Are You Struggling?

 Prayers offered in faith will restore them from sickness and bring them to health. The Lord will lift them up from the floor of despair; and if the sickness is due to sin, then God will forgive their sins.

James 5:15 

 

I don't know about you, but when I am struggling, and those times do come, I'm leery of letting others know about my struggles.  Why?  Because I don't want to hear anyone's opinions. I don't really want to hear anyone's philosophies.  Most situations with which we struggle don't have any quick fixes.  

 

Let be be blunt, I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life. And I have had people criticize me, judge me, condemn me, and give me all kinds of advice on how to "overcome" this struggle.  I have been told (unsolicited, mind you) "if you want to lose weight, stop eating", "if you want to lose weight, eat only green vegetables", "if you want to lose weight, try hypnosis", "if you want to lose weight, do a fast".  The advice was free, not helpful, and not appreciated.

 

Think about this, when someone is struggling with a marital issue, do you REALLY think they need our unsolicited counsel?  Let me share something thing with you, if I hear of someone enduring a struggle I have learned to simply ask if I can help.  If my offer is refused, I don't take offense.  If my offer is accepted, I do NOT rush in with lots of advice. I pray for them.  I ask they would like to talk about what's on their mind, listen to what they are saying, and then ask if them how I might walk with them through their struggles.  

 

Are YOU struggling?  Do you know someone who is struggling?  The first thing we need to do is pray for them, that God will give them hope and peace.  Then we need to pray for ourselves, that we will listen completely and be able to understand their struggles.  Advice and counsel should be offered so that it brings hope!  Try it.

Where's Your Source of Hope?

Let me ask you something...where is your source of hope?  Somewhere along the way, we have decided that the word "hope" is very similar to "wish" because both words imply doubt.  "I hope I do well on my oral boards today."  "I wish I was good at taking oral boards."  Where is the confidence?  That concrete confidence whereby we are assured of success without a doubt!

The word translated as "Hope" in today's passage is the Greek word "pilas" which quite literally means: "joyful and confident expectation."  Does that sound like there's any doubt or wondering?

Look again what Paul is saying, 'I pray that God [who is] THE Source of Hope [joyful and confident expectation] will fill you [to overflowing] completely with joy..."  Paul knows that God is the only source of hope for us, and he knows that God willingly offers to fill us with with joy.  We have NO reason to doubt because God has NOT failed EVER!  And when you have hope, there is a peace and joy that floods us because we know everything is going to be okay.

Where is YOUR source of hope?

Constructive Grieving?

Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
John 21:3

Jesus had been killed and buried.  The Disciples were heartbroken and grieving.  The person they had pinned their hopes on was gone.  They felt lost, depressed and despondent, so they began going through the motions of living.  They went back to fishing, which they could do without having to think about it, because it had been their profession for their entire lives.

I have come in contact with many people who seem to be stuck in the grieving process where they merely go through the motions of living where they don't have to think.  They simply wander through their days with little or no joy, little or no energy, little or not desire to live.  

Please don't get me wrong, grieving is as much a part of life as breathing.  Ecclesiastes 3:4 reminds us that while there is a time to grieve, life doesn't end because there is also a time to laugh. Our lives do NOT end when God calls home one of our loved ones.  Our lives do NOT end because we don't know why.  Our lives do not end, but too many times the living part of our lives ends.  We choose to focus on our grief to the neglect of everyone and everything else.  But God gives us HOPE if we pay attention!  In John 14:3, Jesus tells us, "I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am."

When Jesus says He will come get us, He isn't lying. And when He comes to get us, we will be rejoined with all of those we love!  That is the hope for the future!  So, let's not give up living in the present!  

Where Do I Put My Hope?

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7 

 

We've all had those times where nothing seems to go right for us. In fact, not only does nothing go right for us, but all our efforts go terribly wrong regardless of our good intentions.  When such times jump on us like an elephant falling from the sky, we tend to feel like just giving up.  I can only speak for me, but when those times come, I eventually will ask God, "What's the point of trying? NOTHING is working out in a positive way, so why bother trying?"

 

I was having one of those times for several months last year, and I cannot properly express what a depressing time that was.   It was as if I could do absolutely nothing right, regardless how positive my intentions and efforts.  I had already reached the point of depression, when, during prayer I angrily asked God, "Can this get any worse?"  Apparently, the answer God decided to give me was, "Why yes it can! Might want to hang on because it's going to be bad." All I can tell you is that God is ALWAYS right!  I was SO glad when 2017 ended!

 

Why do I tell you this?  Because the only strand I had left to cling to was the hope of God's promises.  He promises that "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (Philippians 1:6).  God also promises, " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11).  All this so we can have hope!  God has NEVER broken His promises and He is not about to start with us.  So no matter how bad your situation, keep hope in God's plans for you and keep talking with Him!

 

 

 

Hope...It's Not For The Fainthearted!

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

Romans 8:25 

 

Christmas...that time when we celebrate.  We celebrate family.  We celebrate with eating....LOTS of eating.  We celebrate with gifts.  We celebrate the hope for the new year to come.  

 

But what does it mean to "hope"?  Here's the best definition I have found thus far: "Hope" is the confident expectation of what God has promised.  How does that grab you?  Remember WAY back in Jeremiah 29:11?  God reminds us, "I have plans for you. Plans to prosper you, not harm you."  Therefore, we hold God's promise as our hope.  We wait expectantly for the fulfillment of God's promise.

 

There are those who will try to tell you that having hope in God's promises is just a load of hot air, but ask yourself this: Has God EVER made a promise that He did not keep?  EVER?  Nope!  God has never once made a promise only to yank back the curtain and say "Tah Dah, I was just kidding SUCKER!"  

 

When God promises, you can wait expectantly because He ALWAYS fulfills His promises!!!

I Hope

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

Romans 8:24-25 

 

I was talking with a friend recently, who told me that in the last 5 weeks she had lost a friend to suicide.  One of the reasons people attempt suicide is they have lost hope.  They feel as if there is no reason for them to continue existing.  Yet that is a lie we are being fed every single day!

 

You see, the English word "HOPE" conveys doubt.  "I HOPE is doesn't rain."  There is some question as to whether it will rain or not.  However, the Greek word "ELPIS" which is used in today's passage, means "Joyful & Confident Expectation."   And it's companion word in Hebrew "PATAH" means confidence, security, being without care.  In the Greek and Hebrew, the word "HOPE" does not have even the concept of doubt as part of the word.

 

So what does that mean to us?  When we HOPE in Christ, we have confidence and security that He will do as He promised.  When He said 'I will NEVER leave you or reject you' we don't have to wonder if that is true because we KNOW it is true.  And here's the Kicker...even when we don't SEE Him working in our lives, we can rest in the knowledge that He is, and THAT is HOPE.

 

Think about this, when we see someone struggling, we become that messenger of HOPE for them.  As the Apostle said in 2 Corinthians 1, "God didn't comfort us to make us comfortable, he comforts us so that we may comfort others" and THAT is one way we can become the HOPE for others. 

Finding Footing In A Shaky World

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

Romans 4:20 

When you look around at all that is going on in this world, it is easy to be uneasy.  Take a look, We've never been more educated.  We are SATURATED with entertainment and recreation. Yet more and more people are orchestrating their own exit from this life.

Suicides are up more than 24% since 1999.  More and more people are feeling hopeless.  Many people believe this world is as good as it gets so they develop a lack of hope....  "If this is as good as it gets, why bother being staying here?" 

One of the classes I get to help facilitate for the deputies is "Suicide Prevention."  During this class, a video is shown of a man named Kevin Hines who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in order to end his life, yet he survived.  Kevin said that the second his hands turned loose of the railing, he regretted his decision but he plunged into the water at 75 mph.  When the Coast Guard picked him up, the diver told him it was a miracle that he survived.  He spent months recovering from his decision and he found that he had HOPE!  He now spends his days trying to help other people understand that "It's okay not to be okay.  But it's NOT okay not to ask for help."  

I don't know if Kevin is a Christian, but I know he has HOPE!  As Children of the King of Kings, we know this world isn't our home (we're just passing through) and we know that God's promises are unbreakable, unsinkable, and indefatigable which makes our hope in Him UNSHAKABLE!!!   Because of God's Promises, we have an anchor that holds us strong!

Love That Never Runs Out!

For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:5 

We all know that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sin.  That is love!  BUT God didn't stop there, did He?  God has given us His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love!  He fills our hearts so full that we cannot help but share God's love with others.

Does this mean we will be perfect in sharing God's love?  Nope!  We will make mistakes and missteps, but God has already provided His forgiveness for us.  You see, one of the benefits of love is hope!  When we share God's love with others, we give them hope!  With hope comes a boost to their morale and when their morale is boosted, they will share that with others.  

And the good thing, love is free!  And when we love God with all of our being, His love in us never runs dry!

Where Is Your Hope?

You must return to your God;
    love him, do what is just,
    and always trust in him as your God.

Hosea 12:6 

 

I remember reading about the travels of Christopher Columbus when he crossed the Atlantic in 1492.  This was at a time when many of the ships would always keep land in sight so they didn't get lost, and here's Christopher Columbus sailing off into the unknown our of the sight of land and had no idea how long it would be before they would find land, fall off the edge of the earth, or have to turn back due to a lack of supplies.

 

The thing that kept the sailors and Christopher Columbus grounded was their faith in God.  They prayed daily that they would find land.  And eventually, their prayers were answered.

 

Do we pray with that same fervor?  Or do we occasionally toss up a "thank you for today Lord"?  We are to put our trust in God, but how can you trust someone you haven't taken the time to get to know?  How can you trust God when He's just some ethereal entity we say "thanks" to once in a while?

 

God WANTS to have a relationship with us!  When we come to Him with all that we have on our hearts and minds, God acts!  He never fails!

What's That You Said?

The wise see danger ahead and avoid it,
    but fools keep going and get into trouble.

Proverbs 22:3

Did you know that our words can hurt more than our actions?  When I was younger, I wasn't exactly the perfect child (hard to believe, I know) and when I did get in trouble, the punishment was horrendous!  Why?  Because I got "the lecture" which made me feel like I had a belching contest in church during prayer!  I would rather have endured the whipping (which usually preceded the lecture so as to "get my attention") than have to endure the lecture.  Words hurt!

Have you ever had someone tear you down with their words?  It cuts deeper than any blade!  However, the wise see danger ahead and avoid it.  That means if we are wise, we will do everything we can to avoid getting the lecture or avoid contact with those who wish to destroy us by their cruel words!  We are foolish if we keep walking into the same situation and hope it will get better.  

Albert Einstein described insanity as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."   If we keep going back into the situations where we will be beaten up by the words of others, then we are idiots!  We have the choice....make it wisely!

Got Troubles?

People who do what is right may have many problems,
    but the Lord will solve them all.

Psalm 34:19 

 

May want to sit down for this one because it's going to be relatively short.  I know, I can hear you saying "Short?  YOU?"  Laugh all you will, but I promise today's devotional will be relatively short.

One of the things we, as human beings, are very good at is finding problems.  It's like we have this innate drive to find the wrong way to do things right the first time.  I remember trying to put a computer desk together and instead of actually following the instructions, I just looked at the picture and a lot of duct tape.  

Being open and honest about mistakes doesn't make us look foolish (for long) because they help others know we're not perfect and hopefully learn how not to do something.  I've banged my face trying to push my way through a "pull" door.  When we stop to look back at our lives, many of us are astounded that we're still here.  But remember the Promise Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:20: "...I will be with you always, even until the end of this age."

We are going to have problems in this life!  That's a fact.  But God already has the answer for them and it's usually not what we expect or through whom we expect. 

Do You HOPE?

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

1Peter 3:15

 

I had been teaching a series of Bible Lessons and one of the the people in the class came to me afterwards and said, "You're SUCH an optimist!"  I thought about that for a while, and at the next session, asked the group how they would define an Optimist.  

 

Here are a few of the answers:

     1.  "One who has lost all sense of reality."

     2.  "A person who sees the world through rose colored glasses."

     3.  "Delusional Idiot"

     4.  "Someone with an unrealistic view of the world."

     5.  "The person who clings to hope in spite of what they see around them."

 

 

Look at what Peter wrote: "Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the HOPE you possess."  

 

Giving up is easy.  Rolling over and getting trampled is simple.  It takes no effort to swim with the current.  It's not difficult to bury one's head in the sand and become part of the "EVERYTHING IS AWFUL" mentality that is so prevalent.

 

How does Peter expect us to have a hope worth giving an answer for?  "Set Jesus apart as Lord in your hearts!"  Yes!  When our hearts are lifted by Christ, we begin to see things differently because we get to see that God truly does have a plan, and Romans 8:28 really is true!  

 

Being an optimist takes EFFORT!  It means you don't take things at face value, because you learn to see beyond the face value to the true worth.  It's not simply slapping on a dopey grin and telling everyone that "All is well."  Being an optimist is a conscious decision!  Usually many times a day and sometimes every moment of every day.  But Scripture tells us that we are to be ready to give an answer for the HOPE we possess, so that means we have to possess Hope in order to give an answer for it.  

 

Do you have Hope?  Have you sought it?  Have you asked God for it?  

 

 

  

When the Morning Comes

The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison.
    I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.
    Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:

The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
    Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
    The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.

The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,

Lamentations 3:19-25 

Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt your life was caving in around you?  It felt as if life had imploded on you and everything you had hoped for, dream of, and prepared for suddenly can crashing down?  And all you could hear in your soul was the laughter of the enemy?

Let me be brutally honest....there are times that Life really just sucks swamp water!  There are times when you feel as though Life just cannot get any worse, yet somehow....it does.  There are times when you go to bed begging God not to let you wake up, and yet God awakens you the next day anyway.

There are times.....not minutes, not hours, not even days.....sometime this goes on for years!

But what are we to take from this?  Are we supposed to just give up and accept that Life is going to trample us so might as well just lie down and accept it?  Or are we to cling to even the dimmest ray of hope with the last of our strength?

Remember what the Apostle Paul said, "For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

God's love is unfailing (never, Never, NEVER has it or will it fail) and His love for us is always a fresh as the new sunrise!  Why do we wait until our world is collapsing before re remember that God is in control and that NOTHING has ever surprised Him.  Once we understand that sometimes God allows us to find ourselves in situations where the only one we have to cling to is Him, we will (hopefully) learn to cling to Him always, in spite of what Life throws at us. 

When we cling to Him, our lives won't get easier, rather we'll get stronger! 

Weighed Down?

Worry weighs a person down;
    an encouraging word cheers a person up

Proverbs 12:25

Prepare to gasp out loud...I confess I am NOT a fan of the Rolling Stones!  I know, I know, but it's the truth.  I just don't care for their music.  Although, they did release a song WAY back when music was actually recorded onto vinyl records, called "Beast of Burden."  I thought it appropriate to coincide with today's photo. And then I began thinking, which my bride tells me must be very painful for me.  

For the most part, we are all beasts of burden.  We try to carry all sorts of loads: personal relationships; family relationships; professional relationship; finances; buying food, clothing, shelter and transportation; trying to do the job to the best of our ability (and hoping someone notices); trying to make a life, help others, and move ahead, and on and on.

We struggle!  We get frustrated!  We get tired!  We get BURNED OUT!  And then we give up.  Why? Because we are trying to carry it all alone!  Worry, stress and anxiety are burdens we are not meant to carry, yet they are the ones we cling to more than any other burden.  Why is that?  I can tell you that I am guilty of that too.  I cling to these burdens because I feel if I don't do it, it won't be done and I will lose credibility.  

And guess what I'm learning?  That God didn't create just me!  God doesn't expect me to handle everything!  God doesn't want me to carry unnecessary burdens!  If God made me responsible for everything then God isn't God and doesn't love me.  But because He DOES love me, He brings people into my life that can help and that I can help.

Remember: A shared burden is half as heavy, a shared joy is twice as bright!

Don't wait until you are so frustrated that you want to throat-punch the next person who talks to you, start right now building the relationships that will help share your burdens AND your joys!