Written by Steve while in Fort Worth ... words written then that needed to be read now.
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March 4, 2009
Joanna and I found out tonight that we have close friends who are facing some really hard things. We only met them after moving to TX, but to watch them in their walk with Chr!st makes it feel as if we've known them for much longer. I know our lives weren't designed to be a continuous "mountain top high with G0d", but it sure is hard to watch people you care about hurt.
G0d tells us what to do during these situations in 1 Thess. 5:18 - "give thanks in all circumstances for this is G0d's will for you in Chr!st Je$u$." Up until the last couple years, I've got to admit that I've had problems "getting" this verse. How could G0d seriously expect me to be thankful for the baby we lost 10 years ago?! Did He honestly think I would be thankful for those few days when we thought our son had a fatal disease? For my friend who died not knowing Chr!st--I couldn't find the faith to be thankful for that moment. Was I really supposed to be? The answer, of course, is no. Then what was I missing??? G0d isn't telling me to be thankful FOR all situations...He tells me to be thankful IN all situations. Yes, we lost a baby, and yes, it was hard, but G0d says to still be thankful...not FOR it but IN it. It was excruciating to think our son could possibly have a disease that could take his life, but we were to still be thankful IN that situation. There is nothing good about a person dying without Chr!st but yet, Scripture says that I should have been thankful IN that moment.
How in the world could I be thankful IN any of those situations? For starters, G0d made the decision to send Himself to this earth as a baby, to grow as a boy, to be mocked, ridiculed, and beaten as a man, and then to die a horrific death...all for me...and you. That alone should be enough to make me thankful in whatever situation comes about. Shame on me for not!! Not easy...but G0d never said it would be. I pray that we can all immerse ourselves in His Word and recall what we know when we need it.
I also read this devotion earlier today and it just really got in my heart... Romans 15:4 - For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.
OUR ENDURANCE Sometimes life is just plain difficult. During those times, we're called to endure, to hang on, to persevere, to keep going even though it's hard and our emotions are screaming that we should just throw in the towel because nothing's ever going to change. Let's face it, we don't like having to endure. None of us enjoys prolonged pain and we think there must be some way we can avoid it altogether. Of course we can't, and when it comes, we tend to squirm under the pressure and look for relief wherever we can find it. That's natural...and that's exactly the problem. Natural isn't good enough; we need supernatural endurance. Endurance aided by G0d and His resources, and yet, as the verse says, it's still "our endurance" that's called for.
G0D'S ENCOURAGEMENT The goal of Romans 15:4 is hope. We're told that it comes as the result of our endurance and "through the encouragement of the Scriptures," which were "written for our instruction." The B!ble is a living book, completely relevant to our lives today. In fact, it's more up-to-date than this morning's newspaper. The stories in it may be ancient, but the main character of the book--G0d-- is alive and well, and very much in touch with what's happening today in the world and in your life. So let the G0d of the B!ble be your source of encouragement and hope today.
BOTTOM LINE Everyone needs hope but not everyone knows how to get it. If you're going through a tough time, prepare your mind to endure, and turn to the Scriptures for hope.
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