Our Hope Amid Suffering

I have buried too many children in my ministry. I have watched helpless parents weep in torment. I have seen hopelessness face-to-face. I have seen cancer leave its calling card on ravaged bodies. I have seen dementia claim the lives of tortured souls. I have felt the destructive force of mental and physical abuse. I have seen and experienced suffering. It is a pitiless force of nature, sweeping aside all in its inexorable path. We can’t escape its grasp. We can never run fast enough. We can never shut our eyes tight enough. We know, if we live long enough, that one day it will come knock at our door.  

Our Hope amid Suffering

by Mez McConnell

Thankfully, the Bible is no stranger to these things. 

The Apostle Peter wrote a letter of encouragement thirty years after Christ’s death to the beleaguered Christians of Asia Minor. They were being abused by overbearing bosses (2:18), threatened by unbelieving spouses (3:1, 6), and ridiculed by skeptical neighbors and associates (4:14). On the horizon loomed the possibility of a much more violent form of persecution—a fiery ordeal (4:12–18). They were suffering, and they would suffer yet more. What were they to do?

Peter’s response in 1 Peter 1:3 sounds glib to the modern ear. “Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How helpful is that to Jane battling cancer? Or what about John whose father was killed in an accident at work? Why should they, and we, be blessing God? What have we got to bless God for?

According to Peter, we ought to bless God because of His great mercy to us in rescuing us through Jesus. He has given us new birth. We may not feel it, but our salvation is an act of God’s great mercy. We deserve death, yet He gives us life. We deserve punishment, yet He has achieved a great reward for us. We should bless God that our souls are safe in His hands. That is something that far outweighs all of our slight and momentary troubles. We have a God who has rescued us, even when we don’t feel rescued.

But there’s more. Peter writes,

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1:13)

Some people fill in their lottery tickets, lie back on their sofa, and hope their numbers will finally come in. But such a hope is uncertain, and it is temporary even if it comes to pass. Our hope is so certain that it actually lives. Our joy and certain hope for the future are tied up in the fact that He rose again (1:20–21). Don’t forget, Peter was a guy whose whole life was crushed when Jesus was killed. All of Peter’s greatest hopes died with Jesus. But then he heard the news of the resurrection and went running to the tomb to see for himself. Despite Peter’s denial of Christ, our Lord came to Peter in the upper room and once again his hope rose with Him. Like Peter, we have a living hope that is:

Eternal

Can never be defiled

Will never fade

Kept in heaven for us

Compare that to our earthly experiences. We live for an age and then we die. Not so our inheritance from God. It never decays. It is completely indestructible. That’s why the Lord encourages us in (Matthew 6:19–20:)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Several years ago, a Scotsman won about six million British pounds from the lottery. Within ten years, it was gone, squandered on bad deals. As a result, he was left penniless. Our inheritance, on the other hand, can never be used up. It is an inexhaustible, eternal treasure trove. How so? Because what has been secured for us is stored in the safest and most secure place imaginable. It is impregnable. Even though we will only fully receive it on the last day, it is ready for us even now. It is finished, perfect, and unchangeable. And it is reserved for each of us who have been chosen according to His great foreknowledge and love.

Whatever else we lose in this life, we cannot lose our salvation. It is cancer proof. It is abuse proof. It is even death proof. These are the truths we run to when life kicks us in the teeth. When a relationship is shattered, when the dreams of what we wanted to be in life have been eaten away and eroded by the sands of time; when our health fails, when we feel like nobody cares anymore, when all seems lost—the Christian still has reasons to hope. We hang fast to Jesus. Keep our eyes fixed on Him. We have a wonderful Savior. He will never let us down. He’s done all the hard work and one day we will cash in—even if for a little while we have troubles.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10–11). But The God of all grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that he have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you v11, To Him Be Glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen.

Our Caring and Able Father

Our Caring and Able Father

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2 Chronicles 20:1-4

Everyone faces challenges in life. Whether our struggles are financial, vocational, relational, or physical, we can be certain that nobody is exempt. Fortunately, we serve a God who is both interested in our problems and able to take care of them.

When trouble looms, prayer is always a good first step to take. But having a foundation upon which to build our prayers also makes a difference. Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, faced an enormous challenge. Three different tribes--the Moabites,Amonites, and Meunites--simultaneously waged war against him. Most leaders would have crumbled under such pressure, or at the very least taken drastic measures, but Jehoshaphat was a wise king. Though afraid, he did not strike out against his enemies.Instead, knowing that God was interested in his dilemma, he "turned his attention to seek the Lord" and proclaimed a fast throughout the land (2 Chron. 20:1-3).

Jehoshaphat also knew that God, who was greater than any earthly problem, had done miraculous things for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Daniel. That same God would help him, too, in his hour of need. We should never underestimate the Lord's interest in our affairs. He helped our ancestors in the Bible, and He can and will help His children today.

It's easy to think our problems are unimportant in the eyes of God, but He doesn't feel that way at all. Whatever concerns us concerns Him. If we, like Jehoshaphat, turn right to God and proclaim His power, He will intervene. And no matter how great our challenges are, God is greater.

If you haven’t invited Jesus Christ the only one who can save us from eternal damnation and make us new from the inside out from an incorruptible spiritual nature simply by asking Him for His free gift of Salvation and saying your sorry for leading a wayward life so far,

It’s a turning around and starting to think and do life from His Lordship and not from your own perspectives.  Allowing Him to be your Saviour and your Lord over all things. He promises that He will lead and guide us and never leave us but will permanently abide with us! It’s a personal relationship with a Spiritual God. Father Son and Holy Spirit 3 in one.

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-name-shaddai.html?utm_source=Daily%20Update&utm_campaign=Crosswalk%20Daily%20Update&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2533983

CHEERING PROMISES

"Whereby are given unto us great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature." — 2Pe 1:4.

PRECIOUS FAITH and precious promise are necessarily linked together (2Pe 1:1-4). The promises excite the faith, and faith reckons upon the fulfilment of promise. One is sometimes asked why it is that God's Word seems to fail, and that the righteous do appear to be forsaken! But surely the reason is, not that there is any failure on God's side to fulfil His promises, but that the promise is not claimed. It is possible to carry around a pocket-full of bank notes and cheques, and to die of starvation because they have not been cashed. When you have found a promise that just fits your need, do not rest content until you have laid it before God, and claimed its fulfilment.

Note that everything which is needed for life and godliness is already granted to us in Jesus our Lord (2Pe 1:3). We have not to pray to our Father for things which He has not anticipated, but to claim those which He has already given. The one purpose of God's preparation is that we should not only escape the corruption which is in the world, but become "partakers of His Divine Nature." What a marvellous promise is this, which almost passes human thought and comprehension, that we should become animated and filled by the very nature of God!

Note the recurrence of the phrase "these things" in the following verses. When they abound in us we cannot be idle or unfruitful. The octave of qualities enumerated reminds us of those Chinese boxes, each of which contains a smaller one, until we finally arrive at some precious article enclosed in the innermost. Faith apprehends everything else—manly courage, knowledge, sell-control, patience, godliness, kindness, and above all, love. To be deficient in "these things" is to be short-sighted (R.V.).

The Apostle says that the soul which has incorporated into itself these qualities of character will be welcomed into the Eternal Kingdom. It will enter the Harbour royally, with every sail set and pennant flying, and receive a choral entrance from the eager crowds that await its approach (2Pe 1:11). Let us be diligent in our appropriation of God's great and precious promises, so that we shall never fail.

PRAYER

Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, always to seek Thy kingdom and righteousness; and of whatsoever Thou seest us to stand in need, mercifully grant us an abundant portion; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

https://www.answersbc.org/know-god/

Dream word – HUNG

https://youtu.be/D8HOOfTXmlg

2 Samuel 21:11-14

“And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.” NKJV

Rizpah and the hanging of red meat

Oxygen in the blood produces lactic acid. It is the work of this meat tenderising acid in game that has been hung for some time, that makes the meat more concentrate and full of flavour. The longer the meat is hung, the more tender and tasty the eating.

It is English poet Wordsworth whose poem “Rizpah” tells the story of a mother, mad with obsession concerning the bones of her dead son, Willy, who was sentenced and cursed to be hung on the gallows for simply robbing the mail. Eventually, she secretly buries the bones in a shallow grave on consecrated ground next to the church and in the poem she recounts her actions to a genteel lady sat at her side in the final hour of her life, saying:

Do you think I was scar’d by the bones? I kiss’d ’em, I buried ’em allI can’t dig deep, I am old—in the night by the churchyard wall.

My Willy ’ill rise up whole when the trumpet of judgment ’ill sound,

But I charge you never to say that I laid him in holy ground. They would scratch him up—they would hang him again on the cursed tree.

Sin? O, yes, we are sinners, I know—let all that be,

And read me a Bible verse of the Lord’s goodwill toward men—

“Full of compassion and mercy, the Lord”—let me hear it again;

“Full of compassion and mercy—long-suffering.” Yes, O, yes!

For the lawyer is born but to murder—the Saviour lives but to bless.

In our text for tonight, we are presented with the summary of one of the most sorriest of scenes ever recorded in Scripture. Rizpah, that grief consumed woman of old, has for five months been watching over seven hanging corpses, each one made black by the wind, dried in the sun, rotted all to a jerk chicken scarecrow consistency, two of which, were her own dear sons. By day Rizpah has kept away the birds and by the night the hungry jackals. Five sorry months of the attendant care of corpses, with time to contemplate some well hung meat.

A three year famine in the land had brought King David to seek the reason why, and it had been revealed to him, that it was because of Saul’s unlawful attempted genocide of the Gibeonites that this curse had come. The surviving Gibeonites were then consulted and refusing all bloody money, demanded seven of Saul’s sons, got them, killed them and hung them up for all to see. Now the law was very clear concerning capital crimes, in that the bodies should be buried at even time. These seven corpses however, no doubt under the command of David, were hung in the face of God, waiting for the curse to be lifted and the rain to come. Five months of well hung meat and still there was no rain, just the pain of a mother looking on endlessly.

Rizpah’s daily ritual, led eventually to make King David likewise “honour” the dead. So, sending for the remains of Saul and Jonathan, he gathered them with the bones of the seven corpses and interned them with dignity in the family grave. It was after this that God heeded the prayer for the land. It was after this. Selah.

Two thousand years ago, the Son of the King of the whole earth was hung on a tree, His mother looking on endlessly, her heart pierced through with a sword. Like a deep cut and tenderised scarecrow, He bled out is life down the wood of His cross for all the world to see. And there was made a curse for you and there was made a curse for me. God ate His own Son up in judgement on that most scandalous of crosses and as often as we eat that bread and drink that cup, we too remember the tenderness and tastiness of hanging meat, in that most terrible of sacrifices. The law of sin and death in the hands of lawyers can lead only to cursing and condemnation. He, the most merciful God however, He who was made your curse, can most truly set you free.

Listen: “The plain fact is that bull and goat blood can't get rid of sin. That is what is meant by this prophecy, put in the mouth of Christ: You don't want sacrifices and offerings year after year; you've prepared a body for me for a sacrifice. It's not fragrance and smoke from the altar that whet your appetite. So I said, ‘I'm here to do it your way, O God, the way it's described in your Book.’ When he said, ‘You don't want sacrifices and offerings,’ he was referring to practices according to the old plan. When he added, ‘I'm here to do it your way,’ he set aside the first in order to enact the new plan - God's way - by which we are made fit for God by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.” (Hebrews 10:4-14 from The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson.)

Pray: Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in, that wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin. Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon; the early dew of morning has passed away at noon. Tell me the story softly, with earnest tones and grave; remember I’m the sinner whom Jesus came to save. Tell me the story always, if you would really be, in any time of trouble, a comforter to me. Tell me the same old story when You have cause to fear that this world’s empty glory is costing me too dear. Yes, and when this world’s glory is dawning on my soul, tell me the old, old story: “Christ Jesus makes thee whole.” (From Katherine Hankey’s The Old, Old Story)

What does it mean to be a born-again Christian?

Have You Allowed God to Work in You?http://study.joycemeyer.org/

Today on Love Worth Finding, Pastor Adrian Rogers shows us the power of letting God work in your heart and in your life.

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What does it mean to be a born-again Christian? The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night with some questions.

 As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said, "'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.' 'How can a man be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again"'" (John 3:3-7).

http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved-2/

The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart-a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12, 13 indicates that being "born again" also carries the idea of "becoming children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.

 The question logically comes, "Why does a person need to be born again?" The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually "dead"; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.

How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be "born again." "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12-13).

If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and be born again, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. "God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness-the gift of eternal life! Amen!"

I cast the whole of my care ( all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns, once and for all) on HIM, for HE cares for me affectionately and cares about me watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7

If you abide in My Word (hold Fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them), you are truly My disciples.   And you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will set you free!  John 8:31b-32!

See http://www.gotquestions.org/born-again.html

Whoever Calls on The Name Above All Other Names!

Act 2:21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord--Christ] shall be saved. [Joe 2:28-32]

Jesus does not discriminate.  His arms are open to us all.   The only qualifier to receiving salvation is having an open heart.   If we ask for Him to be in our lives, He shows up.   Are you living like God’s salvation is something only for you?

Ask God how He is calling you to share the good news of salvation in your life.

https://www.answersbc.org/know-god/

https://ebible.com/questions/328-can-god-save-me/?mlgq=1&rep_k=m-_8IOvAN0PkXsMXKPden4pP0Sz68P8rb7k4M4ocqShSoxvoutLb_rA5e4tgWDHE&rep_m=clicks&rep_e=IEUyeBl2Jch_AsaCUyo9BxbDLgy-b6uiYOFBHY-CguI=

How Do I Find God’s Will for My Life? #askpastorjohn

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What shall I do then with Jesus which is called The Christ?

Which Is Your Answer?

http://www.gotquestions.org/get-right-with-God.html

What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? — Mat 27:22

Jesus Is Unavoidable. http://study.joycemeyer.org/

One possible answer to this question is: I shall have nothing to do with Him at all. I shall ignore Him and pay no heed to Him. If He confronts me when I go to church, I shall deliberately avoid the church. If He steals on me when I am quite alone, I shall do my best never to be alone. If He meets me in certain companies, so that I am very conscious of His presence, I shall be careful to choose my company elsewhere. I shall bar every window against Him. Against His coming I shall bolt my doors. I shall give injunctions to my lodgekeeper that He is never to have access to my avenue. But the extraordinary thing about the Lord is (and there are thousands who can testify to this) that to get rid of Him is utterly impossible. He is inevitable. He is unavoidable. Just because He is love, He laughs at locksmiths. As on the evening of the resurrection day, when the doors are shut, comes Jesus. Just when a man thinks that he is safe, secure from the intrusions of the Lord, He is there, within the circuit of the life, closer than breathing, nearer than hands or feet.

Indecisions That Are Not Intellectual but Are Moral

Another common answer to this question is: Really I can't make up my mind. Folk are in perplexity today, and therefore halting between two opinions. Now I want to say, gently but quite firmly, that is often a dishonest answer. The difficulty is not in making up the mind. The difficulty is in making up the will. There are indecisions that are not intellectual: they are moral; they are based on character; they strike their roots into some secret sin. The real problem is not making up; the real problem is giving up. We are all tempted to cloak our moral weakness in the garb of intellectual perplexity. But even when the answer is entirely honest, there is one thing that should never be forgotten, and that is the great fact of life that not to decide is to decide against. A man is travelling in a railway train. Shall he get out at such and such a station? He vacillates; halts between two opinions; really he can't make up his mind. Meantime the train has drawn up at the station, and is off again thundering through the dark—and the man has decided against alighting there, just because he could not make his mind up. Few people calmly and deliberately decide against the Lord. But multitudes do it who never thought to do it, by the easy way of not deciding. And while I would rush nobody's decision (just as I would not let anyone rush mine), a wise man will accept his universe, and never ignore the great facts of life.

Postponed Decisions May Never Be Made

Another common answer to this question is: I shall accept Him by and by. I have no intention of dying out of Christ; but meantime I want to have my liberty. Life is sweet; it is a thrilling world; I want the colour and music for a little. Leave me the gold and glory of the morning, and I shall settle matters in the afternoon. I trust my readers will not be vexed with me if I call that the meanest of all answers: nobody ever likes to be thought mean. Who that had a loved one on a sickbed would bring that loved one a bunch of withered flowers? And yet many seem to be perfectly content in the thought of offering Christ a withered heart—and He has loved us with a love that is magnificent, and has died for us upon the cross, and is the finest Comrade in the world. It is true that there is always hope: a man may be saved at the eleventh hour. "Betwixt the stirrup and the ground, I mercy sought and mercy found." My fear is not that Christ will mock the prayer that is offered at the eleventh hour. It is that when the eleventh hour comes a man may have quite lost the power to pray. There are things that we can do at one-and-twenty that are almost impossible at sixty. At one-and-twenty one may be a footballer; very rare are the footballers of sixty. And to surrender oneself to the Lord Jesus Christ is a far more intense activity than football. Perhaps that is why at sixty it is rare.

Christ Will Not Accept Any Place in Your Heart but the First Place

Another answer to this greatest of all questions is the frequent one: I shall compromise. I shall give Him a certain place within my heart, so far as other interests will permit. I have no intention of being out and out; I am not going to carry my heart upon my sleeve. I shall do my duty and lead a decent life, and come to church, and be present at communion. But the strange thing that the meek and lowly Saviour, who was content with a manger and a cottage, is not content with that. Offer Him a place in your life, and the extraordinary thing is that He refuses it. His peace is never won on such conditions; His joy is never a factor in experience. As Henry Drummond put it once, "Gentlemen, keep Christ in His own place—but remember that His place is the first." "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."

The Decision Must Be Made Here and Now

There is perhaps only one other answer. It is: I accept Him now. Here and now I yield myself to Him, for that is my reasonable service. Paul did that, going to Damascus, and it changed the universe for him. Augustine did that, in the quiet garden, and it freed him from the tyranny of vice. There are millions everywhere, right across the world, who, giving that instant answer to the question, have found life and liberty and power. My prayer is that these words of mine may lead to such immediate decision. "There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Call ye upon Him while He is near." He will never be nearer than just now.

https://www.answersbc.org/know-god/