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Hoped: Past or Present, God Reveals and Restores

DevotionalsApril 21, 2019April 22, 2019

Circumstances can pull us away from our once fierce hope in the Lord. We don’t know the whole story and must submit our “hoped for’s” to God’s plan.

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel…

Luke 24:21a, ESV

The road to Emmaus…Cleopas, (and several scholars believe), his wife Mary, were decimated by the crucifixion of Jesus. After the Sabbath finally came and went, with heavy hearts and dragging feet the couple gathered their belongings together to return home. Despite Mary’s news of seeing the angels at the tomb, despite the unthinkable announcement that the tomb was empty, Cleopas and Mary headed out of town, shrouded in sorrow. In the words of Dr. James Boice:

…they were going home. It was all over. The dream was dead, and they were sad.

Many, many years ago, the infant daughter of some friends of ours was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the time, our church was in the throes of an unusual months-long, Spirit-filled revival. We experienced the power of God in numerous, unexplainable situations and we were excited to incorporate it in prayer, at times without wisdom and discernment. Oh, how we prayed for that baby! How we entreated God’s healing hand, anointed with oil, trusted He would intervene, despite what the doctors said…

Precious baby girl died three months later. Our small group was devastated, not to mention her parents. We had trusted. We had believed God. Had hoped He was who He said He was.

Hoped…

Not unlike Cleopas and Mary, our hope and trust became past tense for a season.

When Jesus joined them on the road home to Emmaus, He didn’t allow them to recognize Him. After all, the last time they had seen Jesus, He had been a bloody mess, beaten and beyond recognition, hanging on a cross. Their story borders on comical, however. Jesus approached them on their journey, behaving as though He was clueless to recent events. Jesus asked them why they were sad. Cleopas and Mary were incredulous!

Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” Jesus said, “What things?” They answered, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we hoped that it had been he who should have redeemed Israel.
Luke 24:18-21, KJV

But we had hoped that He should have…

I wonder how often I have looked into the face of Jesus and claimed, I had hoped, I had trusted, I had believed, but You didn’t do what You should have done.

For we hoped that He should have redeemed Israel. We had hoped. We had trusted that He should have redeemed Israel.

Irony

If it didn’t feel so sadly familiar, I would feel sorry for the Emmaus disciples. I wish they had said, “Even though everything we see assaults our hope, and it looks as though we have trusted in vain, we continue to believe that we will see Him, again!” But instead, they walked beside Him declaring their lost faith, and He had to say to them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe!” (L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert).

The irony is that Jesus, indeed, came to redeem Israel, whether each of His disciples held to their faith or not. That is exactly what lead Him inexorably to the cross – our redemption from sin. This kind of redemption, this freedom from bondage and subjugation isn’t what Cleopas, Mary and many others had in mind; not at all. Their sights were set too low. They only wanted a physical king to bring emancipation for an earthly season.

Jesus offered so much more…immeasurably more.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—
Galatians 3:13, ESV

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19, ESV

Deliverance

In today’s culture, everyone seems to have their rights violated in one way or another. It might even be labeled oppression. Sometimes the pervasiveness of that attitude becomes wearisome.

But let me be clear, the Jewish people had experienced centuries of severe oppression, so I don’t want to be too critical of Cleopas and Mary. Their hopes were soaring. Jesus was finally going to bring the longed-for deliverance for which their hearts had yearned for generations.

And then He was crucified.

Hopes dashed against a cross.

What else was there to do, but to go home?

But then Jesus, in His infinite love and mercy, showed up on the road to Emmaus. He began revealing to them the Scriptures. He told them the rest of the story.

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:27, ESV

Eyes Opened

Do you ever stop to realize that we don’t know the whole story? The beginning, middle, and end? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe we only have a minuscule speck of awareness concerning what God is doing in relation to the vast scope of things? We see through a glass darkly (I Corinthians 13:12); unless and until the Spirit reveals His truth to us, that is our limitation.

And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’
Luke 24:31-32, ESV

Their eyes were opened. Their hearts burned within them.

Where do we need our eyes opened? When did our hearts stop burning and our hope fail? Did God’s answer refuse to fit the parameters we had set, Beloved? It happens to all believers at some point. For reasons of sin or reasons of growth or both, we have each known times when we were convinced God was going to answer one way and He didn’t…or hasn’t.

Has God failed? We may never utter those words, but what does our walk with Him look like today? Do our hearts burn within us or is our hope a past tense thing, our faith a yesterday or last year topic?

It doesn’t have to be. Cleopas and Mary were desolate, hopeless. Yet, Jesus restored them to resurrection hope by opening their eyes to Truth.

May He do the same for each of us.

Did God’s answer refuse to fit our parameters, Beloved? Do our hearts burn within us or is our hope a past tense thing, our faith a yesterday topic? Jesus restores us to resurrection hope and opens our eyes to His truth! Click To Tweet

Annie Spratt

path, plans, purpose, journey, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Journey: Knowing God is With You Every Step of the Way

DevotionalsMarch 6, 2019March 6, 2019

Starting a God-inspired journey can seem so daunting. It will take you out of your comfort zone, but God is with you every step of the way.

I keep hearing phrases like: get out of your comfort zone, make a change, become more involved. This can be exciting, scary, and exhausting. It can also be overwhelming.

So how can we cope with this? How do we keep the exciting feeling and not get so overwhelmed we can’t move forward or lose the feeling of purpose? These are questions that I have been asking myself a lot during this season of life, when everything seems to be going at 100MPH.

First Steps

Then they said to him, ‘Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.’ The priest answered them, ‘Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval.’
Judges 18:5-6, NIV

My husband, Phillip, has taught me a lot about carrying joy and excitement for God. He has really jumped out of his comfort zone recently and done it with such gusto and verve that I have been in awe. Until recently he hasn’t been much of a “joiner” in church-related activities. Phillip would go to church. He would help with something if someone asked. But he didn’t seek out opportunities to be involved. This made it easy for me to not be involved. I could sleep in on Sundays, not volunteer, or just be a passive Christian.

Then a little over a year ago he decided to sign up to be an usher at our church. He loved helping out and knowing that his help was needed. Now, Phillip works all three services every week. He sometimes grumbles about having to get up early on Sunday morning, but once there, he is definitely in his element. I have also tried to be more involved and turn my focus towards being a more active follower of Christ.

They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.
3 John 1:6, NIV

Preparing the Journey

But that’s not the end or even all of the beginning of Phillip’s story. He joined a men’s group that meets a few Friday mornings a month to discuss a book. Then he was asked to join a leadership training group reading another book. By the way, Phillip often has joked through the years that he has only read one book from cover to cover in his whole life….now he is reading two simultaneously.

Because of this, our home conversations are even more authentic and transparent. We talk about what he is reading, what I am reading, and how we see God’s plan playing out in our lives. It feels more like a complete life than it ever has before.

There is still more to this story. A few months ago, right before Christmas, Phillip was given the opportunity, through his work, to go on a mission trip to Liberia. Since he has taken hold of that opportunity, I have seen such joy and excitement, as well as some nervousness. But boy, have I seen God’s hand at work.

Christ-Centered

God has asked all of us to give with a generous heart. Putting this into practice has brought all of us joy, but it has also caused some stress. We have not taken anything away, just added to our plate. That means that because everything is on a time table, we have had to add extra time towards this project and take it away from other places in our lives.

As he prepares to go, he is fundraising, asking for donations and supplies to take to the orphanages he will be visiting and asking for others to pray for God’s blessing on the trip. He has had a mound of paperwork to contend with and a few rounds of shots to get. I have been his sounding board and helped him get the word out. At times it would have been easier to say…We are just too busy for this right now, maybe in a couple of years, this wil be easier. -OR-This is really expensive, maybe in a couple of years, we could financially be in a better place to support this trip.

All of this can seem tedious, overwhelming and some of it unpleasant. But every time Phillip has felt a little out of control, worried, or overwhelmed, he has centered himself in our Savior. We talk, we pray, we rest. All three have felt Christ-centered.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

Seeing God’s Path and Following It

Through all of this journey, he has felt a pushing from God. That push has made him excited to see what’s next. Phillip prays daily to know God’s will in his life and has been so surprised to see how God has aligned his path to Him. This has pushed both of us more onto a Christ-centered path for our lives. And that has been exhilarating!

God desires to have a relationship with us. He wants us to invite Him to walk with us daily. When we do, this life has a way of opening up. It’s not always easy and rarely what we’ve planned. But it is always exciting!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

Dear God,

Thank you for pushing us. Your hand is so firmly felt in our relationship. I feel the bonds of my marriage so firmly that I know it is You making us stronger. This opportunity feels beautiful and hard. Help us to move forward in a way that is pleasing to you. Be our guide and light the way to do what is pleasing to You and Your purpose.

love,

God desires to have a relationship with us and invite Him to walk with us. When we do, this life has a way of opening up. It's not always easy and rarely what we've planned. But it is always exciting! Click To Tweet

Johny Goerend

future, hope, plans, surrender, trust, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Uncertain: Allowing God to Guide Through the Unknowns

DevotionalsFebruary 4, 2019February 4, 2019

We all have the desire to know our future is secure. We fear the uncertain. When we surrender our plans to God, we have an assurance that He works for us and puts things together for our good.

Life is full of uncertainties. I fight against this fact, tooth and nail. I am a planner. Knowing what to expect in situations is important to me. I love predictability. I don’t care for the uncertain and unknown. This may make me boring in some ways. But if you take me on a road trip, you can be sure I will find all of the awesome attractions along the way.

While I may have a desire to know the future and to have confidence in my stability, I am slowly learning this is not how life works. When we over plan and anticipate every aspect of our lives, we steal away God’s opportunity to show up for us. When we are laser-focused on making the uncertain certain, we fail to ask God for help. We fail to fully put our trust in Him.

God’s Certainty

For I know the plans I have for, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11, ESV

We see and hear this verse so much that we may have become desensitized to its truth. God knows the plan for us. He is certain. Nothing is unknown to Him. More than that, the plan God has for us is for our good. It gives us hope and a future.

When we take the time to read this verse and let it resonate in our hearts, we come to realize that the unknown doesn’t have to be scary. This is where faith requires us to take action. We have to offer our future and our uncertainty into His hands. We will never have complete knowledge of what tomorrow brings, but we can be sure it is good and full of hope.

Uncertain Direction

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8, NIV

One aspect of uncertainty is not knowing the right decisions to make. There are infinite amounts of outcomes to any one decision. We want to know that the choices we make are the right ones.

In attempting to make the right choices, a lot of times, we forget to seek counsel from our greatest teacher. The Lord promises He will instruct us and teach us the way to go. He does this because He loves us. We are required to trust in Him and learn to listen to His voice.

When we try to figure things out on our own and ignore God’s teaching and instruction we will make the wrong choices. We know that God will use all things. Nothing we do can change His ultimate plan for us, but if we don’t trust His counsel, our free will can cause it to take longer to get to what God has for us.

God’s Plan

God’s plan is always greater than our own. There are things that are in play that we can not imagine or prepare for. While planning and preparing are good, when we try to over plan and take control of our own lives we miss out on God’s blessings along the way.

‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’

Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT

God’s way is always greater than our own. We can plan and prepare all we want but our best will never measure up to God’s ways. We must surrender our plans and our desires for certainty to Him. For when we do this we have confidence that our future will be bright, hopeful, and beyond anything, we could ever imagine.

God's way is always greater than our own. We can plan and prepare all we want, but our best will never measure up to God's ways. We must surrender our plans and our desires for certainty in the Lord. Click To Tweet

Annie Spratt

parenting, children, plans, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, ministry

Plans: Trusting God’s Goodness for Our Children’s Lives

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 7, 2018June 28, 2019

Being a parent as a Christian means putting God first. Allowing God’s plans for our children can be scary, but we can trust His goodness.

I don’t always put my best foot forward as a parent. Sometimes I lose my temper, don’t listen to everything my children have to say, and am too quick to judgement.

On the other hand I have two children who think for themselves and can explain their thinking. My oldest just moved into a house with some friends and is totally ready to do some “adult-ing.” She is a college junior who has a plan for her future. My youngest is learning to let go of his fears and try new things. But the thing that I’m most proud of is their relationship with Jesus.

My daughter has learned that when life gets difficult, you should turn to Jesus and allow Him to help center your life. Phillip and I, as parents, have been able to model that for her. When she has turned to us for advice, the first thing we say to her is, start by praying.

Sharing God’s goodness comes so naturally to my son. He talks about Jesus at school often. Teachers, peers, and other parents have told me how kind he is and that they love being around him. A mom can’t ask for more than that.

Trusting the Father…

As I was reflecting on how amazing my children are in spite of my parenting mistakes, I thought about Mary and Joseph as parents to Jesus. First of all, can you imagine the pressure? Parents to God’s son? Whew!

Luke 2:41-52 tells the story of Jesus going to the temple at Passover. There was a large group of family members. It must have been quite a crowd because it wasn’t till the evening after they left, on their way home, Mary noticed that twelve-year-old Jesus was missing.

Mary’s panic must have been off the chart. She and Joseph took off back to Jerusalem looking for him. It took them three days of searching to find Jesus. He had never left the temple.

When they found him they were so relieved. But like any mother, Mary was ready to scold Jesus. If it had been me I would have raised my voice in a whisper through loud hiccuping sobs – “Where have you been? Your father and I have been looking everywhere for you. You have worried us sick.”

Instead of apologizing he says,

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Luke 2:49, NIV

We don’t know much else about Jesus’ childhood except from this point on he was obedient and continued to learn and grow. He was well liked by the people who met him.

It seems a little counter intuitive to how we would handle the situation, but then our children aren’t divine either. What I learn from this passage is that when our children are in the arms of our Father, they are always okay.

Allowing God’s Plans…

Being a parent is such a gift, and a huge responsibility. The most important thing to remember isn’t any kind of professional advice or information from a parent guru. It’s a simple truth that is part of being a Christian – trust God. As humans we can’t see God’s plan, but we should trust that He has one not just for our lives, but for our children as well.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV

When we trust in our God, our worries for ourselves and our children will fall away. When we plant them and ourselves in God’s amazing garden we will all grow to be full and vibrant. That is God’s promise to us.

As humans we can't see God's plan, but we should trust that He has one not just for our lives, but for our children as well. Click To Tweet

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing me with two beautiful children. Reveal to me Your path for their life. Give me the tools to help guide them toward Your light and love.

love,

Adam Cain

faith, steps, stretching, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry

Stretching: Walking by Faith Deepens Our Trust in The Lord

Devotionals, Stay SaneJune 12, 2018September 8, 2019

When the Lord is stretching our faith, we begin to more fully trust Him. Looking back, we can see how He has ordered our steps.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a scene that could easily describe the beginning of a bad horror movie: It’s evening as an unassuming housewife drives along the highway to run a mundane errand. She sees a young man on the side of the road carrying a gas can. Feeling sorry for him, she pulls over to give him a ride. Disclaimer: I really dislike horror films and never actually watch them! But I’ve seen enough scary movies to know that this is the perfect setup for things to go really dark, really fast. But don’t worry, this plot takes a positive turn and ends on the bright side!

Stretching

Now, before your natural mind starts listing all the reasons why we should never pick up hitchhikers, please know that I share your concerns. I’m not trying to convince anyone to pick people up on the side of the road. But consider this: have you ever felt the Holy Spirit prompting you to do something that’s a little, or perhaps way, outside of your comfort zone? Do you believe the Lord calls us to do things that don’t seem to make sense in the natural but make complete sense in the spirit? I believe the Lord is always stretching my faith to deepen my trust in Him.

He might not stretch your faith in the exact same way that He did mine because the stretching looks different for each one of us. For some, it might be a nudge to simply smile and say hello to a stranger. For someone else, it might be to adopt a child from another country. And for another, to forgive someone who has hurt her. But I believe that the Lord is in the business of building our faith by stretching us beyond our own natural strength. And if we’ll trust Him, we’ll see that He is ordering our steps perfectly.

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Proverbs 16:9, KJV

I believe that the Lord is in the business of building our faith by stretching us beyond our own natural strength. Click To Tweet

A Testimony to Share…

So, as it happened, I picked up a hitchhiker and have a testimony to share. The young man looked to be in his early twenties. When he got in my vehicle, he thanked me and even said, “Wow, ma’am. I don’t know too many women who would pick up a guy on the side of the road. I really appreciate it.” To which I replied, “Well, I have the Holy Ghost, so to tell you the truth, I’m really not afraid of anyone!” He said that was good to hear because he was a believer too.

As we made our way to the gas station, his speech was coherent, but his eyes kept sort of rolling back in his head. When I asked him if he was feeling ok, he said he was really exhausted. He explained that he was working two jobs–one at night and another during the day–and that he had already put in 36 hours in the past three days.

Out of Gas in More Ways Than One…

When we got to the gas station, he started rummaging through a little bag he had with him and was getting upset. He said he had left his wallet in the console of his car and didn’t have his debit card. I said it was no problem and paid the few bucks it took to fill up his gas can. When we got back in the car, he continued to thank me and said, “You really have no idea how much this means to me.” I said I understood what it was like to be out of gas physically, emotionally, spiritually, and every which way, and that I was happy to be able to help. And that’s when the young man began to weep.

I tried to console him, reassuring him that we all need help now and then. Between sobs, he said he had really been struggling recently. His dad had been a preacher and left his mom for another woman. He had moved back in with his mom to help pick up the financial slack since his dad left, and he was also helping take care of his other siblings. As he was talking, his eyes kept doing the rolling motion I had noticed earlier. At the risk of being intrusive, I felt like I was supposed to ask about his eyes. I said I understood that he was tired, but was he really doing ok physically? At first he repeated that he was sleep deprived and exhausted from working outside in the heat all day. And he claimed that he was sober, but then he admitted that he had struggled with addiction.

The Lord Had Let Him Live…

As he shared, I learned that he had been addicted to heroin and had actually overdosed a number of times. He said he didn’t understand why, but for some reason, the Lord had let him live. No matter how many times he had given up on himself and gone back to drugs, he knew that God had never given up on him. I told him how the Lord had saved my life when I was on the brink of suicide. By this point, we were almost back to his car, but he was having trouble holding it all together. So, I asked him if I could pray for him, and he said yes. I pulled off the highway onto a side road and into a neighborhood. And that’s when the Holy Spirit began to move.

I’m not even sure what all I prayed as I laid my hands on that broken young man. The Holy Spirit took over my words, and I prayed in the power of the Holy Spirit for quite awhile. He was buckled over in his seat weeping, moaning, and crying out to God. He was repenting. Thanking the Lord for saving him. Praising Him for letting him live. When it was all said and done, I believe that he was delivered of a spirit of addiction, and I know that his faith was restored. As the prayer was winding down, he said, “I can’t deny that Jesus is real because things like this keep happening to me.”

Our Steps Are Ordered…

So often I go through my days wondering when the Lord will really use me. I have grandiose visions of what an impactful ministry might look like. And I feel discouraged when my daily life doesn’t seem to measure up to the image in my mind’s eye. I can worry whether I’m taking the right steps so that I’m in the right place at the right time to do what He’s calling me to do. But as He stretches my faith, I am learning to trust that He is leading and guiding me perfectly.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Psalm 37:23, KJV

We mustn’t let ourselves get discouraged in this daily walk with Christ. The mundane things: loads of laundry, dirty dishes, unfinished to do lists…these are just part of life. They cannot separate us from the love of Christ or the plans that He has to prosper us. His idea of ministry does not always involve a pulpit, a stage, and an audience. He is showing me that the stage for His ministry is my everyday life. And each day is not just a warm up for the main event. It’s a daily stretching of my faith.

How has He stretched your faith? Can you look back and see how He has ordered your steps?

Andreas Selter

life, unplanned, choose, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry

Life: Four Keys to Handle the Life We Didn’t Plan On

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 29, 2018June 27, 2019

Life is full of unplanned detours and painful pieces. So, how do we handle life when it doesn’t turn out the way we planned?

Remember the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump?” Among the many quotables, Gump uttered the famous line: “Momma said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Those words could perhaps be the subject matter of a college exit course, especially for the students who think they have their lives mapped out…

Unplanned Detours…

My husband and I attended a birthday party for the 32-year-old, handicapped daughter of some long-time friends of ours. This child came out of the womb with a heart condition, but mentally sound. However, due to complications and lack of oxygen during heart surgery days later, her brain was then affected. She is the youngest of three. Our friends did not have taking care of a multiple-handicapped child in their life plan, but you know what? They adjusted. They sacrificed, worked extra hours and extra years. I’ve never heard one complaint from their lips. Their other 2 children, and now their sons-in-law and grandchildren love her deeply. Life without her can’t be imagined, despite the hardship. And one day, when mom and dad are gone, one of those sisters will take over her care.

A reunion was held at the church where Gary and I grew up and raised our children. We saw many old friends, some who have experienced great hardships since we have last seen them. One woman had been in a motorcycle accident and lost her leg two years ago, but stood before me thanking God that her life was spared. Another friend who had dated my brother-in-law decades ago is now running a business while taking care of a husband and a grandmother who both have dementia!

I have a chronic medical condition. Symptoms began not long after I started a career/ministry I loved – definitely not in my plans. For a while after I was diagnosed, I stopped participating in life, but not completely because of my illness. I was more limited by the meaning I had assigned to the illness and the power I gave the meaning.

Painful Pieces…

The reality of life is this – it isn’t only to be lived by well people, or people who have their lives going as planned, or the super intelligent or the super spiritual.

In the early stages of my illness, (and sometimes during tough seasons!) I did not choose life in whatever form God chose to give it. I wanted to pick and choose the life I wanted.

Rachel Remen, M.D. said in her beautiful book, Kitchen Table Wisdom:

When I accepted certain parts of life and denied and ignored the rest, I could only see my life a piece at a time – the happiness of a success or a time of celebration, or the ugliness and pain of a loss or a failure I was trying hard to put behind me out of sight…We are always putting the pieces together without knowing the picture ahead of time. I have been with many people in times of profound loss and grief when an unsuspected meaning begins to emerge from the fragments of their lives. Over time, this meaning has proven itself to be durable and trustworthy, even transformative. It is a kind of strength that never comes to those who deny their pain.

Life involves many types of pain; you don’t have to have many years under your belt to know this. It is in our flesh-nature to avoid/ignore pain, to hide it from others when we can, or to rage against it as unfair, but we are sojourners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11). Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians that things would become wearisome here.

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling... For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened – not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:2-4, ESV

Choose Life…

When God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:11-19, to “choose life,” do you think they had been listening for the previous two chapters? I ask because, in my opinion, God spelled it out very clearly what would happen if they walked with Him and obeyed Him, or what the consequences would be if they didn’t. However, it doesn’t seem as though they were prepared for the latter years of trials.

Despite how clearly pain and trials are delineated in Scripture, I fear that many Christians today are not well prepared for the Life to which they are called, either. Hardships, pain, and trials arrive and some become shell-shocked and believe God has thrown them overboard. However, Jesus succinctly warned in John 16:33 (ESV): I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

His disciples were clear on this point; in 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul invites Timothy to join him in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Suffering was a given.

Keys to Accepting…

I believe the keys to accepting the life God gives us each day is hidden in the Deuteronomy 30:11-20 passage. God said that it isn’t too mysterious for you, nor is it far off…but the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it (v. 11).

I love that – I can hear Him saying, “People! This isn’t rocket science!”

…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…

Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NKJV

The Keys…

Choose life
Love the Lord your God
Obey His voice
Cling to Him

Don’t wait for a new life. Live this one boldly as you cling to Him.

The reality of life is this - it isn't only to be lived by well people, or people who have their lives going as planned, or the super intelligent or the super spiritual. Click To Tweet