Aug

16

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Sometimes, our efforts to share the gospel feel like we’re just spinning our wheels. Like a laboratory rat, the wheels go round and round, but we see little progress in the lives of those to whom we’ve ministered. We pray for people or lend encouragement, invitations, etc., and yet there is no fruit for our labor.

Yet, the word of God says that when we serve Him out of a pure heart, it is not our job to reap the harvest. That’s the Lord’s doing. When we are committed to the Lord’s work, our labor is never in vain just because we don’t see change. Our job is to continue to sow the seeds of love. The rest is up to the Lord.

When our expectations don’t meet reality, remember that the work we do is for His glory and not our own. All that is done for the Lord is what counts—whatever the perceived outcome.

Encouraging others to love and good deeds should be an extension of our love for Christ as he leads us; otherwise, we may find our spirits dragging and frayed. Our efforts to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ as ministers to others is our joy, for he is the strength of our lives and he lends the ability. God’s plans and purposes are being fulfilled whether we see the results or not. He is still on the throne.

“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

Aug

09

A new song

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With the past several months a blur due to the imposed constraints of quarantine and restrictions taking precedence because of a global pandemic, it’s amazing to realize that spring slipped right by and now the calendar says…yikes, August?

While the new breed of “cancel” culture is thriving, so, too, is the Lord thriving. Our local government may mandate closings, but there’s more liberty in the oracles of God than any man can thwart. As believers, nothing has changed for us, only the culture around us. We remain steady in Christ despite our circumstances.

So, with the government’s restrictions slowly being lifted and most of Pennsylvania now in the green zone, we have double the reason to rejoice. May we sing a new song unto the Lord for delivering us from everything—most importantly, our sins through Christ.

Aug

03

What Path are you on?

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Walking down the right path, we can rest assured of our security and safety. Despite the winds of defeat or the storms that buffet, no other anchor is needed to keep a believer’s head above water than holding onto the blessed rock of our salvation, our savior, Jesus.

In Psalm 16, David seeks the Lord and flees to him for protection from the threats of Saul. “You are my Lord,” he says. “Apart from you, I have no good thing.” David’s desire to cling to the Lord through his adversity is an example for believers today. “I will set the Lord continually before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

David, like all believers, knew that God was his security and would never leave him. When we walk with the Lord and place our trust in his hands, we can rest knowing that he’s got our backs. “Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave (Sheol) nor will you let your holy one see decay.”

On earth, there will be trials but by abiding in God’s word, we will not fall into the pit of destruction nor will we be shaken with every wind of trouble. If we stay on the path he ordains, we can rest in knowing he’s there.

Like David, we, too can say, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Jul

26

Looking to Jesus

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The world has been— from the beginning of time—a place where man seeks his own predominance. Love of one’s self began in the Garden when the serpent tempted Eve to become a self-seeker and deny God’s commandment. The battle continues today to gain ground when we take our eyes off of Jesus.

Cultural clashing of one group over another is more than ideologies butting up against each other. It’s not just about civil unrest vs. civility, racial fairness vs. inequality. It’s more about man’s idea that he wants to take the reins of power upon himself to live, rule, and dictate toward these same ends. It’s all about domination and dictating as man sees fit and not seeking God in the process. Unless the Lord builds the house, our labors are in vain.

In the midst of cultural warfare, there is but one weapon that needs to be used. It’s God’s truth shared in love. If man were to take his cues from the Almighty and keep his eyes focused on him, there would be no necessity for war, rioting, or societal upheaval.

Jul

19

The right kind of hope

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What do you hope in? To what do you ascribe your faith? Most would say they have faith in things that make them secure. The Hebrew word for faithfulness literally means “firmness”; figuratively, it means “security,” and “fidelity” is the moral definition.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Apostle Paul appeals to the believers and reminds them the Lord is faithful. His promise to us is that he will strengthen and protect his children from the evil one because he is faithful.  He demonstrates this to us in several ways. Through his faithfulness, God not only protects us from evil, he sets limits on our temptations, forgives our sins, and sanctifies us.

While God is faithful to us in various way, our faith in him has different facets as well. There are different ways to ascribe our faith to God:  Faith as belief, faith as commitment, faith in our waiting on God, and faith in him as our refuge. Our whole world can fall apart, but Jesus has said that he will never leave us or forsake us.

God’s faithfulness is the pivot upon which turns his whole purpose for humanity. God calls and then through his goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 1 John 1:9). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The better we truly know God, the more we will want to put our complete hope and trust in him. God’s children walk by faith and not by sight.