We Despaired Of Life Itself

There's always something going on. I know I'm no different than anyone else. I could fill every night of the week with "stuff". Even with all that's going on, the Lord can still reach me with Scripture. Last week our Wednesday Night Group started looking at 2 Corinthians. As I read the first chapter out loud, I heard many grunts, gasps, and sighs as I read verse eight.

2 Corinthians 1:8 says, "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself."

Paul despaired of life itself? This pillar of faith? How could he be so honest? He's in leadership! Isn't that a sign of weakness? Doesn't he realize he could lose his position? Wasn't that the issue? How could an apostle be suffering so much affliction if he's called by God to be an apostle? My question is, how could he not?

Jesus had a few things to say about this. Matthew 5:10, 11 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." Later in chapter 10 verse 24 He says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master;" and verse 28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;". Mark 8:34 says, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Peter knew suffering too. 1 Peter 4:12-14 says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."

What can result from suffering? 2 Corinthians 1:9,10 says, "Why, we felt we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us RELY NOT ON OURSELVES BUT ON GOD WHO RAISES THE DEAD (emphasis mine); he delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again." That's not a bad result is it? Also in verse four of 2 Corinthians Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comforts, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN ANY AFFLICTION (emphasis mine), with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

I think Richard Wurmbrand who suffered fourteen years for his faith in a Romanian prison could offer more comfort and encouragement than I could to a persecuted believer. Someone who has experienced cancer and it's treatments is much better able to comfort another cancer patient than one who has not experienced it. The same goes for divorce or the death of a spouse. You get the picture.

[Just as a side note, we pray for the Church in China, that the persecution would end there. I heard that they are praying that we in the United States would be persecuted for our faith! (I cannot confirm or deny that statement.) The point is this, look how much the Church in China is growing. Now look at the Church in the U.S. Many believe that the United States is now a post Christian nation. Look at the persecution of the early Church. What were the results? I once heard a preacher say, "The Church prospers where there is persecution."]

If you are suffering, know that you are in good company. For many have walked this road before you, Stephen (the first martyr), Richard Wurmbrand, and many, many others that I cannot name (the Lord knows their names). Let the Lord be your comfort and strength. Anticipate how you can be used by the Lord as a result of your trial. God bless y'all real good.

The Power of God's Word

God's word is alive. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." This truth was made real to me the other night when I was out with a group of friends.

We visited a home, garden, and craft show at the local fairgrounds. One of our friends had a display there. He told us that the amount of visitors was down from previous shows. Current economic conditions being what they are, the amount of people looking for his services has dropped off.

Later that evening we met some more friends at a restaurant. I discovered that someone else is going through a rough time with a client that supplies his company with a lot of business. This has created a severe problem.

We had a good size group at the restaurant. I was at one end of the table and these two men sat across from each other at the other end. There was a lot of conversation going on. All of a sudden my ears were tuned into their conversation. They were talking about their businesses and what they were facing. The next thing I hear is Scripture! These two men were encouraging each other with the Word of God! I WAS BLESSED! Their conversation stuck with me the whole evening! It still inspires me!

That's the power of the Word! Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

My two friends know this. They know the power of God's Word. They also know the power of prayer. Please pray for them, lift up their families and their businesses. Please pray that their faith would be strengthened, that their patience is long, and that their friends are many.

I remember the words of the men Jesus talked to on the road to Emmaus when they realized who He was (Luke 24:13-34). "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

May your heart burn within you. God bless y'all real good.

Correction

There will always be setbacks on this journey. The important thing is how they are handled. One month things are looking great then a month later I find myself ready to throw in the towel and just revert to keeping my thoughts to myself. In the end, I'm just not going to give up that easy. The apostles dealt with much worse than I am facing. I guess this is just another growth oppotunity.

2 Timothy 4:5 says, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill you ministry." This is exactly what I'm going to do, fulfill my ministry. I can't do it by myself. I need the help of the Body.

I need correction like everyone else. Sometimes I might fight it. I might exasperate or even infuriate my teacher. That does not change the fact that I need correction. The Holy Spirit will convict. The Scriptures will correct. But if my brother remains silent, how can I grow?

Proverbs 23:13, 14 says, "Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell."

Hebrews 12:5-8 says, "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every one whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."

I ask you my brothers, do not keep silent when you see that I am in error. I may not like it, it's humiliating. Guess what, it's not about me! God's honor and Truth are more important than my feelings. I want Him to be glorified. God bless (and correct) y'all real good.

Merry Christmas!

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has many fond memories of Christmas as a child. I'm probably not the only person who would like for the joy of those times to return. Do I just accept that it is because I'm an adult that the emotions of Christmas will never be the same? Should I feel guilty because the anticipation isn't the same as when I was a child?

Maybe it's because I worship Jesus all year round that the Christmas season is no different from any other time of year. Do we pressure each other to have a certain response when Christmas comes?

With all these questions, am I too self focused? Maybe that's the problem.

Let me say this. I am truly thankful that Jesus came. I'm sorry He had to endure what He did but I'm thankful He did it. Hebrews 12:2 says, "...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." I'm thankful that the Lord sought me, revealed Himself to me, and gave me the faith to believe.

After having said that, my attitude is changing. It takes a reminder. I had to remind myself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. It was His death and resurrection that makes His birth worth celebrating. I'm no longer focused on me but on Him. It's not about ME!

In the midst of all your Christmas shopping and preparations, remind yourself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. Have a wonderful, blessed, joyous Christmas! God bless y'all real good.

Well, DUH!!

I really appreciate how God prompts me to stay focused on the Scriptures. Okay, I'm humbled by it too.

I recently read "The Shack" by William P. Young. It's a controversial book. Basically it is about a man who meets with the Trinity. He learns that he needs to forgive two people in his life that caused him great pain, his father, and the man who murdered his daughter. I won't go into details but I will point you to a review that I found to be really good.

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-shack-by-william-p-young.php

I have friends who love it and I have friends who refuse to read it. Even though the book is fiction, the author portrays God (the Trinity) and makes statements about God that I assume he believes to be true. The bottom line is that they are not Scriptural.

In my reading there were times when I would shake my head and say, "That's not right!"
I continued to read constantly reminding myself that it was fiction. The conclusion about unforgiveness, it's control on our lives, and the importance of forgiveness could have been reached using Truth. The author's ideas about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit needs to be reviewed with a Bible.

It wasn't until I read the review that I mentioned above that I realized something. There were little subtleties that I missed. Had I known (or remembered) Scripture they wouldn't have slipped by me unnoticed.

That's the point of my post. Christians need to know the Scriptures! I know what you're thinking, WELL DUH!

I can't stress enough that Christians need to know their Bible. They need to be under good teaching. They need to be able to discern what is right. They need to be in constant communication with God. They need to be lead by the Spirit.

Read 2 Timothy. It is Pauls's last letter. I refer to it in my post from September
14th. You will see the importance of knowing Scripture. Also read Hebrews 5:11-14.

I am thankful that the Lord has lead me to good instruction. He has put wonderful brothers and sisters in my life that encourage me to study the Bible. He has put me in the presence of many good teachers. Even though I might wander off course at times, He is faithful to guide me back to the narrow way. God bless y'all real good.