Certain in Uncertainties

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2 [ESV])

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. (John 17:13 [NIV])

We face an unparalleled time in which 99% of the world's population never have encountered anything like the COVID-19 virus. We fear getting the virus and dying. We fear for our family members' lives. We fear our world will never be like it was before COVID. We fear this time will never end.

Our fears are not new to God. He has seen everything that has befallen humankind. God is unchanged by this virus or any that ever came before it. He is still faithful, still gracious, still merciful, and still all-mighty. All the attributes God had from before time began still are part of who He is. We can be certain about God even in uncertain times.

For those who are God's children by the salvation Jesus provides to make every believer righteous, they can be certain they will be in heaven with Him even though they do not know now what that will look like.

Besides this, believers in Jesus can have joy in uncertain times. How is that? God is the source of joy. His children, through Jesus, are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 17:13 that He gave His followers His joy.

So, Christians can have joy in uncertain times, and they can be certain of God in uncertain times because He never changes; He is always faithful.

What fears are you facing today? Cast them away and live in the joy Jesus gives by His Spirit living in you. What uncertainties make you cower? Give them to God and He will help you bear your yoke while giving you His joy. God said He would never leave or forsake His children in Deuteronomy 31:6. Whatever Satan throws at you or tries sneakily to plant into your mind, cast it away from you knowing you can be certain in God in times of uncertainty and you can have joy during hard times because the Holy Spirit lives in you.

Lord, it is scary living in this world today. I have heard people say, “This is not my world anymore.” I have never lived through anything like this before. Each day I wake, I am afraid. Forgive me for allowing my fears to take prominence in my mind. Help me be strong because of You, Lord, for You are almighty and Your love endures forever. God help me remember Your Spirit lives in me and I have all Your joy within me. Help me live with the joy You give and with trust in You that nothing can affect me without You going through it with me. Oh, Lord, I am amazed and thankful as I recall Your love and faithfulness, Your grace and mercy, and Your might and power. You are amazing, and I am so small. Thank you for Your joy and faithfulness. Amen.

True Success Defined

Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you… LUKE 10:20

What do we hold up to prove we are successful in the spiritual realm? Do we say we must visit a certain number of people? Do we hold ourselves up as casters-out of demons or healers? Do we put ourselves forth as ones who speak in tongues? Do we count how many people we've saved? Do we keep track of the meals we've taken to people or the number of people we've taken to the doctor? Do we keep record of these things to show ourselves as better than others or to prove we are doing a lot of good things?

There are so many things we do, for which we feel pride about, yet, these are not the main task. These are "markers" for worldly estimation of success. True success, if we dare use that word when considering our work for God, is being in a growing relationship with Him, leading people to Him, and discipling people.

We don't count the numbers of people. We don't parade ourselves as the greatest healer or the most fluent spiritual-tongues speaker, or the most prolific caster-out of demons, or that we have driven the most miles to help people, or, or, or. Those are all manmade standards placed upon a spiritual realm. The two do not mesh. One does not fit the other.

A life hidden with Christ in God is not a statistically visible life. It's a meek life of obedience and relationship to God made possible through Christ, not through man. The world's standards don't determine the heavenly servant's worth or work. How can it, when the world is sinful and so much less grand than heaven? Man's standards are tainted with sin; heaven's is not. Would we dare to tell God He had not saved enough people, get back to work? Ridiculous! Applying the earthly idea of success to heavenly work is ridiculous. The measure would never fit the grand scale, the grandeur and almighty-ness of who God is, and what He has, is, and will do.

Discipleship under Christ (to those who have been given a new self by Christ's Holy Spirit), grows the mind, heart, and spirit of each person to the standard of heaven by gradual growth in relationship with God, which leads to obedient discipleship. It is the growing into the new life Christ has given us, becoming less of self and more of Christ. ("He must increase, and I must decrease," as John the Baptist said.). It is as Paul said to the Colossians in Colossians 3:3, "For you (your natural life) have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. "Your old, natural life would never have done enough good or been good enough to earn eternal life. Your new life, given by Christ through His death and resurrection, is fully made for heaven. It is to this new life in Christ that we learn and grow more like Him. When Christ appears, then you who are made new through belief in Jesus will appear with Him in Glory. (Colossians 3:4)

The two do not mix. One is sinful and thus, it's standards are sinful, since made by men. The other is righteous and justified since Jesus Christ gives new life to all who believe in Him for salvation. "Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you." (Colossians 3:5). Seek God's standards and turn away from the earth's standards and ways of measuring success.

May God continue to grow you into His image so that your standard is always Christ and not that made by His creation, humanity.

Gateway to Strength in Suffering

⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.   ⁵The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighted down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you.

⁹ But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us. (2 Corinthians 1:4-6, 9b-10 [NLT])

Two gates are available through which you can walk freely.  One gate is partially open, and you can see green grass and flowers, but the sign says no one who has gone through this gate has survived. The second gate is closed. It has a sign on it that says all who go through this gate will live. Your choices cause you to stop and question which gate and road you should use to leave the past. Think on these gates as we study 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 and Romans 10:9-10.

Each of us knows what it feels like to live in troubling times. Some people have experienced religious persecution. Others have lived with insufficient food or a place to live. Still others experienced family and friends mocking them because of believing in a God from the past who seems irrelevant to the current day. Each of these situations are trials. God allowed trials to occur and sometimes ordains them. How we perceive them determines if we grow from them and become stronger believers in God, if we blame God, stop growing in our relationship with Him, or give up on our faith in God altogether. To get through these times, we should recall our time of coming to faith in Jesus Christ as well as recall the life of Paul and other faithful Christians throughout history who remained faithful to God despite trials. Suffering for Christ is what Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. His second letter to the Corinthians will help us grow in our faith like it did for the Corinthian church during the first century.

Paul wrote this sometimes-puzzling statement to the Corinthians in his second letter to them. The Corinthian believers had struggled through divisions and quarrels among themselves and were more unified by the time Paul wrote this letter. This second letter to the Corinthians tells us more of Paul’s life and of God’s plan for His people to help others. Paul explained his calling by Jesus to apostleship because some people considered his meekness as weakness. He wrote to help them understand he was just as important a disciple of Christ as the other disciples. Paul emphasized this point in the second letter so they would not disregard what he taught them about Jesus and living as Christians. In Paul’s clarifying his calling to the Corinthians, he told of his suffering for the cause of Christ so all people would know about the salvation Jesus gives to those who believe in and profess Him as Lord and Savior. As Paul wrote in this letter, he suffered often to share the gospel. Paul stated all who believe in Jesus and seek to live out their faith in word and deed would share in Christ’s sufferings. He taught we experience suffering for our faith for several reasons: 1. To grow our faith in and trust of God, 2. To show others our faith in God so they would believe, and 3. To teach us more about God through suffering so we can offer strength and consolation to others who also suffer for Christ. Let’s understand what Paul meant and how it relates to our salvation.

In Romans 10:9-13, Paul said

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never disgraced. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (NLT)

To receive salvation, we must believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord and declare our faith with our lips. The action of being saved, spoken of here, comes from the Greek word sozo, which also means to be healed, preserved, and rescued. Paul specifically meant in Romans 10 to be saved from eternal death and separation from God because of our sins. In earlier parts of this passage, Paul stated Moses wrote about a righteousness that comes from the law if the Israelites had lived according to God’s laws. Yet, the laws only served to prove humanity’s unrighteousness because they are sinful. People cannot make themselves righteous. Only God’s power and mercy can make people righteous. (Romans 9). So, God made a way for people to be made just or right with Him. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the penalty of each person’s sins, so they would be made right with Him. People only must believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths Jesus is Lord to be saved.

To take this to 2 Corinthians 1 then, how does this correlate? Consider what Paul said in verse 9-10. He said, “We expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger and will rescue us again.” (NLT) Paul used the word “rescue” in 2 Corinthians 1 like he used the word “save” in Romans 10. God is the only One who can rescue us from sin, trials, temptations, and persecutions. As we are to testify of God’s rescuing us from sin and death by belief in Jesus with our words and actions, so we are to testify of God’s rescuing us from trials, temptations, and persecutions. Paul’s testimony in 2 Corinthians 1 stated he stopped relying on himself because he had no power to end his suffering. When he realized he was powerless, he said he relied on God who raises the dead. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, Paul stated God could rescue him from danger. Paul gave a verbal testimony to God’s saving him while on earth.

Consider Romans 10 and 2 Corinthians 1 further. Paul told the Romans to do more than trust in a God. He told them to believe in God’s Son for their salvation. This heart action of belief leads to physical action. Believers in Jesus are to profess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord-your Master and the One who rules your life. A Lord tells you where to go, what to do, and what to say. Christians are people who believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and the One whom God resurrected from the dead. They are to confess with their mouths out loud, so all people hear He is the Lord. With 2 Corinthians 1, Paul taught followers of Jesus are to live their lives obeying Him. Being a child of God requires heart and head belief that leads to professing that belief and living out one’s faith. His reliance on God to rescue him from trials and persecution gave him a physical, lived-out testimony of his faith in God to save him.

What are some reasons we are to act out our belief in Jesus Christ? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1? He said in verses six through seven,

 When we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. (NLT)

We act out our belief in Jesus so others will praise God with us. (vs. 11) We act our belief, too, so other people will grow because they saw how God intervened in our lives and how we grew through it.  By acting out our belief in Jesus, people will receive comfort at God’s intervention when they face trials; they will remember God’s faithfulness and stand firm in their own faith. Besides these reasons, living out our faith will give a testimony to unbelievers about Jesus so they might give their lives to Him, too. In essence, God allows trials to grow and comfort us, and, as a domino effect, comfort and strengthen others when they go through them. Additionally, trials could lead people to Christ. Proclaiming God’s provision, saving, comforting, guiding, etc. must occur. One cannot experience these things, recognize God did them, and not proclaim about God. It’s like the Jewish understanding of “to hear”. Once you hear something, it requires an action-to act or not to act. Once God works in our lives, we are impelled to tell what He did.

One other point we must remember; God gives promises to us by which we can stand firm in our faith. We can gain strength as we remember God’s promises to His children and remember how He has helped His children in the past. The hope given because of these verses helps us to stand strong when we face trials. The verses below are a brief list of some of God’s promises.

Exodus 14:14 “The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 & Hebrews 13:5 “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.”

Isaiah 41:13 “For I hold you by your right hand-I, the LORD your God. And, I say to you, don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppressions, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Isaiah 54:17 “But in that coming day, no weapon turned again you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

John 16:33 “I (Jesus) have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:17 “And since we are His children, we are heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.

Romans 8:35 & 37 “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” ^{37 “}No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptations to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

Philippians 4:19 “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 5:10 “In His kindness, God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So, after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.”

So, what’s the point here? Obviously, the point is we will go through trials to grow us. More still, we will go through trials so other people can hear about and understand how we went through them with God’s leading, comforting, and providing a way and, thereby, grow and receive comfort themselves. Added to this, our trials serve to lead other people to Christ. As we go through these trials, we can know we are not alone, but God is with us. He promises He is with us and will give us the strength needed to get through that time.

At the start of this article, we read about two gates. Now you’ve had time to consider, which gate will you choose to open and enter? Will you open the gate that appears to promise green fields and beautiful flowers, but without assurance of life? Or, will you choose the second gate not knowing exactly where it will lead, but knowing you will live? You now realize God leads the person who enters the second gate and He will protect, provide, and guide that person. Which gate will you choose-assurance of life or seeming beauty in life?

Some people wonder why Christians would choose to follow Jesus because He seems to take the fun away from life by not allowing you to drink, do drugs, gamble, or live your life any way you want. Other people see Christians who professed faith in Jesus, but the activities of their lives haven’t changed. They wonder why they would want to become a Christian if they see no difference between that “Christians” life and their own life. Besides these, people look at obedient Jesus-following Christians who willingly change careers, move to other countries, and/or refuse to keep living their old way. They question why these Christians willingly give up good jobs, family, and fun lives just to follow a person they cannot see. These people, all people, need to see and hear our professions of faith put into action. They need to hear not just our conversion testimony, but our testimonies of how God led us through hard times, comforted us, and grew us. These watchers need to see and understand why you chose Jesus, continue to follow Him, and the results of that. Some people will never trust in Jesus. Yet, other people will after having seen the comfort, guidance, and protection God gives His children. At this point, these people will give their lives to Jesus. They will join others over generations who “give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety,” provision, guidance, encouragement, and growth. (2 Corinthians 1:11 [NLT]) Then these people will come to know God and grow in Him because of our faith in, professing about and obedience to God.

With God, we are assured of life.

Without God, what we see won’t be what we get.

Everybody gets to decide whether they will believe in Jesus, profess He is the Son of God, and obey Him. God loves us and gives us free will. Today, if you are not a professing Christian, you get to choose which gate you will open, the one with green fields and beautiful flowers, but no guidance or assurance, or the one with assurances Almighty God will lead, protect, provide, and comfort. If you have professed faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, but that was the last thing you did in your Christian walk, today God asks you to walk with Him, obey Him, and grow with Him. You will be rewarded in yourself and other people will receive comfort, praise God, and/or come to know Jesus as their Savior, too.

Jesus has overcome the world, so you don’t need to be afraid to live out your testimony. (John 16:33 [NLT])

No matter what we go through on earth, God will glorify His children by faith with Jesus in heaven because we are co-heirs with Him. (Romans 8:17)

In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:9 [NLT])

As for me, I choose to rely God who raises the dead.

Who will you choose to walk with through life’s easy and hard times?

Lord, you know me. I get caught up in whatever I am doing, fighting the fight and struggling, then I forget You are there for me. I struggle hard and only when I come to the last of my strength do I remember You are waiting for me to let you fight the battle with me. You are my strength. You are might rock. You said to share the yoke with You, and I forgot. Please forgive me for trying to live in my own strength. Forgive me for forgetting I don’t have to fight my battles alone. Forgive me for forgetting You. You are almighty, gracious, faithful, and loving. Nothing can defeat You. Please help me remember when I get caught up in my life You are always there for me. Thank you for loving me when I forget You or sin against You. Thank you for having a plan for me. In whom will I fear? No one, God. You are greatest of all. Amen.

Victorious Unfolding

Who perceives his unintentional sins?

Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;

do not let them rule over me.

Then I will be innocent

and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable to You,

LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 (Psalm 19:12-14 [HCSB])

We've heard and/or read verse fourteen before today. We need to put it into perspective with verses twelve and thirteen. Today, let’s consider these verses together and understand what God wants to teach us.

Remember when you were a teenage or a pre-teen. You had more freedom, but you tested the boundaries to see how much power you had at home and school. One day, you decided to stay at school “to be with your friends” and arrived home later than your parents wanted. On another day, a friend needed help to understand what the teacher taught in class. You stayed at school to help him understand, then lost track of time. This good deed made you later getting home than your parents wanted. Which of these is a blatant sin and which an unintentional sin? Are the repercussions for the late home arrival going to be the same? Probably not, but why?

¹² Who perceives his unintentional sins?

Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Verse twelve speaks about unintentional sins (accidents, mistakes, errors), not rebellious disobedience. The Psalmist said we do not know our unintentional sins. Often, after the result of our mistake occurs, we realize we sinned. One reason we may have sinned is we didn't realize God speaks against those types of things. Another possibility is we didn't realize the words from our mouth contained unintended harshness. These sins were unintentional and, possibly, unknown to us until God told us in our time with Him. Sometimes God makes us aware of these mistakes and accidents as we read our Bible. Other times, He will make us aware of them as we listen to a sermon or as we pray. Perhaps He will teach about them through a devotional. The important point is that, once shown, we acknowledge them, ask forgiveness from God, then ask for strength to live God’s way so that sin doesn’t happen again. (Note: Since we from that point know that action, word, or thought is a sin, no longer can we say the sin is unintentional.)

¹³ Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;

do not let them rule over me.

Then I will be innocent

and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

Verse thirteen speaks of another set of actions, thoughts, and words. These are willful sins. Willful sins are the deliberate breaking of a law, command, or precept. If you have children or remember being a child, you remember a child often tests or pushes the boundaries to see if he or she can get away with something. He or she will check to see how firm the boundary is. These actions, thoughts are words are willful sins. Willful sins fall in the list of moral laws concerned with things like killing, stealing, lying, etc. God explicitly commands in the Ten Commandments, do not kill, do not steal, and do not bear false witness along with several other commands. Another sin that falls into this willful sin category is letting your neighbor starve when you have food in your home. Jesus taught about loving your neighbor as you love yourself in Matthew 22:37-40. Willful sins are rebellion against the moral laws, commands, and precepts of God.

For both types of sin, unintentional and willful, the Psalmist, once made aware of them, imperatively requested God to cleanse him from them and not let them rule/reign over him. The Psalmist recognized he had no power to cleanse himself from sin or to keep himself from sinning. He was powerless. The Psalmist recognized God's holiness and ability to make a person holy. He recognized God’s ability to guide a person's mind, thoughts, and actions. God can do these things because He is omnipotent (all-powerful) and Ruler of all created things, since He is Yahweh God, the One before time and beyond time.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable to You,

LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

With God's cleansing of and rule over him, the Psalmist declared God made him clean/righteous. Being cleansed from sin and made righteous makes a person’s words, thoughts, and meditations acceptable to God. When God cleanses a person and reigns over him or her, the person can be in His presence and raise his or her thoughts, words, and meditations to Him in praise and worship. Only God’s cleansing makes a person clean and able to be in His presence. The Psalmist declared, "Oh Lord, You are my Rock and my Redeemer!" when he realized his cleansing and ability to lead a righteous life came from God.

With God’s rule and strength, He keeps us strong against temptations to sin. He is the One who saves and cleanses us from sin. Because of these, our reaction is to praise and worship Him.

Revisiting your pre-teen self, did you unknowingly break a family rule and experience your parents teaching you why that was not a good thing to do? Probably, they still continued to love, lead, and provide for you. On the other side of the coin, did you intentionally disobey your parents? Did they discipline you? Did your parents continue to love, lead, and provide for you after that? If your answer is yes to each of these, your parents were modeling their parenting after God’s example. If you have read through the Bible, you will encounter examples of when God did not protect or provide for His children, the Israelites, immediately. They had disobeyed Him too many times and needed a stricter discipline. For most of us, having our parents discipline us about a broken rule is all we need to correct our behavior or mistake.

Are you listening to God today?

Today, God is speaking to you. Are you listening to Him? What is He saying to you? God wants to have a love relationship with you. Will you listen as He tells you about your sins? Will you confess your sins to God and ask Him to cleanse you? Will you allow Him to reign in your life as King?

True peace comes with God’s forgiveness and reign in your life.

We each try to delay, block, or deny hearing God when He tells us about our misdeeds, and incorrect words and thoughts. We don't want to face them or Him. Perhaps we refuse to change our lives. Still, what He said won't leave our minds, hearts, and spirits. For peace, I urge you to turn to God in prayer now. Ask Him to make you strong enough to admit your sins and repent. Ask Him to be your Savior and cleanse you. Allow God to reign as King of your life. Experience the growth of your character and your relationship with God as a victorious unfolding.

Your life can be a victorious unfolding with God.

Lord, today, You have shown me a sin, many sins, if I am honest, and I want You to cleanse me from them, please. I have refused to recognize You in the past, but now I give up ruling my life. I give my life to You, Lord. Please take my life and make it what You want and use it for Your purposes. Please, Lord, keep me from being rebellious and hard of heart. Remind me when I stray in that direction, that You are God, and I am not. I am Your's, Lord. You reign supreme. Your love and power never fail. Thank you for cleansing me from my sins and being King over my life. Thank you, Father. Amen.

Hope and Victory

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. (1 John 5:4 [ESV])

We, as Christians, have comfort after the death of a Christian friend and relative. This comfort comes only by Jesus’ death and resurrection and by His teaching about what will be after we die. For people who are not Christians, they will have no hope or comfort during their illness or on their deathbed because they have never believed Jesus is the Son of God. They have no hope or victory over death. Death for non-Christians is eternal separation from God. What hope is there to give to the loved ones left behind after a non-Christians death? There is only one hope for these loved ones; they can have hope for themselves of life beyond death with God in His kingdom if they believe Jesus is the Son of God. As much as we grieve the loss of a person who didn’t believe in Jesus, we still have hope to offer the ones left alive. Jesus is the only comfort and consolation for grieving people, just as He is the Comfort and Hope-giver for His disciples.

Today, tens of thousands of people around the world die from COVID-19. Thousands of them died without knowing Jesus as the Son of God. We remain behind to offer comfort to their friends and loved ones. The comfort we can give them comes because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So, the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” (John 11:33-36 [ESV])

Remember, Jesus cried at Lazarus’ grave. He didn’t cry because He had no hope. He cried because of His empathy with His friends’, Mary and Martha’s, grief. Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead to show He has power over death. He waited until Lazarus was dead to give glory to the Father. Jesus knew Mary, Martha, and Lazarus believed He is the Son of God, but other people around them did not believe. He provided comfort to them by showing He is the Son of God who has power over death when He brought Lazarus back to life. Jesus provided comfort to the believers and the unbelievers. He gave hope, showed love, grew the faith of the people who saw or heard about this happening, and gave God the glory. Did more people believe Jesus is the Son of God because of Lazarus’ resurrection? We don’t know for sure, but we can know they probably thought about it. I believe some could no longer doubt Jesus being the Son of God and came to believe in Him for salvation. Did the believers who watched Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead gain a deeper faith in Him because of this resurrection miracle? Most definitely.

Think of two people you know who have lost a loved one recently. Consider their relationship with God. Consider the dead person’s relationship with Jesus. What comfort can you offer the person left behind? Find out about their relationship with Jesus. Do they believe in Him? Offer the lasting hope and peace found only through Jesus. Tell them about Him so He will comfort them. Tell them about Him so they will believe in Him and receive salvation and eternal life with God. Their belief in Jesus will give them hope, peace, and comfort. Jesus’ Spirit will live in them to remind them of these and to grow them to be like Jesus.

Do you love people enough to tell them about Jesus?

Or do you hate people so much you won’t tell them about Jesus and

withhold from them comfort, peace, hope, and victory?

Tell people about Jesus. Allow them to receive salvation from their sins and have perfect peace and victory over death.

Then Jesus told them (His disciples) plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:14-15 [ESV])

Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 [ESV])

Lord, God, I have become blind to other people and their problems or grief during this time of social distancing and lockdown. It’s easy not to see the grief of other people when the government leaders will not allow us to be together. I cannot use that excuse. Forgive me for using that excuse. Forgive me for getting wrapped up in myself and protecting my family. I should focus more on You and Your will than on my safety and health. Please Lord, tell me how to stay socially connected. Show me to whom You want me to talk, offer comfort, and tell about You. Put Your mind and heart into me so I know to whom to talk and what to say to comfort them. Help me listen as they grieve or fear for their lives. Help me stay focused on You and speak Your words of consolation and comfort. Help me not fear testifying about You, our Savior and Victor. Lord, I am just a small cog in the universe, but You can use me for Your purposes. I give my life to You. Make me hear Your voice and talk to people as You direct. Amen.

Purpose, not Fear

God did this (see verses 24-26) so we would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far away from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ (Acts 17:27-28 [NIV])

Imagine you and a navigator use a rowboat to travel over the waters. You begin the journey with hearty conversation and begin dreaming about the future. Periodically, the navigator tells you when to veer eastward or westward. You trust him because he knows more than you, and you and he have the same agenda. After days of being in the boat with the navigator, you’ve talked all you want, and the air goes silent except for the splash of your oars as they break the surface of the water. You can’t hear the navigator, but you keep paddling. Eventually, you realize you’ve not seen anyone on the water for a long time. Then you realize you’ve not asked the navigator for directions in a long time. At that point, you understand you stopped listening to and left him and you don’t have any way to know where you are. You lose your way and become stranded on your own, then you don’t know what to do as panic rises within you.

Jesus is like the navigator of the boat. We often see Him as unnecessary for our journey, then go on our merry way. Still, as we continue, we realize we had a sure purpose and direction in life when we listened as the navigator gave directions. We realize we learned about life as we talked with Him throughout the journey. As children of God, we have a purpose in life. 

Jesus’ purpose and calling on earth was to live as the Son of God as the Son of Man to fulfill prophecies about the Messiah and become the Savior of the world by dying on the cross. Each Christian has a God-ordained purpose, too. Our purpose is to let the Son of God live and move and have His being in us (Acts 17:28) so that other people will seek Him, see Him, and come to know Him as their Savior. Our purpose as Christians is to bring glory to God by testifying about Him.

When Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane for the last time, He entered it already a victor because He is the Son of God. He prayed intently not to fail in His purpose of dying as the Son of Man. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for each person to remove their sins, which caused their separation from God, and their resultant judgment. God had defeated Satan long before when He cast Satan out of heaven. As the Son of God living on earth, Jesus defeated Satan, too, during His forty days in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus, but Jesus did not yield to sin. The challenge that faced Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was going through His crucifixion as a man, the Son of Man. Going through the agony as the Son of Man revealed He accepted the purpose God had given Him as the Son of God. His agony provided humanity the simplest way to be saved from their sins. Jesus’ greatest action, dying on the cross, provided humankind the greatest victory, victory over sin and death. Salvation through Jesus makes us co-heirs with Him in the kingdom of heaven. As such, we do need not fear what may happen to us, but instead follow in Jesus’ footsteps with His strength. The writer of the book of Romans said, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ-if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:16-17 [BSB]) We are co-heirs with Jesus through His death and resurrection. God’s children do need not fear, but just follow Him. He has a purpose for our lives that is for our good. God will always be with us, for us, and in us.

We each face similar challenges in fulfilling the purpose of God in our lives. The greatest challenge is saying, “Yes, I will give my will, my life, my all so that the will of God can live, move, and have its being through me and in that way other people can come to know Jesus and the salvation He offers.” The challenge is do I want my will or God’s will to rule my life. This challenge comes throughout our lives as life-choice questions. Should I take the job offered to me with higher pay so I can provide more for my family, even knowing it will mean we must move and the ministry in which God has placed me will suffer? Should I seek safety and comfort closer to family offered by my employer during a perilous or pandemic time, even though the ministry in which God put me will suffer and people would turn their backs on God? Should I seek a degree in a field that offers surety of employment and good money, even if God has gifted me in the arts and has told me to get a degree in the arts? These and other life choices arise, and we must decide if we will live as a person the Son of God lives in, moves through, and in whom He has His being so other people would seek Him, see Him, and know Him as their Savior.

More is at stake than our own lives and fears when we live as the son or daughter of God. As heirs of salvation, for that is what Jesus said we, His disciples, are in Matthew 25:34 and of what Paul reminds us in Romans 8:16-17, we are the body of Christ on earth to testify about Him and God’s great love. God calls each of us to tell people about Him so those people may be saved. Jesus’ salvation was not for a few select people, but for all people. Jew, Greek, male, female, slave or free, He loves and cherishes every person. God has a purpose for where He places us and for what He tells us to do. That purpose may sometimes put us in uncomfortable situations. Thoughts may come to mind that we can find another job somewhere else. Or, our families need us to provide more money so they can do X or Y or Z. Or, surely God doesn’t want us to die far from my family?

If we seek ease, money, or health over God’s will, we hinder God’s means to reach the people to whom He wanted us to be a living testimony of Him, so they would come to know Jesus Christ as the Son of God, their Savior. This does not mean the people He wants to know about Him won’t hear about Him; it means He won’t use us to do it. Besides this, if we choose to go our own way and not God’s way, we don’t know if what we sought instead of God’s plans will occur. Perhaps a job for which we moved will not be a good “fit” for us, and our families experience more problems in that city. Or, possibly, going our own way instead of God’s will lead to an avoidable health crisis that we wouldn’t have experienced if we followed His plan. Considering factors besides ourselves, the people God meant for us to meet would not hear a testimony of Christ from us or they would think we don’t believe God can protect us. Finally, if we seek a degree that “guarantees” a good income, the people we would have met in the art world might not hear about Jesus, and the income might be too little on which to live. Making decisions based on self because of fear or personal desire will often lead us away from God’s plan and possibly into hardships against which we cannot stand by ourselves.

The purpose of Jesus’ life, the Son of God and the Son of Man, was to be our Savior through His crucifixion, the most agonizing of deaths. Similarly, the purpose of our lives, as co-heirs with Christ, is to be a living testimony to Jesus. Our lives  are meant to show His living, moving, and being through our actions, words, and thoughts. Considering laying aside our agendas and our ideas of what is best and where is safest for us is agonizing. Still we must remember, Jesus’ agony on the cross was the greatest suffering ever experienced by humanity. Jesus, as Son of Man, probably dreaded the pain of crucifixion just as we dread what might happen to us if we don’t take our lives into our own hands. Even in the face of crucifixion, Jesus told His Father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39 [NIV]) The Son of Man gave His will entirely to the will of the Father though it would require a crucifixion death because of humanity’s sins and a separation from the Father until it was “finished”.

Where is God telling you to be today? What is He telling you to do today? To whom is God telling you to go? Nothing you can figure out for your own life is greater than living, being, and moving for Him because nothing is more important than obeying Him and leading people to know Jesus as their Savior. Your life choices are not more important than eternal salvation from hell. Your health, safety, and wealth are not more important that God’s plan to save each person.

When you choose to do what you want and ignore what God asks you to do, you choose your desires over someone’s eternal life.

You could be condemning someone to eternal separation from God.

Who are you to decide someone should go to Hell?

God was the navigator of your rowboat as you began your Christian journey with Him. You enjoyed daily conversation with Him and learning from Him. You realized you never had to worry about how to get food and fresh water to drink. God taught you many things and took you to meet people you wouldn’t have met if He hadn’t been your navigator. He wanted you to talk with other people on your journey to glean from their journey with Him or to tell them about your relationship with Him. One day, after having exhausted conversation topics with your journey companion, you realize God is not in your boat anymore. He has not navigated your journey for a long time. Now you paddle in circles without meeting many people and without eternal purpose. You don’t know where you are or how to get to any place. Think back to when your journey began. How did you know what to do then? You spoke with God daily. You sought Him. God promised that when you seek for Him, you will find Him. (Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9; Acts 17:24-28)

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 [NIV])

Today, you can choose to renew your relationship with God. Pray to Him. Read your Bible. God waits for you to turn back to Him. He loves you, has a purpose for your life, and wants to be your Navigator again.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 [NIV])

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 [ESV])

Choose today who you will serve – God or yourself.

Lord, forgive me for being blinded by my ego and fear, and considering You less important than me. Forgive me for my self-centered view of life. I had never considered my choices could affect someone’s eternal situation – permanent separation from You or permanent life with You. Lord, I am sorry. I got into the boat with You to live life with You, but then I put You ashore and set out on my own agenda. Lord, You are most important in life and eternity. Your gift of salvation is more important than anything I could ever do for myself or anyone else. Lord, You are almighty, faithful, and loving, and I am not any of those things. Today, Lord, I give the oar to my boat, my life, back to You. Lead me where You want me to go. I will trust Your plans and live Your purpose for my life to bring You glory as I obey You by telling people about You and the salvation You offer. I must decrease and You must increase. I understand this better now. Thank you for Your patience with me. I love You, Lord. Amen.

Peace

Paul wrote this passage in Romans 8 for us and others for such a time as this. Read what he wrote to encourage the Roman believers.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 [NLT])

Nothing can ever separate us from the Love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not coronavirus. Not lack of ventilators. Not slowness of a countries' leadership. Not lack of medicine or lack of beds. NOTHING can separate from God those who have been cleansed by Jesus' death, those who have believed He is the Son of God, who came to take away the sins of the world.

What are you letting cause you distress and inner turmoil at this time? That is just Satan trying to make you forget Who is mightier, most faithful, most loving, most merciful, most gracious, ever-present, all-knowing, and almighty. Don't forget about YAHWEH God, the Alpha and Omega, from before time and beyond time. He is greater than anything Satan throws at you. YAHWEH GOD is our KING, LORD, SAVIOR, CREATOR, PROVIDER, HEALER, REDEEMER, FATHER, SHEPHERD, and the ONE AND ONLY GOD! There is no other God!

So, what is bothering you and unsettling your mind today? Pray to God. Ask Him to help you cast Satan away from you. Pray Scripture. Read God's promises. Proclaim them aloud. Listen and sing songs of praise and worship to God. Proclaim Him your GOD! He is with you in every breath your lungs take, in every beat your heart makes, in every breeze that blows across your arms, and in every sight of His creation you glimpse. Praise GOD for even the rocks will cry out, "Hosanna to the King of kings!"

If you are struggling with the overwhelming news from this pandemic and are worried about now and the future, you can message me, and we can chat. If you want to pray with me, we can pray. If you just want to know you are not alone, write to me and we can talk. God is with us, for us, and in us since we are His children by His grace and mercy given to us through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

May God bless you today as you

seek Him,

find Him, and

gain His strength to walk through your day.

Jesus told His disciples, "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27 [NLT])

Accept His peace. It's right there, just accept it.