March 23, 2022: God’s promise to answer prayer

¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

In reading this promise, you might wonder, “That’s great, but how do we know what God’s will is?”

I admit that there are many things for which we pray that we are not sure what the will of God is. For instance, we pray that we will get hired for a certain job for which we just interviewed; do we know if it is God’s will to get the job? Or we pray for someone’s healing of cancer; do we know for sure if it is God’s will for the person to be healed? All to say, there are many times we pray and we don’t know the exact will of God. In those cases, we ask God, but we also submit to His infinite knowledge and sovereignty, knowing that He knows what is best (cf. James 4:15).

However, there are many times as believers in Christ, we do know what His will is. 

There are some promises that we can know for sure are God’s will for every child of God. For instance, if we place our faith in Christ, will He forgive us our sins? Yes! Will He give us eternal life? Yes! Will He give us His Spirit to indwell us? Yes! Will He give us a new identity? Yes! Will He give us new bodies at His 2^nd coming? Yes! For the believer, all of these promises are not only God’s will, they are also totally dependent upon God to fulfill.

But I also think we can know His will by the commands He gives us. In Ephesians 5:18, God commands us, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Likewise, Jesus commanded us in John 15:4a, “Abide in me, and I in you.” That means if I ask Jesus to fill me with His Spirit, will He do it? If I ask Him to help me to truly abide (remain, trust, rest) in Him, will He do it? Yes! We know He will because we know that is His will for us. (Note: This also assumes we are not actively resisting His will by living in disobedience or by refusing to surrender our lives to Him.)

Likewise, Jesus also commands us not to be anxious. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus commands us, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Similarly, in v.34, Jesus reiterates His command, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Therefore, if I ask Jesus to help me not to worry and not be anxious, will He do it? Yes! We know that is His will for us! Granted, there may be some perspectives we also need to have. Even in these verses I just quoted, Jesus shares truths to help us understand why we should not be anxious. But in the end, we know that Jesus wants to teach us how to not be anxious. So if we ask Him, will He do it? Yes!

So this morning as you spend time with God, what is one promise or even one command that you know is God’s will that He is calling you to claim? Take a moment and turn that promise and/or that command into a request and by faith, trust God to hear and to grant you that request!

March 1, 2022: Letting love shine

This is a must-read article from Christianity Today. It’s about a Ukrainian who needed prayer and a Russian who responded to pray for her. Once again, it’s a great reminder of how different from the world we are called to be. As Christ-followers, we are loyal citizens of our true homeland—the kingdom of heaven!

Winston Churchill once wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I think we would all agree.

February is black history month. In light that, Arnita Mouhcine sent me a link to a 3-part ABC series on Emmett Till, “Let the World See.” If you are like me, I was vaguely aware of some of the basic storyline, but I was unaware of the blatant injustice and corruption that occurred during the subsequent trials of those involved in his murder. I was angered to the point of thanking God that one day, there will be a day of judgment and those who are unrepentant will receive their just dues.

I encourage all of you to watch the 3-part “Let the World See” series. In fact, if Churchill is right, we can’t afford not to be informed regarding what happened. It can not only help to prevent us from making the same mistakes in the future, but also help us to understand what is happening in the present. Btw- the series does make some references to present-day situations. I can imagine some people might object, reasoning that the Emmett Till situation was very different than those present-day situations that are referenced. Although I think there is some truth to that objection, yet I am also reminded that we will not fully understand the plight of African Americans in the present unless we are also aware of the injustices they have experienced in the past.

So let me encourage each of you to take the time to watch the entire series. It is a very small step which we can take as we stand with all of those who have and continue to experience racial injustice.

As we stand before the Lord on judgment day, may He find us faithful that we did our part in standing against the injustice of racial discrimination in this nation. Amen and amen.

February 15, 2021: Spiritual Battle

Yesterday I was watching a local news broadcast which had a news clip on a Satan club which recently began as an afterschool program in an elementary school in Moline, Illinois. The program is not sponsored by the school, but rather by the local Satanic Temple. Here’s a link to the short 2-minute news clip, including an interview with its leader.

This past Saturday, we continued our series in 1 John in a message entitled, “Spiritual Propaganda.” We looked at 1 John 2:18-20 which says:

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. ²⁰ But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

As I mentioned last Saturday, one of the marks of this age which the writers refer to as “the last hour” or “the last days,” is an increasing darkness in the world due to Satan’s determination to try to thwart God and His people. In fact, in the vision John received in Revelation 12, he concludes that chapter saying, “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”

Friends, never underestimate the spiritual battle in which we find ourselves. Sometimes the battle is obvious like in those Satan clubs. More often, the enemy’s strategy is much more covert as he attempts to trip us up with his subtle, destructive lies. In fact, one of the greatest lies that he wants to promote is that he is not very active here in America and that we can live our lives mostly unaffected by his devious schemes. Peter warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Like in the days of John, one of the chief ways Satan works is through the spreading of lies. Satan knows our personal weaknesses and vulnerabilities, so he individually targets us with the specific lies which he knows have the greatest potential to trip us up. Some of these lies are about God Himself—that God is not faithful, that He is not forgiving, the He is not good, that He really doesn’t care about what we are going through. Some of these lies are about ourselves—that we are worthless, that we are insignificant, that we are spiritual weak, that we are failures and are bound to fail. Some of these lies are targeted to thwart us from investing our lives in eternal things—lies like ultimate fulfillment is really found in our jobs, in a different career, in material possessions, and/or in a relationship with another person who can fulfill our needs and desires. Some lies are meant to keep us from obeying God—lies like true pleasure is really found outside of God’s will, or God isn’t really that concerned about sin. Some lies are just meant to keep us ineffective in our walk and in our service—like you really don’t have time to spend time with God today, or your neighbors and co-workers are really not interested in spiritual things, so no need to keep reaching out to them in hopes that they will come to Christ.

Let me encourage you to pause and think for just a moment. If you were a demon assigned to trip you up, what specific strategies and lies would you employ? John says you have received an anointing, so ask the Holy Spirit to give you His wisdom to know your vulnerabilities. But then also dig into the Word of God to find the truth that counters those lies.

Remember—if you follow His Word and Spirit, you can be confident that you will walk victoriously amidst this increasingly dark spiritual battle!

February 8, 2021: Eternity

This past Saturday I quoted from C.S. Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity.” His insight is so profound, that I thought I would give you a fuller context of that quote. Here is an excerpt from his chapter on Hope:

Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in“: aim at earth and you will get neither.  It seems a strange rule, but something like it can be seen at work in other matters. Health is a great blessing, but the moment you make health one of your main, direct objects you start becoming a crank and imagining there is something wrong with you. You are only likely to get health provided you want other things more – food, games, work, fun, open air. In the same way, we shall never save civilization as long as civilization is our main object. We must learn to want something else even more.

Most of us find it very difficult to want “Heaven” at all – except in so far as “Heaven” means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning, can really satisfy…. Now there are two wrong ways of dealing with this fact, and one right one.

(1) The Fools Way. – He puts the blame on the things themselves. He goes on all his life thinking that if only he tried another woman, or went for a more expensive holiday, or whatever it is, then, this time, he really would catch the mysterious something we are all after. Most of the bored, discontented, rich people in the world are of this type. They spend their whole lives trotting from woman to woman (through the divorce courts), from continent to continent, from hobby to hobby, always thinking that the latest is “the Real Thing“ at last, and always disappointed.

(2) The Way of the Disillusioned “Sensible Man. “– He soon decides that the whole thing was moonshine. “Of course,” he says, “one feels like that when one’s young. But by the time you get to my age you’ve given up chasing the rainbow’s end.” And so he settles down and learns not to expect too much and represses the part of himself which used, as he would say, “to cry for the moon”….

(3) The Christian Way.— The Christian says, “creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exist. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and help others to do the same.”

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16

1)    In what ways are you seeking your ultimate fulfillment on the things of this world?

2)    By the way you live, would people who come in contact with you sense that your heart is like those of the hall of faith in Hebrews who were seeking another country beyond this world (Hebrews 11:13-16)?

3)    What steps is God calling you to take in order for you to live more with an eternal perspective?

4)    As you meditate on these things, listen to this worship song “Endless Praise” by Charity Gayle.

February 1, 2021: Not afraid of bad news

Last Sunday morning during our prayer time, Beth Griffin had us reading Psalm 112. Vv.6-8 says:

⁶ Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
⁸ Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

I also shared that back in August, God gave me those verses in light of our search for a Sunday morning venue. It really encouraged me during the fall because there were a number of places which we investigated which I initially thought had great potential, only to later receive the bad news that they were unavailable for numerous, different reasons.

Then later during our Sunday morning ministry time, Jim & Cheryl logged on. Unbeknownst to them that we had just previously talked about Psalm 112, Cheryl said that one of the verses that God used to encourage her during Jim’s ordeal with COVID was Psalm 112:7! I think God wanted to tell us all something!

These verses are wonderfully reassuring! V. 6 tells us that whatever happens, nothing can shake us. Psalm 46:1-3, expands on this and says that even amidst cataclysmic, natural disasters, we need not fear because God is our refuge our strength, a very-present help in trouble. In fact, Psalm 112:7 says that we need not be afraid of getting bad news, because our heart is steadfast; it remains firm because our trust is in the Lord. V. 8 goes on to say that those who fully trust God have no fear; their hearts are secure or steady. We are not afraid because we are confident that one day we will look in triumph on our adversaries and on all the challenges that threaten to undo us.

These are great verses to claim as you look into the future and wonder what tomorrow holds for you. The uncertainty may seem very unsettling. Perhaps you are awaiting for that doctor’s report from a scan of a suspicious mass… or maybe you worry if your current job will be the latest casualty during this pandemic… or perhaps you wonder if tomorrow will bring another unexpected expense that will continue to throw your financial budget in a downward spiral… or maybe you fear the news of another friend or family member who has tested positive for COVID and is on the way to the ER.

God says you need not be afraid of bad news. Trust in Him. Let God take your burdens and worries. Instead ask His Spirit to give you a steadfast trust which will allow your feet to stand resolutely on firm ground and not be moved by the high winds and waves of life’s challenges.

One day you will look back, and your trials and hardships will be victorious testimonies of God’s faithfulness and deliverance. And you will rejoice in His triumph in your life!

January 25, 2021: While you wait…

Let’s face it, waiting is difficult. A few weeks ago, I waited in line for 45 minutes at the pharmacy to fulfill Ollie’s blood-thinning prescription, only to find out they were out of the drug. But it is even more disheartening when we are experiencing a difficult time and we pray for God’s deliverance, only to find ourselves waiting. Sometimes it can feel like we are waiting in line until God can get around to answering our requests as He busily cares for others. So what do we do while we wait?

This morning I was meditating on Isaiah 40. In the previous chapter, Isaiah prophesies to Hezekiah that in the future, Judah will be defeated and carried off to Babylon. Therefore, many think that Isaiah 40 is also a prophetic word, written to the future exiles in Babylon well past Isaiah’s lifetime. The passage contains majestic descriptions of the Lord, but also reassuring words of encouragement and hope. I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but here are just a couple of observations:

³ A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

So when was this fulfilled? On the one hand, we could say it was fulfilled when Jesus began His earthly ministry. Verse 3 are the words of John the Baptist. On the other hand, v. 5 states that all flesh together shall see the glory of God revealed; it seems to fit more with Christ’s second coming. So these verses, like other places in Old Testament prophecy, seem to present Jesus’ first and second coming together as if they were one event. Some scholars have made the analogy of looking at two mountains which lie back to back; to a casual onlooker, they may seem like one mountain with two peaks, even though they are actually separated by miles. 

When you look at passages like this, it is understandable that the 12 disciples originally thought that Jesus had come to bring salvation by fully establishing His earthly kingdom here on earth. They thought that Jesus was about to begin His kingly reign and institute His rule, rewards, and recompense (v.10). But God’s ways are far above our ways and His timing is not always our timing. Jesus will ultimately establish His earthly kingdom and rule when He comes again, but that still awaits us in the future. However, Jesus obviously did bring salvation, but not in the way His original disciples imagined.

First, God is always faithful to fulfill His promises, but His timing may be very different than our timing. At times we may wonder what God is doing and if He really cares. In fact, note how Israel questions God in v.27— “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?”  However, in His infinite wisdom and complete sovereignty, God’s timing is always best. Always.

Secondly, God’s deliverance may not look like what we imagine it should be. Sometimes we have preconceived ideas of what we think God’s help and rescue from our trials should look like. We expect Him to come and save us through a dramatic entry as an earthly reigning king, but instead, sometimes He comes quietly as a baby born in a manger in an obscure town when hardly anyone is noticing.

So what do we do in the meantime? Isaiah tells us as he concludes the chapter in vv.29-31:

²⁹ He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Here in the ESV translation, v. 31 instructs us to “wait for the Lord.” It seems to highlight a certain temporal sense of waiting patiently for our future deliverance. The NIV translates this “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” The emphasis of the NIV is a steadfast faith as we await what has been promised. The verse probably encompasses both emphases—a tenacious trust, believing God for His deliverance, but also a patient faith that trusts God for His timing.

But note also the promise. As we wait, God promises to give us strength and endurance. Imagine what these verses must have meant to the Judeans as they were forced to leave their homes and begin the long, arduous journey to Babylon to live as exiles!

So we also wait—but not without hope. We wait expectantly amidst our challenges, knowing full well that God has heard our prayers and that He will come to our rescue—perhaps not in our timing, nor in the way we imagine—but He will deliver us from the trials we face. That is His promise!

PS- Here’s a great worship song while you wait!

January 11, 2021: Christ’s Ambassadors

Today I had a very encouraging lunch meeting with Nolan, a young man who has attended Hope on numerous occasions. Nolan attended a Christian school when he was younger. But by the time he became a teenager, he abandoned his faith and instead embraced a New Age worldview. But it was a conversation with his hairstylist that became a turning point for Nolan. That hairstylist was none other than Sindy Homer! She shared her faith with Nolan and challenged him in his thinking. It ultimately resulted in Nolan committing his life to Christ back in December of 2020. Since that time, Nolan has led two of his friends to Christ, including one of his best friends!

It was a reminder to me that God’s primary instruments to lead people to Himself are people—ordinary people like Sindy, and Nolan, and you, and me! 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 says,

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Once we begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, we no longer look at people in the same way as we used to. As new creations, we not only have a new perspective on life and on people, we also have been given a new purpose in life. We have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation and are now commissioned to take that message to those all around us.

By the way, Sindy did not work alone as she ministered to Nolan. Nolan has a sister who is also a committed believer. I’m sure she prayed for Nolan. Perhaps she prayed that God would bring other faithful Christ-followers into Nolan’s life who would reach him for Christ—and Sindy was the answer to her prayers!

You also may be the answer to someone else’s prayers. You may have a neighbor or co-worker who has a relative or friend who is praying that God will bring someone into his/her life who knows Jesus—and you are the answer to that person’s prayers!

So let’s answer that call to be Christ’s ambassadors. Not sure where to start? Join us this Saturday evening at 5pm for our worship service to find out!

PS- Please pray for Nolan. He leaves this Saturday for Colorado Springs to live with his sister and husband for a few months while Nolan works remotely from their home. Pray that God will keep Nolan walking closely with Him and continue to use him to touch others with the gospel. Thanks!

January 4, 2021: A Lifelong Habit

This morning during my quiet time, I read Psalm 1. It’s a great reminder of the benefits of establishing a lifelong habit of spending time in the Word. Look at the promises God gives:

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

God says as we spend time in His Word reading, meditating, and applying His Word, that we will bear fruit in our season. This would include the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control), fruit as we serve Jesus in His Kingdom, and general fruitfulness as we live our lives for the glory of God. 

In addition, God says that even when we go through the dry seasons of trials and difficulties, our leaves won’t whither, i.e., we will remain steadfast and prevail amidst those challenges. 

Finally, God says we will also prosper in whatever we do. This is obviously not a blanket promise for material wealth, nor is it a promise that we will succeed in how the world views success, but rather we will flourish in the things that God knows are important. It’s the life that our souls deep down inside truly long for— the life that the Spirit of God desires to give us!

In fact, when I listen to godly men and women, there is one personal, spiritual discipline that is a repeated theme in their lives—they have established a daily habit of spending time with the Lord, reading His Word and communing with Him in worship and prayer. In fact, I would even venture to say that for most of us, we will never be the man or woman that God wants us to be until we establish this daily habit.

So let me encourage you to establish that lifelong habit of spending time in God’s Word every day. Here are a few suggestions to get your started:

1) If you have yet to establish this habit, begin by making a commitment to read through the New Testament this year. You can download a copy of the Navigator 5 x 5 x 5 reading plan by clicking this link.

2) If you read through the New Testament last year, let me encourage you to read through the Old and New Testament this year.  If you go online, there are a number of plans you can access.  Here are a couple of my favorites: This is a traditional plan where you read through the Old and New Testament every day.  Secondly, here’s one of my favorite plans which I am currently using—it combines a chronological reading of the Old Testament with the Navigator 5 x 5 x 5 New Testament plan.

3) Here’s another suggestion—Personalize your own plan. For instance, if you find yourself struggling to keep up the pace of reading the Bible in a year, try reading through the New Testament in a year, but take two years to read through the Old Testament. Or, formulate a plan that works for you, but also supplement it with a daily reading of a Psalm and/or a chapter in Proverbs. You can also change plans from year to year (or every two years if you are on a 2-year plan).

4) Finally, don’t be legalistic. The goal is to commune with God daily. So there may be days when you miss your daily time. But don’t let that stop you from connecting with God throughout the day. At the same time, if you find yourself missing that time very often, you may need to reexamine your schedule and your priorities.

May 2022 be the year that you become that tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in its season!

December 28, 2021: Answered prayer in the air

A couple of weeks ago, I submitted a prayer request through our Hope prayer network. I asked everyone to pray for our daughter-in-law who was about to board a flight from Brazil to Texas. God answered those prayers above and beyond! It was a crazy, but amazing flight! Here’s a testimony to God’s faithfulness and goodness:

Thabata caught a cold the week of her flight, so she was concerned she might have COVID. But thankfully, her COVID test (within 24 hours of her flight) was negative.

No ear pain

Historically, Thabata suffers from intense ear pain when flying, especially when she has a cold and her sinuses are full. So initially she was dreading the takeoff. However, she remembered that we at Hope were praying for her, so she decided to not worry and expect God to work.  He did—no pain! But that was only the beginning….

Opportunity for ministry

After the flight attendants served dinner and turned out the lights so people could sleep, an American passenger stood up and addressed each section of the plane. She told everyone that she was with a group of 12 missionaries who ministered in Brazil and they saw a number of healings. She said she was trying to go to sleep when God kept prompting her that someone in the plane was in pain and needed healing. So she offered to pray for people. 

At first, no one responded so the missionary sat down. But Thabata realized that many on the plane could not understand English, so she got up and told the missionary that she would be willing to translate for her. So the missionary repeated her message to those onboard.

The first person who responded was a man who had shoulder pain. They prayed for him and his pain went from an 8 to a 3.

The second person they prayed for didn’t have any physical pain, but she was carrying heavy emotional pain. As they prayed for her, she began crying intensely. They stayed with her until she calmed down. Afterwards she thanked them for the relief and peace that she felt.

As they walked to the back of the plane, another woman grabbed Thabata’s arm. She told Thabata, “I don’t know what you two were doing, but just seeing you talking with people made me cry. I don’t know what you have, but I want it.” It became evident that she was not a believer. So Thabata got to share her testimony with her and minister to her for a long time as they knelt in the aisle. In fact, despite flight attendants stepping over them, the only comment they received was one of them graciously asked, “Take your time, but when you are finished, please go back to your seats.” By the time Thabata and the missionary prayed for the woman, they were all in tears! The woman asked for a Bible which the missionary gave her and for the rest of the flight, she read the Bible!

As they got up to go back to their seats, another woman on the opposite aisle also grabbed Thabata’s arm. She was a believer. She said she had been very cold and was covering up with two blankets. In addition, after dinner she had severe stomach pains and thought she had food poisoning. So when she heard Thabata and the missionary praying, she placed her hand on her stomach and prayed. Not only did the pain go away, but she also warmed up and threw off the blankets!

A prophetic word

As Thabata and the missionary were returning to their seats, another missionary with the group stopped them and shared a prophetic word for Thabata. She obviously did not know Thabata, but she shared some personal details that was a confirmation that the word was from the Lord. I won’t share what she said, but it was very encouraging!

It was well over an hour when Thabata finally returned to her seat stunned by what had just transpired. But she was also full of joy and praise for the faithfulness of God. (By the way, Thabata should not have been on that flight. But through a mix-up when she made the reservation, God sovereignly placed her on that specific flight!) The plane landed and, once again, she had no pain in her ears when the cabin pressure changed!

1) First, never underestimate your prayers! Paul wrote to the Philippians, ^18d  “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:18d-19)

2) Secondly, listen to the Spirit speaking. God does want to speak, lead, and guide you as you minister to others, including those who do not know Him. Jesus said, ^7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John1 6:7)

3) Finally, be willing to take risks for the sake of God’s glory. Both the missionary and Thabata obeyed God, even at the risk of looking foolish in the eyes of others on that plane. But think of the joy as they looked back on what God did! It challenges me to do the same. How about you? Are you willing to look foolish in order to minister to others and glorify God? May we all respond in faith and obedience!

December 15, 2021: Reading the mysterious book of Revelation

Many of us who are reading through the New Testament in 2021 are now reading the book of Revelation. The book is both mysterious and confusing. As a result, we can find ourselves focusing on what we don’t understand, rather than focusing on what is clear in John’s book. So what are the clear truths of Revelation?

First, there are difficult times that await us in the last days. Unfortunately, that is not very good news, but it is reality. Furthermore, those difficulties are not just tied to human battles, but rather they are a reflection of the cosmic battle that will come to a climax at the end of the age. This is also means that it will be especially difficult for those of us who are fully devoted Christ-followers.

Secondly, amidst the chaos, God is still sovereign and in control. By the very fact that God is giving us a picture of what will happen, He is communicating to us that He is still in complete control, even when the outward circumstances of the world will appear to degenerate into universal chaos. There are also places in the text where it says, “and it/he was given authority” (e.g.- Revelation 13:7). The One who gives ultimate authority is God Himself. It is similar to when Jesus told Pilate that the only reason he had authority over Jesus’ life was that the Father had granted him authority (John 19:11). God is sovereign over all history!

Thirdly, in the end, God wins! We can easily get lost in the text trying to figure out the sequence of events and/or how the text relates to current events. But the clear message of these prophetic visions is that in the end, God is victorious, and we will stand with Him in His victory! That should be a great encouragement to us!

Lastly, let the passage encourage you to endure and remain faithful amidst difficulties. Revelation 13:10c says, “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” John’s vision tells us that we are part of this cosmic, apocalyptic struggle (e.g.- Revelation 12:17). And so we are encouraged and exhorted to endure to the end, trusting God and His faithfulness amidst our difficulties and amidst the cosmic battle that rages all around u

So instead of trying to figure out all the details of the book of Revelation, instead focus on what we know is true. In that way, you will be blessed! (Revelation 1:3).

December 7, 2021: “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake

Last night Ollie, Justin, and I watched the Chosen Christmas special at Gurnee Cinema. It was very worshipful, artistically done, and included a new, special Christmas episode which, like their series, was very moving.

One of the songs which moved me most was “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. Let me encourage you to listen to it on YouTube (Just click this link).

Just a couple of comments about the song and why I think it touched me: It was a great reminder that in light of who God is, He lacks nothing and needs nothing. Therefore, there is nothing we can really give back to God that comes even remotely close to everything He has given us—particularly the gift of His Son and the life He has given us in Him through His death and resurrection. However, we can give Him our praise and gratitude. That’s a simple gift that God actually treasures.

In addition, the song is also a great reminder that at times we need to talk to our soul and exhort our soul to rise up and praise God, especially during times of difficulties. During those times, those acts of worship are truly a sacrifice of praise. So let me encourage you to not only listen to the song, but actively engage your soul to rise up and give God your gratitude and praise!

¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16)

PS- The Chosen Christmas movie is still playing at Tinseltown, Kenosha and at Regal in Round Lake Beach.

November 30, 2021: Adele vs. Aretha

Two weeks ago, Ollie and I began watching the TV special "Adele: One Night Only." The setting was breath-taking—it took place at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles right as the sun began to set over the western hills. And of course, Adele’s voice was beautiful—melancholy, but very beautiful. However, contrary to the accolades of the media, we found the special very depressing. In her interview with Oprah, Adele opened up about her struggles; but rather than turning to God, she was reaching out to other false hopes in a desire to find greater meaning and comfort. It was the voice of a lost person, trying to put on a happy face amidst a painful, disconsolate life that had no solid moorings. It was so depressing that we switched channels halfway through the special.

In contrast to that special, Ollie & I also recently watched the movie RESPECT. It is based on the life of Aretha Franklin. Like Adele, God gave Aretha Franklin an incredible voice. And like Adele, Franklin went through some very dark times in her life. She also turned to false hopes like alcohol to numb her pain. But in the end, at least according to the movie, Aretha returned to her roots in gospel music and turned back to the Lord Himself. Instead of leaving one depressed, the movie had a great redemptive ending.

It was a great reminder of the true hope that we have in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3-5 says,

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

We have a living hope—an assured, wonderful future even amidst difficult times. It’s not based on just wishful thinking nor on faddish social media myths, but rather on the factual, miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ that has given us a new birth and a new life in Him! It is not a hope that fades away, but rather a hope that will find its ultimate fulfillment in a heavenly inheritance that will never perish or spoil. In the meantime, we are shielded through faith by God’s power. God calls us to live with persevering faith, trusting that no matter what happens, He will be our ultimate protection through His sovereign power to keep us close to Him until Jesus comes again to bring our salvation to its climactic fulfillment.

Because of these truths, we have every reason to look at life with a positive sense of expectancy and joy, in spite of difficulties and challenges. We are not hanging on to false hope, but rather to a living, secure hope in Jesus Christ. May we not only live in that secure hope, but also share that living hope with others!

I pray that one day, Adele will find that hope and begin to use her gifted voice for the glory of God. I pray that God will bring committed believers into her life who will share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ with her. And I pray that we too at Hope will do the same with people all around us, who are also desperately lost, longing for more than a transient, fleeting hope amidst their heartbreaks and devastating difficulties in life.

November 22, 2021: Blessing God vs. Praising God

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits….

It’s made me wonder: Is there a difference between blessing God and praising God?

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)

¹ I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:1-3)

So on the one hand, blessing God and praising God can mean the same thing.

On the other hand, when you look at many uses of the word “bless” occurring in conjunction with blessing the Lord, there does seem to be a subtle emphasis on praising God in light of the blessings He bestows on us. In other words, we bless the Lord in light of everything He has done for us. Here are a few examples in addition to Psalm 103:

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily bears us up;
    God is our salvation. (Psalm 68:19)

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in a besieged city. (Psalm 31:21)

⁷ I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 16:7-8)

Even some of the verses which seem to be used in conjunction with praise have a larger context of praising God in light of His deliverance or His blessings which He has shown the psalmist and/or the nation of Israel.

So we bless God because He and He alone is the ultimate source of every blessing. It’s not quite the same as thanksgiving. We give thanks to the Lord for all the blessings He bestows on us. So thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude for those gifts He graciously gives us. On the other hand, we bless the Lord because He is good and is the source of all blessings. So blessing the Lord is an expression of praise for the character and nature of God.

One last thought—When we think about God blessing us or even when we bless each other, there is a connotation of exchange: one is the giver and the other is a receiver of something good. So when we talk about blessing God, perhaps there is subtle recognition that we are giving back to God something good—the praise that is due His name. Now we need to remember that God is absolutely self-sufficient, which means that God does not need anything. We also need to remember that anything we give to God is because He has first given to us. It’s like our love for God—we love God because He first loved us. Likewise, we can only bless God because He first blessed us. However, our praise and thanksgiving does bring God joy and pleasure. In that way our praise, worship, adoration and thanksgiving blesses God.

And so this Thanksgiving, take time to not only thank God for all that He has done for you, but also bless Him by praising Him as the one and only ultimate source of all blessings. As you do, you’ll put a smile on His face and bring Him joy!

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5)

November 16, 2021: Praying for Family Members

This past weekend I mentioned in my message about claiming Scripture as you pray for family members who don’t know Christ or who are not walking closely with Him. Afterwards someone texted me asking for those verses. Here are a few:

¹² To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³ If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Paul is addressing the issue of marriage and divorce. In these particular verses he addresses the situation of a believer married to an unbeliever. But note that He says that an unbelieving spouse and their children are “made holy” by the believing spouse. He obviously is not saying they are saved; nor does He guarantee their salvation. Rather they are holy in that they are “set apart” by God. Through the believer’s faith, prayers, verbal witness, and living testimony as he/she lives out the Christian life before his/her family, the unbelievers in that family are set apart from others by God. God is doing a special work in their lives as His Spirit prods, convicts, and invites them into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God says that there are both positive and negative repercussions of His jealous nature. The negative is that He will visit the sins of unbelieving parents who worship false gods and idolatrous images to the third and fourth generation. But the opposite is also true. He will show steadfast love to thousands of those who love and obey Him. Whether “thousands” refer to individuals or generations (cf.-NIV) may be debated. But what is clear is that there is an extensive promise of blessing for the progeny of believers.

¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children's children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.

In Psalm 103, the psalmist is recalling all of the blessings which God bestows on us. In v. 17 it not only says He pours out His steadfast love to those who fear Him, but He also places His righteousness on our grandchildren. Again, we know that our faith in Christ does not automatically guarantee that our grandchildren will come to Christ, but perhaps these verses are similar to 1 Corinthians 7 in that God sets them apart in exposing them to His righteousness in hopes that they will also come to know and fear Him.

In addition, we know that there are many verses that talk about God not wanting anyone to perish, but to bring everyone into repentance (e.g.-2 Peter 3:9). We also know that all true believers in your family are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (e.g.-Romans 8:9-11). If your family member is truly a believer but not walking closely with God, keep asking the Holy Spirit who resides within him/her to work and bring conviction to call your loved one back into a close walk with Jesus.

Perhaps you are a generation breaker. Perhaps you are the first in your extended family to come to know Jesus. Pray and claim these promises! Claim that God will work in your spouse and in your children, grandchildren, and in generations to come!

I remember that my grandmother (mother’s mother) would wake up every Sunday morning and take the train into downtown Philadelphia to attend a Japanese church. She would spend much of the day there. I assumed it was just to be with her Japanese friends. By the time I was a teenager, my quiet grandmother lost most of the little English she knew, so we rarely had an intelligible conversation. Unfortunately, it was not until her funeral when I heard the pastor from her Japanese church talk about her, that I realized that my grandmother was a committed believer who was viewed as the matriarch of that church. In fact, he told us stories and said that if it had not been for my grandmother, that church would not have existed.

Since that time, I have always wondered if much of what I saw God do in my family (drawing first my brother, then myself, then my two sisters, and later my parents) and what I see Him doing in my current family and now our children’s families have been because of my grandmother, who I assumed prayed for us. One of the conversations I am looking forward to having in heaven is with my grandmother to find out more about her own personal faith journey!

As I said this past weekend, God does not guarantee that your prayers will result in everything you desire. But He does guarantee His goodness. So keep praying expectantly, asking God to draw your family members to Himself!

November 9, 2021: Growing Strong in Faith

This past weekend we looked at Romans 4:18-21. If you missed my message, I encourage you to listen to it. We contemplated the question: How could Paul say that Abraham’s faith did not waver when the Old Testament account seems to differ? The main point of my message is that God is not looking for perfect faith, but rather persevering faith. We looked at the life of Abraham who, in spite of his missteps in faith, had preserving faith—a faith which repeatedly returned to whole-heartedly believing in God’s promises and to tenaciously trusting in His faithfulness.

But there is something else in this passage that we did not have time to examine. Romans 4:20-21 also states:

²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Again, we might ask: Are there indications in the Abrahamic narrative in Genesis which Paul may have viewed as indications that Abraham grew strong in faith?¹ There certainly is.

In Genesis 22, one chapter after Isaac was born, God tests Abraham. God commands Abraham to take his son, his only son, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. I can imagine that Abraham had a sleepless night that night. However, the text does not indicate any hesitancy. Instead, it says, “Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.” Abraham responded with immediate obedience, an indication of steadfast faith.

In addition, when they get to Mount Moriah Abraham says to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Note that he uses the plural form “we” not just “I.” Abraham fully believed that both of them would return alive. In fact, the writer of Hebrews picks up on this and writes, “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:19).

And so Abraham does not question nor hesitate, but rather he lifts the knife, ready to plunge it into the heart of his only son. It is only then that God stops him, commends him, and provides a ram as a substitute. That act of obedience and surrender took incredibly strong faith! In fact, I would propose that Abraham’s obedience to sacrifice his son took far more faith than to believe that he and Sarah could give birth to a son in their old age. All to say, it was an indication that Abraham’s faith did grow strong. Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised.

So persevering faith is also growing faith—faith which continues to grow stronger. But how does our faith grow stronger? How did Abraham’s faith grow stronger? I would submit to you that his faith grew strong through testing. It was as his faith was repeatedly tested throughout his life that Abraham learned to tenaciously trust God and His promises.

It’s the same with us. Every challenge with which we are faced is also an opportunity to see our faith grow and strengthen. Every challenge and trial forces us to seek the Lord and His faithfulness and to trust in the promises of His Word. In fact, when the writer of Hebrews says, “You have need of endurance” (Hebrews 10:36), he is not just referring to a generic ability to go through trials, but rather the ability to endure a trial through steadfast faith.

Faith is like a muscle. In weightlifting a person strengthens his muscles by subjecting them to resistance. So too, our faith is only strengthened when we are faced with challenges in our lives. It’s what Abraham experienced. It is also what we will experience.

So if you are faced with a challenge and/or trial, be encouraged. God is just in the process of strengthening and growing your faith!

¹ In Romans 4:18-21, I think Paul is not looking solely to Abraham’s faith leading up to his and Sarah’s ability to conceive at age 100 and 90, even though he highlights that faith challenge in v.19. Rather Paul seems to take a broader view of Abraham’s overall response throughout his life to God’s promise. In fact, v. 22 says that Abraham’s faith was “counted to him as righteousness” which occurred long before Abraham was 100; so Paul is not necessarily referring solely to his faith in regards to the birth of Isaac, but a broader view of faith and Abraham’s entire life.

October 26, 2021: God’s Pursuing Grace

Lately I’ve been reading about the wicked King Ahab in 1 Kings. The epitome of his wickedness is captured in the story where he selfishly desires the vineyard of his neighbor Naboth. Naboth refuses to sell Ahab the field. So Ahab frames him by arranging two worthless men to give false testimony saying that Naboth cursed God and the king. As a result, the leaders of the city have Naboth stoned. Ahab then secures the field.

The leaders are obviously unaware of Ahab’s deceitful, murderous plot, but God knows. So God sends Elijah to proclaim judgement on Ahab. God declares that all of Ahab’s male offspring will die and that his wicked wife Jezebel would also die a grisly death.

²⁵ (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

My hunch is that this surprised Elijah, just as much as it surprises us. Amidst God’s judgment, God remains a God of both truth and grace. He shows Ahab grace in a desire to turn his heart back to Himself. Even though Ahab was a vile idolater, God does not give up on him. Rather God longs for Ahab to truly repent—not just a short-term regret—but a heartfelt, life-changing repentance. Unfortunately, Ahab quickly returns to his godless ways. And in the following chapter, he dies because of his refusal to listen to God.

However, this act of grace should encourage all of us. It’s a reminder that no one is too far from God that God does not continue to reach out in a desire to draw them back. He does that with us when we stray from Him. He also reaches out to those we consider our enemies who have deeply hurt us.

But He also does that for our love ones who have strayed far from Him.

I know there are many of you who have continued to pray for loved ones who are not walking with God. Some are still unbelievers. Others have made a profession of faith but have willfully chosen to walk a path away from God. Do not despair. The same God of grace and truth that reached out to Ahab is still reaching out to your loved one. True, Ahab did not repent. But there are many examples in Scripture of those who did, including Rahab, Judah, David, Zacchaeus, and Peter.

So as you pray today for your loved one, pray that the same God who kept reaching out to Ahab would break through to the one for whom you are praying and draw him/her back to Himself. Pray that out of His grace, He would send an Elijah to speak truth and grace into their lives. God has not given up on them. He longs for them to turn back to Himself.

October 19, 2021: Problems Sleeping

As I have aged, one of my challenges is staying asleep at night. I have no problem falling asleep initially. However, every night I awake to use the bathroom. If I wake up only once, I can usually go back to sleep with no problems. But if I wake up a second or even a third time, that’s when I have difficulty falling back asleep.

This morning I was reading Psalm 119 and two verses popped out at me. Psalm 119:147-148 says:

¹⁴⁷ I rise before dawn and cry for help;
    I have put my hope in your word.
¹⁴⁸ My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promises.

The Psalmist is reflecting on his sleepless nights during times of anxious thoughts. But he uses that time to meditate on the promises of God’s Word. It reminded me of Psalm 63:5-8 (ESV):

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶ when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help,
    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸ My soul clings to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

There’s a good chance that David wrote this Psalm in the desert while running away from Absalom. He cannot sleep. As the guards take their turns during the watches of the night, he tosses and turns on his bed mat, lying wide awake. So what does David do? He remembers and meditates on the Lord.

So here are some practical tips for those of you who toss and turn:

Redeem the time by meditating and memorizing on longer portions of Scripture. Choose a chapter in the Bible like Isaiah 40 and begin to memorize it. One of the great things of having a smart phone is that you can look up Scripture without turning on the lights. Meditating and memorizing the Word can take your mind off of other things that can often keep you awake. (Tip: Start slowly. And rather than starting at the beginning of a chapter, start memorizing a portion that really emphasizes God’s character. Then slowly begin to add the preceding and subsequent verses. It may take you months or even a year to memorize the entire chapter, but remember, the process is more important than the end product.)

Secondly, use that time to meditate on who God is. That’s why chapters like Isaiah 40 is a great place to begin. It will redirect your mind to dwell on the awesome magnificence of God. Take time to praise Him. If needed, pray briefly about what is on your mind, but I encourage you to not pray long over those issues. My experience is that if I begin praying about the things that are on my mind, my thoughts can get anxious or my task orientation kicks in and I begin thinking about everything I need to get done the next day. Instead, meditate on the Lord Himself and worship Him silently on your bed.

I find as I do this, my mind will often drift into sleep. Don’t be surprised if it takes some time as you begin doing this, especially when you have memorized only a couple of verses. But as time goes on and you keep reviewing the verses that you memorized, your mind will soon drift off to sleep—and what a great way to go back to sleep! Even though I do not cherish losing sleep, God has used this to turn something that has been negative in my life, into something positive that has even brought me closer to Him—and any time that happens, it’s a blessing!

October 12, 2021: Listening to the Spirit’s Promptings

You may have heard on the news that the 3-year old missing boy in Texas was found after being lost for 4 days. What you may not have heard is that God intervened and led someone to find him.

Christopher Ramirez was last seen playing with a neighbor's dog while his mother unloaded groceries from her car outside their home in Grimes County last Wednesday afternoon. He followed the dog into the woods, and while the dog returned, he didn't. Search crews, including FBI personnel and community volunteers, had scoured the region with no signs of the boy. They even used drones but had no results.

Meanwhile, Tim Halfin was attending a Bible study when he first heard the news of the missing boy. He distinctly sensed God saying to him, “You will go and search for the boy. You will search the woods.” So the next morning, after he spent his daily time with the Lord, he ventured out to look for the boy. It only took 45 minutes before he found him.

It’s a great reminder of how important it is for us to keep in step with God’s Spirit and listen to His voice.

October 5, 2021: David Montgomery

Last Sunday, David Montgomery, the starting running back for the Chicago Bears, suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter. The sports commentators initially said that the injury was “gruesome” and therefore, they did not replay a closeup of the actual injury.

But later, some of the local sportscasters mentioned that the injury may not be as serious as initially thought. But they did not share why they believed that. That speculation was based on what David Montgomery himself tweeted. Apparently, after he had an MRI, Montgomery tweeted in caps, “YOU ARE AN AWESOME GOD !!!”

David Montgomery is a Christian and is not afraid to talk about his faith. In fact, back in April of 2019, Sports Spectrum ran an article on him. It’s an encouraging testimony of not only a young man who listens to the voice of God, but also one who acts on God’s leading with great compassion. Here’s the article:

Seven-year-old Hunter Erb and projected third-round draft pick David Montgomery were both told early in life they wouldn’t make it. Hunter was born prematurely with multiple congenital heart defects, and his parents were told he had a 3 percent chance of surviving his multiple health complications. David was told by his middle school football coach he would never make it to the NFL. Less than 1 percent of players do, the coach said. It’s a silly dream.

But Hunter and David are beating the odds, together.

The two met when Hunter was invited to join an Iowa State Cyclones football practice in 2017, following a request from Hunter’s mother, Stephanie Erb. Hunter had always dreamed of scoring a touchdown. David was the lead blocker for Hunter on the day he did, and in that moment, David told ESPN he felt God speaking to him.

“Once he scored, I got a thought in my head that God was pulling me toward him,” David said. “I needed to extend myself to talk to him more.”

David connected with the Erb family and asked if he could visit Hunter in the hospital while he was receiving intravenous shots. David held Hunter’s hand as he cried from the shots being administered, and the two have been close since.

“Next thing you know, they are coloring in coloring books,” Stephanie told ESPN. “To see this big football player, he’s pretty much wrapped [around Montgomery’s finger]. They connected. We say it was God’s plan.”

Montgomery’s heart for underdogs like Hunter comes from his own background. He was raised by a single mom in Cincinnati, in poverty, surrounded by violence. He credits both football and the legacy of his mom’s faith for protecting him from the temptations around him.

Montgomery was barely recruited out of high school, but made an impression during his time with the Cyclones. He is leaving Iowa State after three years at No. 6 all time in rushing yards with 2,925. According to Mel Kiper’s and Todd McShay’s latest mock draft, Montgomery is projected to be drafted in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.

Off the field, Montgomery worked with special needs children through Iowa State’s Victory Day Initiative and he was a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

On Twitter, Montgomery effusively thanks God, saying “all in God’s timing” in his bio, which is accompanied by a picture of Psalm 27:1-2: “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?”

Hunter, meanwhile, keeps fighting and believing. Stephanie posted a video to her Twitter account last October showing Hunter playing football in their house, and she continues to place her trust in God’s plan, whatever that holds.

“You have to be a fighter,” Stephanie told ESPN. “It’s not an opt-out program. I believe God has a plan, but it may not always be our plan. You have to flow with it. It’s one thing to say you trust God, but it’s another to put all of your faith in Him to take care of things. As a mom, I take care of the possibles and trust God with the impossibles.”

September 28, 2021: Keeping in Step with His Spirit

A number of years ago, we had a slow leak in one of the tires of our car. Because I didn’t have time to get it fixed immediately, I had to remember to blow up the tire every morning before I drove anywhere.

In many ways, we are like that tire. We spiritually leak. Therefore, we need to be frequently refilled with winds of the Holy Spirit.

This past Saturday we talked about keeping in step with the Spirit. If you missed my message, I encourage you to watch it on YoutTube or listen to it on our website. We talked about the Spirit-filled life which the Bible also refers to as walking by the Spirit or keeping in step with the Spirit. Without a good understanding and a consistent experience of the Spirit-filled life, you will never live the life that Jesus has for you. So let me again encourage you to listen to that message.

At the end of that message I mentioned our need to be continually filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” In the original language, the verb is a present continuous tense. It could be translated “be being filled with the Spirit.” Like a sail that is continually filled with wind, so we too need to be continually filled with the Spirit.

And so I mentioned last weekend to place your winter boots by your bed as a daily reminder to ask God to refill you with His Spirit every morning in order that you would keep in step with Him throughout the day. I remember the late Dr. Bill Bright sharing how every morning, the first thing he would do as he got out of bed would be to get on his knees and ask God to fill him afresh with His Spirit. Every morning he would basically petition God, “Fill me with your Spirit. Think your thoughts through me, speak your words through me, make your decisions through me.” And then he would get up trusting that God had refilled him with His Spirit. If you know the life story of Bill Bright and the history of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ), you know that Dr. Bright lived a supernatural life, marked by the Spirit of God constantly intervening in and through his life.

September 21, 2021: Unity

This past weekend we were talking with a couple at our daughter’s wedding reception. They mentioned how their church was divided over an issue. It was not a political or COVID issue, but a disagreement between two groups of people. It has the potential of splitting their church with some leaving their congregation.

Afterwards, I commented to Ollie how grateful I was to be pastoring Hope where by God’s grace, we have been able to maintain unity. However, lest we become complacent or proud, we too need to be on guard. We are in a spiritual battle and the enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

In Jesus’ priestly prayer on the night before going to the cross, He prayed earnestly for our protection and our unity. In John 17, He prayed:

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Note that Jesus wanted our unity to reflect the unity between Him and the Father. Jesus’ reference to “I in them” is also a reference to His Spirit, the Holy Spirit which lives in us. So Jesus prayed that the perfect unity of the Trinity would be reflected in our complete unity. This would be a testimony to the world that Jesus really is who He claimed to be.

But why would our unity be a such a strong testimony to those who do not know Christ? It’s because maintaining unity amidst very differing opinions takes the supernatural work of His Spirit working in us.

Our fleshly, sinful nature will always pull us towards self-centeredness and disunity. It is only through the supernatural work of God’s Spirit that we can truly love one another and maintain sincere unity (Galatians 5:13-26). It’s easy to be united if we all agree on something. But only Christians can truly be united in spite of very different and even opposing viewpoints; that takes the supernatural love that can only come from the Spirit bearing His fruit in us.

So let’s strive at maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let’s be sure to listen to one another, to try to understand one another, and to believe the best of one another. Let’s keep short accounts with each other and pursue reconciliation when there is hurt and/or misunderstandings. Remember, the ultimate goal is not to make someone agree with your viewpoints, but rather to maintain a loving and unified relationship in spite of your differing opinions.

May we here at Hope be that beacon on a hill that Jesus so prayed for us to be!

September 14, 2021: Todd Beamer

 

Last weekend, like many of you, I was thinking back on 9/11. There were numerous TV specials and online videos that reflected back on that infamous day. Many of them included the story of the heroic role which Todd Beamer played in sacrificing his life to help take down United Flight 93.

Because of a 40-minute delay, Flight 93 had taken off only 4 minutes before the first plane struck the World Trade Center. The pilots were informed of the three terrorists’ acts only moments before four terrorists on their plane overpowered the cockpit. Passengers and flight attendants huddled in the rear of the plane and used in-flight phones to contact officials on the ground. As Todd Beamer tried to call his wife he was routed to customer service and spoke to GTE supervisor Lisa Jefferson. Beamer told Jefferson about the hijacking. He also asked her to tell his wife he loved her and their family. Reflecting back on their conversation, Jefferson said, “He was calm through the entire conversation and I tried to stay just as calm with him.” Beamer then led them as they prayed the Lord’s Prayer together. 

For thirteen minutes the lines stayed open and Jefferson overheard Beamer and fellow passengers plan to overwhelm the hijackers to prevent the plane from crashing into its intended terrorist target. The last words Jefferson heard Beamer say were, “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” As you know, the plane crashed in a deserted field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Todd Beamer left behind two young sons and his wife who was pregnant with their third child.

What most news specials don’t mention is that Todd Beamer was a committed Christian. In a book written after Todd’s death, his wife Lisa wrote, “What made Todd different from many other men who are merely religious was not the fact that he was willing to die for his faith; the terrorists did that! No, Todd was willing to live for his faith.… Todd built his life on a firm foundation so that when the storm came on September 11 he didn’t have to check the blueprints to see if everything he had built his life on was going to stand. He knew.”

Two months after Todd‘s death, his wife Lisa shared this with a group of women: “I’ve chosen to live in hope… because of the heavenly, eternal perspective God has given me… (H)ope comes from knowing who is in control. Hope comes from knowing that we have a sovereign, loving God who is in control of every event of our lives.“

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants. (Psalm 116:15)

September 7, 2021: Passion— What comes first, emotion or commitment?

This past weekend, I spoke on “Developing a Passion for God.” If you missed our service, I encourage you to listen to it via YouTube or our website.

One of the mistakes I think we can fall into is believing that we need to stir up our emotions in order to gain a passion for God. This brings up an important question—what comes first, emotion or commitment?

Certainly, emotions are involved in passion. When I think of people who are passionate about a sports team or a hobby, even if they tend to be unemotional people, when they speak about their passion there is a sense of enthusiasm and even excitement. And for some, emotion can precede passion and commitment. I think about some who have shared with me an initial positive experience about a hobby which hooked them—like loving their first experience fishing which resulted in a passionate desire to pursue the hobby further.

But when it comes to a passion for the Lord, I think for many of us commitment precedes emotion.

At the end of his life, David charged his son Solomon and the leaders of Israel to build the temple. In 2 Chronicles 22:19, he exhorted them, “Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord.”

“Set your mind and heart to seek the Lord.” That’s a commitment and a choice. It is something we choose to do as an act of the will. In fact, the mention of the mind seems to infer a conscious, logical choice. But as we choose to seek the Lord wholeheartedly, we can be assured that God will meet us (cf. Jeremiah 29:11-13). And when He meets us, He will often stir up a greater desire and passion to seek Him more. So when it comes to developing a greater passion for the Lord, commitment often precedes emotion.

Years ago, I remember talking with some friends whose parents were from India. Their parents arranged their marriage. That is such a foreign concept for us here in America! However, they talked about how here in America we view the emotions of love as a pre-requisite for the commitment of marriage. However, in their family’s culture, a commitment to love is the pre-requisite for marriage. The emotions of love are more the result of living out that commitment.

All to say, if you want to develop a passion for God, don’t wait for the emotions! Instead, set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God, and the emotions will follow. So take the next step and trust that God will meet you!

September 1, 2021: Counting Our Days

This past Sunday, I attended the memorial service for a former neighbor with whom I grew up in the Philadelphia area. I was not completely sure where she stood spiritually, so I was thankful that the pastor who conducted the service believed that she was a Christian. In fact, this frail, elderly pastor (I now define “elderly” as someone who is >10 years older than me!) also briefly mentioned the gospel and even encouraged her family members to place their trust in Christ.

The service and the neighborhood picnic afterwards were reminders that in the end, there are very few things that really count. Where we stand with Jesus and how we have lived our lives in relationship to Him will be the only thing that really matters.

They say that you are old (but not quite elderly!), when you stop thinking about how many years you have lived, but instead think in terms of how many years you have left! I have already passed that point. But perhaps that is not just something that old people should think about. It’s something we should all consider, young and old alike.

³ You turn people back to dust,
    saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
⁴ A thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by,
    or like a watch in the night.
⁵ Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
    they are like the new grass of the morning:
⁶ In the morning it springs up new,
    but by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷ We are consumed by your anger
    and terrified by your indignation.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹ All our days pass away under your wrath;
    we finish our years with a moan.
¹⁰ Our days may come to seventy years,
    or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
    for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
¹¹ If only we knew the power of your anger!
    Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
¹² So teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Teach us to number our days—it is only when we realize how short our lives really are that we can begin to live life with an eternal perspective. In light of eternity, I want to passionate pursue God every day. I want to be used by Jesus to draw people to Himself and take as many people as I can with me into heaven. And I want the Spirit of God to lead and empower me until He calls me home to extend His Kingdom here one earth.

So how about you? Are you living each day in light of eternity?

August 11, 2021: Recounting God’s faithfulness

Psalm 105 & 106 begin with “Oh give thanks to the Lord.” Both recount stories from Israel’s past. However, the emphasis is slightly different. We’ll look at Psalm 105 this week & then 106 next week.

Psalm 105:4-5 says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered….” This is what the psalmist does in this psalm. He recalls the wondrous works of God’s faithfulness and deliverance of Israel, focusing on the patriarchs and ending with the Exodus.

It’s a great reminder for us to do the same. There is great benefit in taking time to recount God’s faithfulness in your life. It lifts your heart in worship and thanksgiving. It also encourages faith.

So what has been your Exodus experience(s)? How has God delivered you? What promises has God made to you that He has fulfilled? Take time this morning to recount them and give thanks to the Lord!

¹ Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
² Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
³ Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
⁴ Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
⁵ Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
⁶ O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

July 28, 2021: Persecution

In January, Christianity Today ran a sobering article on the persecuted church. It mentioned that throughout the world, every day 13 Christ-followers lose their lives for their faith and 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. It also lists some of the top area in the world that are experiencing persecution. On the one hand, this may seem discouraging. But the article also quotes David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA:

“You might think the [list] is all about oppression. … But the [list] is really all about resilience…. The numbers of God’s people who are suffering should mean the Church is dying—that Christians are keeping quiet, losing their faith, and turning away from one another. But that’s not what’s happening. Instead, in living color, we see the words of God recorded in the prophet Isaiah: ‘I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’” (Isa. 43:19, ESV).

This morning I was reading in Luke 21. Jesus talks about the last days. I was struck by how much He talks about how believers will be persecuted in these last days. It reminded me of Daniel 7 where we said that there has been & will be dark evil in this world which will result in pain, suffering, & persecution. Listen to what Jesus says:

⁸ He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

¹⁰ Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³ And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴ But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵ For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ Everyone will hate you because of me.

That’s the bad news. But here’s the great news which Jesus reassures us:

¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ Stand firm, and you will win life.

How can Jesus say that “not a hair of your head will perish” when most of the apostles died as martyrs? In addition, history tells us that millions of Christ-followers have lost their lives. So how can Jesus make that statement?

It’s because Jesus was looking through the lens of eternity. We know that our eternity is secure; so no matter what happens to us in this life, we will be protected by the Spirit of God and He will usher us into the presence of God. In the meantime, how then should we live?

³⁴ “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

First, we need to be careful and alert. Our hearts can get weighed down, leading us to turn to all sorts of destructive behaviors. Some just ignore the sobering reality and instead turn to carousing. Others may self-medicate through drunkenness. Still others can just get weighed down and paralyzed by anxiety. So we first need to be alert.

Secondly, we need to pray. Our first prayer is that we may be able to escape what is about to happen. This would involve praying that God would bring spiritual awakening to our nation. It would also involve praying for those in the world who are currently being persecuted.

But thirdly, we also pray that if God chooses to not allow us to escape these trials, then instead He would give us the grace and endurance to remain strong. Likewise, we pray that God would give our persecuted brothers and sisters grace and endurance to stand firm amidst the incredibly challenging tribulations that they are experiencing.

So be encouraged, but also be vigilant in your own faith. If our brothers and sisters are suffering worldwide for their faith, how much bolder and more committed should we be?

PS- Here’s the Christianity Today article entitled “The 50 Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus in 2021."

July 20, 2021: “Thar’s a bar in them woods!”

Last week I was talking with my neighbor about our son Justin and my upcoming camping/hiking/fishing trip to Colorado. As an experienced camper himself, he encouraged me to be sure we take the needed precautions to protect ourselves from bears. In fact, he offered to loan us his bear spray.

It reminded me of a story of two campers who came across an angry bear. One of the campers calmly opened his backpack and began putting on his running shoes. His friend warned him, “Don’t you know, bears are extremely fast. You can’t outrun a bear!” “I know,” the camper replied, “but I can outrun you!”

As I mentioned this past weekend, we all have 3 treacherous enemies that are determined to take us out of the race. They relentlessly war against our souls. In addition to the helpful lessons we learned from Daniel 6, here are a few other crucial, Biblical admonitions that can keep us safe from these insidious enemies:

1) To resist the enemy above (the Devil), put on the full armor of God

            ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

2) To guard against the enemy around (the world), be transformed by the renewing of your mind

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that our minds are renewed by allowing the Word of God to transform. Therefore, we need to spend time in His Word every day

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

3) Finally, to find victory over the enemy within (our flesh), we need to walk in the Spirit

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Out of these three enemies that war against your soul, to which enemy are you most vulnerable this week? In light of that, what steps do you need to take?

I encourage you to think and pray about those questions.  Otherwise, you may find yourself trying to outrun a bear that you cannot outrun!

July 12, 2021: Honoring the Lord

Here’s a Bible quiz question: In the movie “Chariots of Fire,” Jackson Scholtz hands Eric Liddell a note before the Olympic 400-meter race. The note quotes from the Bible, “He who honors me (God), I will honor.” In what book of the Bible and in what context does this quote occur?

Last week I was reading through the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. Eli, a priest of the Lord, had two sons who also functioned as priests. They were wicked, using their God-appointed positions for sordid gain and immorality. But Eli did not stop their blasphemous behavior, but instead honored his sons above honoring the Lord.

And so, in chapter 2 God sends an unnamed prophet to admonish Eli. Through this prophet, God proclaims His judgement declaring, “Those who despise me, I will disdain.” But in contrast, God also declares a potential blessing, “Those who honor me, I will honor.” In reading the text, there is a subtle contrast that is made between the righteous prophet Samuel and his godly mother Hannah versus the wicked sons of Eli and their passive father.

First, Hannah did not retaliate against Peninnah, her husband Elkanah’s second wife, who ridiculed Hannah year after year for being barren. Secondly, Hannah turned to the Lord in her distress, asking God for a son. The passage also hints that she believed God to answer her request. Thirdly, after God gave her a son, Hannah kept her promise and brought her young son Samuel to Eli after he was weaned in order to serve the Lord all the days of his life. Finally, on the day she delivered Samuel to serve the Lord, she did not resent God or regret her promise, but instead was filled with praise and thankfulness.

Hannah is a great model for you and me to emulate:  How do you respond to those to whom you have a difficult time relating? Do you return insult for insult, or do you give a blessing instead? Do you turn to the Lord and trust Him amidst your challenges? Do you follow through on the promises you make to the Lord? Do you willingly give to the Lord what is rightfully His? Finally, is your life characterized by a life of worship and praise?

If you honor the Lord, He will honor you. God did that for Hannah by not only granting her a son, but a godly son who had an impact on all of Israel and even the world. God also gave Hannah three other sons and two daughters. But perhaps the greatest honor is that her story has been told to countless others through the Old Testament Scriptures, and her life has been a blessing and encouragement to millions.

So how about you? How are you honoring the Lord this week?

June 29, 2021: 1776

Recently, Ollie listened to a program on Moody radio. It was a replay of an interview with the historian David McCullough, the author of the book “1776.” He shared some great insights on the Revolutionary War and particularly on George Washington. In light of the upcoming July 4^th weekend, I encourage you to listen to it.

McCullough mentions a quote from Abigail Adams, “Posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors.” She also said, “Great necessities call out great virtues.” McCullough would propose that 1776 was the darkest period of time in our nation’s history. The future of our nation hung in a tenuous and even doubtful balance. It was a test of character for so many people. But He also highlights God’s sovereign hand in the outcome of the war.

I encourage you to listen to this interview which is only 24 minutes long. It will encourage and inspire you!

June 1, 2021: Created for Christ

Recently I have been studying and meditating on Colossians 1:15-20. Vv.15-16 says:

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Everything has been created in Christ and through Christ. This not only includes everything in our material universe, but also everything in the spiritual realm, including not only angelic beings, but even the entire demonic realm as well. To be created “in Christ” means that He is the “sphere” within which the work of creation takes place. Nothing was created independent of Christ. To be created “through Christ” means that Jesus is the agent by whom God the Father brought the universe into being.

But what caught my attention this morning, was that everything has been created, not only in and through Christ, but also FOR Christ. Jesus is the goal of all creation. He is the ultimate objective and purpose for why everything has been created, including you and me!

So what does it mean that Jesus is our ultimate goal for which we have been created?

Primarily, it means that we have been created to glorify Jesus. Our purpose for being created is to honor Jesus by magnifying who He is through our lives. We are to shine light and highlight Christ’s character—His goodness, His love, His justice, His wisdom, His faithfulness—every attribute of His being.

But how do we do that? We can do that by walking with Him and reflecting His character through our lives. When we walk in obedience to His will, we reflect His image.

But living for Jesus as our goal goes much further. We glorify and honor Him also by finding our greatest satisfaction in Him. Having Jesus as our ultimate goal in life is to find our deepest desires and dreams fulfilled in Christ. It is trusting that our joy will be greatest, not as we seek to fulfill our own desires, but rather as we seek to fulfill His desire and His calling on our lives.

So what does that mean for you and me today? It means beginning each day asking Jesus what He desires for us to do. It’s asking Jesus to fill us with His Spirit and to help us keep in step with Him by leaning on His power and His leading for everything we do. That’s why spending time with God every morning can help to give you that mindset.

However, this does not mean that everything we do today will look “spiritual.” Your calling today may be to go to work—to be on time, to do the best you can at what you do. It may be to change those dirty diapers, wash clothes, and clean the house. It may mean sitting on the floor and reading a book with your child. It may mean having a meaningful and encouraging conversation with your spouse. But it may also mean be willing to yield your agenda to those God-ordained moments when God calls you to have a conversation with an unchurched neighbor or to serve someone in need in the body of Christ. Whatever you are called to do, the motive to accomplish those things is to glorify and honor our Lord Jesus Christ, the goal of all creation.

Finally, we glorify and honor Jesus by trusting Him amidst our difficulties.  When we trust Jesus amidst our pain and heartache, we tell the world that we still believe that Jesus Christ is faithful and good, that He is sovereignly in control, and that contrary to what circumstances might indicate, Jesus Christ is triumphantly leading us into His victory over the darkness.

You were created in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. May you live for Him today!

May 18, 2021: A Faith that Pleases God

This past weekend we looked at Psalm 95:7d-11. Despite the tone of the passage, I hope the message actually encouraged you. If you missed the service, I encourage you to watch it on our YouTube channel or listen to the message on our website, even before reading the rest of this blog.

For those of you who already heard my message, I want to mention something that we did not have time to address. Here’s the ESV version of the passage:

7d Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸ do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

The wording is very strong—“for forty years I loathed that generation…. Therefore I swore in my wrath…” In reading this passage, I was struck by how intense God’s emotions were towards that generation of Israelites. Why the intensity?

As we said this past weekend, God in His goodness wanted to free the nation of Israel from slavery and bring them into the promised land. Therefore, the issue at stake was not just the need for water, nor just the challenge of them trusting God to give them courage to fight the giants in the land. What was at stake was their core belief about God Himself.

God in His goodness and faithfulness led the Israelites into the wilderness in order to free them from slavery and to bring them into the promised land. When the Israelites chose not to trust God and instead longed to return to Egypt, what they were telling God was this:

• We don’t believe you are good
• We don’t believe you are faithful
• We don’t believe you are all-powerful and sovereign over creation and over mankind
• We don’t believe you really are our Savior and Deliverer
• We don’t believe you truly love us

The real issue was their core belief about God. In essence, they were proclaiming to God, “We don’t believe you are who you say you are.” That’s why God loathed that generation and destined them for wrath. And so what was at stake was the very salvation of their souls—not just their salvation from physical death, but their ultimate salvation from eternal death. That’s why the writer of Hebrews referred to this psalm in his stern warning to those Jewish believers who were tempted to commit apostasy by abandoning their faith in Jesus and returning to their own Egypt (Hebrews 4).

Hebrews stands as a warning against apostasy to us as well. But it also affirms the positive side of faith. When amidst our trials and difficulties we place our trust in God, we stand with those faithful believers in Hebrews 11 declaring that God is good, that God is faithful, that we do believe He is all-powerful and sovereign over creation, mankind and our very own lives, that Jesus is our Savior and Deliverer, that He truly does love us with a compassionate, steadfast, agape love. We stand with those who truly pleased God by their faith (Hebrews 11:6), proclaiming to the world, “We believe that God is who He says He is!”

Perhaps as you read this, you may think to yourself, “But my faith is not all that strong.” But remember the stories of those listed in the hall of faith. Take Abraham—he is lifted up as the model of faith—yet he is also the one who risked Sarah’s well-being to save his own skin; and he is also the one who asked God to allow the promise to be fulfilled through Ishmael. And then there is Sarah, who outrightly doubted God at times. But in the end, amidst their struggles, they both trusted God. Like the others listed in the hall of faith, they were men and women with feet of clay, just like us. But in the end, they held on to the promises of God and refused to return to Egypt.

So whether your faith is great or whether your faith is only a struggling, little mustard seed, you too can move mountains! So keep going! Today, take that next step of faith that God is calling you to take! Trust God that in His timing, He will bring you into your promised land!

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

May 4, 2021: True Heavenly Wisdom

Yesterday I was thinking about a conflict I was having with a family member. God brought to mind James 3:13-18 (ESV):

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James contrasts earthy wisdom versus heavenly wisdom which comes from God. The Greek word translated “jealousy” is zelos. It’s meaning is much broader than our current concept of jealousy. In fact, it’s where we get the word “zeal.” Like zeal, zelos can be either positive or negative. But it carries the connotation of passion.

I find in conflict that I can often feel passionate, but my passion is centered around thinking that I am right. But only God is the true source of wisdom. Only He has true objectivity.  And so true wisdom is “open to reason” and “impartial.” It sets aside personal bias and seeks the wisdom from God’s Spirit of truth. In fact, if we are not careful, we can even unknowingly buy into the lies of the enemy which results in our wisdom not only being “earthly,” but even “demonic.”

In addition, we need to keep in mind that even if we are right, how we share true wisdom is just as important as the content of that wisdom. Note the words describing wisdom: “meekness,” “gentle,” and “full of mercy.” So the tone and attitude of how you share your thoughts can also make the difference between the wisdom from above versus the wisdom from below.

Note also the emphasis on peace. The word “peace” and its various forms is used three times in vv.17 & 18. If I am honest with myself, many times I want to share “my wisdom” not just to help someone nor to help bring peace to our conflict, but rather just to set the person straight! I can use truth and facts as a club to win an argument, rather than to pursue peace. In addition, pursuing peace means to understand where the other person is coming from. In the midst of conflict, you will never achieve true peace with another person until you understand how and why they hold to their viewpoint, as well as how and why they are feeling the way they are feeling.

Finally, note the interesting wording of the last verse. The emphasis of the verse is on “a harvest of righteousness.” James knew that in this agrarian culture, people understood how harvests work. You sow and then you must wait before a harvest is produced. So too, sometimes it takes time between when we sow true wisdom in peace and when a harvest of righteousness actually comes to fruition. We want the harvest to be immediate. We want the person to immediately respond, “Aha! I get it! Thank you so much!” But this is not always the case. So rather than pressing our case, sometimes it is better just to share the truth the best we can and let God do the convincing in His timing. Ultimately, the timing and nature of that harvest of righteousness is up to God. Sometimes that harvest is limited to what God does in us rather than the changes that occur in the other person.

This does not mean we pursue peace at all costs. Sometimes, sharing difficult and even convicting, confronting words is part of heavenly wisdom. However, when we are involved in conflict, we must be very careful about our true motives. Am I really trying to help this person? Is my goal to pursue peace amidst our conflict OR is it to win an argument, or to prove I am right, and/or to set this person straight?

May God make us more like Jesus, who showed His good conduct in the meekness of true, heavenly wisdom!

April 20, 2021: Ask and you shall receive

Last year I wrote that question down on a post-a-note and placed it in my journal so I would read it every time I made an entry. It’s a motivation for me to pray. I was reminded of that question again this morning as I was reading in Matthew 7 (yes, I’m behind in our reading of the New Testament!)

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Like so many of Jesus’ promises regarding prayer, He encourages us to pray expectantly. Jesus wants us to trust God for the things for which we are asking Him. But does this mean that God will always give us whatever we want?

Of course not. This is because God is not a heavenly vending machine where faith is the money and prayer is the vending machine lever. Nor is God like a heavenly Santa Claus. Instead, Jesus reminds us that God is our heavenly Father. As our heavenly Father, He will give us good gifts. But just as earthly fathers know that their children often ask for things which are actually not in their best interest, so our heavenly Father knows we can do the same.

In fact, can you imagine if God gave you literally everything you asked for? That would actually be a scary promise. Ruth Graham once said, “God has not always answered my prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong man — several times!”

Jesus is the perfect balance of One who prayed with complete faith, yet always with a heart of submission. For instance, He prayed that if it were possible, that God would allow the cup of suffering to pass from Him. But He also added, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

But I know for me, my problem is not that I am too presumptuous in believing that God will literally grant me everything I ask, but rather my problem is the opposite; I often don’t believe enough that God really does want to answer my prayers affirmatively. That’s probably why I don’t pray more than I do. God desires to give us good things. But in v. 11 Jesus says, “…how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” The stipulation is that we ask.

And so for me personally, I need to be reminded of God’s goodness in answering prayer. That is why these verses in Matthew 7 spoke to me this morning.

How about you? What if God answered everything you prayed for today?

April 6, 2021: Chuck Colson on the Resurrection

Ollie and I are still reading “Born Again” by the late Chuck Colson. It is his account of the Watergate scandal and how God used it to draw Colson to himself.

Last week I came across an Easter greeting he gave years ago. Even though Easter was last Sunday, I think it is still very appropriate. Listen to what he shared:

I want to wish you and your families and friends a holy, blessed Easter. We celebrate because we as Christians know that our Lord is risen from the dead—and in His resurrection is our hope of everlasting life with God.

Indeed, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection is the only basis of our hope. Without the resurrection, our faith is futile. This is why critics of Christianity often try to explain away the empty tomb. They claim that the disciples lied–that they stole Jesus’s body themselves and conspired together to pretend He had risen. The apostles then managed somehow to recruit more than 500 other people to lie for them as well, to say they saw Jesus after He rose from the dead.

But just how plausible is this theory?

To answer that question, fast forward nearly 2,000 years, to an event I happen to know a lot about: Watergate. You see, before all the facts about Watergate were known to the public–in March 1973–it was becoming clear to Nixon’s closest aides that someone had tried to cover up the Watergate break-in.

There were no more than a dozen of us. Could we maintain a cover-up–to save the president? Consider that we were political zealots. We enjoyed enormous political power and prestige. With all that at stake, you’d expect us to be capable of maintaining a lie to protect the president.

But we couldn’t do it. The first to crack was John Dean. First, he told the president everything, and then just two weeks later he went to the prosecutors and offered to testify against the President. His reason, as he candidly admits in his memoirs, was to “save his own skin.” After that, everyone started scrambling to protect himself. What we know today as the great Watergate cover-up lasted only three weeks. Some of the most powerful politicians in the world–and we couldn’t keep a lie for more than three weeks.

So back to the question of historicity of Christ’s resurrection. Can anyone believe that for fifty years that Jesus’ disciples were willing to be ostracized, beaten, persecuted, and all but one of them suffer a martyr’s death–without ever renouncing their conviction that they had seen Jesus bodily resurrected? Does anyone really think the disciples could have maintained a lie all that time under that kind of pressure?

No, someone would have cracked, just as we did so easily in Watergate. Someone would have acted as John Dean did and turned state’s evidence. There would have been some kind of smoking gun, or a deathbed confession.

So why didn’t they crack? Because they had come face to face with the living God. They could not deny what they had seen. The fact is that people will give their lives for what they believe is true, but they will never give their lives for what they know is a lie. The Watergate cover-up proves that 12 powerful men in modern America couldn’t keep a lie–and that 12 powerless men 2,000 years ago couldn’t have been telling anything but the truth.

Again, may you and yours have a blessed Easter, firm in your faith that the Lord is risen. He is risen, indeed!

May the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ resonate in your heart today and every day, long after all the Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies have been consumed!

March 23, 2021: Seeking the city that is to come

Those of us who are participating in our 5 x 5 x 5 reading plan of the New Testament recently finished Hebrews. There is a verse in Hebrews 13 that really challenged me:

¹⁴ For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God…. ¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

The writer of Hebrews is referring to the heavenly city of Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth which John described in the book of Revelation. But what does it mean to look forward to that heavenly city that is to come?

First it means that we view our lives here on earth as temporary. For years, Ollie & I lived in rented homes. As a renter, our perspectives on our home was much different than when we owned our own home. We viewed our situation as temporary rather than permanent. We too must recognize that this life is temporary and fleeting.

Secondly, it means that we recognize our true citizenship is in heaven. This can be especially challenging for us as Americans. National patriotism is not wrong; however, it is incumbent to ask ourselves, “Am I concerned and vested more in the future of our country, or in the advancement of the kingdom of God?”

Thirdly, it means living with an eternal perspective on life. Jesus exhorted us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [i.e.- all our earthly needs] will be given to you as well.” So when you think about your time and energy, how much of it is spent pursuing things which have eternal significance? When you reflect on the things that you think about during the day, are those things significant in light of eternity or just things that are tied to this earth? John Wesley once said, "I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity."

One day you & I will be living in the new heavens & new earth. We will be celebrating in the new Jerusalem. On that day, as we reflect back on this earthly life, how will we wish we would have lived our lives? How will we wish we would have lived on this day today?

Live with an eternal perspective, looking forward to the city to come!

March 2, 2021: Asking God to bring the heat

Last Saturday I began our new message series “Developing a Biblical Worldview.” In the first half of the message we looked at Psalm 19 which describes God’s general revelation through creation and God’s special revelation through His Word. But for the psalmist, these truths are not just abstract, theological concepts that he tucks in the intellectual memory banks of his mind. Rather he realizes that these truths are meant to change his life. And so the psalmist finishes the psalm on a personal note as he reflects on God’s Word:

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The psalmist recognizes the great benefits for treasuring and obeying God’s Word. They are more valuable than pure gold. They are also more desirable than sweet honey. Why? Because in obeying them there are great rewards; rewards which are both for our life in heaven, but also for our life here on earth.

However, the psalmist is also cognizant of his own weaknesses. He realizes that because we are all sinners, we can be blind to our sin. So he asks for discernment to see his “own errors” and for forgiveness for his “hidden faults.”

But in addition, he also knows that he can fall into outright, intentional sins when he consciously disobeys God. So he asks God, “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” Btw- when we sin we tend to think we are using our so-called “freedom” to experience what we want. But if we continue to choose to sin, sin actually enslaves us or “rules over” us (v.13). If you want to be truly free, choose obedience!

Finally, the psalmist asks the Lord, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Just as God has created the sun to shine its light and bring its heat to everything (“nothing hidden from its heat”- v. 6 ESV), so the psalmist asks God to take His Word to shine its light and bring its heat to every aspect of his being—both to his words and even to his deepest thoughts.

May that be our prayer as well!  Oh Lord, may we cherish your Word and spend time meditating on it, that Your Spirit of truth might use Your Word of truth every day in our lives. Just as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, so also throughout the day may your Word shine its light and bring its heat on every aspect of our lives, that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be pleasing in your sight, O Yahweh, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen!

PS- If you missed last Sunday’s message, I encourage you to listen to it on our website or watch it on our Youtube channel page.

February 23, 2021: The Wisdom of Chuck Colson

Before going to bed, I usually read to Ollie. Together we’ve read many books, both fiction and non-fiction. Last night we started an older book, “Born Again” by Chuck Colson.

As we began the book, I thought of the contrast of how Chuck Colson and Ravi Zacharias crossed the finish line of their lives. Btw- if you missed my message from last Saturday on “The Dangers of Secret Sins,” I encourage you to listen to it (or watch the video).

Colson begins his book with a preface that exudes both humility and wisdom. He initially wrestled over whether or not to write the book. Here’s an excerpt:

But who was I to moralize, to preach to others? I’d botched it, was one of those who helped bring on Watergate and was in prison to prove it. Yet maybe that very fact, plus some unusual things which had happened to me, could give me some insights that would help others. Could there be a purpose to all that had happened to me?

And then I began to see it. The nation was in darkness; there was anger, bitterness, and disillusionment across the land. While my inclination was to think in terms of grandiose reforms, God seemed to be saying that the renewal of our national spirit can begin with each person – with the renewal of the individual spirit. “If you want to do something, submit yourself to me and I will guide you” were the words implanted on my mind.

Submit yourself. Our founding fathers had built a nation on this principle, that fallible men are nothing unless they learn to depend upon God. It was to establish a true community of believers that the Puritans came to this continent. Somewhere at sea, abroad the Arbella, John Winthrop articulated the vision: “The God of Israel is among us… we shall be as a city upon a hill.” They saw their destiny, not as political conquerors but as disciples of Jesus Christ.

“With a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence…” are the solemn words of the Declaration of Independence. And our greatest president—Abraham Lincoln— humbly acknowledge that without God, “I must fail.“

How magnificently has God honored the covenant of our forefathers. How richly has he blessed our nation. So deep are our religious roots, but so far have we strayed.

As I wrote, it became clear to me that Watergate could work a healthy cleansing in the nation if it is understood for what it truly is. Were Mr. Nixon and his men more evil than any of their predecessors? That they brought the nation Watergate is a truth. But is it not only part of a larger truth – that all men have the capacity for both good and evil, and the darker side of man’s nature can always prevail in any human being? If people believe that just because one bunch of rascals are run out of office all the ills which have beset a nation are over, then the real lesson of this ugly time will have been missed – and that delusion could be the greatest tragedy of all.

Watergate has raised so many questions. Can humanism ever be the answer for our society? There is an almost sanctified notion that man can do anything if he puts his will to it. This was once my credo. Having seen through Watergate how vulnerable men can be, I no longer believe I am the master of my destiny. I need God; I need friends with whom I can honestly share my failures and feelings of inadequacy.

It was in this framework that I wrote this book: an inexperienced writer and a baby Christian, but in submission to the Almighty, praying that others might find hope and encouragement from my experiences…. (Chuck Colson, October 31, 1975)

May we all learn from the lessons that God taught Chuck Colson. May it bring us hope, encouragement, and a determination to run the race with God’s approval to the very end.

PS- Just as a reminder, here are my main points from Saturday’s message:

• Do not underestimate your potential to sin
• Sin often leads to deeper sin
• You need a Nathan in your life
• The cost of sin is never worth its passing pleasure
• Forgiveness is available to those who sincerely repent

February 9, 2021: Invitation to Solitude & Silence

This past Saturday, I mentioned a book that I highly recommend: “Invitation to Solitude and Silence—Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence” by Ruth Hayley Barton. To whet your appetite, here are few excerpts from her first chapter:

"Truth be told, it was desperation that first propelled me into solitude and silence. I wish I could say that it was for loftier reasons, pure desire for God or some such thing. But in the beginning it was desperation, plain and simple. There were things that needed fixing in my life, longings that were painfully unmet, and I had tried everything I knew to fix what was broken and to fill what was lacking, but to no avail.

"A grown-up pastor’s kid in my early 30s, I was married with three young children of my own, on staff at a church I loved, just beginning to respond to invitations to write and engage in a bit of public speaking. Seminary study rounded out a life that was full and challenging; it demanded all of the energy, focus and priority management I could muster. But inside my soul there was another level of truth that needed to be told, and desperation was probably the only force compelling enough to make me willing to listen.

"In the midst of the outward busyness of my life there was an inner chaos that was far more disconcerting. It was particularly alarming to realize that even though I had been a Christian for many years, I was struggling with some of the basics of the spiritual life. For one thing, I could not seem to consistently love my husband and children; elements of selfishness and self-centeredness were being exposed in the crucible of marriage and parenting that were frightening to acknowledge. At best I was impatient with the demands of life in the company of others; at worst I was angry that people wouldn’t just leave me alone to pursue my own dreams and ambitions.

"At first I trivialized my struggle by categorizing it as a sort of early midlife crisis. But the deeper truth was this: even though I had been a Christian for many years I did not know how to love—really. Particularly when love was demanding or inconvenient or interfered with my own desires, I did not know how to die to myself in even the smallest way. True transformation in the places that really counted seemed just beyond my reach. I was beginning to wonder whether some of the core promises of the Christian life were true at all.

"As it turned out, my limited capacity to love was just the tip of an iceberg. There were enormous questions right under the surface of my busy life, questions that I could no longer quiet. There were questions about identity and calling: Was there anything truer about me than the externals of gender-related roles and responsibilities? Was there anything more defining than how hard I could work, the level of excellence I could achieve and other people’s assessment of that? There were questions about the possibility of true spiritual transformation: What about those stuck places I was just beginning to acknowledge—those places where I could not break free to love? Was there any power effective enough to touch those intractable places here and now, or was my best hope for transformation some distant possibility beyond the grave? And there were questions about what was lurking deep in the subterranean levels of the soul: What was motivating the frantic quality of my life and schedule? Why did I find it terribly hard to say no, even when my overcommitment hurt those closest to me? Would I come to the end of my life only to mourn poor choices that did not reflect what is most to be priced....

"In the midst of much outward productivity, the interior spaces of my life resonated with words like this, 'There has to be more to the spiritual life than this'….

"Solitude and silence are not self-indulgent exercises for times when a crowded soul needs a little time to itself. Rather, they are concrete ways of opening to the presence of God beyond human effort and beyond the human constructs that cannot fully contain the divine.

"The practices of solitude and silence are radical because they challenge us on every level of our existence. The challenge is on the level of culture: there is little in Western culture that supports us in entering into what feels like unproductive time for being (beyond human effort) and listening (beyond human thought). They confront us on the level of our human relationships: they call us away from those relationships for a time so we can give undivided attention to God. They challenge us on the level of our soul: in the silence we become aware of inner dynamics that we have been able to avoid by keeping ourselves noisy and busy. They draw us into spiritual battle: in silence there is the potential for each of us to 'know that I am a God' with such certainty that the competing powers of evil and sin and the ego-self can no longer hold us in their grip. All the forces of evil ban together to prevent our knowing God in this way, because it brings to an end the dominion of those powers in our lives….

"Rest assured that as you take your place under the solitary broom tree in the wilderness of your own doubts, questions and unfulfilled longings, you are in good company. Elijah and countless spiritual seekers after him have experienced God‘s presence in solitude and silence as they have pulled back from the noisy, peopled places of their lives. Here we sit our souls down and wait for that which comes from beyond ourselves. Here we give into desperation and desire until God comes to us and does for us what we cannot do for ourselves."

If those words strike a cord in you, I encourage you to read Ruth Hayley Barton’s book!

February 2, 2021: Sabbath Rest

This past Sunday I mentioned 3 reasons why God gave Israel the Sabbath. These are reasons that should motivate us also to keep the principle of the Sabbath. They are:

• To establish the 6 & 1 pattern of rest which God modeled in creation
• To set apart the Israelites (and also us)
• To set apart a day to worship

There is another reason why God called Israel to keep the Sabbath which we did not have time to discuss. And that is:

• To teach Israel (& us) to trust God

The first occurrence in the Old Testament of the word Sabbath or “Shabbat” in Hebrew actually occurs before the giving of the 10 Commandments. In Exodus 16 Moses told the nation of Israel that God was going to provide manna for them. Moses specifically told them to only gather enough manna for each day & throw away any that was left over at the end of the day. But on the 6th day Moses told them to gather twice as much so they would not need to gather manna on the Sabbath.

Now why did God tell them to do this?  One reason was to teach them to trust God. God wanted them to realize that their daily sustenance came from Him and as they followed Him & obeyed Him, that He would provide for them. So He provided daily bread each day, but they were forced to trust God that on the 6th day that He would give them twice as much bread so that they would not need to work on the Sabbath.

Similarly, God repeated this principle when He told the nation of Israel to give their fields a sabbath rest every 7 years. But how would they live? God answered that question in Leviticus 25:1-5; 20-25

¹ The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. ³ For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. ⁴ But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. ⁵ Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest….

²⁰ You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” ²¹ I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. ²² While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

God wanted to teach the Israelites to rely on Him. As they kept the weekly Sabbath and as they gave their fields a Sabbath rest every 7 years, God promised to provide for them.

Now I hate to disappoint you, but God is not calling you to quit your job every 6 years and take a year off from work! Remember, these were commands and promises that pertained to Israel under the old covenant/testament that were fulfilled in Christ in the new covenant/testament. However, God does want to use the principle of the weekly Sabbath to remind us that He will provide for us.

Trusting God to provide as we keep the principle of the Sabbath does not only apply to trusting God for our financial provisions, it’s also trusting God for the provision of time. It is similar to tithing. The principle of tithing is to give 10% of our income to the Lord. Why do we do that? One reason is that it is an act of faith. It’s saying to God, “God, I recognize that You are the One who meets my needs. So as I give You the first fruits of my labors—as I give you 10% of my income, I am going to trust You that You will meet my needs.”

It’s the same with our time. Keeping the Sabbath rest is saying to God, “God, as I give You this day, I am trusting that You will provide all the time I need to accomplish everything that concerns me.”

So keeping the principle of the Sabbath is a reminder that our reliance is truly upon God to meet all our needs—whether it be financial or even just the need for time itself.

Remember, however, not to be legalistic. Remember that we are no longer under the law. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man. But that also means that the Sabbath was a gift given to us for our good. So we are the ones who will benefit as we keep the principles of the Sabbath.

So enjoy your Sabbath rest and trust God that He will meet all your needs, including time itself!

January 26, 2021: The Crowns That Await Us

Earlier this month, my sister Barb wrote a devotional for the Women Physician in Christ monthly newsletter.  I thought I'd share it with you.  It's both encouraging and challenging!  (PS- I'm very proud of my sister!  Can you tell?!)

How are you doing these days?  It has been a difficult year that we just passed through and I know that if you are somewhat like myself, my entire schedule for 2020 was turned upside down and changed with the corona virus.  As I fasted and prayed at the start of 2021 about the present events that we are enduring politically and tried to encourage a friend dealing with a family member who tried to commit suicide and another who just lost her mother, I was desperate to find hope and renewed strength for this new year that may be even more challenging than the last. 

              It is in times like this that turning to God’s word which is immutable is our only recourse.  In Revelation 4 we get a glimpse through the door of heaven and are called in to see what will take place.  In verse 4 there are 24 elders around the central throne of Deity. Just a peek of what heaven is like can give those of us in Christ hope.  Who are these elders? We don’t know for sure but they are singing and giving honor to Christ for redeeming them thus they can’t be angels.  They are clothed in white and have crowns of gold on their heads.  The Greek word “stephanos” indicates that these are victor’s crowns that they must have earned.  As I thought about these crowns,  I wondered what crowns will I have to cast before the throne as the 24 elders did in verse 10-11 as they worshiped the Lord and sang His praises?

              The New Testament gives us a glimpse of these crowns.  The Incorruptible Crown (I Corinthians 9:24-25) is given to those who exercise self-control or train to be diligent as in a race.  The Crown of Rejoicing (I Thessalonians 2:19-20) is given to those who are soul winners as they see those who they led to Christ throughout eternity.  The Crown of Righteousness (II Timothy 4:8)  is given to those who love and look for Christ’s appearing.  The Crown of Glory (I Peter 5:2-4) is for those who feed the flock and are good examples to the flock of God. The Crown of Life ( James 1:12; Revelation 2:10) is given to those who endure trials because they love Him. 

              As I watched the events of the year unfold, I found myself clinging to the verse in Psalm 27:13-14 NASB.

              “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”

              There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the end times but the game is not over.  We have work to do and crowns to earn for His glory.  We need to set our sights on eternity as it says in Colossians 3:2 and not on the circumstances of this world.  I don’t know about you but I surely have a lot of work to do to earn those crowns!

              We do know that you are in control of all things.  May we not to take our eyes off of You.  For You have chosen us to be the light of the world reflecting Christ’s light into the darkness. But a dirty mirror cannot reflect the light well so help us to live a holy life that is earning crowns to lay at Your feet.  In His glorious name we pray, Amen.

Dr. Barbara Okamoto

January 20, 2021: A Promise to Prosper

We are so encouraged that over 50 of you here at Hope are reading through the New Testament!  But I know that as time goes on, just like many New Year's resolutions, the motivation to keep this discipline can begin to wane.  So let me motivate you with a promise from Psalm 1:
¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

If we meditate on God's Word, God promises that we will yield fruit in our season.  That fruit is both internal (e.g.- fruit of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, etc.) and external (e.g.- having an impact on someone's life for the Kingdom of God).  In addition our leaves do not wither.  In other words, when we go through difficult times, we will remain strong and steadfast in our faith.  Finally, God gives us a general promise that whatever we do we will prosper.  Now we know from other passages of Scripture that this does not mean prosperity as defined by the world's standards, but rather prospering in the things that God really values as important--which if we are truly committed to God and His Word, isn't that what we really want?

There formerly was a tree in the middle of the Sahara desert.  It was called the Tree of Ténéré.  It was the only tree in a 90 mile radius.  When a well was dug near the tree, they found its roots had extended over 100 feet below!  Unfortunately, the tree was knocked down by a drunk Libyan truck driver in 1973 (How do you hit the only tree in over 90 miles of desert?!).  But I think that tree was a great picture of what the psalmist was envisioning in Psalm 1.  Do you want to be that tree?  Do you want to truly prosper in God's eyes?  Read, meditate, and apply God's Word to your life!

PS- I mentioned 2 weekends ago that apart from regularly reading the Word, the single most helpful thing I have done to get to know God's Word is coloring in my Bible.  It may not work for everyone, but it has really helped me. So here's a great basic color coding chart to get you started if you want to try it.  If you want a PDF copy of this, just email/text me.  I hope it helps you as much or more than it has helped me!

BIBLE STUDY COLOR KEY

Colors based on Crayola Colored Pencil set #24;
You can underline and/or highlight verses that stand out to you

[      ]    (Violet- royalty) Attributes of God, claims of Jesus, deity of Christ, praise, worship, desire to know God, seeking the Lord

[      ]    (Red- blood) Soteriology- salvation, forgiveness, God's grace in forgiveness of sins, what Jesus has accomplished for us through his death and resurrection (redemption, reconciliation, propitiation)

[      ]    (Brown- grounded in the Word) Word, knowing the Word

[      ]    (Sky blue- wind) Holy Spirit, spirit-filled life, ministry of the Holy Spirit

[      ]    (Yellowish green; Lime green-growth) Promises

[      ]    (Green- growth) Commands, instructions, obedience

[      ]    (Tan) Prayer

[      ]    (Blue) The Great Commission, evangelism, discipleship, ministry

[      ]    (Magenta) Position in Christ (Who we are in Christ)

[      ]    (Gray- darkness) Sin, self, world, flesh, Satan

[      ]    (Peach-body) Ecclesiology- the church, fellowship, body of Christ, relationships with other believers

January 5, 2021: Seeking the Lord

This past weekend, I began our new message on spiritual rhythms. Saturday’s message was foundational to the entire series, so if you missed it, instead of reading this blog, let me encourage you to listen to the audio version on our website or the video version on Youtube. The message was on “Seeking the Lord.”

However, that does not mean we idly sit by and do nothing. For instance, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 talks about our sanctification. But the emphasis of the passage is not God’s role, but rather our role in walking with God and staying pure.

When it comes to passion for God, I think it is the same. Only God can truly give us a sustained passion for Himself. In John 6:44a, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Granted, Jesus is talking about salvation. But I think it’s the same when it comes to our love in seeking God. 

So when it comes to a passion to seek the Lord, there is also God’s part and our part. Depending on who you are, your tendency may be to over-emphasize one over the other. Some of us can err by thinking that somehow it is all up to us. Others can err by thinking we just need to wait until God just gives us a certain feeling before we do anything. Both extremes are Biblically unbalanced.

So what is our part in pursuing the Lord? We’ll talk a lot more about that in this series, so join us on Saturday evenings for our worship service.

But what is God’s part? All I can say is keep asking God to give you a greater passion for Him and He will do it. However, be careful what you ask for! When I think about people in the Bible who had a passion for God, people like David or Paul, these people went through very difficult times. When I think about my own life and when I sensed the hand of God pulling me close to Him, many of those times were during difficult trials in my life.

All to say, there is often a price to pay when it comes to seeking the Lord. That is not to say that we “earn” or “work” for passion. Rather I think God knows that sometimes the only way He can bring out true passion for Him in our lives is when He gets our full attention and when we feel desperate enough that we pursue Him with all our hearts.

However, we should not dread or fear this, as if asking God for a greater passion to seek Him is like asking Him to drag us through the mud. Remember, perfect love casts out all fear. Rather it should encourage us that when we go through difficult times, perhaps it is because God is actually answering our prayers. Perhaps it is because He knows that our desire to love Him and pursue Him is greater than our prayer requests for comfort, ease, and the deliverance from our trials.

So ask the Lord to produce within you a greater passion for Him. Trust Him that He wants that even more than you want it. And then go and seek the Lord with all your heart!

^{11 "}For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord…. (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

December 29, 2020: Gaining Wisdom

When I was a senior in college, I was not sure what to do after I graduated. I knew God had called me into full-time vocational ministry, but I wasn’t sure specifically where He was leading me. So to get some wise counsel, I met with the pastor of my church there in State College.

Pastor Ottoson was a man I respected. He was an older pastor who was not only godly and humble, but he oozed with wisdom.

Wisdom. The Bible talks a lot about wisdom, particularly the book of Proverbs. Last week during my quiet time I read Proverbs 4:5-9 which says,

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

Verse 7 pops out at me: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” The beginning of wisdom is to have a desire to be wise—and not just a tepid, passing wish, but an intense desire which would be willing to pay a great price to be wise.

So what does the pursuit of wisdom look like? One crucial way is spending time in God’s Word. The Bible is God’s wisdom made accessible to us all. It is as our hearts, minds, and souls become imbued with God’s Word that we become wise. This is not just an intellectual knowing of Scripture, but rather a knowing which allows the Word to bear fruit in and through our lives. I know people who never graduated college, but because of their passion for God and a hunger to know His Word, they are wiser than some who have multiple graduate degrees in theological and Biblical studies.

So where to begin? Let me encourage you to join us here at Hope as we commit to read through the New Testament in 2021. Email me at wayne@go2hope.org and I will send you the details.

“Get wisdom!.... Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you!”

December 8, 2020: A Recipe for Unfulfilled Hope

Last week, I was reading Psalm 33 in my Bible. In the margin I have written, “3/16/04- God gave this psalm to Mihae regarding the church plant and our first worship service.” It’s a great psalm! Let me share a few thoughts with you about it:

It begins with a call to worship:

¹ Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the Lord with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

⁴ For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

The psalmist then sings about God’s sovereignty over the nations. Btw- This is a great reminder to us as we look at the challenges that face our nation, including the political divide and animosity that characterizes our government and our country:

¹⁰ The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
¹¹ But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.

In light of the preceding truths about God, the psalmist comes to a crucial conclusion. This is the heart of the psalm; and it’s all about hope. First, the source of false hope:

¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

Secondly, the source of true hope:

¹⁸ But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

Finally, a confession & prayer of that hope in the Lord:

²⁰ We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

This psalm has great applications for all of us! When faced with challenges and difficulties, we can all too easily depend on our own strength or wisdom to guide and rescue us. But in doing so, are we falling into the trap of focusing our hope on our own armies and horses to deliver us from those challenges? Likewise, as a church, are we hoping that our own strengths and abilities will move our church forward?

Now, just to be clear, hoping in the Lord does not negate using our wisdom and strength. Hoping in the Lord does not mean that we sit idly by and do nothing to address our situation. However, the focus of our hope always needs to be the Lord. He is both the source and the ultimate object of our hope. Perhaps that is why prayer is so crucial. Prayer is the expression of our hope. Prayer is also a barometer to indicate where we are placing our hope.

So may we individually and corporately learn what it means to “wait in hope for the Lord.” May we constantly echo the words of the psalmist, “May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you!”

November 26, 2020: Giving God a Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. Contrary to how the media may portray this day, it is not just about being generically thankful. This national holiday was instituted specifically to thank God for all His blessings. So maybe instead of wishing each other a happy Thanksgiving, perhaps we should instead focus on giving God a happy Thanksgiving day!

Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

So let me encourage you to engage in something this morning that has become my personal Thanksgiving tradition. Open your journal and write “101 things for which I am thankful.” And then begin to write as quickly as you can everything you can think of. Don’t worry about naming things in priority, just write. If you are like me, I’m always surprised at how often I need to stop and think. But it will force you to thank God for things for which you tend to take for granted. If you’ve done this before, stretch yourself and shoot for 201 or more! Then take time to truly thank God as you look over your list.

May your sacrifice of praise, your fruit of lips that openly profess His name, bring great joy to God and a smile on His face this Thanksgiving! May God have a happy Thanksgiving because of you!

November 11, 2020: Fulfilling our Vows

¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
    I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

In the margin I had written a note about vows I had made back in 2013 when I was going through a particularly difficult time. When we go through troubling times, our hearts are rightly drawn towards the Lord. We tend to reassess our lives and we make commitments to walk more closely with Him.

But then when things get better, our human tendency is to forget those commitments. Like Israel in the book of Judges, we can turn to the Lord in difficult times, but stray when things go well. Thankfully we have the Holy Spirit living in us to bring conviction and transformation as He writes God’s laws on our hearts. But we still must respond to His promptings and consciously choose to be faithful to those commitments.

I should mention that God does not want us to attempt to bargain with Him by saying, “God if you do _____, I promise I will do _____.” However, it is natural and good when going through troubling times to make a deeper commitment to the Lord and even make a specific vow to Him.

So what vows have you made while going through difficult times? Are you following through with those commitments? Or perhaps you are facing some challenging times right now. Is God calling you to make a specific vow to Him? If so, what?

⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

November 2, 2020: The Outcome of This Election

By tomorrow evening we will know who our next president will be and the make-up of our new congress (although if the election is close, it may take days before we discover the final results). Until that time some of us may feel anxious as we await the results. But here are four predictions/truths which can give you peace during this time:

God is sovereign. Whatever happens, we know that God is in control of all things. Contrary to our human perception, the final decision in this election will not be determined solely by the majority vote, but rather by the sovereignty of God.

Our citizenship is in heaven. Our ultimate hope is not in a specific candidate nor in a certain political party, but rather our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His kingdom. Thankfully, we who know Jesus are citizens of that kingdom (Philippians 3:20). Consequently, our first allegiance and our true confidence is not in this country nor in democracy itself, but rather it is in the rule and reign of Christ our King. His rule, His reign, as well as God’s Kingdom itself has already been inaugurated because Jesus has already come and His Spirit lives in us. The kingdom of heaven will not be fully realized until Christ comes again, but since it has already begun, we can have confidence in this eschatological hope.

Our immediate hope for our nation is for spiritual awakening. The real solution to the problems and challenges which currently face our country is not political, but spiritual. America is great only because God has blessed us. Our forefathers recognized this truth which is reflected in our nation’s motto “In God we trust.” No laws or government policies can change and turn the hearts of people toward God. Only through a God-ordained, spiritual awakening will America truly change and turn back to the true source of our nation’s greatness.

God will be glorified. Amidst the uncertainty of these elections, there is one thing of which we can be certain. In the end, God will be glorified. In Psalm 46:10, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” God’s declaration was true back then, it is still true today, and it will continue to be true tomorrow. God will be glorified! You can take that one to the bank!

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav'nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shall you better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast'ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last

October 6, 2020: Getting lost in our little caves

In the fictional book that Ollie and I are reading, our current chapter is about a couple who are enticed to explore a cave. They are so fascinated by its beauty that they literally run through its passages while admiring its beauty. But then their flashlight goes out and they find themselves in total darkness, not able to find their way out.

It’s a great paradigm for our lives. We can get so caught up in this life and in this world, that like that couple, we get lost in our own little caves. We forget that there is a greater spiritual reality that God calls us to consider. We can be extremely myopic in our vision, focusing on temporal things like our possessions, our homes, our finances, our hobbies, and our careers. These things are not bad in and of themselves, but Jesus calls us to a greater vision—the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls us to live for the things that will count for eternity!

When I think of the apostle Paul, he modeled a life lived for eternity. Listen again to what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19-27:

¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul knew that in the end, every single person on this earth will face judgement. Either they will be acquitted through their faith in Jesus Christ or they will be sentenced to a life separated from God for eternity. That truth drove Paul to do everything he could to see people come into the Kingdom.

In addition, like an athlete who is single-minded in purpose and discipline, Paul also lived his life for the eternal rewards that awaited him in heaven. Amidst this temporal world, he never lost sight of eternity. He lived, not as a man running aimlessly, not as a boxer just beating the air, but rather he weighed out all his decisions in light of receiving God’s commendation before His throne.

So how about you? Do you have a heart for those who do not know Christ? Do you do all things for the sake of the gospel? Who and what are you running for today? Perhaps God is calling you to come out of your cave and into the light of His Kingdom!

September 15, 2020: Faith Precedes Obedience

An article from Covenant Eyes citing data from 2018 reported these sobering statistics:

• In 2007, global porn revenues were estimated at $20 billion, with $10 billion in the U.S
• Free websites comprise between 70-80% of the adult material online, typically used as “bait” for pay websites, guiding viewers to premium pay services
• Webroot Cybersecurity says that 28,258 users are watching pornography every second; $3,075.64 is spent on porn every second on the Internet; 40 million Americans regularly visit porn sites
• In 2017, one of the most popular worldwide porn sites claimed to have 28.5 billion annual visits to the website with 81 million daily average visits

This past Sunday I mentioned that one of my aha moments in my own personal struggles with pornography as a young Christian was the realization that when faced with sexual temptation, my questions were too short-sighted. I would ask myself, “Should I or should I not obey God? If I obey God, I would please Him. But if I disobey God, I can experience pleasure. Hmm, what should I do?” 

That first question of whether or not to obey God and please Him in and of itself is not a bad question. In fact, it’s a great question. But I needed to take it a step further. I needed to ask not only the obedience question, but the faith question. What do I mean by that?

As I mentioned last Sunday, in John 15:9-11 Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (ESV)

God’s commands are given that we might fulfill our purpose of glorifying Him. But in addition, Jesus says that every command which God gives us is ultimately for our best. His commands are given that we might experience the love of Jesus and that our joy may be made full. Scripture is realistic in stating that there is a passing pleasure of sin, but true, lasting joy comes from staying in the bounds of God’s commands.

Therefore, one of the questions I needed to ask myself was this: “Do I believe God when He says I can choose to experience the passing pleasure of sin which is followed by the destructive consequences of sin, or do I want to deny myself now, but experience long-term, lasting, full joy later on?” It’s like this: If someone were to offer you a juicy hamburger which has been tainted with E. coli which you could eat right now vs. the offer of a prime rib dinner later, which would you choose? When I think about the choice in that framework, the decision seems obvious.

However, note that this decision is not just a decision of obedience, it’s a decision of faith. Do I trust God when He says He wants my best? Do I trust Jesus that He truly wants my joy to be made full? Do I trust Jesus when He promises that saying “no” to passing pleasure is to say “yes” to true, lasting joy? Do I really believe that if I obey God, I will look back and be so thankful that I said “yes” to God and “no” to sin?

So when you are faced with temptation—like the temptation to click on that internet pic that you know will take you to a site you should not be on—don’t just ask yourself the obedience questions, ask the faith questions!

PS- Let me encourage you to memorize John 15:9-11 and claim that full joy!

September 8, 2020: Roots

I remember when I was younger watching the miniseries “Roots” on TV. It’s about a young African Mandinka warrior named Kunte Kinte who is captured and sold into slavery. The miniseries then follows his story and the story of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Throughout the miniseries, amidst the horrible mistreatment and injustice which these slaves endure, they are reminded to remember their roots—that they are decedents of the noble Kunte Kinte, a proud Mandinka warrior.

Similarly, in 1 Corinthians Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have forgotten who they are. They have forgotten their position in Christ. Listen again to his exhortation:

² Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!....⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:2-11)

Paul is expounding on what Jesus taught about His Kingdom—that the Kingdom of God is already, but not yet. We call this “inaugurated eschatology,” which means that the Kingdom of God has already been introduced through Christ’s first coming, but it won’t be consummated until Christ comes again.

In the meantime, we are living as if we are in a time warp. We are really citizens of heaven—people whose identity finds its roots in the past salvific work of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, yet whose full identity will not be completely experienced until the future kingdom of God is fully established, and yet who are called to live out of that new identity in the present age.

But just as the world shouted to Kunte Kinte and his descendants that they were inferior, mere slaves and chattel of their harsh owners, so too the world around us constantly tells us that we too are just slaves to sin and mere pawns of the random circumstances that control our lives.

But if we are going to rise above our sin and our circumstances, we must remember who we really are. We are children of the eternal King, sons and daughters whose adoption has been purchased by saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who through the work and power of His Spirit who now lives in us, has granted to us all the rights and privileges of our citizenship in heaven!

So today, remember who you really are and live out of that identity!

September 2, 2020: Fretting vs. Trusting

Every summer I take a 3-day personal and planning retreat alone in Wisconsin. During my time last month, I sensed that God highlighted and spoke to me through Psalm 37. 

David is in the latter part of his life. He is looking back on his life and reflecting on the faithfulness of God amidst the difficult struggles he had experienced.

Three times in the psalm God instructs us to “fret not.” Technically the context is in relation to the evildoers who are prospering. But I think the exhortation applies to all of us—especially to those of us who have the “gift” of fretting over all sorts of potential troubles. Fretting is like riding a stationary bike. We pedal and pedal, going round and round; we exhaust all sorts of mental and emotional energy, but we get absolutely nowhere. But then the next day we climb on that same bike and repeat the process all over!

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

So the next time you are tempted to climb on that stationary bike of fretting, instead take a moment to be still, to trust in the Lord, and then to resolve to wait patiently for Him in faith. He will not let you down! He won’t always bring deliverance in the way that you desire, but He will never ever let you down. It’s a promise that David says you can take to the bank!

August 25, 2020: Rioting in Kenosha & Racial Justice

I am all for racial equality. And I believe we as a church should take a strong stance against racial discrimination. In fact, if you missed my 3-part series on "The Injustice of Racial Discrimination,” I encourage you to listen to it.

However, what I see in the news regarding the rioting in Kenosha in response to Jacob Blake once again concerns me. Let me reiterate some things we touched on in that 3-part series:

1) Reserve judgment until all the facts are known. Granted, what we see on the news in those video clips is concerning. But true justice means we gather all the facts before passing judgement. A 20-second video clip does not capture all the facts. For instance, several online news articles have mentioned that court records document that on July 6, Jacob Blake was charged with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. An arrest warrant was issued for Blake the following day. This does not mean that the police were justified in the current shooting. If the police actions were uncalled for, they should and must be held accountable. However, my guess is that there is much more to this story than the short video clip which continues to be aired. Btw-I find it interesting that numerous TV news channels have highlighted the positive things that Blake’s relatives have done. Some have also highlighted the positive things that Jacob Blake himself has done. But none of them (at least the news reports that I have watched) said anything about his arrest warrant in July. 

¹³ If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.

¹⁷ The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.

2) We must clearly condemn the violence and looting. As I mentioned in that 3-part series, justice is never an excuse for committing injustice. I have noticed multiple TV news channels interviewing people who basically defend the violence and looting saying that if this is what it takes to get the country to do something, then so be it. But the news has not highlighted the store owners (some who I presume may be of color) who have suffered the injustice of looting and fires. Nor have I seen any news feeds interview the police who have been injured due to things like fireworks aimed at them and bottles thrown at them. Justice is never an excuse for committing injustice.

¹⁵ The simple believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.

¹⁶ The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
    but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.

¹⁷ A quick-tempered person does foolish things,
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.

¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

3) We must banner racial equality, stand against racial injustice, but we must also banner personal responsibility. We must stand with those who are victims of injustice; however, we must be sure that they truly are victims. We live in a culture where people are quick to identify themselves as victims, as well as observers who are just as quick to give them sympathy. But unfortunately, the need for personal responsibility can be overshadowed by shouts of injustice. In order for true reform to achieve racial equality, we must banner both justice and personal responsibility. I wish news channels would highlight the African American leaders who banner both.

Again, let me be clear: We as a church need to stand for racial equality and against racial discrimination. But the current reactions to the Jacob Blake case seem to once again blur justice and injustice.

For further thought, let me again encourage you to listen to my 3-part message series on “The Injustice of Racial Discrimination.”

August 18, 2020: Living as Pneuma People

This past Sunday Tim Olsen talked about the distinction that 1 Corinthians 3 makes between “sarx” people vs. “pneuma” people. “Sarx” means physical, fleshly, (it’s where we get the English word “sarcoma.”) “Pneuma” means “spiritual” (the word means “spirit, air, breath;” where we get the English words “pneumatic” and “pneumonia.”) Sarx people live according to the flesh and to this world, while pneuma people live according to the Spirit.

In John 3, Jesus makes a similar contrast in his conversation with Nicodemus. He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh [sarx], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [Pneuma]. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

However, as Tim pointed out last Sunday, while Jesus was making a contrast between believers and unbelievers, Paul was primarily addressing believers. In essence, Paul is saying to the believers in Corinth, that outwardly, they were living just like unbelievers.

And so here’s a challenging question for all of us to ask ourselves: Does my life reflect the supernatural power, transformation, and leading of the Holy Spirit in such a way that my life is distinctly different from the people of this world?

When you read the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is mentioned throughout the book. In fact, there are about 55 references to the Holy Spirit! Acts not only chronicles the beginning of the church and the ministry of the apostle Paul, it is also a description of pneuma people living in the power of the Holy Spirit as they impact the lives of the sarx people all around them. I love the description of Paul and his teammates by the religious leaders in Acts 17:6, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also!”

One of my personal goals this ministry year is to spend the first 5-10 minutes when I awake simply reflecting on who God is and asking Him to fill me afresh with His Spirit. I want to live each day in the supernatural power and leading of the Holy Spirit!

But what if we each did that? What if every one of us who calls Hope his/her church were to establish that habit of every morning focusing on God and asking Him to fill us afresh with His Spirit, and then to go through our day walking in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit? Perhaps we too would see God use us to turn our world upside down! So will you join me? Let’s live our lives as pneuma people!

July 28, 2020: Our New Identity

The truth is that we all are a work in progress! Last Sunday I talked about positional sanctification versus progressive sanctification. If you missed our worship service, you can view it on YouTube.

Positional sanctification is how God views us. Like justification, God declares us not only righteous, but also holy and set apart in Christ. At the same time, we are called to take personal action and pursue holiness. That’s progressive or experiential sanctification. It’s growing in Christ because we are all “a work in progress.”

But what we do and experience in progressive sanctification is only possible because of what God has accomplished in Christ for us in achieving our positional sanctification. One day, when either Christ returns or when we are called home to be with Him, our positional sanctification and progressive sanctification will coincide and there will be no discrepancy between the two.

But in the meantime, while we are still living our life now, God says that we need to begin to see ourselves in our new identity. In many ways, we become who we really think we are. That’s not just worldly psychology, it’s a Biblical principle. So on the one hand, we need to recognize that we are still sinners saved by grace. But on the other hand, we need to embrace our new identity as children of God, holy and beloved, completely righteous and sanctified in Christ.

Here are some other verses to ponder that talk about our new identity in Christ. These are from Neil Anderson’s book “Freedom in Christ”:

• John 1:12- I am God's child
• Romans 5:1- I have been justified
• Romans 6:1-6- I have died to sin’s power and rule
• 1 Corinthians 6:17- I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit
• 2 Corinthians 5:14,15- I have the righteousness of God in Christ
• Ephesians 1:1- I am a saint
• Colossians 1:13- I have been transferred into the kingdom of light
• Colossians 2:10 - I am complete in Christ

• Romans 8:1,2- I am free from condemnation
• 1 Corinthians 1:30- I have been placed into Christ
• 2 Corinthians 1:21- I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God
• Ephesians 1:13,14- I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit
• Philippians 3:20- I am a citizen of heaven
• Colossians 3:1-4- I am hidden with Christ in God

• 1 Corinthians 3:16- I am God's temple
• 2 Corinthians 5:17- I am a new creation
• Ephesians 1:3- I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing
• Ephesians 2:6- I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm
• 1 Peter 2:9,10- I am part of God’s chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people belonging to God
• 1 Peter 1:4- I am partaker of the divine nature

July 21, 2020: J. I. Packer

Chapter one of Packer’s book begins with a quote from C. H. Spurgeon:

“On 7 January 1855 the minister of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, opened his morning sermon as follows:

‘It has been said by someone that “the proper study of mankind is man”. I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his father.

There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise“. But when we come to this master-science… no subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, then thoughts of God….

But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe… The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.’”

“Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God Himself [better]. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God’s attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As He is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so He must Himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God. It was for this purpose that revelation was given, and it is to this use that we must put it.

“How do we do this? How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is demanding, but simple. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.

“We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask; for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on one’s mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God‘s power and grace. It’s effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God‘s greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us— ‘comfort’ us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word— as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ…. And it is as we enter more and more deeply into this experience of being humbled and exalted that our knowledge of God increases, and with it our peace, strength, and our joy. God help us, then, to put our knowledge about God to this use, that we all may in truth ‘know the Lord’.”

Let me encourage you to read J. I. Packer’s book “Knowing God.” It’s not necessarily an easy nor quick read, but it will challenge you to go deeper in your knowledge and experience of God!

June 30, 2020: Understanding COVID19

Numbers, numbers, numbers….

Currently, the CDC says there have been 2.5 million cases with 126K deaths. Statistically, that is a mortality rate of around 5% (~1 out of 20). However, the good news is that the director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, said that the number of cases may be underestimated by as much as 10 times. This is due to a) there has been limited testing especially earlier in the pandemic, b) estimates of asymptomatic cases may account for around 44% of all cases. Hopefully this underestimation is true since the increase in the number of cases would significantly reduce the mortality rate in the US.

There is some debate on the US death count. Some say it is undercounted while others say it is overcounted (although to my knowledge, there has not been a reputable study showing that Medicare reimbursements to hospitals have resulted in significant overcounting).

Mortality rates of the virus do vary country by country due to numerous factors including methods of reporting. I remember when the pandemic first hit, I heard overall estimates of 2-3%. Currently, I find a number that is often used is around 1.3% which is still about 10 times the mortality rate of the flu. However, as this University of Washington study points out, these numbers are among those who show symptoms and does not account for those who are asymptomatic.

So let’s do some rough estimates. If the mortality rate of symptomatic cases is around 1.3%, and if an estimated 44% of all coronavirus cases are asymptomatic, then with a population of 329 million in the US, if 70% of our population contracts the virus, 129 million would be symptomatic resulting in the death of around 1.7 million people! That’s the bad news. The good news is that every month they are discovering new treatments that will hopefully bring down the mortality rate. Recently these include remdesivir and an already FDA approved steroid dexamethasone. But the ultimate medical hope is for a vaccine.

When I first heard of the term “herd immunity,” it was used negatively in reference to Sweden’s approach to COVID19. But since then I have learned that all countries are hoping to achieve herd immunity. The crucial question is how to achieve it.

Herd immunity occurs “when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.”

The percentage of needed immunity, referred to as “threshold proportion,” depends on the disease. For instance, the measles which is highly contagious, requires a threshold of 94% (i.e. 94% of the population needs to be immune). Achieving threshold proportions can be accomplished in two ways or a combination of the two: a) by natural infection (allowing the virus to run its own course throughout a population) b) through vaccines. Btw- thankfully, today we have a measles vaccine that is about 97% effective which is why measles is not major issue in this country.

So what is the threshold proportion for COVID19? Current estimates are around 70% of the population. So even if a vaccine is only 70% effective, we could achieve herd immunity through the vaccine alone.

But what if the vaccine is only 60% effective? That would still significantly reduce the mortality rate. Granted an additional 10% of the population would need to get the virus to achieve the threshold. But if 44% of that 10% is asymptomatic, and if the mortality rate of the remaining 56% is 1.3%, the US death toll would be around 240K. That is still very high, but much better than 1.7 million. But if the vaccine is less effective, the death toll can climb significantly. All to say, the hope would be for a vaccine that would be highly effective.

Sweden has taken a much less stringent approach to this virus. They gave guidelines but not many government orders. As much as I think that the approach is riskier, and even though their death toll is currently significantly higher than their neighboring Scandinavian neighbors, scientifically we must reserve judgement until the end. Their claim is that if and when a vaccine is available, their death toll will be either similar or less than other countries, but with less economic impact. Therefore, we need reserve condemning or advocating this approach until more is known.

But we also need to remember that even if their approach is later deemed “successful,” it does not mean that every country should have adopted their approach, because each country is different. Population density is a large factor. The population of Sweden is 10 million people, with the largest city being 1.5 million people, which is comparable to San Antonio, Texas. (NYC alone is over 8 million). Our healthcare systems are also different. In addition, countries vary in their cultural values. For instance, I know that in Japan there is a much greater sense of group orientation and a veneration for the elderly than here in the US. All to say, how individuals respond to the pandemic can also greatly vary from country to country. My hunch is that if Tegnell, chief epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency were head of our US CDC, his plan would be significantly different than his plan for Sweden.

PS- Here are two balanced articles explaining the avoiding the spread of COVID19 and also understanding the use of masks. They are by Erin Bromage, a Comparative Immunologist and Professor of Biology (specializing in Immunology) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

June 23, 2020: Seeing the one amongst many, rather than the many through the one

When it comes to this topic of racial discrimination, I think it is very similar. One of the things that can highly influence a person’s opinions is the individual experiences that he/she has had with various people.

I’ve known numerous people who have had very positive experiences with African Americans. But unfortunately, some have had very negative experiences. Likewise, I also have known numerous African Americans who have had positive encounters with white individuals, but also those who have had very negative encounters. I’m sure the same can be said of those who have interacted with police.

These experiences can highly influence our view of the African American community, the white community, and/or the police. This is especially true when it comes to negative experiences. In addition, when there is limited contact with these various people groups, there is a greater chance that those limited negative experiences will significant color our view of that entire people group.

But when I think of Jesus’ interactions with the centurion, Nicodemus, Zacchaeus the tax collector, the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in the act of adultery, and others, Jesus did not treat them like the stereotypes embraced by many in the Jewish community, rather He saw them as unique individuals. And so He approached each individually with compassion and understanding, with grace and truth.

If we are to be salt and light to the world, we must follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Particularly when it comes to our negative experiences, we must see the one amongst many, rather than seeing the many through the one. As we do, not only can we turn the tide against racial discrimination, but we can also counter those negative experiences which people have had with Christians and churches. May it begin with us!

June 16, 2020: Do numbers lie?

This past Sunday, we looked at some very insightful verses in Proverbs 14:15-18

¹⁵ The simple believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.

¹⁶ The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
    but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.

¹⁷ A quick-tempered person does foolish things,
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.

¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

This is a call for us to be wise.  We must not just look on the surface of things, but seek knowledge to fully understand a matter in order to give thought to our steps. In this time of protestations against racial injustice, we need wisdom—God’s wisdom. This also means wisdom as we examine statistics.

In these past weeks, I have heard some of the same statistics used to make opposite points. For instance, I have heard some basically say, “Statistics tell us that a disproportionate number of African Americans are incarcerated. This shows that our justice system, including our police, widely practice racial discrimination.”

On the other hand, I have heard others basically say, “One of the reasons why we hear more about police brutality against African Americans is that police encounter African Americans a lot. In fact, statistics tell us that a disproportionate number of African Americans are incarcerated.”

It’s no wonder that in this country, we see people talking at each other, without hearing what the other side is saying!

I think we need to approach statistics like our approach to Scripture (Note: I am NOT saying that statistics are on par with the authority of Scripture!!!!). When studying Scripture, many would say there a 3 basic steps: Observation (what does the passage say), Interpretation (what does the passage mean), Application (how can we apply this passage in our lives). Where problems occur, it’s usually in the latter 2 steps:  interpretation and application.

I think the same can be said of statistics. Where the “lies” come into play is usually in the interpretation and application of the statistic. My sister who is a surgeon has often jokingly said, “Did you know that statistically, more people die in hospitals than in any other building/institution? Therefore, if you are really sick, the last place you want to go is to a hospital!”

So what is my point? Be wise. When you hear someone quote any statistic, pause and think, “Is this a correct interpretation of that statistic?” Ask further questions like, “Is this statistic a reflection of a cause, or an effect, or both?” And when evaluating the application from the statistic, ask, “Is this an overly simplistic view and application of this statistic? Are there more issues involved than what this person/newsfeed is considering?”

As I said these past two Sundays, I truly believe that racial discrimination is a problem in this nation that definitely needs to be addressed. But what we need is not just social media justice, not just 20-second news video justice, but careful, thoughtful justice and solutions that reflect God’s wisdom and the ethics of His Kingdom. Let’s continue to pray that God will raise up wise leaders who can and will make decisions that will lead us as a nation to rid this scourge of racial injustice.

June 2, 2020: Some initial thoughts on our nation’s unrest

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I watch the video clips of the deaths of both George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I listen to the injustices that African Americans experience and reflect on past stories that I have heard from friends who have personally experienced racial discrimination.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I watch the violence and the looting in our streets, as well as those who justify the chaos and defend the perpetrators, blaming their actions on society and/or government leaders.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I hear those who seem to ignore the injustices that continue to occur against people of color as if they really don’t happen.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I hear those who seem to downplay people’s need to take responsibility for the decisions they have made in their personal lives.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I listen to the political bantering on both sides of our political aisles blaming one another for the state of our country.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I listen to various government leaders who say things that only fuel the anger and division that plagues our nation.

I feel grief, anger, and concern as I listen to the news and sense a spinning of their reports either purposefully to the left or to the right.

But amidst the grief, anger, and concern, I am reminded that God is in control. And amidst the confusion, I hear the clarion voice of Scripture that all these disturbing issues are a result of a fallen world. And amidst feeling overwhelmed, I am reminded that we have great hope because the ultimate solution is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

It will only be when individuals are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, that local neighborhoods will be changed. And when local neighborhoods are changed, cities and states will change. And when states are changed, the country will be changed.

This is not to say that these issues are simple. Nor am I saying that further action is not needed. If William Wilberforce were here, I am sure he would say that we need to take action to address issues like racial injustice. But in the end, our ultimate hope is not in government, nor political parties and ideologies, nor in activist groups, nor in the media. Rather, it’s only as we and others are transformed by the life-changing gospel that true long-term change will occur.

Someone has said that the local church is the hope of the world. I totally agree. We have been entrusted with the gospel, the only true hope for lasting change. So let’s pray and ask God to use us to be salt and light in a world that is so broken and hurting. And may we have the courage to respond to God’s call to walk as children of the light, sharing the love of Christ with those all around us.