Words to Live By

1- In our troubles and sorrows and “low times” of our life, God is using them to accomplish His will and change our character and spiritual condition. He is making us more like Christ. (Romans 8:29) One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV) “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. . . .”

If it “works for us”, it is doing something for us; it is accomplishing God's will and we don't always know what that is, but we do know part of His will is make us more like Christ and to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. . . .” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

2- Another very important verse is Romans 8:28 (KJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God takes the “not good” as well as the good and “works them together for good” for those who know Jesus as Savior.

3- Think of the example of Jesus for both of those things. How terrible His death on the cross was—but it happened within the sovereign control of God. No one could take His life from Him, but He laid it down of His own accord because of His great love for us.

John 10:17-18 “. . . I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Now think of how much Jesus accomplished by His suffering and death for us: eternal life for so many people. In a much lesser way some of our hardships and suffering are accomplishing important things for others, too. You work very hard to take care of those 3 little boys but think of how much they need you! A lot of it brings you joy, but there's also a LOT of very hard work. And when they are older, they will appreciate what you did for them.

4- “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32

5- Faith is simply believing that what God says in His Word is true and then trusting or depending on the truth of what He said. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 Think of the example of Job when all those terrible things happened to him and yet he believed God was working out His purposes through it all:

“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Job 23:10 And Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Job 13:15 And he also said, “. . . the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 When we don't “see” the reason for our problems, we can still trust God. That's what faith is—trusting God when we can't see what He is doing, but knowing that His purposes are good.

6- There is a reality to our problems that we don't want to overlook. And that is that God is with us through it all—AND He promises that He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to deal with in His power--”but will with the [testing] provide a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 So there is the reality that we are going to have many problems: Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation” but He also added an important second reality, “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus’ victory has enormous meaning for our eternal salvation. But think of all this now as two parts to "realism": first, the difficulties to be faced and then the provision and strength and grace that God provides to face those very same difficulties and sufferings. His redemption is sufficient and His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 2 Cor. 12:9 If you focus on the suffering or the problems, you may end up discouraged, but if you focus on Jesus and His provision to take us through the suffering, your heart will be glad even in the midst of a great trial of affliction. You know on whom you must rely, on whom you must trust–and it’s not yourself. Paul was "under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts," he wrote, "we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Cor. 1:8-9 NIV

7- When Satan tries to get us discouraged, we have a promise from God, “Resist the devil and He will flee from you.” James 4:7 That is a very big promise and we need to use it.

8- My daughter Jeannine often tells me to be thankful—and that will help avoid discouragement. Her grandmother often said that you can't complain and be thankful at the same time, so be thankful!” That is an important part of dealing with the difficult, “low” parts of life. And you know scripture says so many times to be thankful and content with our lives. That's not always easy so we must work on it.

9- It's important, too, to take the long view and realize “the best is yet to come” when we go to heaven to be with the Lord. Scripture says, “Set your affections on things above and not on things of this earth.” Colossians 3:1 When I read Revelation chapters 21-22 it always causes me to rejoice and look forward to heaven.

10-Here is a wonderful verse to remember: Lamentations 3:32-33 (KJV) “But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”

11-One of my favorite promises is Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” God tells us to
take the courage and strength He has already given us and use it, depending on Him.
He will then strengthen our heart to prepare us for the next test. So there is Comfort
from the strength He gives. We go from “strength to strength in the Lord.” Psalm 84:7
He puts strength in our souls. He gives us courage and He gives us strength.

12- Try to do everything with “gladness of heart” (Acts 2:46-47), taking what pleasure you can in your work. Of course some things are drudgery or difficult and not pleasurable, but take pleasure where you can. Scripture says that God takes pleasure, delight, and rejoices in the works of His hands. We should, too. Be thankful for the embellishments and beauty of life even in little things, a beautiful little flower among the weeds, the flitting of a lovely graceful butterfly, the birds in the air and their songs. The smile and excitement of a little child.

13-Take special care to build friendships and fellowship in the Lord. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are one of God's most important good gifts to us. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:3-4 Paul often wrote that he was “refreshed” by seeing and talking to his brethren. We are told to encourage one another daily. Heb. 3:13

14-The mark of the Christian is love—God's love given to us by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 The evening before He died, Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34-35 So we must think of the needs of others and not just ourselves. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Phil. 2:4 ESV

One of the best things we can do is to take our eyes off of ourselves and our own problems and see what we can do to help others, all the while looking to Jesus for example and strength. Actually that's the way to happiness in this fallen world.

15- “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 because “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

We must feed ourselves from God's Word every day for “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Mt. 4:4 Jesus Himself said that—quoting the Old Testament. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. . . .” Jer. 15:16

Psalm for Discouragement--42

Psalm for Discouragement

This is a wonderful Psalm for these difficult days in which we live–especially for those going through a hard trial of affliction. We don’t know who wrote this Psalm so we can think of it as a universal Psalm for all who know the Lord in the very difficult and low times of life. These things of trouble, trial, affliction are in everyone’s experiences. If you really understand what scripture says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” And you see all the terrible things that human beings do to each other, the wonder is that in spite of all that there is so much good and beauty in the world. And we know why–because God restrains and prevents a lot of the evil that men would do to each other. In His Providence He preserves us–until His time for us–“the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” Psalm 139:16 NIV--but allows us to suffer. That’s what this Psalm is about: how do we go through suffering and hardship victoriously and joyfully? “As sorrowful and yet always rejoicing?” The answer is here.

Psalm 42

“As the deer pants after streams of water, so pants my soul after thee, O God.

Picture the terrible thirst of the wild deer in a dry and thirsty land where no water is!

The Hebrew word translated “pants” here is the “distressing cry of the doe making a mournful sound and eagerly seeking the cooling water. It seeks the streams of water with intense desire and plunges into the cooling streams probably seeking to escape from a lion seeking to kill it.

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Or “when shall I see the face of God”?! 43:4 The Psalmist wants to go into the very Presence of God Himself, “unto God my exceeding joy.”

Fellowship with God was far more important to him that anything in this life–all earthly enjoyments, riches, pleasures, honors. Do you have that intense desire for fellowship with God? Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” Mt. 5:6 If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you are thirsting after Christ for He alone is our righteousness.

Be glad with exceeding joy if you have intense desire for God–for that’s why God created us in the first place. Nothing in this world will satisfy the deep longings of your heart. Nothing. “Our souls are restless until they rest in Thee, O God,” St. Augustine wrote so many years ago. And C.S. Lewis put it this way, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

And so we were. 2 Cor. 5:5 “God created us for this very purpose”–and you read the context the purpose was to share the glories of heaven and eternal life with us–in fellowship with Himself.

The Psalmist had this same intense desire for God–probably especially since he was being persecuted with the taunts of the wicked, in the midst of trouble, “Where is your God?!” surely said with a sneering tone. Satan’s goals have always been the same from the garden of Eden onward: first he wants you to doubt God’s sovereignty or God’s wisdom and then he wants you to doubt God’s goodness. He did so with Eve and he does so with all of us. He is a liar and the father of lies. But we have the demonstration of God’s power and goodness throughout history and throughout our lives in His daily providence, “God daily loadeth us with benefits” we’re told in another Psalm.

But he is discouraged in the midst of his troubles. And he doesn’t feel joyful or even thankful (and that may be a hint of his problems because those are the two things we need–spiritual joy given by God and a thankful heart so that we can say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Or with the writer to the Hebrews,

“be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Heb. 13:5-6

But in Psalm 42 the Psalmist is discouraged and THREE times he asks himself the same question, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?” WHY indeed?! There’s no reason to be! The future is still as bright as the promises of God.

“Why are you cast down” literally means “Why do you bow down” to temptation and taunts?! In the Hebrew it’s in the active voice–it’s something you do; it doesn’t just happen passively. (That’s why Jesus said, LET NOT your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.”)

But the Psalmist wisely starts talking to himself, “Hey, man! Cut it out!” God didn’t “cast you down” you did it to yourself increasing your own troubles unnecessarily. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. God is still on His throne. He’s still the same sovereign Lord who said not a sparrow could fall without the Father–and “be of good cheer, Little Flock, you are of more value than many sparrows.”

An important truth is not clear in the KJV which says “hope thou in God.” The Hebrew word yachal means to wait; by implication, to be patient, to hope. And hope is a perfectly good word, of course, but in scripture it always means to hope or wait or look forward expectantly–look to God for He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Actually there are three different Hebrew words for wait that mean about the same thing but they all have expectation as part of the meaning. Two NT words mean “to expect” or “to expect fully.”

Ponder these other verses in the Old Testament about waiting on the Lord:

Psalm 37:7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Jesus gives you the power to control those dismal feelings when he said, “LET not your heart be troubled, neither LET it be afraid.” He said that twice in John chapter 14:1. "Let not your heart be troubled;” and again in verse 27: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The Psalmist realizes that God is “my exceeding joy” and He knows from experience God’s goodness and kindness to him. So he complains once again in verses 6-7 NKJ “O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. “

He’s talking about the marvelous waterfalls falling from snow-covered Mount Hermon, water roaring down the mountainside until it reaches the source of the Jordan River and eventually winds its way to Lake Galilee that marvelous source of fresh water for all of Israel even today.

He feels like the waterfall is crashing down on his head and pulling him under the rapids. But Isaiah 43:1-2 “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. . . .”

And the Psalmist knows that because the very next verse 8: “Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. [There you have it! Praise God in spite of your troubles.]

I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” [He knows God has NOT forgotten Him, but it does seem like it sometimes, so he will quit “mourning because of the oppression of the enemy.”

“I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

Three times: v. 5, 11 & 43:5– God is the health of my countenance–He can put joy back into my face. The expression on our face–our countenance often reveals the thoughts and emotions of our heart. And He is “my God.” Well, if God is your God, then that means He has taken responsibility for you! So don’t worry about it. He is the Living God, the faithful God who does all things after the counsel of His own will. Trust God’s timing and God’s way.

“God my exceeding joy.” 43:4

Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22) Jesus said that He wants His disciples to have “His joy”–“fulness of joy.” Joy is a gift from God and rejoicing is something we can do! It’s an ATTITUDE of thanksgiving and trust in God.

You rejoice in the midst of trials. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, [you’re being tested] being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” 1 Peter 1.6-8

There it is! That’s what we want: joy unspeakable and full of glory.

What blocks our joy that God gives? Sometimes it’s the sin of unbelief. Or the sin of bitterness! Or complaining! How can you complain against our God of grace? “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Phil. 2:14 NIV.

Bitterness or an unforgiving spirit destroys joy and your whole relationships not only with God but with others. Heb. 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God [fail to accept and use the grace and strength God is giving you; reach out and take it–with your empty hands of faith just as you did when you received Jesus as Savior–] lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby MANY be defiled. . . .”

It’s is a serious sin to become resentful towards God or His providence in your life. Confess that sin to God. Don’t have an unaccepting attitude towards God’s Providence in your life. Be willing to accept whatever comes to you from the good hand of your God! For He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you and promised also that NO TESTING would come your way but that which He gives strength to endure. 1 Cor. 10:13

You say you don’t know WHY God allows certain things to happen to you? Well, Job had a LOT more trouble than you or I have ever had and he asked God the “why” and God answered him! Read Job chs. 38-42 and you’ll see God’s answer. “Then God answered Job out of the whirlwind. . . .”

And what did God say? (Paraphrase) Job, where were you when I created the world? Tell me about the depths of the sea and the heights of the stars and the way the planets stay in orbit. If you can’t explain the most basic of questions, how are you going to understand all my good and gracious purposes.

Actually God has given a precise reason for what He allows in our lives. It’s in Romans 8:29 He tells us we have been “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” so He is in the process of making us more like Jesus and 2 Cor. 3:18 “we are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory”–by the Holy Spirit who is gradually changing us to be more and more like Christ.

And the Psalmist Asaph put it in a beautifully poetic way in Psalm 77:19 “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”

You cannot see God’s footprints but you can see the results of His actions in your life. Like a tapestry when you only look at the back side and see a helter-skelter of loose threads, but on the right side, on God’s side, His work in your life is beautiful, just like a magnificent tapestry.

And in that same Psalm 77 he changes the figure of speech and shows you the point of verse 19 by verse 20. “ Thou leddest thy people like a flock. . . .” “God leads His dear children along. Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long.”

Come back to our passage: why did the Psalmist appear to have lost his joy?! The answer is clear: because he became discouraged. How do you avoid that? Very simple: do exactly what Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled or afraid. “Be anxious for nothing but in everything let your requests be made known unto God–and then you’ll have not only joy–but the peace of Christ which passes understanding shall keep your hearts and minds on Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

Where is your ‘MIND’? Is every thought brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? Col. 3 tells us where our minds should be: “Set your affections and set your minds on things above, not on things of the earth.” For you died with Christ and you live in the heavenlies with Him right now. Eph.

Don’t forget how Psalm 43 fits with Psalm 42. 43:2 “Thou art the God of my strength”–it’s to His strength we must look and not our own. Remember in 2 Cor.1 Paul said these troubles happened” “that we might not trust in ourselves but in God.”

Where do you find joy? In the Presence of God Himself. And where do you find God? In His Word (and He indwells your heart also if you know Him)–but look in His word and find joy. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” Jer. 15:16 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103

Remember: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

“Be of good cheer,” Jesus said, “it is I. Be not afraid.” Mt. 14:27

                                                                          --Pastor Burnside

The Cost of Peace

Note to readers:  A few months ago I quit posting to this blog because I tried for weeks to post and "it" wouldn't post.  So I finally gave up and tried again today.  Now this is the second post.  I hope the problem has been solved--and I appreciate the opportunity to "post" for those who want to read it.

The Cost of Peace

            The peace of Christ in our hearts is what enables us to survive the sorrowful storms of life.   Not only to survive them but to be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”  and gave Himself for us.   His peace enables us to “glory in tribulations”  because of what those tribulations produce as they make us more like Christ.   They are “working for us” and producing “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Cor. 4:17

            But at what a cost!  Last night I was re-reading a letter our oldest daughter Jeannine wrote to me last year on Good Friday, what she called “this day of ‘bright sorrow.’”   She said, “Whenever I pray for peace, I want to remember the cost of it.”  And she mentioned Isaiah 53:5 “the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”  

            It was Christ’s suffering that brought us peace with God and also the peace of God in our hearts.  “ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  Romans 5:1-3    “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Phil. 4:7  That’s why Jesus told us,  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . .  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  John 14:27

            What wonderful peace, but at what a cost!  No wonder our troubles seem like “light affliction which is but for a moment” in comparison to the intensity and depth of Christ’s suffering on the cross for us.  Be thankful to Him constantly and tell Him so.  “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” NIV

Here is the context of that verse—written 700 years before the birth of Jesus!

Isaiah 53:3-6 (KJV)
³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Grace Sufficient for Every Trial and Suffering: 2 Cor. Ch. 12

        One of the most remarkable truths of scripture is that instead of making life easier for us by supernaturally removing the causes of our discomfort and difficulties, God instead gives us more grace and strength to enable us to go through the painful, difficult stages of life and painful experiences that are part of living as fallen creatures in this fallen world. After all, this world is not our home; we’re on our journey home and God is preparing us for the place that He has already prepared for us in heaven. We would much prefer that God remove "the thorn in the flesh" or take away "our cross" from us but God in His wisdom, says "No." And He seldom explains why, but we see the end result as He makes us more like Christ and floods us with His supernatural peace.

Do you remember the old hymn, "He Giveth More Grace."
"He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.His love has no limit; His grace has no measure;
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!"

         God sent a "thorn in the flesh," to Paul, "a messenger of Satan to buffet me." And he tells us why: to humble him. He said it twice, "to keep me from becoming conceited." 2 Cor. 12:7
The word in Greek is huperairomai literally meaning "to raise oneself over" another person, to become arrogant or to glorify yourself instead of God. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

        Do you need more strength, more grace to help in time of need? Scripture tells us how to get it: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16 ESV  Go to God in prayer and go with confidence, but if you expect to get an answer, you’d better go humbly and realize who you are and who God is and then you can’t be proud. That’s what the verse says that I quoted in James, "But He gives more grace." And then it says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

        Recognize that you are a created being, a finite creature who has no life in himself but is totally dependent upon God. Take your place as a finite person before our infinite, eternal omnipotent Creator. It’s a matter of simple logic: 1 Cor. 4:7 ESV "For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

        God did not take away Paul’s cross or his "thorn in the flesh," but He did give him grace and strength to "live with it" and be victorious in that struggle. He flooded his soul with the "peace of God which passes understanding."

       And God’s answer to Paul echoes down through the centuries to us to sustain us as well. "Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  12 Cor. 12:8-10 ESV

       Our problem is not that we feel inadequate to face the problems of living in this fallen world, our problem is that we are inadequate and totally dependent upon God for our strength and abilities, but He is sufficient. His grace is sufficient for us. "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God." 2 Cor. 3:5 ESV "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Cor. 4:7 ESV

        So then we can say with the apostles, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Cor. 4:8-11 ESV

        Our lives should be a living demonstration that the risen Christ lives within us: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:19-20 ESV That’s grace. And it’s sufficient for us. Depend on Christ, not on yourself. Glorify Him, not yourself.



　
　

　
　

Easter--"Was it not necessary?"

                                           "Was it not necessary?"
          One of the most fascinating parts of Easter is the story of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road walking and talking with Jesus for maybe two hours as they walked those seven miles together. "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us along the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" Luke 24:32 And one of the things that Jesus said is most striking, "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 24:26 NAS & ESV

           "Necessary" is the literal translation from the Greek, but in what sense was it "necessary" because Jesus had said, "No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." John 10:18 So Jesus’ death was completely voluntary. But His suffering was the only way that He could accomplish eternal redemption for us. And if He had been unwilling to suffer and die, we would still be lost instead of forgiven and on our way to be with Him in the glory of heaven.

        It was also the Father’s will that He should suffer and die for us and He was following His Father’s will. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. . . . " Romans 8:31-32
He did it "for us all," to give us eternal redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. The cross was the only way that our Holy God could be both "just and the justifier of the ungodly." The "wages of sin is death" and Jesus paid the death penalty to pay for those sins–your sins and mine. And the penalty included intense suffering.

       And what motivated Jesus? why would He go through that intense suffering? And again God in His grace has made it clear. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10 God’s love and grace was why Christ suffered–and that was reason enough. Nothing good in ourselves; it was all of grace, all because of God’s grace.

         Think of what Jesus achieved in His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. He defeated Satan, hell, and the grave and obtained eternal redemption for those who turn to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in His finished work on the cross.

        Now since God achieved so much through the suffering on the cross, don’t you think He is also achieving something through your much-lesser suffering in your life? He is indeed. And we can see part, but not all, of what God is accomplishing through your suffering. He is in the process of making us more like Christ! "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18

       We have another indication that God is achieving good through our sufferings in several other verses. 1) Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
           2) "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18 We see not yet all the glory that awaits us, but the present sufferings are working for us; they are doingsomething. They are accomplishingsomething eternal and glorious–though we do not see it all yet.

      We belong to Christ so we must share in His sufferings--sufferings that will come to His body, the Church. Col. 1:24 "The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children . . . seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." Rom. 8:16-17
Jesus suffered and now He has entered His glory. We, too, shall suffer in this life. Jesus told us that, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Easter is a time of great joy, but it came only after intense suffering. So be of good cheer, your suffering, too, will end and joy will come in the morning. So rejoice even in the midst of your sorrow or suffering.           
         And keep your eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. Remember the glory which is yet to come.
                                                        Love in our Lord,
                                                        Pastor Burnside

Suffering for Christ--2 Corinthians chapter 11

As we go into chapter 11, Paul "boasts" a lot, but he's "boasting" that Christ is working through Him.  So the glory is to God, not to Paul.  Paul disliked talking about himself; he wanted to talk about Jesus.  The Corinthians were in danger of making shipwreck of their lives.  And he must warn them.  You, too, occasionally face those dramatic moments in life when you must warn someone--and how to warn a not-receptive person takes wisdom from God and direction from Him as to the timing and the circumstances.  I could tell you some stories some time about how God used Minnie in that way.  Dramatic moments, directed and empowered by God, but eventually saving the person from a great mistake and bringing glory to God in the process.  She took the initiative and made the attempt to help the person only when she felt strong conviction to do so--and she did so gently and with great wisdom and insight that seems to me to have come from God.

        Paul told the Corinthians, "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."  2 Cor. 11:3 ESV  Notice the comparison to the Garden of Eden and the key words, "led astray."  Satan was cunning and so were the devil's representatives in Corinth in the 1st century and in America today.  Just as Satan appeared to Eve in a friendly, beautiful way, false teachers apprear friendly and attractive, but they contradict the Word of God and are distracted from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus and commitment to Him.

        When Jesus confronted Paul on the Damascus Road and brought him to faith in Christ, the Lord said to His servant Ananias, "This man is my chosen vessel. . . .  I will show him what great things he must suffer for my name." Acts 9:16
         And in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul details some of that suffering for Christ.  The list is so amazing that we know the only way any human being could have endured all that Paul suffered was through the special sustaining strengthening from the Lord.  Listen to Paul:  2 Cor. "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?" 2 Cor. 11:24-29

        Paul was joyful in the Lord and content to accept whatever came to him from the good hand of our God.  He did not "lose heart" in the midst of his great sufferings.  But he was concerned that people who loved him might be dismayed and discouraged  by his troubles.  So he wrote to the Ephesians, "So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory." Eph. 3:13  As difficult as all those hardships were, God's grace was even greater for it was indeed the grace of God which carried him through those so-difficult experiences.  Christ showed Himself in all of Paul's sufferings and in the next chapter we'll see how they taught him to rely completely on Christ's strength.  "When I am weak, then

He is strong in my life."

        Paul had already written, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."  2 Cor. 4:7-9

        One of the ways that Paul authenticated his apostleship was to show the many ways and times that he had suffered for Christ.  And yet at the end of it all when he was ready for his "departure" to be with the Lord, he wrote, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18 ESV

The cross comes first and then the glory of the resurrection.  First the crucifixion on Good Friday,  then Easter Sunday.  "Take up your cross and follow Me," Jesus told us.

                                                                                                                                                                      --Pastor Burnside

"In all their affliction he was afflicted"

         If you’ve ever watched someone you love suffer, you know what pain it is in your own heart. Especially when God gives you particularly deep love for the person suffering--your child or grandchild or for your husband or wife. We call this "vicarious suffering" and it is very real and brings "inward pain." But did you ever stop to think that He who created human emotions also has emotions and feels sorrow and grief and compassion for His children. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." 

          Tucked away in a brief paragraph towards the end of the book of Isaiah is an amazing statement about how God suffers with His people.   Here’s that verse in Isaiah 63:9 "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old." We don’t go through these afflictions alone and God is not just a "disinterested observer." He shares in our sufferings and we are to share in His. Isn’t that what the apostle called "the fellowship of His sufferings"? 

 2 Cor. 1:3 He brings comfort to our souls in the midst of sorrow with a peace that passes understanding. "Surely, He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Isaiah 53:4 That’s why we can "Cast [our] burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee." Psalm 55:22

        The context is God’s compassion and mercy to His people: "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For He said, ‘Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.’ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old."

        "The angel of His presence" that "saved them" stood between the advancing Egyptian army and the children of Israel to protect His people and to prevent the army from attacking them. The story is in Exodus 14:19-20 "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night."

        The marvelous truth for us to hold in our hearts always is that God bears our burdens and carries our sorrows and feels the grief and sorrow that we feel. He participates in our lives with us and He is able to enable us by His grace to go through the trials He sends our way. He is there and He is not unfeeling. He is "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." 

         That same God of compassion became "one of us", born of the Virgin Mary. He experienced the privations of life: hunger and thirst, tiredness and rejection by those He came to save. Physical violence against Him. Surely He understands experientially as well as omnisciently what it means to suffer! "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16                                                                                                    –Pastor Burnside
　

"Be of Good Cheer!"

“Be of Good Cheer”
One of the ways God blesses and encourages my heart is through those many, many friends and family He has given Minnie and me through the many years of our life together. So when I returned from those refreshing two weeks with Jon & family in Petaluma, a beautiful town in California, and Jeannine & Chris in their lovely “Evergreen” village in the mountains of Colorado, I was pleased to find so many Christmas cards and Christmas letters and e-mails awaiting me. And I think there will be more still coming. Some of you I hear from only once a year at Christmas time and that’s fine. It’s a good way to stay in contact with many whom we have loved through the years. And I have several that I will be responding to before long.

They were cheerful letters and e-mails and they told a bit of the story of their lives in this past year. (By the way, I have started on my Christmas Letter and expect to finish it and send it before January 13.) So many of you have expressed love and comfort for me in this first Christmas since 1955 without Minnie. And you told me of so many of life’s problems–cancer and other health problems; jobs lost; homes vacated; financial problems; separations from loved ones; children not walking with the Lord; depression and discouragement; uncertainty of the future; some have even faced divorce. And others have had the stability and support of family and friends to help them.

And yet your attitude was one of good cheer and encouragement as you face an uncertain future. (Uncertain in the immediate future, but not uncertain in the longer perspective of eternity.) It seems to me this reflects what Jesus told His disciples just before His death, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” And He gave them His legacy of peace so that they might face the difficulties of life: “ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 16:33; 14:27 We can be of good cheer because He has already won the victory on the cross and His Presence abides with us now and forever. Our future is assured and secure. Take the long perspective.

The Apostle Peter said the same thing: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13

Accept the difficulties of this life as part of the cross we must take up daily to follow Christ and realize that God is accomplishing eternal values in what He, in His providence, brings your way or allows into your life. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are [temporary], but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18 ESV

Let me offer you a suggestion for the New Year which begins tomorrow: get a copy of Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening and read it every day along with your regular Bible reading. In the morning, as you know, Minnie and I read the Psalms together for 54 years and during her last three years we read and re-read the New Testament aloud together and Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening and other good books. It was such a blessing to both of us and Minnie, even when she was nauseated or suffering, she was always of good cheer. In fact during her last week when she saw the sorrow in our eyes, she tried to cheer us up–and she did!

And one of the ways she cheered those around her bedside was with her thankful spirit. She was thankful for the simple things of life and for whatever came to her from the good hand of our God. Shouldn’t we be thankful that we are not starving or suffering great pain? We are not in a slave labor camp. And you’re not enslaved by drug addiction or alcoholism (at least I hope you’re not!) You have friends and family and adequate resources and a relatively peaceful life to live. Think of the persecuted church in so many places in the world and be thankful for the peace and freedoms we have.

Minnie often said that one day she would see our Lord “face to face.” And now she has! Think of how much better off she is Christmas 2010 compared to what she was experiencing just a year ago Christmas 2009. She would not want to return from the glory she is presently experiencing in the presence of the Lord where all is peace and joy and love. She has complete satisfaction and happiness because scripture says, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15

It also says “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" Rev. 14:13 “Blessed” means “favored of God,” but it also means perfect “happiness.”

My oldest great-granddaughter asked me today when we were walking from Walmart to our car what Mimi was doing and did she have a body. And I told her that she would have a glorified body after the Resurrection but now if she is just “spirit,” that it is quite all right because she is with the Lord (“absent from the body, present with the Lord”) and Jesus Himself has told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us. John 14:1 And that place is prepared especially for Mimi and she is very happy where she is living now. (It is so encouraging to me that our 11-year old would ask questions like that. We often speak casually about Minnie and how much better off she is now than when she had pancreatic cancer.)

Anticipate what lies ahead. The future is glorious. We often speak of the return of Christ as “the blessed hope” but we have “another blessed hope,” our anticipation of living eternally in heaven and sharing life with the Lord Jesus and His people. “Hope” in scripture means “expectation” or “anticipation” of what must surely take place. “We shall meet Him ourselves face to face, To the Praise of His glorious grace!”
–Pastor Burnside
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/morningandevening/550586/

A Willing Heart

A Willing Heart
Can you say, as Jesus did, “I delight to do thy will, O God.” In order to do that you must look beyond the immediate to what lies ahead. How did Jesus endure the agony of the cross and all the horrible treatment that was a part of it? “For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. . . .” Heb. 12:2

Jesus laid down His life willingly! “. . . I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:17-18
And Jesus told Peter, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” Mt. 26:53 “He could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set Him free!” but how then would we have been saved? It was His love and His grace that contrained Him and motivated Him.

And it is that same love that He gives to us who know Him as Savior “ because God's love (agape love) has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5 We know that love is from God and not from us because our fallen natures are self- centered and preoccupied with ourselves. But God gives a measure of His love to His children. Love is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18 NIV

I share with you the greatest experience of my life when my wife and I experienced God’s love poured into our hearts with a depth we had not known so deeply. We both loved each other a great deal for 54 years. Eros married love, phileo friendship love, and God’s unselfish agape love–God had given all that to us. My wife was by far my best friend in my entire life. But when she was stricken with pancreatic cancer, we both faced by far the greatest test or trial of our lives. And God sustained us with His love, with His peace, and with His joy in the midst of that three-year trial. We prayed together and asked the Lord not only for His sustaining grace and His peace and joy, but also for a depth of love that would carry us through it all. He immediately answered with His approval and we both gained an insight into the depth of God’s love greater even than we already knew.

Those three years were by far the worst experience of our entire lives (and I’m 77) and also the greatest because we experienced a love for each other and for and from the Lord that made it all worthwhile, painful though it was and still is. The apostle Paul experienced tremendous pain and hardship in his life and yet he could pray, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “I pray that you may . . . grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:17-19

God gave me such a strong desire to care for and serve my wife in her terminal illness and how thankful we both are that He enabled her to stay at home (except for surgeries and a 12-day hospital stay and later a 22-day stay). What a wonderful gift from God is a willing heart to serve Him and to serve others. If you don’t have it, ask him for it “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Phil. 2:13 It is God who gives you the motivation; you don’t generate it of yourself, but if you realize you are lacking it, then you look to Him and ask Him to change your attitude. “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.”

There’s an additional by-product of all of this. If God’s love is at work in your life as you serve Him and because of your love for Him, you serve one another as He commanded, then you have no room left for discouragement. “We faint not” because “we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 “A cheerful heart does good like a medicine” and a willing heart makes a cheerful heart. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“My cup runneth over” with joy; let’s pray that it will also “run over” with God’s love. “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Bear those burdens with a willing heart, going the second mile knowing you are pleasing the Lord. “We make it our ambition to please the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:9 “See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.” 1 Peter 1:22

[Note: thank you for the parts of this devotional I borrowed from last night’s message at Covenant Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.]
–Pastor Burnside