The Father’s Love

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This week’s post comes from Juliet Sharrow, my dear friend and assistant in ministry. Her story reveals God's great power to redeem. I pray that it will bless you and help you to know that you are never alone, no matter how desparately isolated you feel. No matter your circumstance, your Heavenly Father rejoices over you, and He will never abandon you. Be blessed, dear one.

 

Guest Author Juliet Sharrow

I was 21 and my life had spiraled into such a deep pit, I saw no way out. I was in pain, pain that I could not bear. All I wanted was someone to love me for me, to accept me the way I was.

I never felt loved as a child. I was never told I was pretty. No one told me I was good at anything. I felt unloved and ugly, like a failure.  And because of this, I did what failures often do. I made one bad choice after another trying to earn love and acceptance. By the age of 21, I was finished. I decided to kill myself.

I knew in my heart that no one would miss me. I knew that I was doing everyone a favor. I had convinced myself that this was the answer.  This would make the pain go away. I was desperate to make the pain go away!

Have you ever been there, my friend?  Willing to do anything to make the pain go away?  Maybe you didn’t resort to suicide for your way out. Perhaps you turned to alcohol to dull the pain, or drugs to help you forget, or maybe the arms of a man to try to fill the emptiness inside.

I saw death as my only escape, so I made up my mind and took a whole mix of pills.  I went to sleep knowing it would soon be over; I would never be in pain again!

But God had other plans for me. He sent paramedics to break down my door and save me from myself.

As I lay there fading in and out of consciousness, I heard singing!  Just one voice—a man’s voice—so tender and sweet, singing, “I will always love you . . . I will always love you . . . I will always love you . . . yes, I will!”

 Zephaniah 3:17 teaches,

" . . . He will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

I should have died that day. The doctors did not understand how I made it. But I did.

You might think at this point I surrendered to God. No, not me!  Instead I knew I deserved to be punished, not just for trying to take my own life, but for all the bad choices I had made, for all the times I had turned from God and went my own way. And so I ran, right into the arms of an abusive man.

When he hit me that first time, I knew I deserved it. I deserved every beating, every broken bone—every humiliation! For almost 3 years I was beaten every day, and I would think, maybe today he'll kill me.

Then God sent me a precious gift, a life saving gift. He sent me a son.  And how I loved that child! I took many beatings to protect him. I cried out to God to save him from my fate. And one day the revelation came. I would do anything for this child, and he deserved a better life than this. I loved him so much I'd die to save him, and that's when God spoke into my heart, "Don't you see? That's how much I love you. I gave up MY son for you!" 

I thought of John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son…” And I realized God was saying He so loved Juliet that He gave His only son to die for me!  He loved me enough to sacrifice His son for me!

I had never believed that God could love me unconditionally, because I did not understand unconditional love.  I had never known that kind of love.  I never knew my real father, and the man who raised me was strict and unloving, even cruel at times.  He was always condemning, punishing, and berating, never forgiving and loving. So I thought my heavenly father must be the same.

That day God revealed to me how much He loved me, and He showed me He’d always been there. He reminded me how He had sung over me as I tried to take my own life.  He reminded me that He would always love me, no matter how far away I ran, or how many times I turned my back on Him, or how many bad choices I made!  

Having my son showed me what unconditional love was for the first time. And so my love for my son saved my life in more ways than one. I found the strength to leave my abuser. I found new life and love in the arms of my heavenly Father, love no one on earth could give me.   And God showed me there was purpose in all my pain.

Do you know the Father’s love, my friend?  Have you allowed Him to sing over you?  

Trusting When You Can’t See

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Hello, dear one! Please pray for me as I meet with the Lord to finish a new writing project. May His words flow through my heart and to the pages, and may He use this work to draw His people to Himself. I will be writing posts again soon, but in the meantime, I’m excited to share some guest posts over the next few weeks. I pray their words will bless you.

Today’s post comes from Susan Stilwell, a Bible teacher and writer from Roanoke, VA. She’s also a beloved family member!  Visit her blog to read more of her encouraging words.

Guest Author Susan Stilwell [www.susanstilwell.com]

Soon after we lifted off the runway, dense fog swallowed our twin-engine aircraft.  I tried to regain my bearings by looking down toward the ground, then out over the wing of the plane. But everywhere I looked, white. Nothing but white.

I love to travel and I especially love air travel, but I have to admit that I don’t love flying in bad weather. I especially hate flying in foggy conditions. My cool-as-a-cucumber husband sits reading his book while I close my eyes and pray until I can see something.

Before we were married, my husband had a pilot’s license and flew regularly. He was training to get his instrument rating when he decided there were a lot of other ways he could spend his money besides flying.

Steve learned a lot during his flight training, and one of the most important lessons was to trust his instruments. Finely tuned and precise, the instruments show the exact bearing of the aircraft based on conditions such as air pressure, air density, magnetic compass, etc. Those readings are critical to pilots because they can’t always trust what they see.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ~Hebrews 11:1

Walking with the Lord can be like flying a plane. Sometimes we can see where we’re headed and know which adjustments to make, but other times we feel like we’re in a fog and have no idea which direction we’re going. During those times it’s critical that we have something we can trust to guide us.

God’s Word can serve as the control panel for our lives. When we can’t see a clear path, we don’t have to panic and become disoriented. Verses like these can be the gauges that guide us through our fog:

  • God is faithful (Deut 31:8)
  • He provides (Phil 4:19)
  • He leads us (Is 30:21)
  • He gives us peace (Phil 4:8)
  • He is omniscient (Rom 8:28)

By faith, we can trust that everything is moving according to God’s timetable. And when the time is right, we know He’ll bring us out of the fog.

Until then, we trust the gauges and promises in His Word.

For personal reflection:

What are some of your favorite “gauge” verses?

The Unfamiliar Path

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“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 

The unfamiliar path. Some face it with excitement, anticipation kindled by the prospect of discovery. Many dare not tread upon it. They fear what they do not know.

Fear does strange things to us. It turns sound thinking into irrational folly. It can cause us to make destructive choices. It robs us of peace.

Fear of the unknown is no different. Consider the abused woman who chooses to remain with her abuser. At least with him she knows what to expect. The lure of freedom offers her no such security. She cannot see how she can survive on her own. So she chooses familiarity over uncertainty, even at great cost.

Have you imprisoned yourself within the boundaries of the familiar? What will it cost you?

We serve a God who specializes in surpassing what we can conceive (1 Corinthians 2:9). That’s what makes pursuing His will so glorious; it’s so much better than ours.

Christ offers a way to overcome our fear and discover the extraordinary. He has come to empower each of us to leave our dark burdens and step into the light of freedom. But like the abused woman who is too afraid to change her circumstances, we often fight Him because of our fear. We prefer the comfort of the familiar over the uncertainty of a new path.

When we allow fear to stop us from stepping into God’s promises, we ignore a fundamental truth: God is love (1 John 4:16). He doesn’t just possess love; He is love. And because God’s love is not just a feeling but rather who He is, He cannot take action without demonstrating it. He will always display His love through what He does.

That truth, dear one, applies to you. God will pour out His love for you through every action He takes in your life. And because His love is perfect and unfailing, it holds the power to overcome your fear.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

Your loving God beckons you down a path to freedom. Though the trail is unfamiliar, it remains certain. God’s presence removes your fear of the unknown from the equation. The outcome of this path is sure. He will prosper you as you walk along it. What’s more, you will never travel His path alone.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

The Lord, your God, will never forsake you. His promises are true. You have no need to fear. He will lead you on the path to freedom and glory. He will go before you to prepare the way, and He will remain with you to guard your feet from stumbling. He will also pick you up when you succumb to fear and doubt and fall. You will discover the wondrous beauty of His perfect love.

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

I have stood at the edge of the unfamiliar path and chosen to trust my Jesus. As I have walked with Him, He has kept His promises, proving Himself faithful and true. He has shown me my blindness and empowered me to see. When I have stumbled in the darkness, He has cast His light so I would know where to step. He has never left me, and I am certain He never will.

How am I so certain, dear one?  I gave Him the opportunity to prove Himself.

Oh, the glory of perfect love. You will never know it until you choose to trust it.

The enemy of your soul would have you fear the unfamiliar path. He knows that as you walk down it he will lose his stranglehold upon your heart. His power lies in fear, doubt, and deception. Allow Christ’s perfect love to cast out your fear, beloved. Join Jesus on the path to glory!

Choosing Life

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This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 

Choice. The great gift our Creator bestowed into the heart of mankind so that we might offer love freely became the cause of our distance from Him. You know the story. Adam chose to neglect God’s way and sought his own instead. We all know how that turned out.

I can’t imagine the aching regret that must have consumed him as he experienced each new consequence resulting from his choice: separation from God, nakedness, shame, sorrow, fear, and blame to name a few. Far worse must have been the agony of watching his sin play out in the lives of his sons. He stood powerless as sin’s cords entangled the heart of his firstborn, giving birth to jealousy, rage, and even death.

Adam discovered a hard-learned lesson that we would be wise to heed. Our choices always have consequences.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8

Each decision we make results in either life or death, each choice a crossroads marking paths to redemption or destruction. Our Creator beckons us toward life, offering His Son as the truth and the way we can follow to restoration. Yet all the while the serpent draws us into his will with half-truths and deceitful promises, and our sinful nature convinces us to believe him.

That, dear one, is why salvation must come through faith in Jesus.

Who will you trust to be the author of your steps, beloved? Will you trust Jesus, who offers the path to abundant life (John 10:10), or will you continue to follow the path lit by your sinful flesh and bound to the will of the prince of darkness (2 Timothy 2:26)?

It seems an easy question. Of course God’s is the better path! And many claim that they will follow Jesus on the path to life. But when faced with the reality of living out that choice, their resolve fades. The familiar voice of the enemy continues to call and they find themselves making the same destructive choices Adam made.

Consider the whole of Jeremiah 6:16,

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

Where do you stand today, dear one? What choice lies before you that holds the power of life and death? Sometimes, it’s an obvious answer. Other times, it’s not so clear. But whatever your circumstance, God has your answer, and within it lies rest for your soul.

Jeremiah 6:16 offers the key to discovering God’s will at your crossroads. It lists four commands: stand, look, ask, walk.

  • Stand – The verb stand evokes two thoughts. First, standing involves stillness; it is a stationary action. Consider Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Before we move in any direction, we must be still, pausing to acknowledge the One who IS God.

Yet standing is also an action. One who stands isn’t idle or complacent, but ready to move when the time is right. Are you ready to take your stand?

  • Look – The second action offered in this verse is look. Hebrews 12:2 commands, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith . . .” As we pause at our crossroads we must look to the Son. He waits to lead us on the path to life.
  • Ask – Thirdly, we must ask for direction. God will never withhold Himself from a seeking heart. He desires to reveal His will, and He sent His Son to make a way for each of us to live out His purpose. 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives . . .” Matthew 7:7-8

  • Walk – Lastly, once we have heard from on high, we must choose to walk down the path He has revealed. James 1:22 reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Our ability to hear means nothing if we aren’t willing to also obey.

If you will take these four steps in obedience to God’s Word, He offers a glorious result: “you will find rest for your soul.” Four acts of obedience leading to one act of discovery, a discovery that is well worth the cost.

Your daily choices will profoundly impact not only our own life, but also the lives of your children and others who follow you. Like Adam, you will watch them reap from the seeds you sow. Let’s be deliberate about sowing seeds of life!

Before you take another step, stand still, look to Jesus, ask His direction, and then follow where He leads. His, after all, is the path to glory.

 

 

Independence Day

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Today we celebrate freedom from oppression, liberty purchased for us by the blood of those who came before. I am so thankful for their sacrifice, and for their part in establishing this great country where we can live in the freedom of democracy.

As we pause to reflect on our liberty, may we also remember another who bled for our freedom: the precious Son who gave His life as a ransom for many. Jesus suffered the cross so that we could live free.

Are you free, dear one? Have you left behind the shackles of past hurts?  Are you still locked in the bondage of controlling sin? Jesus shed His blood to purchase your release.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

We live in uncertain times. The face of liberty has changed in the United States of America. Perhaps you share concern over the direction our once great nation appears to be headed. Take heart! Hope looms on the horizon. Its power rests within hearts of the redeemed.

Consider God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14,

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

What if we celebrated this Independence Day by answering the Spirit’s call to revival?

It sounds good in theory. What Christian wouldn’t applaud the masses turning to the Lord in repentance? We love the concept, but we often ignore the means. You see, God desires to begin revival in you and me.

What if you chose to make it personal, to really believe the promises in God’s Word were meant for you? What if you really could be free and were able to experience the miracle of a transformed heart? What if your prayers actually could have the power to open the heavens?

He waits for you to trust Him, dear one. All of His promises are true. And they’re meant for you. I pray that this Independence Day will mark the beginning of your own journey to real freedom. May you become all that Jesus bled and died for you to be, and may you discover with joy that in Him, you really do have the power to change the world.

 

Convincing You of Righteousness

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They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.” Isaiah 45:24

It wasn’t one of my better days. It began as a delightful treat—an unexpected outing with my husband to check out a piece of furniture. It ended with me telling him I felt like throwing my phone at him.

I remember walking out of the store thinking, “What just happened?” And I really had no idea. Anger erupted out of me like someone had flipped a switch. And over what . . . a phone call? A tone of voice?

Let’s face it; the flesh is just plain ugly. In our unguarded moments, we can be capable of just about anything. And unfortunately, the selfish tirades of our flesh often end up directed at those we love the most. Oh, how we need a Savior!

Ah, but we have One. Jesus. And through Him, God did something wonderful.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus bled and died so that we could become righteousness. Did you get that? Maybe you should read it again. In Christ, we have been given a divine capacity for righteousness. He doesn’t ask us to imitate His righteousness; He asks us to exchange our old nature for His own (Ephesians 4:22-24). He promises to release us from the destructive nature of our flesh, and He sent us His Spirit to do the work. Celebrate 2 Corinthians 3:18,

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

It’s a great plan. Trouble is, we have a hard time seeing it come to light in us. We’d like to be different, but those old habits are difficult to break. The power of that sin nature seems so strong at times—too strong to overcome. So we reason that everyone slips up sometimes and resign ourselves to remaining unchanged.

Thank God for sending the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, who “convict[s] the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). 

We’re very familiar with the Spirit’s role in convicting us of our guilt over sin. It was He who whispered into my heart in that furniture store, “What would people think of Me if they were watching you right now, beloved?” His words pierced my heart and resulted in confession to both God and my husband.

But what about His role in convicting—or convincing—us of our guilt in regard to righteousness and judgment? Verses 10-11 reveal some powerful truths that can help us to walk in victory and live as overcomers. Let’s begin with John 16:10:

“in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer.”

What is Jesus doing right now before the Father? He’s interceding for us (Romans 8:34). Remember, Jesus bore our sin so we could bear His righteousness. Now when the Father looks at us, He no longer sees our sin ravaged flesh. He sees His Son.

I wish I could say the same about us. We still tend to see ourselves as we were— unrighteous sinners— rather than the pure and holy vessels we have become. And so we act like it. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).

But Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to change our view. We are already righteous! Our thoughts just need to catch up with our reality. So the Spirit of Truth works within our hearts to convince us of our righteousness in Christ.

Verse 11 gets me even more excited.

“11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

Look at the target of the judgment described. It’s not you, dear one. This judgment is against the prince of this world. And notice something else. Jesus isn’t describing a judgment to come; this judgment has already taken place: the prince of this world now stands condemned.

Rejoice over Colossians 2:13, 15:

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins . . . And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

The enemy of your soul has been judged. He has been disarmed, beloved, and any power he exercises over you is nothing but a lie. Your sin isn’t stronger than Jesus; Jesus has already conquered your sin. What remains now is for you to believe it.

And that’s where the Spirit becomes strength in your weakness. He convinces you of your righteous standing before God and of the victory you’ve already been given. Then He provides you with the power to live like the righteousness you are.

No wonder Jesus told us He was sending the Counselor for our good. Perhaps it’s time we believed Him.

Lifting the Veil

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“When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:8

We have no idea how very desperately we need a Savior. And that, dear one, is precisely why He came.

One of my friends used to have a saying, “I just want to be in the happy place.” It was her way of expressing, “I’d rather not deal with this right now.” When difficulty would come, it was easier to just pretend everything was fine and get on with being happy. At times the illusion seemed far more inviting than her reality.

All of us can relate on some level. We often want to run from uncomfortable truths, and many of us do. But don’t we at least deserve the right to choose?

The enemy of our souls doesn’t think so. And because of that, the vast majority of people spend their lives embracing an illusion instead of facing the reality of their dire circumstance. Unfortunately for them, they don’t know any better. They’ve been deceived.

Have you ever wondered at Jesus’ teaching in John 6:44?

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Scripture states that we are unable to come to Jesus unless the Father has drawn us to Him. This means we can only find Jesus and attain salvation in response to the invitation of God. We will not simply stumble upon the truth or decide we need redemption. God must pursue us, reveal truth to us, and then empower us to receive it. Consider Jesus’ words from John 6:65,

“ . . . no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

Why would God need to enable us to come to Jesus?

The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 4:4. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

People are incapable of seeing the truth of the Gospel on their own. They won’t seek salvation because they can’t understand that they need it. No wonder Jesus could cry out on the cross on behalf of His accusers, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). They couldn’t know. Their minds were held captive by the deceiver. Praise God that Jesus bled and died to set captives free!

We cannot free ourselves from the deception, and we can’t free anyone else. We’ll never talk someone into faith in Jesus without a work of grace produced in his or her heart by the Spirit of Truth. He alone enables us to see and understand. He alone has the power to lift the veil on the enemy’s deceptions, and one of His primary tasks is convincing us of our “guilt in regard to sin” (John 16:8).

I remember the day He convinced me. I had grown up in church my whole life. As a child, I had followed someone through the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus to be my Savior. It seemed the logical thing to do because everyone else around me had done it. And I certainly didn’t want to go to hell if it existed.

So for years, I went through the motions of going to church and trying to be a good person. Then I had my first son and something began to tug incessantly at my heart. I reasoned that I should probably try to become “more spiritual” for his sake, so I joined a Bible study and set about doing my lessons.

I wasn’t looking for it when it happened. I was simply trying to finish my homework so no one would see the blanks in my book when we met the next time. But God had plans for this lost and wandering sheep. Four words stared back at me from the page seeking response: Do you love Jesus?

The question should’ve been easy to answer, and I tried to. But my hand began to tremble as a fresh revelation dawned on me. The Spirit of Truth invaded my thoughts and allowed me to see what He saw. I didn’t love Him.

I had thought I did. I’m sure I’d said it a hundred times in my twenty-six years, because I knew it was the right answer. But this time, the Spirit lifted the veil so I could see the truth about myself, and I realized I had been a pretender, living a lie. I couldn’t love Jesus because I didn’t even know Him. But I realized something else that day that was even more important: I wanted to. And so, undone by the Holy Spirit in my living room, I confessed my sin, exited the kingdom of darkness and gave my life to Jesus. I have never been the same.

Have you had your encounter with the Holy Spirit, dear one? Does your Christianity bear the marks of religious chains, or a transforming work of grace?

If you’re not certain, ask the Lord of Glory to reveal Himself to you. He will never withhold Himself from a seeking heart. In fact, He’s the One stirring you to seek Him. And when you do, He promises,

“I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.” Jeremiah 29:14

He will lift the veil for you to see, piercing darkness with glory and disclosing your truth. And then, you have a choice to make. Will you step into the light and head toward Jesus? Or will you prefer to remain in the darkness (John 3:19-20)?

Through His work on the cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has restored your right to choose, but ultimately the decision rests with you. Choose life, beloved, and experience the promise of 2 Corinthians 3:17:

“ . . . where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom .”

Embracing the Spirit of Truth

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13

I sat with my Bible and my journal, eager to spend some time with the Lord. Well, that’s what I told myself anyway. I really just wanted to feel better.

“Here I am Lord,” I wrote. Worship music filtered through my headphones while my pen scratched out the words. A song began to invade my thoughts and my mind tuned to the lyrics, “All we need is you.” Instantly, conviction pierced my heart with the unsettling knowledge that I didn’t agree. At least not today. Today I needed more than Jesus. I needed Him to fix things.

I felt compelled to confess. “I’m sorry Lord. I want you to be enough, but this is too much . . . ”

A jagged scar from an old wound had just been torn open. The familiar longing for acceptance tugged at my heart and cried out for satisfaction. Rejection had found me again. But this time, it had come for my son.

That changes things. I can handle the battle when I’m at the heart of it. I’ve learned to trust God’s plans for me even when I can’t make sense of them. But it’s different for my kids. I can’t be expected to idly watch one of my precious ones suffer.

And then the Spirit lifted the veil so I could see. Realization dawned, penetrating my grief with this truth. God knew. He understood rejection. He understood the pain of seeing His Son cast aside. Of wanting the world to recognize His great value, yet seeing it deny Him. 

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John 1:11

Today, I knew His suffering. I felt His pain. How the Father must have wept when they rejected Jesus. How He still must weep as we repeatedly devalue His only begotten Son. The Son He loves. The Son He gave.

I asked God to speak . . . to help me trust Him with my own son’s fragile heart . . . to know that His plans for Him are far greater than my own.

And once again, the Spirit reminded me of truth. God never allows suffering for its own sake. Suffering, dear one, is the path to glory.

“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:13 

God has glory to reveal in the life of my son.

I sat in the stillness, pen in hand, and listened, inviting the Spirit to show me my son’s truth. Soon my hand was moving once more across the page.

He is mine, beloved. Just as you are mine. I AM greater than his pain . . . than your pain. You will soon see.

A promise. I thought of Abraham, and how fearful he must have felt as he placed his son, Isaac, upon that altar. I imagine he lifted him there with trembling hands and a breaking heart. But place him there, he did. And Isaac received the blessing of his father’s promise.

God has spoken blessings over my son as well. I will not withhold him from the God who loves him even more than I do. I lift him to the Father with open hands so that he may receive His promise. How thankful I am for the Spirit of Truth.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 

Glory!

 

Grace for the Moment

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Do you ever feel like less than a conqueror? I do. In fact, I visit that place far more frequently than I would like to; I was there a few days ago.

I can’t even explain to you how it happened. No earth-shattering event crashed in on me. Rather, it was lots of little things. One tiny frustration after another until the pile got so heavy I felt crushed under it. And to be honest, I wanted out. I didn’t want to do “ministry” anymore.

I wish I could say it was the first time I’ve felt that way, but it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong. I love sharing God’s truth with anyone who will listen, and seeing Christ work His transforming power in a life lifts my heart in ways I can’t express. But intermingled with the many blessings of touching lives with Glory come many challenges and frustrations. And through it all, the constant hiss of the serpent sows seeds of doubt . . . and tells me to run. “Who do you think you are? Your life would be so much easier if you quit.”

I’m not alone. Scripture tells us that Elijah, one of the great Old Testament prophets through whom God revealed Himself, had moments when standing up for the LORD he served didn’t seem worth it. In fact, right after God displayed His power mightily through him by consuming a water soaked altar with blazing fire and defeating 450 prophets of Baal, we read,

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life . . .  He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life . . .” 1 Kings 19:3-4

You see, we say that if we could just see God move in the miraculous ways described in the Bible it would give us the boost we need to keep going. We think that if we saw what the OT prophets saw—or even what the Disciples saw—we would have the strength to persevere with boldness. Yet Elijah witnessed marvelous displays of God’s power . . . so did the Disciples. And all of them ran when it got hard (Mark 14:50).

It isn’t witnessing external works that will give us the strength to stand, beloved. It’s grace, poured out for the moment, that causes buckled knees to rise. Strength and sustenance loosed by God’s hand restores, renews and enables. We don’t need to see more works; we need grace. We must learn to draw on the Spirit Jesus sent us to strengthen us in our weakness.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12-13,

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

The thought seems absurd to the natural mind. To experience equal contentment from both nourishment and hunger? Whether having plenty or suffering abundant need?

Yet Scripture offers this secret to contentment in any and every situation. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Consider Max Lucado’s description of the apostle who penned those words. (Grace for the Moment, p. 328)

Peer into the prison and see [Paul] for yourself: bent and frail, shackled to the arm of a Roman guard. Behold the apostle of God. . . .

Dead broke. No family. No property. Nearsighted and worn out. . . .

At times his heart was so heavy, Paul’s pen drug itself across the page.

We might not find ourselves shackled in a prison cell like Paul. But when oppression comes, the black hole it creates feels as real and constricting as a locked cell. And we can’t free ourselves. But, praise Jesus, He can.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 teaches,

But we have this treasure [the Holy Spirit] in jars of clay [our human bodies] to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

I’ve journeyed far enough with Jesus to know that the victory is worth the battle. As the overwhelming desire to run crashed in on me last week, I decided I would. But I didn’t run away from the ministry God has called me to. No, I ran straight to Jesus.

I wept with Him. I told Him how I felt, although I know He already knew. And I asked for His help. For strength to go on. For peace to revive my soul.

As I knelt in prayer, my eyes rested on a devotional book someone gave me that sits on a table in my bedroom. I felt compelled to open it for the very first time. It was written for each day of the year, and I opened the book to that day’s date. I saw these words at the top of the page:

“You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God.” 1 Peter 2:9

I felt His presence pour over me and wash me in His love. I read further, and the oppression began to lift, pushed out by the all-encompassing presence of the God who fills.

He’d always been there. I just forgot to quiet myself so I could see Him. I let the onslaught of frustrations get me down instead of letting Him lift them from me. I should’ve known better. A couple of months ago, He gave me this promise.

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

Now I rest, safely under the shelter of my strong tower. I think I’ll stay right here for a while.

You Will See Me

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“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.” John 14:19

Do you see Jesus, beloved? According to Jesus’ own words, that’s one of the rights and privileges of being His disciple. While the world cannot see Him, His followers can.

Perhaps that statement causes your eyebrows to rise in disbelief. Seeing Jesus was a blessing reserved for those who lived in His day, before He returned to the Father, right? How can we see Jesus? Yet before He left, He told His Disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.” John 14:18-19

I will admit to you that for many years I didn’t see Jesus. I went to church. I had memorized Scripture. I had followed someone through the recital of the “sinner’s prayer” and had asked Jesus to be my Savior, but I couldn’t see any evidence of Jesus at work in my life. It left me doubting my salvation and wondering if He was even real.

Can you relate to my experience? Do you see Jesus at work in and around you? Or are you left trusting that Jesus exists only because you’ve heard stories of how others have experienced Him? Are you secretly longing to have your own stories to share?

You, dear one, are meant to witness Jesus revealed in your life. That blessing is available to you by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus sent. Consider Jesus’ words from Luke 4:18.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.”

Jesus came to set the oppressed free and restore sight to the blind. His promise wasn’t only for those suffering the limitations of physical blindness. Jesus speaks that promise to you and me. The gift of the Spirit He sent us after His death and resurrection restores our spiritual sight.

How can you experience the revelation of Jesus in your life? Let’s see what Jesus had to say about it.

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14:21

Did you see His promise, dear one? Jesus claims He will love and reveal Himself to a very distinct group. He will show Himself to those who love Him.

Seeing Jesus isn’t about how often we go to church or how much Scripture we know. Seeing Jesus at work relates directly to the condition of our hearts.

If you want to see Jesus, He simply requires that you love Him. That was the part I missed all those years. All the ritual of religion couldn’t open my eyes to see what I desperately needed. I had to open my heart to Him. I had to love Him. And I had to demonstrate that love by walking in obedience to His commands as He led me.

Here’s the great news. Ezekiel 36:26-27 teaches,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

The ability to love and obey Jesus has been given to you by the Spirit Jesus sent. You need only ask Him to empower you to love Jesus as He deserves. The Spirit within you will “circumcise your heart” to love Him (Deuteronomy 30:6). And as you draw on His strength and submit to His authority, He will “move you to follow” His commands. As you follow Jesus through loving obedience, you will see Him revealed in your life.

Don’t settle for someone else’s experience of Jesus. Perhaps it’s time you had your own.