul then encourages us to fix our eyes on that. Even though we can’t see into heaven, that’s what we should focus on. How can we focus on something we can’t even see? By focusing on God. Of course, we can’t see Him with our earthly eyes, either. But if the eyes of our hearts are fixed on Him, everything we see and experience on this earth will be different. Better. Easier. More hopeful. When we look at this world through the eyes of our Heavenly Father, we won’t be filled with fear or panic or questioning or wondering. We’ll be filled instead with awe and the hope and joy that comes only from Him Who is eternal.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

            We are in a global situation that none of us have ever experienced before. Okay, so I’m not the first to say that. And I’m not the first to suggest that the Bible had the answer to COVID-19 all along when it says to wash your hands. While I enjoy that joke, there’s something about our collective response to this pandemic that has me a little confused. We have been taking all kinds of precautions to prevent the spread of this disease, everything from hoarding supplies to sheltering-in-place. We’re more conscious of personal hygiene and more aware of our surroundings. We want to make sure we’re not in situations where we can be infected. What confuses me is that I wonder why we haven’t been doing those things all along.

            I’m not suggesting that we should have been taking these precautions before the disease even existed in humans. What I am suggesting is that there is a disease that is much deadlier than COVID-19. That’s the disease of sin. I have a question: why did you just breathe a sigh of relief when I said this deadly disease is sin? Why is our response to that, “Oh, it’s just sin. I knew about that one before. In fact, I’ve been living with that disease my whole life.” The problem is that we become desensitized to it. We think it’s not a big deal. But what if we were to respond to this disease with the same urgency and commitment of our responses to the pandemic? After all, the death that comes from sin is the death of our souls. That’s a pretty severe consequence!

            What should our response be to the disease of sin? As this verse says, we’re to wash our hands. In Biblical terminology, that means to repent of our sinful acts. But not just our hands. We’re also to purify our hearts. And that’s part of repentance. We don’t just cease doing sinful acts. We also turn our hearts back to God. We also need to be aware of our surroundings. Just as we don’t want to be around people who can infect us with germs, we also don’t want to put ourselves in situations that we know will be temptations for us. Let’s not leave out the first part of this verse, to come near to God. That’s the most important part. When we’re close to Him, He will be the One to purify us from all uncleanness.

            The one response that I think should be different is we are not to practice social distancing in a spiritual sense. I see Christians as the healthcare workers of the sin pandemic. I recently heard healthcare workers described as being like firefighters who pull people from a burning building as they themselves rush in. We are the ones God has sent into the world with the only cure for sin. How can we tell others about Christ if we remain in our holy huddles? But He also doesn’t call us to go out alone. We need to make sure we stay connected to a community, a body of believers who will help us and support us. People who will make sure that we are continually drawing close to God. As we change our lives to this new normal of society, let’s also think about the worst pandemic that has been ravaging all humankind since the Garden of Eden. Let’s ask God what He would have us do in response.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.

            Have you ever had one of those times when everything changed in a moment? Maybe it was a phone call you never wanted to receive. A conversation you never imagined having. An illness. An accident. A job loss. A financial reversal. A betrayal. There are so many things that can change our life in the blink of an eye. We live in a world that is characterized by change. In fact, we are living in a time when things seem to be changing moment by moment. Sometimes we desire change. For example, getting married is certainly a change and it’s one we (hopefully) look forward to. Other changes are not so eagerly anticipated.

            Most people aren’t very comfortable with change. Others may like change a little more but even for them, they want to be able to decide which changes to make. Many times, we don’t get to pick the changes that come our way. We’re okay with change A, but change B is what we’re handed. But we can be sure of this: change will come. Things will not stay the same. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying that the only thing certain in this world is death and taxes. I would like to add “change” to that list. We don’t even have to wonder. We can be assured that life will not stay the same. Change has come in the past and will come in the future.

            There’s something else I’d like to add to Franklin’s list of certainties: Jesus Christ. He never changes. No matter what’s going on in the world around us, we can be assured that Jesus is the same today as He was when He created the world, or when He hung on the cross for you, or when He conquered death. He hasn’t changed even one little bit. And He never will. That’s a certainty we can count on!

            Are you grieving a change in your past? Or maybe you’re experiencing a change in your life right now. Hang on to Jesus! He knew before the beginning of time that the change was coming. And He knows where it’s going to take you. More than that, He’s with you on every step of the journey. Maybe you’re fearing that there’s a change in your future. Have you ever noticed that most of what we fear never happens? But even if it does, Jesus already knows all about it and has even gone ahead to prepare the way for you. Regardless of where you are right now with change, be assured that the One who never changes will be the One to see you through.

 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

            Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to be content. Paul tells us he has learned to be content in every situation. Does that mean we just accept whatever comes our way and never try to change it? If we’re in an unhealthy relationship, do we just accept that as our lot? Or what if we’re struggling to make ends meet? Do we look for a better paying job or a second job? Or do we just accept this as the way it is? And what does it mean to be content, anyway? Does it mean to grin and bear it? To clench our teeth and muscle our way through the situation? Or lay back and allow ourselves to be doormats to whatever situation we’re dealing with? If you’ve ever asked any of these questions, you’re not alone. I have, too. So I started looking for verses that talk about contentment and this verse out of Proverbs was one listed as being a “contentment” verse. How can that be when the word doesn’t even appear in the verse?

            The first thing we realize is that this is talking to people who are dealing with a sickness of some kind. After all, if there isn’t a sickness there would be no need for medicine. Maybe it’s a physical illness, or maybe it’s some other kind of disease. Maybe it’s an unhealthy relationship, or some other situation we’re dealing with that just isn’t right. Regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, the way to heal our sick soul is cheerfulness. Really?! When you’re in a situation like that, how in the word can you be cheerful? Other words that could be used for cheerful are rejoicing, gladness, or delight. I remember seeing a forecast that said the weather was going to be “delightful.” I thoroughly enjoyed that and on a nice spring day I’ll think of how delightful the weather is. But what if it’s raining cats and dogs? How can my heart be cheerful or delightful in the midst of the storm? It is certainly more difficult then, but if we can keep our eyes on the One who’s walking us through the storm, we will be able to take great delight in Him even as the wind and waves whip all around us.

            It’s when we take our eyes off God that the circumstances around us begin to crush us. The interesting thing is that there’s more than one Hebrew word for “bones.” The one used here doesn’t mean actual skeletal bones. It means the person is rawboned, or bony. There’s not much too them. A strong wind could blow them away. And that’s exactly what may happen. What this verse is saying is that without God, the little health we have will be taken from us when we face a storm. The New Living Translation says, “a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”             So what does any of this have to do with contentment? I think it’s all about our focus. If we’re focusing on God, we’re not seeing the problem around us. At best, we’re seeing God whip that problem. But even if the situation doesn’t change, we do. We’ll be able to experience God’s grace, strength, love and victory. In the parts of our lives where our strength was draining away, we’re now experiencing the rejuvenation that only a close walk with Jesus can bring. I’m not saying that it will make me want the storm to last forever. But staying focused on Him will make it okay to be in the midst of the storm. I’ll no longer fear the wind and waves if I’m walking on top of them with Jesus. And my strength won’t flow out when His strength is pouring in. With Jesus, I’ll be able to look at the storm and say, “What a delightful day! It’s delightful because Jesus is in it with me.”

“I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26

            A few days ago, I went through my morning routine and then headed to work. It had snowed overnight and was still snowing, so I took my time driving. However, my brain was filled with all that was to happen that day. I was mentally preparing for a meeting later that morning, wondering about another appointment that day, and was running through my to-do list. I was stopped at a red light when it suddenly dawned on me that beautiful snowflakes were gently falling all around me. Not a hard, blowing snow that makes driving difficult. Rather, these were pieces of white lace decorating my windshield and dancing in the air all around my car. At that moment, the thought occurred to me that these were just like God’s graces. They are always falling all around me. Always. Sometimes I notice them and revel in their beauty but most of the time I don’t. Even if I do notice, I too often take them for granted, or think I somehow deserve these wonderful graces He lavishes on me.

            Since that morning, I’ve been thinking of this verse. It sits in a chapter that talks about what God has promised to do for His sheep. There are so many promises in this section of scripture! Promises of protection and provision and peace and prosperity. These are just some of the blessings He has promised to rain down on us. How is it, then, that we don’t always experience those things? It would be easy to look at these verses and say that God has promised that nothing bad will ever happen to us but we all know that’s not true. Sometimes it seems we’re not protected, or we don’t have what we need, or our world is filled with turmoil, or the coffers are running low. So how do we reconcile these facts with the truth of God’s word? We need to remember that as a general rule, the Old Testament (where this is found) is external while the New Testament is internal. Take a look at the promises again. He will protect our minds and our hearts, He will provide for our souls, He will give us inner peace that passes all understanding, and He will give us a spiritual richness that cannot be described. He doesn’t give us just a little bit of each of these. They will fall in showers of blessings. Not a trickle. Not even a small stream. A shower.

            This verse also says that He gives showers in season. He knows when we’re going to need an extra measure of a certain grace and at that time, He pours it out. Do you need extra peace today? God is sending it. Or maybe you don’t know it yet, but you’re going to need extra protection tomorrow. That’s okay. God knows it and He’ll send it. Not today because you don’t need it today. He’ll send it at the right time. So let’s open our eyes to the graces, the blessings falling all around us. Slow down and take the time to recognize all that God has done and is doing for you. Be ready to celebrate how He’s going to provide tomorrow. And thank Him for His many, many blessings, the showers of blessings falling all around us!