Blessed be the Name of the LORD!

Why do we always ask “why” when difficulty strikes?  I’m not talking about after we’ve had time to think about it, pray about it, and have others comfort and encourage us through it.  I’m talking about the initial gut response.  When something difficult happens our first thought, more often than not is “why?”  Why me, why now, why this?  Strange it seems, particularly once you’ve gone through the trial that you even asked why to begin with.  Then again, I guess sometimes all you’re left with is why with no further response from the Lord.  Some things, we’ll never know and were never meant to know.  Somethings He makes clear to us knowing that we are flesh, weaklings.

But where does that gut response of “why” come from?  Most likely it comes from the expectation that we deserve only good in life.  Certainly for the unbeliever there is often that expectation.  That they are inherently good and that they deserve only good to come.  Even that god, their god, is a god of only good things and that disaster and calamity should never befall them.  But that is not the God of the Bible.  That is certainly not the Father of Jesus Christ nor the Father of His Church.

So what about believers?  When disaster and calamity strikes and we respond with “why” what are we saying?  I think that we too are saying “why me, why this, why now?”  And I think that we are often responding with that thinking that we too deserve only good things.  Is that wrong of us to assume?  We are children of the King.  Children in the Beloved.  We are the Lord’s and we expect that He will work out everything for our good and His glory in the end…right?  And what about those who are more charismatic among us who assert that there aren’t really any difficulties that should befall us and that we shouldn’t even be physically sick (I recently had someone who was of the charismatic persuasion say to me – with reference to Isaiah 53 – that Jesus’ bore our sicknesses and that through His death we are healed and so my wife’s physical distress would be healed if we believed that and claimed it).  What about that?  There is certainly much to be said for their faith, though their interpretation of scripture is somewhat lacking.  And there is much to be said about their fervency for prayer and trusting that God would move because they pray in faith.

But what else are they saying?  In a sense, and I don’t believe that everyone of them is saying this nor do I believe that every other believer thinks this way but for the most part it is probably true, in a sense they are saying that God should give us what we ask for no matter what it is and that we shouldn’t ever experience physical or any other distress because God never meant it to be that way for us.  That is so close to the truth its almost difficult to combat.  Certainly God created us “good” and for “good.”  However things did not remain that way.  And there is really no promise in scripture that now things ought to be completely good and at ease for us as believers.  Quite the opposite.  I’ve been reading through I Peter and he assumes that difficulty will arise and that this difficulty is a part of what it means to walk in Christ’s footsteps.  Certainly Paul’s life – who was a man of faith and a man of prayer – was full of difficulty.  Are we to assume that he was in some sort of sin or that he didn’t have enough faith or that he didn’t pray earnestly enough and that this is why his life was marked with difficulty both physical and otherwise?  Certainly not.  And ultimately we have Jesus who said “in this life you will have tribulation but to be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.”  And His life, what was it if not marked by “grief and sorrow.”  Are we, His disciples, to live a life greater than He, our Master?

I guess in the final analysis we have to conclude that what is “our good” that God is working all things toward, is ultimately not up to us.  In other words we can’t and won’t know what the “good” is that God is working all things toward.  We don’t really know what good thing we need and we don’t really know how best to work out situations and circumstances in our lives in order to reach that good.  But we can rest in knowing that God knows.  And we can rest in knowing that God is the One who is and always will be in control and that He is at work to work all things together for our good, whether they are “good” or “bad” according to our perspective.

In the end, we must assert with Job that it would be foolish to only be willing to accept good from God and not adversity.  Accepting the good and adversity in this respect is more of an attitude adjustment.  There is not really anything that we can do to accept or reject adversity from God.  But the acceptance, as we saw – at least from the first and last couple of chapters of  Job – has more to do with an attitude that doesn’t question God’s motives but which accepts that He is in control, that His plans and purposes are higher than we can conceive and that whether He gives or takes, He is and always shall be blessed.

Death

My cousin died this past weekend. Death never gets easier. As long as I live, separation – while I can comprehend from a theological perspective – will always cause grief. It is inescapable. We all grieve in different ways and at different times…but we all must grieve.

My grief struck me today when I was at work. I was doing fine until I was reminded of something about my cousin. It was hard for me to hold back tears. He used to stay with my brother and I…I guess baby sit us, though we were all relatively close in age…at least he and my brother are not too far off. But he used to hang with us alot…we even used to go over my aunts house to hang with them alot. And he would play video games with my brother and I all the time…he even lived with us for a bit when we were all older. Strange what things you don’t consciously think about until separation occurs. Then all the thoughts come flooding back…because they are gone.

We were never really meant to be alone. When God created man in the garden he said that it is “not good” for man to be alone. I don’t think that he meant that solely with regards to marriage. I think that He never intended for us to face separation.

It is our sin that separates us from God and from each other. And that is why it is so painful. Paul said in I Cor 15, that the “sting of death is sin.” And that so because there is a punishment which awaits those who have never been reconciled with God prior to death.

“But,” Paul continues, “thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” My heart goes out to my family. And I pray for my family that they would also have my hope. My hope is in the Lord. It is not in long life. It is not in a good life – financially or otherwise. My hope and trust is that at the end of my life, my Lord Jesus Christ will lead me to victory, from the grave to the home of His Eternal Father in heaven.

Please pray for us. Pray that the Word would go forth on Saturday.

7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross, Saying #2

Below is the “second saying” of Christ on the Cross from Luke 23:33, 39-43 that I presented at our Good Friday Service.  I have edited it slightly since the service, noticing some things that I missed.  It was an encouragement and a blessing to hear from 6 other brothers what the Lord laid upon their hearts concerning the words of Christ on the cross.

As I awoke this morning, in thinking about the gravity of Christ’s crucifixion, I wondered how utterly tragic it must have been for the disciples on Saturday.  We talk plenty about Friday and Sunday morning…but rarely about Saturday.  What do you do…what do you say the day after the death of someone whom you love so dearly?  What do you say to a person who has lost so much the day after their loss?  Certainly there are feelings of uncertainty.  Perhaps still a great deal of shock.  And I would imagine the feeling that one was dreaming it all and that they would see this person again very soon.  For many this is the case.  For many today loved ones pass on…sometimes suddenly, and sometimes quite slowly…but I would imagine that the shock and pain are equally real.  And the response to that pain is often quite dismal.  I spoke with a fellow today at work who mentioned that his brother had been in a comma-like state for almost a year.  Doctors and nurses had written him off, but all of a sudden, just this week he awoke and has been completely aware and almost like normal ever since.  For him, before the phone call from his brother, there was no hope.  And for many who lose loved ones, either tragically to death or else to some pseudo death-like state, they are often left without hope.

But God, being rich in mercy, did not allow for His people, for the disciples of His Son to be left without hope.  He did not allow for them to remain on Saturday.  Saturday turned into Sunday, as night turns into day.  Loss is real.  Pain because of loss is real.  But God has promised something so much better for those who are His Son’s.  God has promised hope.  That is part of the message of the cross and the resurrection.  Death is real.  Sin is real.  And the penalty for sin is real.  But as real as sin and as real is death, so hope is made real through the death of Christ for our sins.  And that because death was finally defeated, while life and immortality were brought to light by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

If you are without hope in the world today, I remember you today, and I implore you, turn from your way to the Hope that God has provided for us in Christ.  It is a living hope…and it is a living hope because He lives.  “Praise God because He has caused us to be born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  I Peter 1:3

Luke 23:33, 39-43

³³ When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. … ³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

In business, there are models for just about everything. There are…business models, leadership models, sales models, customer service models…and I bet there are models for how to appropriately use models. Models do a lot for training. In particular, models help to give every employee a standard by which to operate. Furthermore models are used to promote success. If it works, it is used so that others may benefit and also be successful.

This “word” of Christ also provides us with a model. It is a model for salvation. This is not a new model, its the same one that God has been using since the beginning of redemptive history and it is the same model which we know has existed in His mind since before time. This model is the model that all must adhere to if they desire salvation and it is the only model that works. There are three elements to this salvation model presented in the passage. This is not an exhaustive list of the elements of salvation but merely works as a part to represent the whole. The three elements of salvation are quite simple. You can remember it with three C’s. First there is God’s Choice. Second there is God’s Change and third there is God’s Character. I’ll describe these from the passage and then draw a brief conclusion.

The first element of this model is that salvation is God’s choice. V 33 indicates for us that salvation is God’s choice. It refers to the way in which Christ was crucified, being crucified in between two criminals. Mark 15:28 quotes Isaiah 53:12 indicating that Christ’s crucifixion in between these two criminals, identified as thieves, was in fulfillment of God’s plan. God said that it would happen this way. In this, our attention is also drawn to the point of Isaiah 53 in that Christ died as a substitute for the sins of God’s people. In other words, God predetermined that Christ would suffer and also how Christ would suffer. One final note, looking forward to God’s choice, we note that these two represent the whole of all who behold salvation. There are two different responses. One responds with mockery, while the other responds in faith. One is thusly ignored by Christ, while the other is granted Salvation.

The second element of this model is that salvation involves God’s change. What do I mean by that? Consider vs 39-42 again. These two men were identified as thieves. And from the lips of one of the men, they were justly condemned. There was no mistake. They were both sinners, and they both deserved judgment, not just judgment from the rulers of the earth who crucified them; but judgment from the One who rules both Earth and Heaven. So why was one granted access into the Kingdom while the other wasn’t? I alluded to it earlier. The one hurled insults at Jesus commanding that he save himself and them from death on the cross. Clearly his heart did not understand the judgment of God for sinners, nor that it rightly fell on him. The other thief rebuked the first in acknowledgment of his own utter sinfulness and rightful condemnation. He did not make excuse for his sin. He did not blame his upbringing or society. And he did not ask for relief. He knew that he sinned and that his death was justified because of it. His only desire and plea was that Jesus grant him access into his kingdom after he suffered for his sins. His response gave evidence of the sort of change that God does and that God requires in the heart of any who would believe.

The third and final element of this model is that salvation involves God’s character. Character is functioning as a noun in this sense not an adjective. The character is none other than Jesus Christ. And it is faith in this Character, this Man, that is the basis for God’s salvation. He is, as was mentioned in point one, the substitute for the sins of God’s people. He is the guilt offering according to Isaiah 53:10. v 6 of that Isaiah passage reads: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has placed on him the iniquity of us all.” In that verse, turning our own way is not an admirable quality. The world loves and exalts those who do things their own way, those lone rangers, those trail blazzers and… “mavericks,” but not so for God. God has His own way to which we are all held accountable and by which we are all judged. And He has His own character, His own man by whose righteous standard we are to be judged. And that is Jesus Christ Not only is He the substitute for sins but according to vs 42-43 of our passage, He is the Lord of the Kingdom. The thief said remember me when you come into “your” kingdom. Not someone elses, not “your Fathers” though that would have been accurate too. He is the King of God’s Kingdom and therefore it is rightly called His Kingdom. And Jesus’ response affirmed His Lordship of the Kingdom, as He grants immediate access for this one to the Kingdom. He didn’t have to ask his father first. He didn’t have to pray about it. And he didn’t have to give him a waiting room in purgatory until something opened up in paradise. He was able to grant immediate access because the Father had already given Him authority to do so.

So what model are you following for salvation? Perhaps you’re here tonight and you’ve never really considered that. I’m sure that this will be further explained before the end of tonight but understand that salvation is not what you make of it. Salvation is not merely knowing to call Jesus Savior. The first thief called Him “the Christ,” but as I mentioned, was not saved. Furthermore, it is not merely coming to Church on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Its all about what God has determined in His plan. It is all about God’s choice, it is about God’s effectual change in the heart of man. And it is about faith in God’s character, Jesus Christ, whom He has appointed as both Savior and Lord over all men.

Again, what model are you following? What way will you choose? Will you continue in your way like the first thief and face the end of your way which is death? Or will you turn to God’s way as did the second thief and be received to Him through Christ in paradise?

Do you have your Easter outfit?

Why has Easter been relegated to an opportunity to get a new outfit?  Christmas is probably one of the most celebrated seasons…perhaps just in our society…I don’t know.  Whatever the case, it seems as if Christmas has been greatly commercialized and glamorized by so many and even in Christian circles; while poor Easter has be largely forgotten.  I mean, when was the last time we counted down the 12 days of Easter.  Perhaps the Catholics have something on us with Lent.

I guess the real problem is that Easter is largely forgotten until the week of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Sure, we know its coming, but we don’t give gifts to each other, we don’t decorate our homes, we don’t have Easter parties for our friends and families…though many do enjoy Easter dinners.  But why?  Why is Christmas seemingly more important?

Certainly…without a doubt, the birth of our Lord into this world, the Almighty God and ruler over all Creation being born into this world in the flesh is something to celebrate.  But His birth into the world would have no lasting effect if it were not for Easter.  If it were not for His death and resurrection (crucial aspects of salvation) we would really have no reason to celebrate.  We would have no conception of the import of His birth into the world if it were not for the message that He gave, His death and subsequent resurrection after three days.

“Surely our sickness He lifted and our sorrows He bore…He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the chastening of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed…He was delivered over because of our transgressions but raised because of our justification…He has caused us to be born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (Isaiah 53:4-5; Romans 4:25; I Peter 1:3).

I guess Easter is really about  a new wardrobe…but not one that covers the shame of our sinful flesh.  God originally clothed the first family Adam and Eve, after they had sinned.  He clothed them to cover their shame…nakedness had no significance before sin…and even now thousands of years later, nakedness is a source of shame and immorality for many.  To combat that shame, many cover their nakedness with costly garments, jewelry and make-up.  Even those who wear very little, do so ultimately because their conscience has too long been seared for them to realize that it is truly shameful to bear their nakedness before others so openly.  Whatever the case may be we seek the best clothes, even on Easter, to dress up the shame of this sinful flesh.

But God has provided something so much better for us in Christ.  He has provided the promise better garments.  He has provided us, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, a heart of flesh, a new heart on which is written the law of God, a new mind which is being transformed daily by the word of God, the promise of a new body when Christ returns for us at the end of this life, and a new and eternal life which is undefiled by sin and in which we may stand before our Holy Creator God for ever.

Easter is more than just a new wardrobe…to cover this shameful, wretched flesh.  It is about being clothed with the righteousness of Christ.  Consider the picture of our salvation in the restoration of Joshua the High Priest:

Zechariah 3:1-5

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”  3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.  4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”  5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.

And again, He says to Joshua:  “Now listen Joshua the high priest…I am going to bring My servant the Branch…and I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day.” Zechariah 3:8-9

The Lord’s dealing with Joshua the high priest is similar to His dealing with all who are humble before Him.  Though we are accused – and rightly so because we have all gone astray, seeking our own way apart from the Lord – in that day the Lord rebuked Satan, the accuser, and according to His grace has “chosen” us, plucking us from the fire of His wrath, and after having made provision for our sins, has cleansed us and given us clean garments from head to foot.  In one day, He has removed the iniquity of our hearts.  In one Man (called the Branch in this text of Zechariah) He has reconciled all men to Himself.  And in one act, He has forever clothed us in His righteousness and granted us the immeasurable riches of His grace for all eternity!

Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!  Rejoice you who have been give eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to attest to the goodness of the Lord in Christ. If you have been purchased by His blood and clothed with His righteousness, Easter ought to be the most celebrated season!  In that day He has become our substitute and our source of new life!  He has completely erased…not just covered…our shame before our Holy and Almighty God forever.

Fear, you who have not yet been clothed with His righteousness, for soon another day will come.  And in that day there will be no more room for mercy nor grace.   And even the garments which you have coveted all of your life and from which you have attempted to hide your shame shall be burned along with you as you pay for your transgressions and iniquity in eternal torment.

For as vast and unmeasured is the grace of God to those who are clothed with Christ, so is His wrath fierce and unquenchable to those who are still naked.

Psalm 13 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 13)

God is a Merciful Savior. How can a man endure strife and difficulty from among his peers/enemies?  How can a man endure heartache and sorrow to such a degree that sinks him into great despair and depression?  By remembering that God is a merciful Savior.

Hear the cry of the Psalmist “how long O Lord, will you forget me forever…how long will you hide your face from me?” How long will God be far from me?  Hear the despair in his heart.  Hear the rejection.  He has been wronged by his enemies.  They have fought against him and seem to be prevailing.  God is his hope and this he knows for certain.  But it seems that his God has turned his eye from the situation temporarily.  In moments of despair, we can certainly feel that way.  Particularly those of us who know God and who maintain our integrity before Him knowing that He is the “rewarder of those who seek Him.” We are those who seek His righteous face in righteousness and so to experience such heartache and despair, such torment from one’s enemies can be utterly confusing to us.  We ask, why?   Why now, why us? If God is for us, then how can this be against us?  And how long will He cause me to remain in this distress?

Furthermore, he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily.” From this we notice two things.  First is that despair can cause one to feel alone.  And second is that this despair often lasts for days on end.  That it makes him feel utterly alone daily, we notice that he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul…”  He takes counsel in his own soul, perhaps to just cheer himself; but most likely because there are no others for him to turn to.  Perhaps he feels that no one else can fully understand his struggle. He is alone in his distress with no one to call upon.  And so within his own heart, he sinks and sulks.   That the despair seems to last for days on end, he says “how long shall I…have sorrow in my heart daily?” This despair is constant and pressing.  Day after day he awakes to it.  It walks with him through the day.  It beckons him moment by moment.  It causes him to recall his every action, every thought, every deed to know whether or not he has mistakenly wronged another; that perhaps the attack is justified.  Sometimes perhaps it causes him to wonder why he should care to uphold his integrity at all.  And why should he be so concerned with striving for righteousness if this is his lot.  Or perhaps it causes him to justify himself within his own heart like Job, as if he does not deserve such an attack and as if God doesn’t have any right reason for it.  Of course God doesn’t need to justify Himself any more to us than He did to Job.

He pleads with God for relief as he says “consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say ‘I have prevailed against him;’ lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.” At times this distress causes us to plead with God to hear our cry.  And yet it seems that he doesn’t.  We ask for him to vindicate us lest those who “trouble” us rejoice at our fall.  We ask for God to “enlighten” us so that we may know the reason for such distress; but it never seems to come.   (Though we know that knowing the reason for the trial will probably not bring us comfort.)

So how does this man overcome despair?  He says “But I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me!” First, we notice that he overcomes because he is one who trusts in the mercy of God.  In his heart, he knows that God is a God of salvation.  It is only those who are truly the Lord’s possession who can say this.  It is only those who have this type of faith who speak of the Lord as One who is a merciful Savior.  Furthermore, in his heart, he knows that because God is a merciful Savior and because God desires praise from His people, that God will bring salvation to him.  We see this from his choice of words I “have trusted…my heart shall rejoice…I will sing…”  These are words of one who is assured that the God whom he serves is a Savior who is able to bring salvation according to His mercy to those who are His.

Evil does abound.  Attacks come from all sides.  We may be tempted to think that when we are attacked, that it is personal.  Particularly if the attack is personal.  That is, if it is done through a trusted and close relationship.  However, we must remember that God is sovereign, even in our suffering.  And that even in those personal attacks, He has purpose.  I know a brother who is under such an attack.  And it is in the context of relationships that were trusted to him.  At least some of those relationships were very dear to him.  And for that reason, these attacks have caused him great distress.  But to him, I would say that difficulty of this sort is never merely about him.  And though it be personal, and though it be difficult (I speak this as one who has never experienced what he has); this particular difficulty has a greater scope.  For it involves the body of Christ and the body of Christ is always under attack by the evil one.  And though we don’t like to think that our brothers and sisters can be used by the evil one for his purposes; we must recognize that he will use any and every opportunity to attack the people of God and men of God who stand before the people as an example daily.  With that said, as difficult as these trials are he/we can persevere and we shall persevere because God is a merciful Savior.  And He is One who is able to accomplish His salvation plan for His people regardless of what may occur in the process.  Furthermore, that He may and does use these difficulties in our lives to continue to shape and mold our hearts to trust Him as the merciful Savior that He is.  And not only to trust Him; which would be enough, but to long for His eternal rest, which He has promised to those who trust Him and who also endure.  That our hearts would continue to be prepared, not for the temporary rest that we may enjoy here, but for His eternal rest.

If you are His and you are enduring such an extraordinarily difficult trial in which you may feel that God has temporarily turned His back on you, that this trial is unwarranted, that your attackers do so without cause,  and perhaps that there is no one who can truly relate to what you are experiencing; then I exhort you to remember in whom you have trusted.  He is a “Wonderful, Merciful Savior”…a “precious Redeemer and Friend” as the song says.  He is the Creator of the World, and yet is One who has chosen to forgive our transgressions against Him and to live in our hearts.  If He has done this; what ultimate good would He withhold from you?  And if this has befallen you; then you must trust that this is a part of His plan to bring about your ultimate good.

Perhaps you who endure such a trial are not ones who must be reminded to forgive.  Perhaps you are not ones who must be reminded to forget…or even that you are ones who need to be reminded to endure.  You’ve learned a great many lessons.  You have maintained your integrity before the Lord in this situation and even in handling the trial which has resulted.  But perhaps you could use the reminder that the God whom we serve is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior. And that this is His plan for you, and anyone else involved.  And therefore, perhaps what you have done is not the problem.  Perhaps who they are and who you are is not the problem.   But rather, this is about who He is and what He is doing in this situation for all who behold it.

Will you praise Him for it?  Do you believe that He is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior?  In this situation, which you know is His doing, is He still wonderful?  And do you believe that He is a Merciful Savior to you?  If you do; then you must rejoice!  You must sing!  Because He will deal bountifully with you.

Suffering and difficulty

I won’t claim to have experienced the greatest suffering and difficulty that life may bring.  I know that I am far from it.  Sure I have had difficulty and frustration in life but I know that there are many others who experience daily physical, emotional and spiritual pain and even persecution for the cause of Christ.

But the more I think about it, I am becoming convinced that God intends for pain to act as a cleansing agent for those who are His.  We are not of this world.  We are aliens and sojourners.  But sometimes we forget this.  Sometimes we are persuaded to think of this life as our sole reason for existence.  We think of this world as our home and its joys as the greatest or best that there is…

But, beloved, God has promised us so much more than that.  He has promised us an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, unfading and which is reserved for us in Heaven, an inheritance which He has promised to keep us safe in order to receive, according to 1 Peter.  That is what we have to look forward to.   That is our hope.  We do not hope like the rest of the world that things will “just turn out okay.”  We do not hope against hope or hope in hope…whatever that means.  We hope in the eternal rest and blessing that is promised to those of us who are in the Son whom the Father has given all things.  We hope in Christ and His return.  We hope in the day that He ushers in Peace, Justice, Righteousness, Prosperity; the time where there will be no more wars, no more turmoil, no more uncertainty, no more tears, no more sorrow, no more sickness and no more death.  That time will not happen until after our Lord returns for us.  Therefore that is what we hope for.  We hope for His return and we look forward to it.  We have no other hope.   We have no greater thing to look forward to.

When suffering and difficulty come…do not fret…be not anxious, nor be afraid.  Think of it as the Lord’s way of continuing to prepare you for His rest.  If you are sick or dying, do not fear.  Think of it as the Lord’s way of shedding you of your earthly tent so that you may finally put on your heavenly one.  If you are without…fill in the blank…in this life; think of it as the Lord preparing your heart to desire more the riches that are imperishable, not defiled by sin and everlasting.

Maranatha!