Reason for break...

I haven’t posted for several days now.  Reason being, Robert’s disease process has taken another serious downturn.  Yesterday, we enrolled in BSA Hospice of the Southwest’s home hospice services.  We know that Robert is in the end stages of his pulmonary fibrosis and want to do all we can to keep him most comfortable. 

Please, please keep us all in prayer.  Our children and grandchildren adore Robert.  They have all been so supportive while also having broken hearts.  Vandi, has been staying with us and has been such a sweet comfort to her daddy!  

We will continue this study just a little later.  Thank you for your love, concern and prayers!!

Week Five - Observation 2

It's a Saturday - they still feel different than other days even though, at this point in time, they really aren't that much different!  But it's the weekend, and with it comes a little different pace and a different feel.  And we aren't that far from fall Saturdays, which are my favorite - when there is both a cool feel and football in the air.  Love Saturdays with college football on TV, even if I'm not watching closely...that's the way a fall Saturday is supposed to sound!  

Some things are just supposed to be the same throughout our lives.  Some things like having your mama around to talk to whenever you need to hear her voice.  My mama went to heaven a year ago tomorrow after living 96+ years.  It just seemed she would always be here - it still seems she should!  But, like it or not, life changes, and our loved ones die, and we are again reminded that this is not heaven.  Thank goodness that we do know that heaven is in our future and that we have the assurance that those who have gone before, as believers in Christ, are there already.  

So much to be thankful for because of Jesus!  Don't you agree?

Remember our question for this week:  What do we do when we find ourselves in times of trouble, when we are in the middle of our storm?

And our verses for this week:  1 John 5:4-5  "because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

We've got a lot to cover today, so let's get going!

OBSERVATION

Proverbs 18:10  "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected."

Psalm 20:1, 5, 7  

"May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob's God protect you."

"Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests."

"Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God."

Jeremiah 9:23-24  "This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me- that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. [This is] the Lord's declaration."

Psalm 46:10  "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Daniel 11:32b   "...but the people who know their God will be strong and take action."

OK - like I said, a lot to cover today!  But it's Saturday - and maybe you will even want to spend sometime tomorrow landing here for a while.   That's ok, because more than likely another post won't come up until Monday.  So take you're time and let's soak all of this in!

Looking at the first two passages (Proverbs 18 and Psalm 20), what actions do these two passages tell us to take as those who trust in God?  Here's the directions I see:

• Run to the strong tower that is the name of the Lord
• Expect God's answer to our request for help and look to the name of Jacob's God for protection
• Shout for joy and lift the banner in the name of our God when victory comes.
• Take pride in the name of the Lord our God.

All of these are excellent instructions for us to follow in times of trouble, but I find it interesting that they don't just say to run to God, look to God for protection, celebrate in God or take pride in God - they say to do all of these things in the name of God, or in the name of the Lord.  Does that make any difference?  Maybe only slightly - but it's there and worth looking at, don't you think? 

Where these verses state the word name, the same Hebrew word, shem, is used in all.  This word carries with it the connotation of reputation, fame, glory - even a memorial or monument.

An interesting note from our study guide, "The first mention of boast [take pride] in Psalm 20:7 can also be translated as to trust.  The second mention of boast [take pride] means 'to call to mind, to remember.'  Remembering could also involve a public proclaiming of what is being remembered - in this case, the name of the Lord."

                         

We will take pride in the name of the Lord our God - we will remember all that He has done and we will follow these instructions not just based on God and who we think He is, but also based on God's reputation, on His fame, on His glory - on all He has already done that we have testimony of through the Scriptures.  We can run, have expectations, celebrate and take pride in our God who has already done great and mighty things - and because we know He has, we also know He will,  not just for the people of Old Testament Bible stories, but for us - right here, right now!  His name - His fame - is great and good and testifies to His power and His ability to bring us victory!

Jeremiah then tells us a "Thus says the LORD" of what we should not be bragging about, and what we should be bragging about.  Whenever I see a "Thus says the LORD", I pay particular attention!

I find it interesting that the things we are told to avoid talking with pride are exactly what most people today are flaunting:  wisdom, power and wealth.  Someone is either smarter than everyone else, able to exercise greater influence over others than anyone else, or has more money than anyone else --- that's what we tend to hear a lot of, isn't it?  And are we tempted to do the same?  Are we tempted to "strut our stuff" when we receive recognition for our smarts, our power, our wealth?  And as parents I notice that we are very prone to boast about our kids for these things:  their promotions, new homes, and how financially well they are doing.  Not sure those are the things we should be boasting about in their regard either.  

What God tells us that we should brag about is this:  that we understand Him and that we know Him - that we know Him to be a God of faithful love, of justice and righteousness.  God tells us that He delights in these things.  When we are in times of trouble, do we keep talking about these qualities of God, or do we suddenly get quiet?  I think God delights in hearing us tell others of these qualities of His, but I think He especially takes great pleasure in us when we continue to do so in our times of pain and suffering.  That's when He knows that we truly know Him - that's when we can boast about understanding and knowing our good, loving, Father God.

Then looking at the last verses in Psalm and Daniel, we seem to get two conflicting directions:  be still and take action.  Well which one is it?  I think it's both - even at the same time - how can that work?  

I think we can be still ("cease striving" in some versions) when we remember that God is God and that He is over all and will be exalted by all.  We can have complete confidence that He is in control and that we don't have to be concerned about the outcome of our lives or of this world - He is God.  But when we know this about our God and that all is in His all-powerful hands, we can also be strong and take whatever action we are called to take, knowing that He is with us, before us and behind us.  In times of trouble, we can rest in God, but also be ready to do whatever it is that is asked of us - without weakness and without fear - because He is our God and we know who He is in our lives.

Well that was a lot!  I hope it was encouraging to you - it was to me.  We serve a great God - with a great reputation of power and action on behalf of His people. 

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Five - Observation 1

 August 20, 2020 - lots of schools have started for the fall amidst the cloud of COVID.  Kids are kicking off their new classes in a very different manner than usual.  Rather than just new school clothes and supplies, they're having to get school masks, and getting used to restrictions as to how they move around in their school buildings and how they interact with classmates and with teachers.  Isn't it all just so strange?  Isn't it amazing how fast our world can change?  

When changes are pleasant, we embrace them wholeheartedly and thank God for the blessings that have come into our lives.  But when the changes create hardship and angst, do we still thank God for what He is doing?  Do we still thank Him for being good in all ways, even when the changes are seen as trials?  Just as we're asking school kids to adapt and do what is necessary to get through this school year, could our hard times require us to adapt our lives (possibly in ways that they desperately needed) in order to get through and advance to the next class of our life's spiritual training.   Years ago when I was trying to become at least an average golfer, our encouraging expression to each other was, "you advanced the ball."  No matter how little distance made, we were closer to the flag than we were before.  When we come through trials and we have remained faithful and kept open hearts to God's lessons, we're closer than we were before to the person He designed us to be.  Keep advancing!

We've talked about the inevitability of suffering - both for Christ, and as a result of our broken world.  We've looked at the need, and the desire of God, for us to acknowledge our absolute inability to hold up under suffering and God's absolute ability to sustain us.  We've addressed the question of why God allows His children to suffer, the growth and refinement that comes through our times of troubles.  And we've just finished talking about the impact on a believer's life when they come through times of suffering - a more intimate relationship with God our Father and a deeper understanding of His purposes in our life.  

But knowing all of this, when we're smack dab in the middle of life's hardest times, or when we are being persecuted for our faith, or when we are being tempted by the world's charms that dangle before us luring us away from our true goal - what does the practical application of all of the above lessons look like?

That's our question for this week:  What do we do when we find ourselves in times of trouble, when we are in the middle of our storm?

And our verses for this week:  1 John 5:4-5  "because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

OBSERVATION

John 14:1  "Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me."

Psalm 37:39-40  "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress. The Lord helps and delivers them; He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in Him."

Isaiah 26:3-4  "You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You,  for it is trusting in You. Trust in the Lord forever, because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock!"

Well when you read through these passages, you get a pretty clear idea of the first things that God wants us to do when we find ourselves in a time of trouble, a time of distress:  believe in Him, run to Him, trust in Him.  

And what are we not to do - we are not to be troubled.  Easy to say, isn't it?   But that doesn't come naturally, or at least it doesn't to me.  When troubling times come to me, I tend to have a troubled heart.  But Jesus told His disciples, "Your heart must not be troubled."  And why mustn't it?  Because we believe in God, and we believe in Jesus, His Son.  And if we truly believe, then Jesus tells us, don't be troubled.  

Quoting from our study guide, "Troubled in this verse is translated from the Greek word tarasso.  It means "to take away calmness of mind."  It implies an action that strikes a person's spirit with fear and doubt.  Believe is translated from the Greek word pisteuo.  It means "to be persuaded of, to place confidence in, to trust, to rely upon."

When we apply these meanings to the two key words, "troubled" and "believe", how does it expand our understanding?    

Do you ever, like me, find your mind scrambled when things are swirling around you?  When we feel that kind of chaotic turmoil, we need to stop and realize that is not what we are called to.  As Paul tells Timothy, we have been given a spirit of power, of  love and of a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)  So when our calmness of mind is lacking and we feel fears and doubts creeping in, we need to focus on what we believe - of what we are absolutely persuaded of, what we have confidence in, what - no Who - we rely upon.  

                                     

A key thing here is that we have that full persuasion and complete confidence in God our Father and in Jesus our Savior, before our trouble comes.  We have to "know in whom we have believed, and be persuaded that He is able" to bring us through.  (Did you sing it? Are you now? :) )  What do we need to know about our God to be so fully persuaded?

The writer of the passage in Psalms tells us that our God is our Salvation, our Strength and our Deliverer in times of trouble.  Doesn't that describe the One who you would want to be able to run to when you are in troubled times, when your enemy is after you?  We have a fully able Father who is ready to help us - and what are we told to do to access His aid - just take refuge in Him.  Find in Him our hiding place from the chaos swirling around us, hide under His protective wing.  Be still and know that He is our powerful, almighty God.

And then Isaiah closes us out today with one of my favorite passages when I'm not at peace - the reminder that He will keep me in perfect peace when I am dependent, fully trusting, in Him.  I found this passage when going through a previous hard time and I repeated it over and over until I came to the place where I realized God wanted me - desperately dependent on Him.  That's where He wants us when we're in trouble - knowing that we have no one else like our God - our everlasting Rock.  He is the only One who can bring us through our time of trouble.  

When we are there, we need to believe in Him, run to Him and trust in Him.  We have no other place to go - He is our everything.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four- Observation 5 and Wrap Up

We've had some busy days with doctor appointments and some sweet visits with our niece from Richmond VA.  It seems that anything extra thrown in to our routine tends to throw us a little off course for the day!  When you get so used to pretty much nothing going on, anything seems like a lot!  :)  But thankful to report that yesterday's doctor visit showed that Robert's thrush is subsiding.  We have seven more days of IV therapy and, hopefully, we'll be rid of that problem!  Then we hope that we can get back to having a little more energy and feeling better so that we can enjoy the cooler days that we just know are coming soon!

We started this week asking the question of how does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week?  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

Today we're going to be in the book of Hebrews as our final reference to this question.  Let's dig right in!

OBSERVATION

Hebrews 2:18  "For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested."

Hebrews 4:15  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin."

Hebrews 12:1-3  "Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart."

What verses of great support are these passages from Hebrews!  We can feel Jesus walking beside us in our times of trial, and not with a spirit of expectation of perfection, but a spirit of understanding of our weakness - because He knows just how hard it was for Him to go through these hard earthly times.  And He knows that we are so much less.  And He loves us as He walks with us and tells us that He is there to help.  

Make no mistake about it - Jesus was tempted.  Jesus, in His humanity, felt the temptation that satan held out before Him.  What person (and Jesus was a person!) wouldn't prefer to live in a comfortable home with family surrounding them rather than as an itinerant preacher, drawing a scraggly band of 12 disciples as His companions to travel with Him throughout the countryside, with only a stone for a pillow?  What person wouldn't prefer to see his children and grandchildren grow up around them rather than to die at 31 with no heirs to leave behind.  And what person wouldn't prefer to be held in earthly honor rather than to be hung on a cross to die a hideous death in shame?  

Jesus, was a person - He felt these temptations.  And He remembers just how strong those temptations were to Him, as Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Joseph.   But Jesus was also the Son of God, and His divine mission overruled His temptations.  What does that mean to us, as His followers?  It means that we can know that Jesus truly understands and that He is whispering to us, "I'm here - I know - let me help you through this time.  Don't give up, don't give in.  It will all be worth it."

Leading into the next passage in Hebrews, Hebrews 12:1-3.  Here we have that great picture that I love to see in my mind:  all those who have gone before us, cheering us on to the finish line!  I see my parents and grandparents; I see Christian brothers and sisters who have been wonderful examples to me; I see the great pillars of faith from the Old Testament heroes, the Apostles and all the great Bible teachers that have followed since.  I see them all - but most of all I see Jesus standing at the ribbon, holding His arms open wide to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" when I cross that line.  Are there any greater words we can hope to hear?  

When we see that picture, doesn't it encourage us to get rid of everything that we are holding on to that's slowing us down, that's a weight around our ankles as we head toward home?  

Quoting from our study book, "The Greek word for race is agon, from which we get our word agony.  The race of faith can be agonizing.  It demands discipline and perseverance.  Following Christ is not a fifty-yard dash but a marathon - and it demands our all."

We cannot expect to run our this race, this marathon, well if we are still tangled up in the world and the temptations that it continually offers.  When we get tangled up like that, we come to a standstill in our progression towards the finish line.  We have to throw off, lay aside, everything and anything that hinders our progress and run on.  We have to be ready, just as Jesus did, to endure the hostility of non-believers.  And we do this by keeping our eyes on the finish line and the One who stands there - our Jesus, our Friend to the end; the One who is our greatest encourager.  He is cheering us on!  And when we stumble along the way, He is the One reaching down to pick us up and say, "Get back on track and let's go home!"  

                                   

WRAPPING IT UP!

This week we started with Job and ended with Jesus!  Our question was how does suffering change the life of the believer.  How do you feel we've answered that question?  Again, I'd sure love to hear your thoughts!  

Here's what I've come up with:

1.  Suffering establishes God's sovereignty in our lives and allows us to understand both His power and His love in a deeper and more intimate way.

2.  Suffering allows us to prove our faith to ourselves - God already knows our hearts, but sometimes we need to see just how deep our faith really goes.  Faithfulness through times of suffering does just that.  And there is blessing in that knowledge.

3.  Suffering refines our faith - it gets rid of the "fluff and stuff" and allows us to see what faith in God is truly about and what God wants to see in His children.  Trust and obedience.

4.  Suffering shows us that we can rest in God no matter what our circumstances.  When we come to the point that even in suffering we can truly rejoice, then we have gotten to a great maturity level of faith.  That's when we can know that godliness with contentment is GREAT gain! (1 Timothy 6:6)

5.  Suffering reminds us that we do not suffer alone - Jesus is our example of suffering toward the goal of sitting beside His Father in glory. We have many others who have suffered for Jesus and they are all experiencing great blessing now.  We keep our eyes on Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith.  He is our goal!  We will see Him face to face at the finish line!

What else?  I know I haven't covered it all!  Please let me hear your thoughts.  I am so thankful that we are racing together - even when it's hard; no, especially when it's hard!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four - Observation 4

It's another scorcher here in the Texas panhandle - supposed to be 96F today following several days of right around 100F.   But tomorrow it's only supposed to be 91 and then low 90s for most of next week.  That sounds so nice right now!  Isn't that the way life is?  What doesn't seem all that terribly pleasant (92 degree weather) can sound absolutely delightful (after bearing up under >100 degree weather for a few days.)  In life, what didn't seem as particularly wonderful days in our lives, when viewed from days where "the heat has been turned up", can then be viewed as truly wonderful...days of bliss!  Guess the lesson here is - enjoy every day!  You don't know which ones will turn out to be the days that you remember as the best.  Even the "scorchers" bring blessings of their own - moments that we treasure in years to come. Just like 100 degree days bring remembrances of those joyful moments of running through sprinklers, jumping off diving boards, eating sno-cones and popsicles and laying in front of a box fan on a pallet in the living room floor at night!  I'm showing my age with that last memory - but that was summertime in my youth!  Tough times in life will bring moments of joyful remembrances as well - we just have to persevere to get to the time of remembrance!

Our question this week: How does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week?  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, kmowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

OBSERVATION

Romans 5:1-5  "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

James 1:5-8  "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways."

1 Corinthians 10:13  "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it."

We've got a lot of Scripture to wade through today.  Ready?  Let's pray first and ask God to reveal His message to each of us individually - we all need to hear what He has to say to us, personally.  What I bring out may not be what the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you today.  Be open to His voice, way over my, or any other person's, human words!  Listen to what He is telling you today.

Looking at our first passage from Paul's letter to the Romans, and quoting from Kay Arthur, "In Romans 1-4, the apostle Paul established that all are sinners and need salvation.  He also made clear that salvation is found only through faith in Jesus Christ.  In light of these truths, Romans 5:1 opens with the term 'therefore', indicating the result for those who have been justified or declared righteous by their faith."  

Everyone has probably heard this before, but whenever you see a "therefore" in Scripture, you need to see what it is "there for."  Which requires, just as Kay has done, to look back to see what it is referencing in the prior verses.

We're directed in the study  to read through this passage and circle all of the pronouns that refer to believers - we, our, us.  Do that, either actually or mentally, and then consider these questions:

What does every believer have as a result of being declared righteous?

What is every believer to do and why?

What we have is peace --- finally, peace with God.  I have long loved the verses in Luke 1 where Zechariah, finally understanding through the revelation of the Holy Spirit what God was doing through his son makes this bold proclamation:

Luke 1:67-79  "Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets in ancient times;  salvation from our enemies and from the clutches of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered His holy covenant- the oath that He swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, since we have been rescued from our enemies' clutches, to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness in His presence all our days.  And child, you will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

                                                     

I've loved these words because they show me that God wants so much for us to be at peace with Him - to serve Him without fear, as children who are accepted by Him as holy and righteous.  His merciful compassion is what drove Him to provide Jesus for us, to bring light into our lives of darkness, and to guide our feet into lives of peace, peace with Him forever.  Paul wants to remind us of this - that because of Jesus, we have peace with our Father.  We no longer have to view God as being mad at us for our sins and living in fear of His judgment - because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and removed.  We are free to serve God without a moment of fear.  We should be at peace.

And what are we to do with this knowledge?  Through the faith that we have in our redemption by Jesus, we stand in His grace.  We rejoice in the knowledge that we will see the glory of God.   And "not only that", but we rejoice (exult in some translations) in our tribulations.  (We really are supposed to do this, aren't we?  Paul tells us, James tells us, and Peter tells us - I think this is important - I think this is something we must learn and ask God for help with!)  Again, quoting from the study, 

"Exult  means 'to boast in regard to anything.'  In Romans 5:3 the preposition in may seem like a small insignificant word, but it is key to understanding the full impact of this passage,.  It is translated from the Greek word en, which means 'remaining in place or resting in.'  Rather than moving into or out of the situation, it indicates a total lack of motion.  In other words, one is at rest, not attempting to get out of the tribulation.  The Greek word translated as brings about [produces] is katergazomai, which means 'to carry out a task until it is finished.' In the context of this passage in Romans, the phrase indicates completing a task, the result of which is to bring out something that is already present.  Tribulation in the life of the believer brings out perseverance, because the grace to persevere comes from the inner strength God has given us."

Wow!  This brings a whole other concept into play when we "rejoice" in our tribulations...we rest in them as well.  We're not filled with anxiety or craziness in the middle of our troubles - we're at peace!  We rest and we wait because we know God is watching, that God knows exactly what is going on, and that God will be the One to bring this trial to an end.  We rest and we wait and we persevere - and through all of that, the task of proving our Christian character is accomplished.  We come through knowing that God does not disappoint, and an affirmation of His great love for us - poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  This love is what allows us to rest - and this ability to rest confirms His love.  Beautiful, isn't it?  Resting in troubles, at peace with our Father.

Jumping back over to James, we get some very practical advise for what to do when we feel that we aren't resting - when we are getting anxious and we need more of God's insight into our situation.  Well it's pretty simple, really - we ASK!  James tells us that whenever we feel in the dark, ask God for His wisdom and He's going to be generous to respond - no questions asked!  The only condition is that when we ask we have to really believe that He is going to answer us - that we will receive His guidance.  That means not jumping ahead, not growing impatient - it means resting until we gain what we know is His wisdom, His insight, His direction.  

And finally, hearing from Paul again writing to the Corinthians, we are reminded that no "temptation" (that same Greek word peirasmos, which can be translated as temptation, trial or testing) comes to us that is greater than what other people experience in this earthly life as well.  We ALL have temptations - we all have trials that can provide opportunities for us to follow Jesus in obedience, or strike out on our own in sinful responses.  Our faithful God will always provide a way of obedience out of the temptation - it is our choice whether to follow His way, the way in which He promises His strength to sustain us, or to rely on our own strength which is certain to be inadequate.  Let's learn to first ask for God's way,  for His wisdom, insight and direction - let's remember that He has provided us with such a great escape that we can make it through and honor Him.  

What great lessons today - I hope you have had your own insights as well - I'd sure love to hear them!  Either comment via blog or e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com!  

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four - Observation 3

Here we are - the middle of August already!  How, in this strange time of COVID with its isolation and lack of normal events, is the time going so fast?  I know people say let's get this year over with, but I don't know why 2021 will look any different and I'd just as soon not wish the days of my life away - even strange days that are sometimes really hard to get through.  Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts."  Let's use our days, even strange days we don't understand, wisely.  And let's, hopefully, develop some godly wisdom along the way!

Remember our question this week: How does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week is one we will "consider" today:  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

OBSERVATION

James 1:2-4  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

1 Peter 1:6-7  "You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith--more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Our memory verses of this week are well known, but how well-practiced?  How often do we "consider it all joy" when we are going through the trials of our lives?  When we are facing our trials from a totally earthly perspective with no spiritual goals in mind, there is no reason to find joy in them, is there?  Trials are hard - trials are what we aim to avoid in life - times of trials are not the fun times we remember.  And when we look at the Greek word (peirasmos) that is translated as trials in this passage, we find that it can truly mean various kinds of trials. Strong's Bible Dictionary lists all of these possible meanings for the word peirasmos: "An experiment, attempt, trial, proving; the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy; an enticement to sin, temptation; an internal temptation to sin as of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand; of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness; adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one's character, faith, holiness; rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves."

So we can see that the trials James is referring to can mean a multitude of meanings, but they all come down to a testing.  Either by means of a temptation or affliction - trials have a purpose and that purpose is the testing of our faith.  This is not an earthly perspective at all - this is what changes our view of trials from just something that we are going through that we don't want to be going through, to seeing God's hand right in the middle of our trouble - allowing us to see just what our faith consists of.  Faith should, if we are truly grounded in our belief that God is sovereign and will always see us through, keep us going through the trial.  And when we've come to the other side, we can look back and see where the faith that allowed us to endure has increased, matured and brought us to a more complete state of understanding of our Father and reflection of His glory.

                                

Peter uses the very same word, peirasmos, in his first epistle, with very similar language to that of James.  He was telling the scattered exiles who were facing lots of various trials, that they are able to rejoice in their "short time" of trials --- a short time could be their whole lives, but we have to remember, compared to eternity an earthly life of 100 years is so very relatively short! --- because there was a great result coming out of those trials:  the genuineness, the proof of their faith!  We can rejoice when we see that we really do rely on God and that He really is who He says He is and He really does what He has said He will do.  When our faith is proved genuine, that is the greatest asset that we can acquire here on earth.  For it will pass through the fire unharmed (1 Corinthians 3) and go with us into eternity where it will allow us to glorify God forever.  We need to welcome trials that prove our faith, for when our faith is proven, it grows stronger and will enable us to greet the next trial with even greater joy!

God does things in a really different way than we would, doesn't He?  He is working on us in so many ways - thank Him for His great wisdom in transforming us into people who reflect Him!  God is so very wise and so very good to us!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four - Observation 2

I'm discovering that in this particular stage of my life, there is no structure!  What I think will work one day as far as a schedule, doesn't work at all the next day.  So, from here on out, this all happens when it happens...that's a little different for me as I tend to like things on some what of a schedule, but I'm finding out that a lot of things that I thought were important, really aren't.  And my ideas of when and how things should happen are certainly becoming less important all the time.

JOB - what a hard lesson from the Bible.  I really don't get it all, and we're going to look at this poor man and his sufferings again today.  I will say, we always hear about "the patience of Job", but when you read through the book there were times when Job really wasn't very patient.  He wanted answers.  But Job did endure, he did persevere, and he kept his faith in His God - even surrounded by people who weren't always very (or at all) encouraging.  

OBSERVATION

Job 1:20-22  "Then Job stood up, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord.  Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything."

Job 6:10  "It would still bring me comfort, and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain that I have not denied the words of the Holy One."

Job 42:10 "After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his [previous] possessions."

James 5:11  " See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job's endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord: the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."

Remembering yesterday's passages, all of Job's problems came about following God's discussion with satan regarding Job's righteousness and faithfulness to God.  God was bragging on His servant, Job, and satan couldn't stand to think that someone would love God just for who He is, and not for the blessings that He had given them.                                                     

But today we read that Job has lost all of those blessings - his children, his servants, his livestock, his fortune, and ultimately his own health.  Reading the first referenced passage, what do we see as Job's response to his loss?  Worship!  Acknowledgement that everything he had been given had been given to him by the Lord.  Praise!  When God had told satan that Job was a righteous man, God really knew who Job was, didn't he?  This is a truly godly man - and this verse should be one that we all remember - "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Praise the name of the Lord."  Whatever we have in life, it is all from God.  And if He chooses to take it away, He has reason.  We may not ever know that reason this side of heaven, but we know God has purpose in His taking from us.  Job reveals his absolute trust in God by his worship and praise - and he reveals the relationship that he has established with God, never blaming Him for his pain.

The second verse reinforces Job's relationship with God - no matter the pain he was going through, and Job went through unrelenting physical pain - he did not deny God's words to him.  This brought Job comfort in the fact that he realized he was being faithful, no matter what.  We need to remember this source of comfort when we're going through difficult, painful times - we are staying faithful, and that is what God is asking of us.  

Job 6:10 did prompt a question in my mind - Job is considered by most to be the oldest book of the Bible, the writing of it predating the writing of Genesis by Moses.  It is not certain who wrote Job, possibly Job himself.  Studies estimate the writing of Job between 2100 and 1800 B.C., approximately the same time as Abraham lived. That being the case, what are the "words of the Holy One" that Job references?  How did Job receive God's words to him?  Had the stories of the God of creation and of the great flood been passed down through the generations?  Had God spoken to him personally, as He did with Noah and Abraham?  

                                                

And then we know the end of the story - after Job had gone through his period of suffering and pain, after he had acknowledged that God is sovereign and that he was a man of little understanding of the great things of God, God restores and blesses Job - greater than before.  And one of the biggest blessings that I think may get overlooked is in Job 42:5 "I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You."  I think this answers the previous question of Job's knowledge of God's Word - this makes it sound like it was all of the God-stories that Job had heard, told from parent to child through the generations.  And Job had believed them and had sought to please God.  But through this experience, through the suffering, through the loss, through the pain, Job had seen God and had come to know Him at a deeper level than ever before possible.  God had revealed Himself to Job through the worst time of his life. 

James tells us that we "count as blessed those who have endured" and cites Job as such an example.  Job was blessed on earth, but Job is being blessed even greater in eternity.  All who endure will receive such wonderful blessing.  Won't it be great to meet Job?  Paul?  Joseph?  Peter?  Jeremiah?  John?  Everyone of these, and so many more, endured to the end - and we will all be home with Jesus - the One who endured the very most for all of us!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Four - Observation 1

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," or so the saying goes!  That was today!  Good plans to get up early and get blog posted, but didn't allow enough "early" time to be able to get everything else done that new regimens require before making a morning doctor appointment.  Good news is that Robert's thrush showed some slight improvement, and recommendation was to extend IV antifungal meds.  Somewhat concerning is that doctor is not convinced that laryngitis is 100% due to the infection and may have some other causes.  Going to have to give it some time and see once the thrush is resolved.  But we would really appreciate prayer that the thrush continues to decrease and that Robert's voice returns without any other problems.  He is growing weary of whispering, and having to clap to get my attention if I'm out of the room!  

We've seen how Paul suffered and chose to trust in God rather than himself; we've seen how Jesus suffered and did so with obedience to His Father, entrusting Himself to our righteous Judge; and we've seen how fellow Christians suffer for their faith and for doing what is right (we may have even experienced that), and that all trials allowed in our lives can purify and refine us so that we reflect God's image more accurately.  This week we're going to look at how living out these truths impacts the life of the believer.

That's our question this week: How does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week?  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, kmowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

OBSERVATION 1

Job 1:6-12  "One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the LORD, 'From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.' Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.' 'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Satan replied. 'Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'  The LORD said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.' Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD."

                  

We're going to start off with one of my least favorite Bible stories - isn't that an encouraging note to start out on? :)   JOB   Now I know it all ends well, but there are some really bothersome things that go on in this story.  Things that make us go...."huh???"   Like the passage above!  Does the picture of God and satan having this discussion bother anyone other me?  But as I've said before, when something bothers us in Scripture, that's when we have to study and dig and try to learn.  Don't ever try to assume or presume the meaning in difficult passages - that's where we can really get into trouble and head off into bad theology!

Read Matthew Henry's commentary on these verses:

Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of God, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love God. How far his influence may extend, we cannot say; but probably much unsteadiness and unhappiness in Christians may be ascribed to him. While we are on this earth we are within his reach. Hence it concerns us to ( 1 Peter. 5:8 ) This is the common way of slanderers, to suggest that which they have no reason to think is true. But as there is nothing we should dread more than really being hypocrites, so there is nothing we need dread less than being called and counted so without cause. It is not wrong to look at the eternal recompence in our obedience; but it is wrong to aim at worldly advantages in our religion. God's people are taken under his special protection; they, and all that belong to them. The blessing of the Lord makes rich; Satan himself owns it. God suffered Job to be tried, as he suffered Peter to be sifted. It is our comfort that God has the devil in a chain, ( Revelation 20:1 ) . He has no power to lead men to sin, but what they give him themselves; nor any power to afflict men, but what is given him from above. All this is here described to us after the manner of men. The Scripture speaks thus to teach us that God directs the affairs of the world.

When I read through the above commentary and then re-read the verses in the Bible, I come to these conclusions:

1. We have an enemy that doesn't really know us, but can observe our circumstances and knows our history.  He roams the earth watching our actions and looking for our vulnerabilities.

2.  We have a Father who completely knows us - knows who we are, because we are His creation.  He knows our strengths and He knows our weaknesses.  

3.  Our earthly blessings, while gifts from God, are not guaranteed to us.  As Matthew Henry states, "It is not wrong to look at the eternal recompence in our obedience; but it is wrong to aim at worldly advantages in our religion." We do not obey God in order to gain earthly reward.  God gives, and God can take away.  It is all in His hands. 

4.  God does allow satan to oppress His children, but He has power over satan to limit his oppression.  

5.  God is completely powerful and sovereign over all - including satan.

Do you think those are fair assessments of this situation?  I feel better about this heavenly scene than at my first glance, do you?

Now let's look at our second passage for the day:

1 Peter 5:8  "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour."

Doesn't this verse just dovetail into the account of Job?  Satan had been out prowling around and noticed Job - but what he noticed was that Job was faithfully obeying God so satan naturally assumes it's because God has given Job everything he has ever wanted.  Who wouldn't be loyal to a God who had blessed them so abundantly?

Do we ever fall into this trap?  Do we find ourselves praying, "Thank You, God, for all you have blessed me with and please keep blessing me.  I really don't want a life with anything less.  You've been really good to me and I will do whatever You want if You'll just keep blessing me like You have."  Now we may not be that direct, but when we pray for continued lives of comfort and plenty rather than God's best will for us, then we may be falling into the level of faithfulness that satan assumed Job was.  

Or, "God, what did I do to deserve this?  I've been faithful and obedient and now You've allowed this problem to invade my life.  Why would You do that to me?"  

Does our obedience to God and our faith in God promise us anything here on earth?  We have no idea of the bigger picture that God is dealing with in spiritual realms --- and we have no idea what He is working together for our future good by allowing us hard things to deal with today.  We just have no idea!  "For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

So for our first day, I think we can say that suffering should allow the believer to see that God is truly sovereign and that we ever may never understand all the reasons.  We should come to a greater level of absolute surrender to God's will and His purposes.  

What do you think?  I'm really wanting to hear from you all on this one!  It's a tough lesson!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Another day of grace...

 ...I’m not going to post today due to multiple other things going on and I realized that if I skip today we’ll get on a Monday-Friday schedule for our remaining weeks.  I hope you’ll take this time and review what we’ve covered and I would really LOVE it if you would send me some comments on what you’re thinking and what you’ve learned about handling difficult times so far in this study.  You can either use the comment section here on the blog, or if you have any trouble with that, please please please email me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.  I would so love to hear from each of you!!!

Please continue to keep Robert in prayer as he battles IPF and currently the added problem of thrush.  It is being very stubborn in leaving and is really making him uncomfortable!  

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Three - Observation 5 and Wrap Up

Sorry for the day off yesterday, but there was just a lot going on.  Robert and I went to the doctor and then came home to wait for delivery of IV set up.  We are so fortunate to live in a time with so many options.  With the COVID restrictions ongoing in the hospital, Robert really did not want to be admitted and be by himself for IV therapy, but having IV therapy come to us at home - well that sure sounded better!  And with the wonderful home health and palliative care support that we have, it all comes together!  Now I will have to say that with home care, your home starts to look a little more like a medical clinic, but small price to pay!  Please pray with us that these three days of infused antifungal medication will rid Robert of the thrush that is so prevalent in his mouth and throat, and with the resolution of the thrush that his voice will return!

This week has been a little tough as we've tried to answer the question, Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?  I think we would rather like to think that pain and suffering are natural byproducts of this fallen world we live in, which they are, but this week we have seen that God is definitely involved in how they are used in our lives and to what purposes.  Does it bother you to know that God not only allows, but sometimes brings hard times to us?  Have we figured out why He does that?  Let's look at today's observation and then spend some time wrapping up our thoughts around this difficult concept.

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION

Psalm 66:8-12 "Praise our God, you peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard.  He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip.  For You, God, tested us; You refined us as silver is refined.  You lured us into a trap; You placed burdens on our backs.  You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us out into abundance."  

 

                                            

Well if we wanted a Scripture to confirm that God is, in fact, the One behind some of our times of troubles and hardships, here it is.  In my Bible, this chapter's heading is "Praise for God's Mighty Acts."  We have to surmise then that some of God's mighty acts are things that, when we're going through them, don't seem that wonderful - but they are mighty, all the same.

But let's start out where the passage starts out - praising God!  Praising God, why?  Because He keeps us alive and doesn't let our feet slip.  We're here, aren't we?  We're breathing, living, and, since we're spending time in this study that is intended to grow us in our faith, we are still seeking God.  We are here - seeking to know Him better, our feet haven't slipped.  Or as John Gill puts it, "that is, not to be greatly moved; or if moved so as to slip and fall, yet not so as to fall finally and totally."  We're here.  Praise God!

What have we gone through to get here, though?  Have you been tested?  Have you been refined?  If you haven't, I daresay you will.  I don't think God sees any of His children as close enough to His image to not require some testing and refining.  And I don't know about you, but I know I still need refining.  There are still impurities residing in me that need to be brought out and skimmed off the top.  Are we brave enough to say, "Do it, Lord! Whatever it takes."  

The writer of this psalm remembers what God had done to the people of Israel - He had tested them.  When I read this passage, I think of the Jacob and his sons heading to Egypt because of the famine.  Did God allow the famine at this time for purpose?  Did God lead them to Egypt for a reason?  They went to Egypt for food, and they were fed there - but that provision came with 400 years of slavery.  While they were there they were burdened and abused.  But God had a purpose in luring them to Egypt - Egypt served as Israel's "incubator", giving them an environment - though difficult and hard at the time - to become a people large enough in number that could survive as a nation.  Had Jacob and his sons stayed in Canaan they may well have been destroyed by the countries around them while they were still so small in number that they would have been unable to defend themselves. But they grew in Egypt, they changed in Egypt and Egypt gave Israel something to remember - where they had been, and what God had brought them out of.  They went through fire and water, but then He brought them into abundance - He brought them to their promised land.

Can we look at our lives and say the same?  Have there been times of hardship that, looking back, we can see God used for good purpose in us.  During these times, did we grow and change and become something we weren't before?  And can we see that God was with us the whole time, even when it was hard and we didn't think we could keep hanging in there.  But we did, and God brought us out, and He will ultimately bring us out to not only a better us, but to a much better life - for He will bring us to our 

place of absolute abundance - eternal life with Him.  

The passage today starts out by praising God.  Can we even praise Him when we realize that He is testing us?  Yes, we can - because we know His testing is for good purposes.  His testing is refining us so that we can better reflect His image.  

WEEK THREE WRAP UP

So how do we now answer the question, why does God allow pain and suffering in the lives of Christians?  Shouldn't our faith in Him bring immunity to the pain of the world?  No - God doesn't promise His children that.  We are in this world and we will go through times of pain and suffering - some even that God orchestrates for good purposes in our lives.  Ouch!  We don't like hearing that, do we?  

Sometimes our troubles come at the hands of our opposition - the world that does not know Christ and does not align with our views of living, and we are given the chance to stand strong for our faith.  And sometimes, when we are leading lives of obedience to God, that obedience will lead to our suffering, and God sees our obedience and blesses us.  There are times when our suffering gives us great opportunity to testify to God's power and to bring us to people to share the Gospel, people we would have never known had it not been for what we were going through.  And as our memory verse for this week, Romans 8:18, reveals to us, suffering here on earth can serve as such a great reminder that we are not yet home, and to keep our eyes on where we are heading where every tear will be wiped away.  Finally, we see that our tough times are used by God to refine and purify us into people who truly reflect His image.  We need these times if we are to grow, if we are to change. We must constantly remember to ask God to use them for our best good - to bring us through, into abundance.

We serve a good, good God who loves us so much.  We must not let the enemy distort His image when we go through pain and suffering.  We need to keep our eyes on our good and loving Father who uses all things for our good.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

*oh, I mentioned the movie "Tortured for Christ" and just today I saw this link where you can view it - you might want to check it out:   

https://www.persecution.com/tfcmovieevent/

No post today!

With Robert at doctor appointment!  I’ll catch up tomorrow!  Prayers for Robert and for me appreciated!

Week Three - Observation 4

These are some long days in our house - as I've mentioned, Robert has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a very difficult disease to manage when it moves into it's more advanced stages.  And, as with many chronic diseases, there are always other complications that come along with it.  Robert has developed a raging case of thrush in his lips, mouth and throoat.  VERY painful.  And, along with that, he has lost his voice, most likely from the irritation around his vocal chords.  You can imagine the frustration when you're not feeling well and you can't get someone's attention quickly because you now can't talk!  I ask you to pray for Robert that the thrush resolves very quickly and that his lovely voice is restored as well.  I really have always loved the sound of Robert's voice - very smooth and easy to listen to in conversation and really nice when he sings a good ol' Merle Haggard song!  So please keep him in your prayers for this urgent request as well as for his IPF and the challenges it brings.  We pray for healing every night, that is our deep desire, but we also place both of our lives in God's hands knowing that He is our faithful Creator and cares for His children so dearly that He will always do what is best for us.  And His best is always more than we can imagine.

I think when we go through today's passages, we will all feel that we've been pointed toward heaven.  It's hard when we are going through long days here on earth to remember that life here will never be what we wish it to be.  But we have a life coming that will be so much more than we could ever wish for.  We have to hold on to these verses that remind us of where we are heading, and get our re-born eyes focused on the Kingdom of God.  (John 3:5)

                                                       

Remember the question we're posing this week?  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION

Matthew 5:11-12  "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me.  Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.  For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Romans 8:18  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

1 Peter 4:12-14  "Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you.  Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.  If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

Right off the bat, we're receiving blessing for our hard times on earth.  When I say that Jesus asks us to look at things in an upside down kind of way, this is one of those times.  We don't really like to think about being blessed for undergoing insults, persecution and false accusations, do we?  We'd just as soon Jesus have made it where we receive blessing when people praise us, treat us with favor and tell everyone how wonderful we are - that's what we sometimes think in the back of our mind, isn't it?  That when people say what a great Christian we are, when they ask us to serve on boards and committees because we're so involved in our community, and when they tell others that we are a really shining example of Christian love - God must surely be listening and taking note!  Now none of those things that I just mentioned are to be avoided (unless everything we are doing is just for those human rewards), but Jesus tells us that God's eye is really on the one who is doing all the right things and not receiving man's praise, but just the opposite - this Christian is paying a price for his good works and for his faith.  

"Blessed" in this verse is translated from the Greek word "makarios" - and "It means 'to be satisfied fully'.  This satisfaction comes from God; it does not depend on circumstances."  So not only is the picture of who is blessed a little different than what we would first think, even the state of being blessed may also be different than what first comes to our minds.  

This person who is living his faith boldly in the face of insults, persecutions, and false accusations is also the person who lives life completely satisfied in his relationship with God.  THIS is what enables them to "rejoice and be glad"!  For they know they are following God now on earth, just as the Old Testament prophets did, and they know they will follow Him into their heavenly home to receive His reward for their faithfulness.  There is not a doubt in their mind as to Who they are serving and where He is taking them.  They are completely satisfied and it has nothing to do with what they are having to go through in the here and now.  They have moved beyond earthly circumstances - they are already living in the Kingdom.

Then we come to our memory verse for this week, Romans 8:18.  Our "sufferings of the present time" - they can seem so heavy, can't they?  And they are.  I don't believe Paul is trying to take away from the hard times of life.  Hard times of disease when we see our bodies breaking down and causing us pain; hard times of poverty and hunger; hard times of natural disasters with homes destroyed; hard times of persecution throughout the world where people are being mistreated, abused, imprisoned and killed for their stand of faith.  These are hard times.  And maybe that's exactly what Paul is trying to get us to see --- that even though we see incredibly difficult, painful and heartbreaking times here on earth - the glory that is to be revealed to us is going to be so much more than just "offsetting", it is going to be absolutely mind-blowing glory!  It won't just "make up" for the pain and hardship of anything we have gone through here, I think Paul is saying that it it will be so tremendously wonderful that we won't even be able to think about anything that we went through to get there - we will be enthralled by the beauty and wonder around us when God's glory is revealed to us.   I just don't think there are words - so I might as well quit trying!

We've heard words from Jesus, and from Paul, and now we hear from Peter again today.  Peter tells us that when (not if, when) we face fiery ordeals (trials), not to be surprised - there's nothing strange or unusual going on - this is a testing.  

"The word fiery in verse 12 is translated from the Greek word purosis.  In this passage it refers to burning, the process used for refining or purifying metals, as well as to trials or calamities that test, or purify the character of a person.

"In the same verse the word testing is translated from the Greek word peirasmo.  In this context, the testing is sent by God or allowed by God and indicates trying one's character to prove him or her faithful."

We don't like to think of God sending us tests, or allowing us to be tested, do we?  What happens if we fail God's test?  Are we out?  No - I don't believe God's tests are pass/fail; rather I believe that God's tests are allowing us to grow stronger when we pass, or allowing us to see our weaknesses when we fail.  Either way, God uses them to grow us.  He already knows how we will handle the test - it is we who may be surprised at the outcome.  When we successfully get through a test showing our faith, it is an encouragement to us that we were able to come through, not on our own strength, but leaning on God.  And when we fail, our weakness is exposed - quite possibly a weakness that we were refusing to confront and repent of, and God is there to hear our confession of weakness, repentance and stand us back up to go further down our road of faith and becoming more like Christ.  Of course we all want to pass every test God sends us, but we won't.  There's purposes in both results - the purpose of refinement and purification.  When we understand that, we can keep on rejoicing, and rejoicing and rejoicing - until that day when we see Christ for who He truly is and we rejoice with great joy!

I said we'd be looking toward heaven today - our vision of heaven should alleviate some of the pain of earthly suffering and allow us to keep going forward, keep rejoicing in our Lord, keep marching to Zion!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Three - Observation 3

I'm not even going to say it!  Not going to mention that "it's Monday again!"  Because today I have to say, "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT IS AUGUST?"  I cannot!  This summer, strange as it has been, has really flown by.  If you are like me, you are ready to welcome the sweet months of fall - it's my favorite time of the year.  But it is also the time of the year that goes the very fastest for me.  I always say, one day it's Labor Day and two weeks later it's Thanksgiving!  At least that's the way it goes for me.  I always have great plans of getting a jump start on the holidays, and it seems as if they always sneak up on me about a month earlier than I'm planning on!  The holidays...there's something to think about.  How will they look in this strange year of 2020 with COVID still hanging on?  Don't we live in times of uncertainty?  It is certainly a year requiring faith and trust.  And that is why we come together to ponder God's Word, to absorb it's truth and to leave, hopefully, a little more sure of who our loving Father is and what He is asking of us in these very unusual, very strange days.

We've looked at Christ's response to suffering, now we want to look at how His example can direct us in our times of trial.

Remember the question we're posing this week?  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION:

1 Peter 4:1-2, 14-16, 19   "Therefore since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same resolve - because the One who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin - in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will.

"If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler.  But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name."

"So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator."

1 Peter 3:14-17  "But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.  However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame."

There's a lot here as far as ways in which we can suffer and directions as to how we should handle our times of trials and suffering.  

First thing I notice is that Christ "suffered in the flesh."  Jesus suffered physically - in His body - He took on extreme pain, physical pain, for us and for His part in God's redemptive plan.  We are instructed to have that same resolve - to endure physical pain.  I know for most of us, the thought of physical pain is one of the hardest things to consider.  But we have to.  We may undergo physical pain at the hands of someone persecuting us, or we may well undergo physical pain due to disease or accident.   There is ample opportunity in this broken world of ours for us to confront the problem of physical pain.  We need to resolve now, how we will handle pain when it comes our way.  And Peter tells us that our resolve should be to live whatever time we have left on this earth (in the flesh), for God's purposes, not for worldly achievement or gain, not looking forward to all the many things that we have held up as life's goals - simply to live our lives doing what God asks of us, whatever that may be, right now.  

I have seen it before and I'm seeing it again, when we go through times of suffering and pain, peoples' vision becomes so much clearer as to what is truly important in life.  It is a purifying process of removing the meaningless and reducing priorities to the very most important.  Peter reminds us that the by ultimate, most important priority for us as Christians is to do the will of God.  Let us resolve now, before pain presents itself (or during pain for some), to do just that - just what God asks of us today.  And then when pain comes, in whatever form, let us keep that resolve and be strengthened by knowing that we are following Christ's example and remembering that we are never alone, that God has not forsaken us, and that our pain - no matter how intense, is temporary.  God still has us in His arms.

                                                

Peter goes on to say that when we experience suffering, in this case by way of ridicule (revile), the same word that Jesus uses in Matthew 5:11 when He says that those who are reviled for His name sake shall be blessed, that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us.  When we stand up for Christ against opposition and ridicule, I picture that same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at His baptism coming down upon us and declaring that we are His children in whom He is very pleased.  That would be glory for me!  Obviously, Peter points out that suffering for doing evil gains no reward  - shouldn't even be a consideration for Christians to be categorized as such!  But when our suffering is a result of our taking the name of Christ and being called a Christian, then let's hold our heads high and bring glory to God by standing strong in our faith.  And that makes me think of another thing...the term "Christian" has been abandoned by some in favor of "Christ-follower".  I'm fine with being called a Christ-follower, but I don't ever want to be ashamed to be called a Christian, either.  I think the argument has been made that the connotation of the term "Christian" lends itself to an image that many people don't want tied to - that of uptight, narrow-minded church goers.  But just because the world may want to tie that very one-sided picture to our name, doesn't mean we should ever abandon it.  We are told not be to ashamed of being a Christian.  I won't be. I am a Christian - I am a Christ-follower.  I cannot be a Christian without being a Christ-follower.  I don't see how anyone can be a Christ-follower and not want to be called a Christian.  We are taking on His name when we do so - we are identifying with Him.  Let's not let the world steal that identifier from us.

Peter then encourages all those who suffer to trust their souls to a "faithful Creator."  Notice Peter doesn't say to entrust our bodies - our bodies may undergo pain and suffering and torment.  God may or may not rescue our bodies from such, according to His will.  But our souls...oh, those we can totally trust God to deliver.  I find it unusual that Peter uses "faithful Creator" here.  It's the only time that he or any other apostle uses this name to reference God.  I think maybe Peter is wanting to remind us that we can trust the One who made us, the Creator of our souls, and who has been faithful to be with us throughout our lives.  That's the One that we can entrust our souls to - He is our origin and He will do what is the best for us.  Our bodies may perish - but our souls belong to our faithful Creator.

Jumping back to the third chapter of 1 Peter, we hear Peter again remind us that we are blessed when we suffer for righteousness, for that which is right and good.  We are instructed not to let our enemies get to us (intimidation tactics) and not to even get upset by it (troubled or disturbed)!  How do we do that?  How do we remain calm and unbothered when people throw barbs our way for doing what we think is right?  Well I know what Peter is telling us not to do - don't react in kind!  Don't act like they're acting!  I see this happening sometimes - Christians are stooping to the same level as non-Christians in their reactions to arguments and coming across as not very loving at all.

What Peter goes on to explain is that we should use these opportunities to tell people WHY it is that we desire to do what we're doing, to give an account for the hope that lives within us - to PROCLAIM Christ and His love to others, even those who oppose us.  And Peter even adds that we are to do this with gentleness (in a calm and mild manner) and with respect.  We're to be people of honor, so that when people speak badly of us, they will have nothing to stand on.  We should always carry the name of Christ so highly in regard that we would do nothing, as Christians bearing His name, to bring dishonor to Him.  If that results in being treated badly, so be it - we will have been faithful to Him.  Let us know that our suffering comes from doing what is right, for being a Christ-follower in His example of suffering for God's purposes. And when we are suffering from causes other than persecution, such as illness, accident or heart-wrenching circumstances in our lives, let us still use these times as an opportunity to testify to our hope - life with God forever, through the blood of Jesus that covers all our sins and through His resurrection, showing us God's power over death and our promise of new life as well!  This is our hope - this is our promise!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

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Week Three - Observation 2

I'm enjoying this morning writing time better than in the evening.  It gets me going in the right direction early on and I don't run into the conflicts I was in the evenings.  Hope it's working out better for you as well!

It's been such a joy for me to have my son, Robert Poling, here for the last couple of days.  He's a grown-up man (42), but he's always my little boy in my heart.  He's a great son, husband, father and brother.  I couldn't be prouder of him.   But the thing I'm proudest of him for is the fact that strives to be a faithful Christian and that he leads his family to follow Christ.  It's so good to see the legacy of faith continue to future generations.  I know that my grandparents were all faithful believers and I cannot help but think that their prayers for their children and grandchildren have affected me and my walk of faith.  Likewise, I pray for my children and grandchildren to stay faithful and true to God's Word, no matter what the future brings.  

Today we're going to look at Christ's example of suffering and how we should emulate Him.  That's a tough assignment, knowing that Jesus was perfect.  But that is our goal - to become Christ-like.  So we need to always look to see how Jesus responded to things in order to know how we, put in similar circumstances, should also respond.  The old "WWJD" acronym comes to mind - when faced with difficult circumstances and trying to determine our course of action under pressure, "what would Jesus do?" is a very good first consideration.  And to answer that question, we have to know our Jesus, we have to study the Word and understand who He really was and how He really lived.

Remember the question we're posing this week?  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION:  

1 Peter 2:21-24  "For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.  He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when reviled, He did not revile in return; when suffering, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to the One who judges justly.  He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed."

Hebrews 5:8  "Though a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered."

Ok, jumping into these passages and seeing what we need to see.  And the very first thing I see is that we are called to something, and that something is in the immediately preceding verse of 1 Peter, "But when you do good and suffer...".  That's our calling as Christians - to continue to do good in the face of suffering.  That's a great marketing tool for Christianity, isn't it?  "Come join us, do good things for others, and suffer."  But what did we talk about yesterday?  When you truly align yourself with Christ, you become an enemy to this world, now ruled by satan (I never give him the honor of capitalizing his name).  With that alignment, we open ourselves up to a myriad of possibilities of  suffering.  But we are not given license to suffer with responses to our suffering that lower ourselves to the level of those who oppose us.  

We've been given the perfect example of someone who suffered strong (as Connie put it yesterday).  Our Jesus Christ.  He is our example - we should follow in His steps.  When Jesus was taken before the authorities (both Jewish and Roman), He never let the enemy take anything away from His perfection.  He never broke, never spoke words that could be counted as sinful or deceitful.  How satan would have loved for Jesus to, at that very moment in the course of God's redemptive plan, forfeited His perfection and destroyed His ability to redeem mankind.  But our Jesus stood strong and did not sin.

Scripture above says that when Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return.  Revile, as used here, means to verbally abuse.  When the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, He did not respond in a like manner at all. Luke 22:63-65 says, "The men who were holding Jesus started mocking and beating Him.  After blindfolding Him, they kept asking, 'Prophesy!  Who hit you?' And they were saying many other blasphemous things against Him."  Jesus could have come back and returned their mocking - He could have thrown out statements that revealed to them their weak mortal status in comparison to His all-powerful heavenly status as God's one and only Son.  But even though He could have, He did not.  He did not engage in a battle of taunts and one-uppance.  He could have threatened them with His supernatural ability to kill them on the spot.  But He did not.  He did not have to.  

For Peter tells us the most important thing that Jesus did while suffering - He committed Himself to the One who judges justly.  Jesus put Himself in God's hands and let God direct the scene in which He was now involved.  Jesus knew that God's purposes were greater than His personal pain.  He knew the plan, and He was obedient.

That is where Jesus has an advantage over us - He did know exactly what He was supposed to do, and He followed God's directive.  We do not always have that clear picture.  But, as Peter says, we do have an example of how we should respond to suffering - and that is trusting our God and His purposes and not overriding them with what would be better for us in the moment.  Because Jesus suffered strong and obeyed His Father, we received the redemption only He could bring to us.  He obeyed, and He took all of our sins, ALL of EVERYONE's sins, to the cross and through His death, all of our spiritual disease, rot and decay were healed forever.

We have a perfect example of suffering in Jesus, but we also have examples through all the apostles' lives.  And throughout Christian history, we continue to have examples over and over of those who have suffered strong, even to death.  In more modern history, we have examples such as Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs. If you have never seen the movie of his life, "Tortured for Christ", I strongly recommend watching.  He and his wife suffered for the Gospel in such truly Christ-like ways.  It is humbling to watch.  We need to look and study these examples of suffering and commit to following in their steps, and pray for the Holy Spirit to empower us in the same way He did for these faithful followers.

             

The writer of Hebrews relays to us what all of them learned through suffering:  obedience.  Even Jesus, in his humanity, "learned" obedience.  In his humanity, Jesus could have walked away.  The Apostles could have abandoned the cause.  Richard Wurmbrand could have said it wasn't worth it.  But they all were called, and they all obeyed.  Whatever God calls you to, do what He is asking of you.  Big or small.  Painful or not.  Obedience is paramount.  It is what keeps us in the will of God and involved in His purposes...purposes that are so much bigger than we can imagine.  Let's not miss what He may be asking us to do for His Kingdom.  We may suffer, but our suffering will only make the ultimate victory that much sweeter to us.  Obedience - in all things.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Three - Observation 1

Starting our third week of studying the material in "Living Victoriously in Difficult Times" by Kay Arthur and Bob & Diane Vereen.  I hope you're finding this study applicable to the difficult times we're going through and also for preparing our lives to endure even more difficult times, should they come.  Trusting all our days to our heavenly Father - He alone knows what our futures bring.

This week is going to pose a question that has been asked by people for countless years:  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

Have you ever wondered that?  Why do such good people go through such hard times and why are people around the world being slaughtered because they believe in Him?  Where is God and why does He allow this to happen?  The problem of ongoing suffering and pain in the world is one of the main arguments that atheists will throw at you - "why does your God allow all of this?"  That's what we're going to try to answer this week.

The verse we're going to memorize this week is:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION:

John 15:18-21  "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world the world would love you as its own.  However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.  Remember the word I spoke to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.  But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don't know the One who sent Me."

1 Peter 2:18-21  "Household slaves, submit your selves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the cruel.  For it brings favor if, because of conscience toward God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly.  For what credit is there if you endure when you sin and are beaten?  But when you do good and suffer, if you endure, it brings favor with God.  For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.

Just by reading through these passages of Scripture, can you tell this is going to be a hard lesson  These words are so counter-culture, especially right now in our current class divisions and racial strife.  Some of the ideas presented really go against us --- what do we do with that when we feel differently than what the Bible says?  We dig.  We look at it again and see true meanings and we do our very best to not change that true meaning to fit what we want Scripture to say to us.

First Jesus tells us that it is going to be quite natural for Christians to be hated and to be persecuted.  Why?  Because we should be opposed to the natural world, just as Jesus was.  The world has a different agenda than we should have as Christians, and people of the world are going to fight against us because of that.  If Jesus, our Master and the One completely perfect man who ever lived, was hated and reviled because of His nature, and if we are supposed to be conforming to His nature, how is the world going to react to us?  Why should opposers of Christ treat us any better than they treated Him.  If we have truly established Christ as the Master of our lives, than we can expect nothing good from the people of the world who crucified Him.  They have never known our Father God, and they do not know His Son.  We do - and they don't like what we have to say or how we choose to live.

Peter admonishes slaves, or sometimes translated servants.  And this is the passage that is hardest for us to understand and apply.  It really seems as if Peter is saying that God will give favor to those who are treated cruelly by their masters without striking back or being upset about it.  Look at the caveat in this passage though, "if, because of conscience toward God."  Just being meek and taking a beating  (particularly one that may be well deserved for misbehavior) doesn't bring God's favor, but "if, because of conscience toward God" a servant has behaved in a manner that is in line with his Christian beliefs and his obligation to Jesus, and that behavior is met with cruel treatment from the master, than that suffering brings the servant into God's favor and the support of the Holy Spirit in the suffering.  That's the way I am reading through this passage - I am very interested in what your thoughts are!

If we are doing good, if we are living Christ-honoring lives, being a light in this dark world, and we endure through it, God takes note.  Don't ever think He doesn't.  

In all things, Christ is our example.  He is our example in suffering as well.  Don't ever think that we are guaranteed an earthly life without suffering.  Christ suffered for us - we may well suffer for His name.  And should it be so, we are honored to do so.  Quite different from religions who promise eternal reward for acts of violence, murder and hatred - we Christians are asked to suffer for our Master by following Him in suffering, and some, even through martyrdom.  

These are hard truths to accept - that God not only allows us to suffer for Christ, but tells us to expect it.  Why?  Is He the cause?  Never - it is because the world does not know Him, the world opposes everything about God and His love for mankind.  And we are part of this great force that the world holds in such disregard and hatred.  "In this world, we will have trouble" because this world is not our home.  

                                                      

Keep our eyes on the prize!  We will go home to where all will live in perfect alignment because all will be serving the same Master!  

Let me know your thoughts!  Just to keep things simpler, please just e-mail comments to me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.  I'll bring them over to the blog - it seems some people are having problems commenting directly to the blog.  I really want to hear from you! 

In His Amazing Love,

Janice