My son goes to college in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  In order to get there we have to drive over the mountain.  On both sides of the mountain are valleys.  We spend more time in the valley than we do on the mountain.

I was reminded this morning in the story of the widow at Nain, that pain and suffering are pervasive in this life.  I know this comes as no news to most people.  However, we often think about our Christian life as reaching the top of a mountain.  We create our own little mountain of success and we think that the peak of the mountain is the place to be. More often than not people are in the valley rather than at the top of the mountain.

In a Friday morning men’s Bible study that I lead, we are reading a book called Mighty to Save, by Richard Phillips.  In it he writes concerning this story in Luke 7:11-17, “One thing you will notice if you study the Bible is that there is a great deal of weeping going on…With few exceptions all the major figures of the Bible are seen weeping, and in all sorts of situations.”  The truth about life is that sin has caused a great deal of pain, heartache, suffering and ultimately death.  Like the widow of Nain who had previously lost her husband now she has lost her only son.  She is in a desperate and confusing state.  All her earthly hope is gone, it has literally died.  But approaching her is Jesus, who can not only bring hope but life to her situation. The text tells us that “Jesus saw her and had compassion on her” (v.13).  Jesus “sees” the agonizing situation of this woman and walks into the valley with her.  Jesus then literally speaks life back into her son and raises him from the dead.  The woman now has hope and has been given her life back.  Jesus, who is the life and the resurrection, has the power and authority over death.  Jesus, our Savior, empathizes with us, and He walks through the darkest valleys with His people.

There is nothing wrong with looking forward to the mountain top.  Joy and hope and encouragement should always characterize us.  But we have to realize that most of life is lived in the valley.  Yes, one Day all things will be made new; no more tears, no more suffering, no more death.  But for now, we face those trials with the presence of Christ.

“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 23:1

May we walk confidently through the valley, knowing Christ is at our side and may we go into the valley with others showing them the hope and life that is found in Christ.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

Too often we look at life from a worldly point of view, mainly because we live in the world and are surrounded by it all the time.  However, what we need to do is live life from a Biblical point of view.  I have created a 28 day devotional that helps give us a Biblical perspective.  Each day has three different passages with the same three themes:

1. Who God is…
2. Who I am…
3. What I am called to do…

I believe that God wants us to look to the Scriptures and understand how these three fit together.  You can print out this one page devotional chart for your own personal use by clicking here.

How can I get the most out of this devotional?  Read and meditate on each passage of Scripture.  Meditation simply means that you take a few minutes to prayerfully think deeply and ponder what is written.  Jot down some notes, in a journal, as you go along .  Each day has a main theme, so as you go through each passage try to draw out the main theme.   Look at the relationships between who God is, who you are and what God is calling you to do.  Who we are and what God has called us to do should mirror who God is.  Finally, apply the truths to your own life.  Ask the question, “How do these passages identify me and cause me to live differently today as I interact with the world around me?”

• Read and prayerfully meditate on the passages.
• Draw out the main theme.
• Apply it to your life today.

It is critically important that we do not read the Scriptures as a book of “do’s and don’ts”.  God desires that we know Him intimately, that we understand Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins and redeem us back into a loving relationship with God.  May you read, meditate and bathe yourself in the truth of God so that you walk away transformed by His love and grace.

Here is an example of one day:

Who God is…Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one God and this one God who is a Spirit is over all things.  God is sovereign, God is in control.  God watches over me as my Father.

Who I am…1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of the body of Christ.  All believers make up the whole body of Christ, but God has also called me to be an individual member, with specific gifts and living out a specific role He has for me.

What I am Called to Do…Ephesians 4:15-16

I am to be a part of a growing body, the church, the body of Christ.  I am to grow individually, but also corporately with everyone else.  I am to speak the truth in love.

The devotional really is that simple.  But I think you see the progression of Biblical thought.  The beauty of this study is that you can take ten minutes to prayerfully meditate on the passages or an hour, whatever you like.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

I am always being dragged away and enticed by the world and Satan, that dog who won’t go away but hounds me constantly.  I feel like I am constantly fighting with hardly any relief.  However, the best relief that I have found always comes from the Scriptures.  God’s Word is the best anti-venom for counter-acting the poison of sin and lusting after worldly things.  The writer of Hebrews says this about temptation:

“For because He [Jesus] himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Hebrews 2:18. 

I don’t  always think of “suffering” through temptation.  I usually think of temptation as annoying and bothersome, like being outside when the mosquitoes are really bad.  But this verse says that Jesus “suffered” through temptation.  He had to endure it and it was not pleasant.  But we don’t like pain, we crave pleasure, we avoid pain at all costs.  So we give in to temptation because it is more pleasurable (at least in the short run) than suffering and enduring through and not giving into temptation.  But we must see the reality of life in a fallen world, where the battle rages for our souls.  The reality that temptation will always be present (until Jesus comes back) and so we will always be in a constant state of suffering, of enduring and fighting off temptation.  Suffering in this life is inescapable, but thanks be to God who has given us a Savior who not only can empathize with our suffering but gives us the grace and strength to endure it and fight it off.

I John 2:15-17 shows us the Truth:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world– the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does– comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

Ask the Lord to give you strength and grace to suffer and not give into sin just because it seems more pleasurable – for ultimately sin kills and destroys us – only holiness and purity bring life and this is what Jesus has clothed us with.  Pray that God will satisfy you with Jesus and His overwhelming love rather than the passing things of this world.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

All for Jesus,

Fletch

There are two types of people; those who have surrendered their life to Christ and those who are still putting up a fight.  Some people think that those who surrender in battle are cowards.  I don’t think this is always true. Surrendering in battle actually takes courage.  When you surrender you are placing your life in the hands of your enemies.  You are hoping they will treat you fairly and with dignity and that one day when the war is over, you will be set free.  Cowards are the ones who run from the battle and hide. 

The thing about this war with God is that we can’t win.  There is absolutely no hope to beat God.  He is just too powerful, too just, and too loving.  So I am encouraging everyone who is still fighting against God to surrender.   It will take courage, especially since you have no idea how God is going to treat you and whether or not you will ever be set free from His captivity.  But let me assure you…God will treat you with dignity, He will love you unconditionally, He will show you mercy and He will set you free.  Freedom with God is different than what most of the world thinks though.  Freedom with God is when He sets us free to be who He originally created us to be.  You see, for those who are still battling against God, putting up a good fight, you are actually enslaved.  You are enslaved to a lifestyle that focuses on yourself, which is actually pretty pathetic.  Why would anyone want to settle for something so little when you could have so much?  Why settle for a purpose in life that centers around a creature who is so limited?  We were created to live in relationship with the eternal God.  We were created in His image and our purpose is to worship Him and glorify Him in all we do, say and think.  I know this sounds absolutely crazy for those who are battling against Him, but just think about it.  God created us to live in this awesome relationship.  He gave us the entire world to have dominion over and to rule.  He said that He would walk through life with us, every step of the way.  But we have chosen to rebel against God, run away from Him and then try to rule the world without Him? What is that all about?  Why would we give up so much to attain so little?  It doesn’t make sense.  What does make sense is when we realize what we have done, how stupid and self-centered it is and then return to God.  God uses this word called “repent”.  This just means that God wants us to turn away from our old way of living, our old way of thinking and turn back towards Him.  Only when we come back to God will anything in life begin to make sense or have meaning and purpose.

But how in the world is this possible?  If God is really just then it would go against His perfect and holy character to let me, His enemy, go free without punishment?  God has made it possible by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to take your penalty upon Himself.  Jesus lived a perfect life, perfectly fulfilling every law that God demanded.  God sent Jesus to die for you, in your place.  So God really is just and His justice was taken out on His own Son, Jesus.  So surrendering to God means believing that Jesus died for your sins and giving your heart over to Him.

So, you may be a coward and run away from God, you may have the gall to stand and fight God or you may have the courage to surrender to God through Jesus.  But ultimately, God is going to win the battle, whether you like it or not and whether you believe it or not.  So my suggestion is to surrender to God.  Believe that Jesus died for you, that He rose from the grave and now sits at God’s right hand.  Believe that He will send His Holy Spirit to come and live in your heart, to walk through every moment of life with you.  Come back to God and let Him take you captive.  It is His great desire to have you back, to show you mercy and grace, to love you unconditionally.  Surrendering to God has no regrets.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

My pastor preached a great sermon yesterday on Ephesians 4:1-6. (Wait, I thought you were the pastor?  I am a pastor, actually I am “the Assistant to the Pastor until Feb 28th when I get officially ordained, then I will be the Assistant Pastor.  So since I am the second guy I only preach about once every 7 weeks or so).  Anyway, at one point during his sermon he started talking about the unified hope that believers have in Christ and in His promises.  I started thinking about hope and what makes our hope, as believers, different than other people’s hope, so for instance like hope that Obama will change our country for the better (which I am highly skeptical about, since one of his first acts as President was to repeal a funding ban on abortions, so right now, thanks to Obama, more and more babies are being killed).

So how is our hope as Christians different than other people’s hope?  Our hope is a Biblical hope.  Hope is the certainty of belief in something we cannot see and has not happened yet.  But where does the certainty come from?  The Christian’s certainty of hope comes from the Bible which displays the integrity and character of God.  Therefore, our hope is based on God’s character.  When God promises to do something He delivers.  History has shown it through the prophets.  If you are interested just read Psalm 22, written by King David about a thousand years before Christ was crucified, then go and read one of the gospel accounts of the crucifixion, like Matthew 27.  Look at how many prophesies are fulfilled just between these two passages alone.  God fulfilled His promise to redeem His people from their sins through the death of Christ.  And there are hundreds of other prophesies and promises throughout the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament.

Think about it this way…God does not live within the limits of time because He is an eternal Spirit.  We are limited by time and therefore cannot see what will happen in the future.  So our hope in human beings is extremely flawed.  It’s like saying I hope I win the lottery.  There is such a miniscule chance that it will actually happen.  But with God, our hope is secure.  Look at what Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man that He should lie, or the son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”  God does what He says He will do.  And this is not just because God can see into the future, He is already in the future.  Remember, He is not bound by time. But God providentially causes things to happen according to His plan.  He does not react to human situations, He already knows what will happen, God is never surprised.  God has made us certain promises in the Bible and He will providentially deliver those promises, He has a proven track record, so far He’s been 100% in fulfilling what He says He will do.  We can be certain that our hope is not in vain.

My wife is reading a book called Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. It is a fictional book based on the historical Biblical Minor Prophet Hosea. It’s a gut wrenching story of love, prostitution and redemption. In the Bible, God tells Hosea to marry the prostitute Gomer. God’s purpose is to show Israel that they are His Bride but have prostituted themselves with the idols of other nations. Hosea reveals how the people have degraded themselves with sin and idolotry against a pure and holy God. Even after Hosea marries Gomer, she continues to go back to her way of life as a prostitute. In the fictional book, Redeeming Love, the wife continues to go back to her life of prostitution as well. She does not know any other lifestyle, she feels like this is just how she was made and that this is just how life is going to be. She also feels dirty and unworthy when she is around her husband who loves her deeply and keeps accepting her back.
What a perfect picture of how we, even as believers can act towards God. We have been redeemed by Christ. Christ has brought us out of our degraded life of idolotry and rebelliousness and into a right relationship with God. However, we often go back to some of our old ways, giving in to old desires and worshiping our old worthless idols of materialism, lust and self-satifaction. The Good News is that God relentlessly pursues us. He will never let us wander too far off. His hand is ever upon us even when we sin. What we need to “do” is to “believe” in who we really are because of what Jesus has “done” for us. You see Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins. We believe in faith that Jesus died for us and God imputes the righteousness of Christ upon us. That big word imputes means that Christ has washed us clean from all of our sin; past, present and future. Then God takes the righteousness of Christ and clothes us with it, like giving us new permanent clothes that are holy and pure. Even though, we, like Gomer, do not always see ourselves as worthy of anyone’s love. But because of what Jesus has done on the cross we can see ourselves as holy and pure, as one who has been completely redeemed. We do not have to go back to our old ways, old habits, or old loves. We have to trust and believe that God has made us new people.
While the story of Hosea seems like a strange love story, it is actually a beautiful love story of an awesome God who relentlessly pursues His people with an infinite love He has showered us with in His Son Jesus Christ.
I hope that today you will believe that God loves you unconditionally, that He continues to be faithful in the midst of our faithlessness and that He will never, ever give up on you.
Happy Valentines Day!
Fletch

Is it better to live here on earth or is it better to be in heaven with Jesus?  To live here on earth means that we experience pain, suffering, difficulty and sorrow.  We have to live in a wretched world full of sin and misery.  Disease, sickness, depression, hatred and selfishness characterize our daily lives.  But in heaven none of this exists.  There is no sorrow, pain or sin.  Heaven is a holy place.  So is there really a question as to which is better?  Of course we will be better off in heaven.  Then the question follows…why don’t we just go to heaven once we become a Christian and skip the pain and misery of living here on earth?

The answer comes from the Scriptures;

²¹ “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:21-26

Paul says that it is better to be with Christ but to remain here on earth means fruit labor.  He says “it is necessary on your account.”  Don’t miss this.  For Paul, it is better to be in heaven with Christ.  But Paul is not looking at his life according to what is best for him.  Paul is looking at life from the perspective of what God thinks is best.  God wants Paul here on the earth for the progress and joy of the Philippians.  So Paul’s life here on earth has nothing to do with himself, at least not directly.  Paul’s life is to be lived for others for the glory of God. 

The problem is that most of us go through life living for ourselves.  So we live life exactly the opposite of how God wants us to live it.  We must understand the Biblical concept of not living life for ourselves but for God and for others.  Jesus makes this clear when He is asked what is the first and greatest commandment in Matthew 22:34-40.  Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.  Neither commandment says that we should live for ourselves.  There should be no confusion.  Except that our sinful nature constantly and consistently puts ourselves at the heart and center of everything.

Somehow we have to lose sight of ourselves and get caught up in loving God and loving others.  Joel Osteen has a bestseller called “Your Best Life Now”.  Where’s the focus? It’s on YOU.  I think a title of a more Biblical book would be called, “Life is not about you!”  It probably wouldn’t be a bestseller.  But it would be glorifying to God, whereas Olsteen’s book is a stench to God.