BE STRONG IN SUFFERING

 

Paul underscores suffering here (v.9).  At the center of the Christian faith stands a cross. Jesus summons us to come and die.  Yet, the great paradox is that in dying, we live (v.11)!

Weigh, the standard of suffering (v.8-9). “Remember Jesus Christ” as the supreme standard of suffering. He never asks us to go where He has not been. Paul was following in His Master’s steps up the Calvary Road. Even as Christ by His death conquered the power of death, Paul’s chains did not bind the Gospel, but liberated it. No grave could confine Christ and no prison can shackle the Gospel!  

So, we are called to the sharing of suffering (v.10-13).  Our vital union with Christ is underscored by the thrice repeated phrase, “with him.”  It is in union with Christ that we have His might to enable us.  So, here is the sequence: first, the cross and then the crown; first, pain and then the prize; first travail and then triumph!  The faithfulness of Christ within you, will keep you faithful.

THE BREAD OF LIFE: Jesus as the Sustainer of Life

Read John 6:48-58.

The focus here is provision.  As the Jews fed daily on the manna and it sustained them, so Jesus is to be the nourishment of our soul. Only as we feed on Him can we have satisfaction, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (v.27).

Consider the context of this teaching.  In chapter 6, thousands gathered to hear Jesus.  They become hungry, and all the food they could find was five loaves of bread and a couple of fish (v.9).  Then Jesus performs a miracle and multiplies the loaves and fish till all are fed and twelve baskets of leftovers are collected—one for each disciple!

The crowd went wild and wanted to crown Jesus as king (v.14-15).  Instead, Jesus walked away. Why?  He had not come to be a celebrity.  He had not come to be a Bread King for people who only cared about their physical life and had no concern for their soul (v.26).

Most people labor for the food that perishes—for the material things of this world. Jesus asked, “For what does it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). You can cram all this world offers into that hole in your soul, and nothing will satisfy you, for it is a God-shaped hole only He can fill.  Augustine said, “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.”

Taking in Jesus day by day—abiding in Him as our very life—not only is our source of satisfaction, but of strength.  His life produces power and productivity, just as bread sustains our physical life.  Look to Him, lean on Him today; Jesus is your life!

GRACE THAT STRENGTHENS US

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim.2:1)

Paul tells us that the source of our strength is the grace of God. We cannot stand unless His strength is ours. The Apostle will go on to challenge Timothy to have the direction of a student (v.2), the dedication of a soldier (v.3-4), the discipline of a sportsman (v.5), and the devotion of a sower (v.6). That takes the divine energizing of grace.

This is what John Newton suggests in “Amazing Grace.”

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

God not only gives us grace to save us and secure us, but to strengthen us day by day in the many challenges we face—dangers, toils, and snares.  We could not overcome them in our own power, but we need not—grace is available to empower.

OUR KEEPER

The LORD is your keeper….  (Psalm 121:5)

God’s children are His special treasure.  He guards His gems.  Peter says we are, “kept by the power of God…” (1 Pet.1:5).  Recently, I saw a quote from Pastor John MacArthur that underscored this, “If you could lose your salvation, you would.”  God is our Keeper and that is good news!  It is also the theme of Psalm 121.

The Psalmist points to THE SOURCE OF HELP (v.1-2).  Look to Him.  When we look around us, we see nothing but problems.  When we look within us, we see nothing but inadequacy—or foolishly arrogant self-sufficiency.  When we look above us, we find a God mighty to save!  As the author would climb the hills to Jerusalem, at last on Mt. Zion, he would reach the Temple where dwelt the glory of God.  Surely the One who called into existence the universe by the sheer power of His spoken word can help us—no matter the seeming enormity of our need!

We can know THE STABILITY OF HEAVEN (v.3a).  Stand on Him.  There are many slippery paths.  There are stones aplenty to stumble over.  A fall can be disastrous.  Yet, our steps can be steadfast, for God steadies us.  He is the Rock—our firm foundation.

We are comforted by THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF YAHWEH (v.3b-4).  Rest in Him.  Why should I stay awake at night—tossing and turning with a mind filled with anxiety?  God stays awake, watching over me, so there is no point in both of us being up!  I think of a loving parent, rising in the darkness to look into an infant’s cradle, making sure the baby is alright.  That is what our Heavenly Father does for us.  “Now, I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord, my soul to keep.

We are given THE SHELTER OF GOD (v.5-6).  Run to Him.  The sun’s light need not scorch us by day.  The moon’s beams need not keep us awake by night.  He is the shelter we can find—twenty-four hours, through all the days of our life.  The sun and moon are symbolic for one day—and thus, we have all day protection.  The right hand is mentioned, representing human need.  God fills that empty hand with His provision.

We trust in THE SECURITY OF SALVATION (v.7-8).  Trust in Him.  No evil can destroy the child of God.  That does not mean we are exempt from pain—even our body may become sick and death can come.  True harm to the real you is not a threat, however, if you know Christ. Our soul will be preserved.  No power on earth or scheme of hell can touch the real man or woman we are—our redeemed soul—that dwells in this house of clay.  Actually, the body also will be ultimately preserved, raised in a glorified state in the resurrection.  When I leave home in the morning, God travels with me.  When I arrive home in the evening, He has been with me.  At last, at the end of life’s journey, God will usher me into eternity where I will abide in His presence forevermore!

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thess.5:23)

STRENGTH FOR TODAY AND HOPE FOR TOMORROW

 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  (Hebrews 10:23)

The faithfulness of God calls us to faithfulness for God.  We have a hope for tomorrow that is unfailing, so let us not fail to live as those who have such a hope today. Professing it is good, but possessing it is what turns the claim into reality.  The Lord will be true to His promises to us, so I should be true to my commitment to Him.  His hand holds me strongly, so I am challenged to hold His steadily.  The former grace of God to me enables the latter good to be accomplished by me.  We have strength for today and hope for tomorrow because of the great faithfulness of God.

Paul exhorts, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”  (Ephesians 6:10)  The soldier of the cross is called to stand strong, yet we have no strength of our own—we must rely on Omnipotence.  His power is all we need, but we need it desperately.  We will surely fall unless standing in His strength alone.

How much power is available?

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.  (Eph.3:20-21)

God can do so much more than we have ever dreamed!  Our finite minds cannot grasp infinite power.  We glorify Him when He works through us by that limitless might.  The church has the opportunity today to manifest the greatness and the glory of the Lord as we become equipped by His strength and proclaim the hope we have in Christ.  Jesus came to redeem us from our vanity to bring us to victory.  Now, may we pray according to His purpose as Paul expressed it in these verses.  This is our high calling!

 

 

BORN TO SOAR

 

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. 
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength. 
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on 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.  (Isaiah 40:28-31)

There is a truth God wants us to know.  There is a message He wants us to hear.  God is in control—for He is “the LORD.”  He is always there, for He is “The everlasting God,” and He is ever near, since He is “The Creator of the ends of the earth.”  Yahweh is omnipotent and thus, “Neither faints nor is weary,” and He is omniscient and therefore, “His understanding is unsearchable.”  God has boundless power and limitless perception—and because we belong to Him, He makes these resources available to those created in His image! 

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Nothing comes my way except by His permission and for His purposes, and that for my good and His glory.  No matter the season of my life, He is watching over me as the everlasting God.  No matter the sphere of my location, He is standing with me as the Creator of the ends of the earth.  From the womb to the tomb, and from the east to the west, He is working and watching.  In my insufficiency, I can know His strength.  In my ignorance, I can receive His wisdom.

The strongest of men will face situations that sap them.  The smartest of men will find questions that stump them.  If dependent on the arm of flesh and the wisdom of man we have no hope.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

It is those who acknowledge they are at the end of their ability and ingenuity, in desperate need of God’s sufficiency who receive supernatural aid! 

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength.

Like the molting process of the eagle, shedding its old feathers, and being renewed as new ones come in, so we are renewed in order to soar!  “They shall mount up with wings like eagles,” God promises!  Is there a bird more majestic than the eagle?  His flight is so high, his sight is so keen, and his might is so great—no other fowl may compare to him! Child of God, you were born to soar! 

In our youth we can race to victory, “They shall run and not be weary,” and in our old age we can walk with vitality, “They shall walk and not faint.”  This is our potential, and yet we must admit that many are not experiencing a life that soars.  Born to be an eagle winging into the sky, we are waddling in a swamp as though we are a duck.  What makes the difference?  Here is the pivotal phrase, “those who wait on the LORD.”  With a patient faith and a persistent hope, we humbly come to the end of ourselves that we may come to the experience of His omnipotence.

Should I ask you today, “How are you?”  I may  hear the response often repeated to me, “Okay, under the circumstances.”  Dear brother or sister—why are you UNDER the circumstances?  You can rise ABOVE them!  You were born to soar on wings of faith and hope!

 

THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND STABILITY

 

The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.  (Habakkuk 3:19a)

God is in control, even in a world that sometimes seems out of control.  The events that swirl around us and the emotions that surge within us are in constant flux—yet, a Sovereign God reigns and His will shall be done.

What I am to do is submit to His sovereignty.  If I do not, then I have decided to supplant His authority.  That is folly to be sure—in two ways.  It prevents me from experiencing His strength and stability which alone can sustain me, but also sets me up for catastrophe as in my arrogance I have decided I am my own sovereign.  This is the natural tendency—our sinful idolatry.  This is the sin that brought down a beautiful angel and made him into a devil.  It is the evil that brought in the curse on Adam’s race and environment.  You can be as God.  That is the temptation which must be resisted!

Here is what Israel did,

For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.  (Jer.2:13)

I do this when I refuse to rely on the Sovereign God as my strength and stability.  I forsake the only source, and depend on a futile hope. 

The Stone falls from Heaven, and I will either fall upon the Rock of Ages in brokenness and reliance, or that Rock will fall on me in my rebellion and crush me.  The Rock, however, will roll on as He fulfills His inexorable purpose!  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matt.21:44)

If I want strength and stability, then I must draw it from this source—the Sovereign God.  I dare not trust the strength of my own hands to overcome my problems.  I must not trust the stability of my own feet to order my path.  God will do both for me, in me, and through me, in my utter dependence on Him marked by unconditional obedience to Him.

Faith is the intersection of my impotence with Omnipotence.  Faith drives me to Him for strength, and directs me to Him for stability.  May I resign from trying to play God today.  What madness!  Instead, may I rest in His strong provision and sure promises, for He is God and God alone—my supreme force and steadfast footing.