Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” – Philippians 1:12-13

What’s best for God’s Kingdom and the salvation of those who don’t know the Lord isn’t always comfortable, convenient, fun, or status enhancing! Some Christians labor under the mistaken assumption that the numerous blessings we enjoy in Christ include comfortable lives free of stress and full of convenience and wealth. That’s the complete opposite of what the Bible teaches!

For Paul, the best thing for many was that he be imprisoned and have the opportunity to introduce his guards to Jesus Christ. So he was and he did. God orchestrated events so that Paul would be arrested, jailed for years, and gradually moved from Jerusalem to Rome, preaching Christ all the way. Paul didn’t seem to lament, doubt, or despair. He simply told anyone and everyone the good news that there is a Savior Who loves them, Who died to take away their sins if they would believe in Him, and Who rose from the dead and now reigns over the universe.

As followers of Jesus, we shouldn’t imagine we’re exempt from being inconvenienced, redirected, or persecuted for our faith. These things aren’t reserved for “super-Christians” like Paul. We should expect them and be prepared for them. Spend time deepening your relationship with Christ whenever things are good so you’re prepared to go even deeper when things are bad. Study the Bible when your life feels easy and comfortable so you’re ready when life doesn’t. Live prepared so that the resources of the Gospel will be yours in abundance and you too will be able to advance the Gospel when things get hard.

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath his feet.”
– Nahum 1:3

It can be easy to look around at the evil in the world and wonder where God is and why He isn’t intervening more visibly and dramatically. Fortunately, Scripture is quite clear. God is perfectly just, but He moves on His timetable and based on His perfect wisdom. God is gracious and patient (for which we should all be extremely thankful), but He absolutely will punish the guilty.

God’s justice is absolute. The evil will be punished and that punishment will last forever. There is no joy in that, but there is certainly justice for all who cry out. Nonetheless, punishment isn’t God’s desire for anyone. God desires each person to repent of their sins and live a transformed life. God desires each person to reject their evil ways, cry out to Him for salvation and forgiveness, turning to Him in faith.

God sent His Son to die on a cross as an atoning sacrifice for sins, precisely because He is perfectly just. The cross is the proof that we never need to doubt God’s justice or His determination and commitment. God’s justice, satisfied at the cross, permits His grace to be offered to all who will repent of their guilt and believe in Christ in faith. God’s grace is why He’s slow to anger. Nonetheless, we must never doubt His great power or the certainty of His punishment of the guilty. A day of justice is coming for all who are guilty!

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” – Ephesians 5:15-16

These are truly dark days! Sin, darkness, disaster, and death surround us in this fallen world. Everyone does what’s right in their own eyes and the evil spreads. That’s simply the reality until Christ returns. What then are we to do???

Many respond by living foolishly, simply trying to numb themselves to reality and pass the days in the short-lived pleasures of the world. Entertainment in all its many modern forms. Pleasures of every variety. Addictions of every sort. Others eventually succumb to despair. If this is how the world is, they see no point in fighting it. They join the evil or surrender to it completely.

These are not acceptable options for Christians! Followers of Jesus are to be light in the darkness. We are to live wisely and use these evil times well. We must use these dark days to introduce people to Jesus, Who redeems their lives and guarantees unending days of goodness to come.

We must demonstrate the love of Jesus in this evil world. We must speak the words of Jesus. We must think the thoughts of Jesus. We must do good in the face of evil, even when the outcome seems inevitable. We must expend our earthly lives for God’s glory in the power of the Holy Spirit and filled with Christ’s joy. This is how Christians have changed the world over and over throughout the centuries, so walk wisely!

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.”
– Isaiah 59:1-2

God is always present and He always hears the prayers of His people. Nonetheless, many believers go through seasons when God feels distant and it seems like prayers are simply bouncing off the ceiling. There can be many reasons for this, often quite important, including the long-term strengthening and refining of our faith.

Nonetheless, when God seems distant, we must examine ourselves, our hearts, our words, and our actions. Is there some sin in our lives that we need to recognize as sin, utterly reject, and confess to the Lord? Is there some failure to obey the clear will and direction of God? Is there something we won’t let go of that God’s Word commands us to let go of? Is there something God told us to do that we’ve been afraid or reluctant to do? All of that is rebellion against God. It’s sin and God is quite clear that He won’t honor our prayers when we have unconfessed sin separating us from Him.

When it seems that we’re in the spiritual desert, we must spend time reflecting on whether we’ve entered it by our own choice! Sometimes that’s obvious, but sometimes we’re profoundly blind to our own sins. Pray for God to reveal them to you – that’s a prayer He’ll answer readily. If sin is revealed, then repent and trust that in Christ, God is always ready to forgive you and embrace you warmly when you turn to Him and ask His forgiveness!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” – Ephesians 2:4-5

Talk about good news!!! God is rich in mercy! God’s wondrous, sacrificial love for us is sweeping in breadth and depth! His love and mercy are so vast that even when we were utterly dead in our sins, trespasses, and rebellion against Him, God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

Christ died and rose from the dead and through faith in Him, we too are raised to life! Through God’s gift of grace–the grace we don’t deserve and can’t earn–our sins are forgiven and we’re made new and alive in Christ when we believe in Him. We are alive and together with Christ Himself – what a glorious reality!

Do you believe in Jesus? Have you embraced God’s mercy and accepted His grace? Are you living in God’s love? Are you alive in Christ or do you still remain dead in your sins?