Focus

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:12-15 [NASB])

Becoming a Christian isn't about getting a better life here on earth-no pain, more things, better people in life. Becoming a Christian isn't about being able to stand-out in a group as one holier than others.

Becoming a Christian means being so identified with Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection that we do not take notice of ourselves, but only of Him.

Our sole purpose as Christians is to bring glory to God. Our foundation is Jesus Christ and a personal devotion to Him. If we are truly identified with Christ, we will continually seek God, His presence, and His will and will strive with our whole being and His power to obey Him.

Nothing about being a Christian is about ourselves. It's all about God, bringing Him glory no matter the cost to ourselves.

What have you let become your focus in life? Job, car, family, status, or the way people look at you? All those things will fall away and you will eventually die.

Our focus should always be God and doing His will to bring Him glory. God lasts forever. Nothing else will.

Be honest, what is your focus now, this Christmas, and for the next year?

Wolves, Roses, and Joy

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again-my Savior and my God! (Psalm 43:5 [NLT])

Many people believe Christians do not face hard times. They have this idea that once a person becomes Jesus’ follower, life will be a bed of roses and no wolves will batter the door of his or her life. Those of us who have been Christians for a while know the truth. We know life has hard times in store for everyone because we live in a sinful world. At times, life is harder for Christians because we believe in Jesus and follow Him. How could life be harder for Christians than non-Christians? Because Satan constantly wages war against Christians attempting to discredit them and Christ. Satan is the incessant wolf at the door. For people who are not followers of Jesus, they might question why Satan would fight more with Christians? Let’s consider a few role models of the faith and their lives.

David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22), though chosen by God to be the king over His people, the Israelites, battled against his enemies. He was a man who had blood on his hands. The Philistines, Saul and his army, Absalom’s army, and many others fought against David because of jealousy, anger, or a desire for his land, people, and resources. Even though God chose David, David still had difficult times. Some of those difficulties came because of his own decisions, like when he lay with another man’s wife. Wolves, temptations and persecutions from Satan battered his door. Yet, during his difficult times, David still praised God and looked up to Him as his strength, protection, joy, and hope. In Psalm 43, he pleaded with God to rescue him from unjust people. David wrote many lamentations and included in them stanzas expressing his hope in God who was his strength, refuge, fortress, and joy. David’s life was not a bed of roses. If anything, David lived like a shepherd, outdoors on rock and dirt much of the time, as he fought against his adversaries. As king you’d expect him to have lived a luxurious life. David’s enemies, the wolves, did not give him time to rest and live that kind of life. Yet, he still had the joy of God. David chose to seek God in the midst of his trials.

Job was a very righteous man, he revered God and shunned evil (Job 1:1). He had seven sons and three daughters. Job owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. People considered him the greatest man in the East. (Job 1:2-3) One day Satan entered the heavenly court and God asked him, “Where have you come from?” During their conversation, Satan said to the Lord,

Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse You to your face.

“All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” (Job 1:9-12 [NLT])

Satan threw everything at Job except for his own death. Even his three friends turned on him and told him to plead for God’s forgiveness. Surely, they thought, he had sinned against God and the horrible things happening to him were because of that sin. Job lost his ten children, servants, wife, herds, grain, produce, and buildings. Satan took everything he owned away. Yet, Job did not turn away from following and obeying the LORD (Yahweh, the eternal One). Instead, during the trials Satan threw at him, Job said, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at the last.” (Job 19:25 [NLT]) Job, though a righteous man, lived a life that was not a bed of roses. Yes, God blessed him, and those blessings were very good, but he faced trials. The wolves battered his door. To prove the faith of Job, God allowed Satan to test him. Satan’s test failed. Job’s life demonstrates Satan trying God’s children. It shows this child of God’s life was not always fragrant and pleasant. After the season of trails by Satan, God blessed Job more than He had in the first part of his life. He doubled the number of his animals and gave him seven more sons and three more daughters. Besides this, Job included his daughters in his will along with their brothers to receive an inheritance. Doing this was very unusual because only men could inherit in their patriarchal society. Job remained firm in his faith in God during his trials. He grew stronger because of them. During his time of trials, Job chose to seek God and draw on His joy to get him through his difficult times.

Consider any of the disciples of Christ. They each faced persecution. People killed several of them. Many of the disciples faced imprisonment. Even today, Jesus’ followers face persecution, torture, and martyrdom because of their faith. Christians’ lives are not always a bed of roses. Yes, God blesses them, but they, too, face hard times–illnesses, lack of money, hunger, taunting, persecution, mocking, and death at the hands of other people. People who are not Christians consider the persecutions and wonder why a person would risk living like that and then they, themselves, turn away or they become the persecutors. Another group of people consider today’s Christians and the history of Christians and wonder what would make a person so strong in his or her faith to continue following Jesus when he or she knows persecution will come. Consider what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:16-18, 21-23, 28, & 34-39,

¹⁶ Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about Me.
²¹ A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are My followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.
²⁸ Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
³⁴ Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
³⁵ I have come to set a “man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ Your enemies will be right in your own household!”
³⁷ If you love your father or mother more than you love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it. [NLT]

Jesus told His disciples that Christians’ lives will not always be a bed of roses. Their lives showed this to be true. Expect trials, persecutions, and even death. Students and slaves should expect no less that what happened to their teachers and masters. Wolves will batter the door of your homes if you are a Christian. Satan wants to discredit you and your testimony about Jesus. Notice, Jesus’ disciples chose to go through the trials, but they didn’t do it alone. They drew on the strength God gives. They counted it all joy. A joy they received from the source of joy, God, the Father.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 [ESV])

Christians should expect and will live through hard times. Jesus said it and believers lived out this truth in the Old and New Testaments, and in every generation since then. Satan is the incessant wolf at the door. He constantly tries to defeat the testimony of Christians about Christ. Yet, we need not fear. We can have joy even in difficult times. Why? Because God is our Redeemer. He is our refugee and strength. From Him we can have joy and hope. How can we have joy even while suffering? David explained and proclaimed it in Psalm 43:4. “There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy. I will praise You with my harp, O God, my God!” [NLT] Because God is the source of joy, we can have joy since we are Christians. Because Jesus defeated death and sin, we have hope beyond what we are facing and beyond this mortal life. Go to the altar of God. Rejoice because God is your joy. Your source never dries up like the land, water, and human bodies. It never rusts or corrodes.

Our Source of Joy is Eternal.

God is our Source of Joy!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12 [NIV])

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and 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 end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9 [NIV])

Lord, You are the fountain of all blessings. From You flows hope, joy, love, truth, righteousness, and all good things. Forgive me for losing hope and grasping only the joy of the moment instead of seeking You, the fount of blessings and the God of my soul. Lord, help me recall You and Your promises and blessings when I walk through dark times. Help me stand strong in Your strength remembering the hope You have given me through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus. Help me have joy even when facing trials because You are my strength and shield. Because of You, I have hope. Lord, help me not to shrink away from difficulties, but to walk courageously through them with You so I may grow closer to You and become more like You. Because of Your grace, I not only can prevail in these situations, but I have eternal life with You. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Darkness and Holidays

Times can be hard. Life can be hard. Each person will face times of pain, separation, loneliness, despair, grief, and loss. These times seem to hit us hardest during holiday seasons. We each want to be joyful and cheery. We want to laugh, but the pain often overwhelms us. What should cause joy to erupt from us, holidays and celebrations, causes inner turmoil and pain. Tears easily come to our eyes as we think of that which assaults us.

Some people mean to be kind when they tell you, “Dig deep and you can overcome the problem.” Other people say you must put your mind to it and pull yourself out of the black, dark hole. Some people shake their heads and consider you a weak person for allowing yourself to stay in the miry bog. Satan wants you in that place. He pushes down on you, so you feel alone and overwhelmed with your pain, grief, loss, loneliness, despair, and separation.

When you dig deep within yourself, you can only go as deep as your own strength. We are human and only have mortal strength. Our strength is not overcoming strength. Putting your mind to the problem isn’t always enough. Our minds are fragile and not strong enough to overcome every pressure of life. We are human and so we are not strong enough to combat alone some of the troubles Satan throws at us. Yet, there is One who is stronger than anything or anyone who can come against you. God, the Creator of everyone and everything, is greater and stronger than anything the forces of darkness can hurl at you. None of us is strong enough to combat the arrows and darts of Satan all the time, but God is.

How does that help us while we are battling to stay afloat in the raging waters of our troubles? Because God is greater, stronger, more powerful, faithful, and loving, He wants to walk with us as we go through troubling times. Nothing can overpower God; He is immortal and omnipotent. Consider what Paul wrote to the Roman Christians in Romans 8: 28, 31, 33, 35, & 37-39,

²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?
³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, not depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [NASB]

Jesus is the Conqueror, and with Him as His disciples, we can overwhelmingly conquer whatever Satan hurls toward us. Consider, too, God said to seek Him, and He will be found. The Bible records God saying this many times: Jeremiah 29:12-14, 2 Chronicles 7:14, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Deuteronomy 4:29, and Proverbs 8:17. Other scriptures passages state this, too. God tells us He is always available to us; we must seek Him with our whole being-our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

How can you get through your trials, troubles, and pain? Seek God. How do you seek God?

Pray. Humble yourself and seek Him. Ask Him to make Himself known to you. Tell Him your troubles, pain, and difficulties. Express your understanding that you cannot handle these alone. Give your troubles, your burdens to Him. Paul said in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” God already knows your situation, but when you come to Him in prayer, you humble yourself and recognize you are too feeble to fix the problem and God is almighty; He is able. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Listen for God’s guidance. Wait for Him and His relief. Lean fully on Him.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 [NASB]) God will be with you. He will walk with you through your hard times and give you His strength and peace for the journey.

Read the Bible. Added to praying, you can read the Bible, God’s Word, to hear from Him, to gain encouragement and guidance, and to know Him better. Through Scripture reading, God reminds you how He has worked in the past. He tells you how He wants you to live in the present. God assures you He walks with you through this current trouble, pain, and trial. Hear God’s words to Joshua and the Israelites in Joshua 1:5b. “I will not fail you or forsake you.” Consider Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave or forsake you.” David wrote in Psalm 46:10-11, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted over the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Over and over in the Bible, God reminds us He will be with us if we seek Him with our whole being. God loves each of us and wants to be your God, to guide you, give you strength, and remind you of the hope you have in Christ Jesus.

Pray again. After you’ve read God’s Word, and He’s brought to your mind His words and deeds of power and encouraged you, pray again. Pray thanking Him for His love, guidance, power, and faithfulness. Pray asking Him to give you His strength to get through your trials. Pray asking Him to help you keep your eyes on Him and not on your storm. Pray asking Him to fill you with His joy even in the midst of your troubles, pain, and trials. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, pray asking Him to save you from your sins and to give you new life in Him. God is always faithful to His children. He says He will always be found by those who seek Him with their whole being. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you, too, will be a child of God.

Other. Maybe prayer and reading the Bible is enough for you or possibly God has given you another voice by which to express yourself. Use that voice, whether in music, song, writing, dance, art, or whatever the medium to bring your cares before God, process His Word, and give Him your trust, your heart, and your trouble. Let that voice help give you release and relief by giving your cares to God. Express your faith in Him to walk with you through your hard time, and gain strength from Him-His faithfulness, love, and power. Consider how David felt in the midst of trials. He took them to God and lamented to God about his situation. Then he praised God for what He was doing and would do to bring him through those hard times. Consider Psalm 34. David began this psalm praising God. He then moved to acknowledging God comes to the aid of the righteous. David ended this psalm with this comforting thought in verse twenty-two, “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” David and other righteous people throughout history have used this “other voice” God gave them as a gift to talk with God, process their own situations, and recall and resolve for themselves that God is good and is able to take care of all our needs, including walking with us through hard times. Besides crying out to God by your “other voice,” you can speak with a Christian pastor, elder, or other Christian. They can pray with you and help you carry your burdens to God while encouraging as you face your trying days.

During life’s holidays, troubles, pain, and trials can cause us to sink within ourselves and not celebrate. If we allow them, they will keep us in a vortex of darkness and anguish with no joy. God does not want us to go through these times alone. He gives us hope because He loves us. God is greater than anything that comes against us. Consider Mary. She became pregnant before Joseph laid with her. By law, Joseph could have broken the engagement. Mary must have been frightened about what the outcome might be. Yet, the angel told her not to fear. (Luke 1:30) Mary trusted God to make this situation of being pregnant outside of marriage work for good, God’s good. Joseph, when he learned Mary was pregnant, did not want to disgrace her because he was a righteous man. Because of this, he planned to send her away quietly so she would not have her reputation ruined. God sent a dream to Joseph in Matthew 1:20. In that dream, an angel of the Lord said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Joseph gave his trouble and potential ruined reputation to God and trusted Him to make everything work out for the best. God chooses all His children for a purpose. He has a purpose for everyone. God’s purposes are always for the best. Had Mary or Joseph acted on their predicament without God’s intervention, she or he may have done good things according to the Law, but not what was best according to God.

God is here for each person who calls on Him with their whole being. His plans are best. God’s plan includes growing us to be more like Jesus and to be in a close relationship with Him. That can happen through hard times. It can happen in good times, too. Right now, if you are experiencing anguish, pain, loneliness, trials, grief, fear, or any other difficulty, don’t give up. Don’t isolate yourself and spiral down into the dark pit into which Satan wants to trap you. Let Him guide you and give you strength. Your hope, our hope, is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. This LORD God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born as a human on earth so He could die to give us salvation and an eternal relationship with Him. This is our hope. Jesus is our hope. If you are going through a hard time right now; turn to God. Pray. Read the Bible. Pray again. Use your “other voice” and bring it all to God. Seek a Christian friend or pastor to help you. Don’t let Satan take you down into the dark pit.

There is hope.

Jesus is the hope of the world.

And once more, Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, and He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:12-13 [NASB])

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 [NASB])

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 [NASB])

Oh, Lord, so often I have felt like I couldn’t go on. I felt like the dark vortex would swallow me and I wanted to give up. But then You, in Your great love for me and in Your faithfulness, reminded me of Who You are, what You’ve done, and how much You love me. Lord, You took me back to Your Word and showed me You have always been with Your children through the hard times, and, Lord, I know Your love never fails. You are faithful. Lord, forgive me for not coming to you sooner. Forgive me for giving up on the hope You provide because of the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus. Lord, I promise I will always walk with You. Please walk with me now through this dark trial. Grow me to be like Your Son and to be in a closer relationship with You because of this trial. Lord, keep reminding me of the hope You give and fill me with Your Spirit so that Your joy is my strength. Help me have joy and rejoice even when I am going through darkness because of who You are. You are my strength and shield. You are my fortress and my very present help in times of trouble. Thank you, Lord for what You’ve done. Thank you for what You will do in my situation and in me. Thank you for being faithful even when I lost hope and felt forsaken. Thank you for not letting go of me when I let go of You. I love you, Lord. Amen.