Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Teardrops to Diamonds"

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3
   

"The Lord disciplines those He loves" (Hebrews 12:6). When we realize that afflictions serve as steppingstones to glory, we no longer ask, "Why me, Lord?" but "Why not me, Lord?"

Afflictions can hurt or help. The key is to view them from the vantage point of Christ's own cross. Jesus Himself bore the cross before entering His glory. By His grace, we who follow in His footsteps will tread the same path.

God allows burden-bearing to increase our reliance on the sufferings of Christ for our salvation, to polish us toward perfection, to intensify our prayer life, and to bring us closer to Himself. Our adversities are not punishments to pay for our sins. Jesus Himself bore all our punishments for us: "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).

God will see to it that we gain more than we lose. Bitter tears now will turn into glistening diamonds, mournful sorrows into jubilant song. We should remember our Lord's promise: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

[Soldier4Christ]

"You Can Take It!"

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13
   

"I can't take it anymore." That's what the electric company worker said when she asked for a transfer. For 11 years she had been answering customer complaints. Many calls were angry, some abusive, others pathetic.

Most of us can sympathize with her. We live under stress, too. People disappoint us, and things disgust us. It's not only the major catastrophes that get us down. Often it's a series of small matters.

Despite all the potentially defeating factors that gang up on us, we can live victorious lives. We may tell God frankly that we can't take it without His help. We must stop challenging God's goodness and wisdom by asking why. We must concentrate on the solution. God never promised to exempt us from all the trials and tears of this life. But He does promise to be with us. We ask Him for strength, patience, and courage. We expect Him to answer our prayer. We live in such a way that we're part of His answer. God is a wise Father. He does not do for us what we can do for ourselves. Beyond that He takes over. We can depend on Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Faith for the Storms"

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Romans 8:35
   

At La Guardia Airport in New York City there is a sign that reads, "Runway Reading 134'M. Recheck your compass." Before a pilot lifts his jet off the ground, he can check whether his compass is correct. The flight may run into a storm, and poor visibility would make it particularly necessary for him to rely on his instruments. If he is to reach his destination, the compass must be working properly.

Sooner or later we meet storms in our lives: financial setbacks, poor health, death, and many other problems. Often the troubles are so great that we don't know what to do.

What a blessing a strong faith in God is, especially in such days! It is a wonderful comfort to know that He is in control and no burden will be more than we can bear. Even though the going is rough, we know there is eternal joy ahead. The conviction that God loves us keeps us steady and gives meaning to our lives.

We must draw closer to God before trials come. Life is not just a stormy journey to be endured. It is a gift to be enjoyed and used in the service of Him who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

[Soldier4Christ]

"How Long, O Lord?"

"The fruit of the Spirit is ... patience." Galatians 5:22
   

The prayer of many a contemporary person seems to be, "Dear God, I pray for patience. And I want it right now!"

Someone has remarked that a woman who has never seen her husband fishing doesn't know whether or not she has married a patient man. Still another declares, "If you're too lazy to start anything, you may get a reputation for patience."

What is the patience that the Holy Spirit gives? It is, in part, the gift we human beings need because we cannot look around corners or, more importantly, cannot see around the next day.

God's Spirit gives us a gift that overcomes our limited gaze into the future and helps us to endure. Patience is the certainty that we are in God's good hands. It gives us the strength to wait and see because we know that the guarantee of God's promises is always the final word. In Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, all of God's promises find their "yes" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Patience is not a "do nothing" attitude. It is an active assertion created by God's Spirit to take hold of the future without fear. Our future is in God's hands.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Glory of Fulfillment"

"The time had fully come." Galatians 4:4
   

Only God decided when the hour had come for which the world had been waiting. When in His judgment all the conditions were right, when time had woven all the threads of the centuries into the pattern of His design, when the events in the history of the nations had reached the point that He had predetermined -- then, not before and not after, the time had fully come, and then God sent His Son.

There is a glorious majesty in the thought of God's timing of His acts. He is not to be pressed into hasty action. Until His hour has come, humankind must wait. Nor can He be persuaded to postpone His plans. When His measure of the days and years is filled, there is no more delay. The Lord is His own counselor, and He acts when He decides.

This is most significant for our own life and experience. Because our Judgments are clouded as a result of sin, we can so easily become impatient and demand premature action that would distort the balance of our lives. Or we can be slow and late in our timing and again disable the mechanism of events in which each part must mesh perfectly with all the rest. There is a readiness for all things that is known only to God and the determination of which must be His alone.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Crucial Tests of Life"

"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will; but as You will." Matthew 26:39
   

We can face crucial tests of life in several ways. We can pray to be spared the anguish they may impose on us. Or we can ask for the necessary courage and faith to accept the challenges they place before us.

When Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was confronted with "the cup" -- His mission of dying for our salvation -- He prayed earnestly: "If it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me."

As disciples of Christ, we can also pray: O Father, may this cup -- this suffering of body and mind, this critical surgery, this painful task, this demanding challenge, this heavy responsibility -- may this cup be taken from us!

But can we continue with the crucial test of our faith as expressed in the phrase "yet not as I will"? If it is not possible for the nails and the cross to be removed, do we too say, "Yet not as we will; but Your will be done, heavenly Father"?

God's will was done by His Son. He did put the cup of our guilt to His lips so that our "cup" might run over with His forgiving love and with the power He grants to trust in His gracious will, especially in the crucial tests of our life.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Shoulders for Burdens"

"The Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders." 1 Chronicles 15:15
   

In an age that has perfected mechanical devices of all kinds for carrying loads, we are apt to forget the homely wisdom of the Yiddish proverb: God gave burdens, also shoulders. The Levites counted it an honor and a privilege to carry the ark of the covenant upon their shoulders.

The shoulders of God's people of old were also for bearing suffering, as the psalmist declared: "Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (Psalm 44:22). In the New Testament God's people are also encouraged to bear sufferings for Christ's sake, yes, to find joy in being exposed to "the painful trial" through which they are participating in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Discipleship under Jesus is a burden which is not to be escaped. To be mocked, abused, and rejected because we walk with our Lord is to share Christ's suffering. None of this is easy, but it is all necessary. For this God has given us the shoulders of faith -- of faith in Christ's sufferings for us. Our faith is lifted by the promise: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).

God's grace is sufficient for us today, as it has always been for those chosen by him to extend His Word and work into the world.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Seeing God's Hand"

"I, the LORD, ... will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open the eyes that are blind." Isaiah 42:6-7
   

These words are part of the first of four poems in Isaiah called "Songs of the Suffering Servant." They paint a portrait of the servant who is the Savior of all nations. At our Lord's Baptism these words find fulfillment as Jesus begins His ministry of "doing good and healing" (Acts 10:38).

It is to open our blind eyes that Jesus came -- our eyes that grow blind to those around us in need, our eyes that fail to see the guiding hand of God in our life. It is for us, who by nature are dead and blind to God, that He sent His servant, our Savior.

Jesus is the light to the nations, as aged Simeon declared in the temple, and He came to open our blind eyes. In our Baptism we have been called by God's Holy Spirit and enlightened with the Spirit's gifts so that we may see the hand of God in Christ Jesus reaching out to touch, forgive, and heal us. His is the hand that guides and protects. Without His hand on our shoulder, we grope and stumble in darkness, but with it we find the way to everlasting peace.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Hug of God"

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness." Jeremiah 31:3
   

There comes days in the life of every one of us when the love of God seems merely an abstract term--His love seems irrelevant to our daily living.

But that is not the way our Lord wants us to regard the promise and the offer of His love. He is eager that we not only acknowledge His love, but that we remain in daily awareness of it. Again and again He reminds us: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness." Again and again He tells us that His relationship to those who put their trust in Christ as Savior is that of a father to his children -- an ongoing, day-to-day relationship.

The love revealed in the Gospel is more than a kindly gesture; it is the hug of God, His reassuring arms around us. In days of darkness or distress, in nights of pain and sorrow, may we hear His loving voice: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine" (Isaiah 43:1). Yes, He is our God. He loved us so much that He gave His only-begotten Son to die for us. May we always feel His loving presence near us!

[Soldier4Christ]

"Perplexed? Yes. In Despair? No."

"We are ... perplexed, but not in despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8
   

Why are we perplexed? Because, in spite of our highest dreams and best intentions, evil seems to dog our steps. We are perplexed because, in a paraphrase of Saint Paul's words, "when we would do good, evil is present with us." We are perplexed because as our world grows smaller, its people are growing father apart. We are perplexed because we are lost people -- people with the power of the sun in our hands but with the darkness of night in our hearts. We are perplexed because our civilization is a structure of contradictions. It is capable of building missiles to climb to the stratosphere, but these bring us no nearer to heaven. We can build airplanes that fly with the speed of sound, but we have no wholesome place to go.

Perplexed? Yes. But why are we not in despair? We do not despair because, in the last analysis, the world's affairs are not in the hands of humankind but in the hands of God. We are not in despair because the Gospel has the last and truest word: The God who created us and who judges us is also the God who in Jesus Christ has received us as His own beloved children. "He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

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"The Glory of God's Preserving Care"

"In Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28
   

Under the grinding pressures of the life we make for ourselves, we sometimes become so impressed with the importance of what we are doing that we forget what God does. We begin to feel that unless we personally turn the wheels the world itself will stop in its course. The result is anxiety, fear, and the unhappiness of failure.

God not only created us, He sustains us as well. He did not merely wind up the universe, but He still controls and operates it. In fact, we and all things depend on Him directly and completely, for "unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain" (Psalm 127:1).

To the extent that we understand and accept this fact, we will see ourselves in the proper perspective. For one thing, it will lead us to a humble measure of our own importance. Then it will give us a sense of contentment with the role God assigns to us in our calling, at the same time sharpening our sense of responsibility to Him. And as we are aware of the governing and preserving activity of God in all the events of our life, even our critical times, we shall find our fear giving way to confidence in the faithful care of our God.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Troubles Deepen Life"

"It was good for me to be afflicted." Psalm 119:71
   

None of us are fond of trouble. We look upon trouble as an intruder. We do not court trouble. We seek to avoid it. Yet the psalmist says: "It was good for me to be afflicted." Lives that are void of trouble usually are humdrum, shallow, stagnant. They lack salt.

Christian lives are not void of trouble. The Lord tells His followers that they will experience trials that will try their very souls. They will cry out in the agony of their soul: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). They seek refuge in God's promises, power, and love. They dig deeply into the Scriptures. They crowd the throne of God with their prayers as they confess: "Other refuge have I none." And God answers in His own way and at His own time to make all things work together for their good. The clouds soon pass; the sun shines again. Their faith is strengthened, their hopes are brighter, and a new song is on their lips.

Thorough their troubles Christians are helpful to others who are in trouble. Remember that in the Lord's service "only wounded soldiers will do." So the Lord equips us for better service to others wounded in life's battles.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Troubles From the Good Shepherd"

"The Lord disciplines those He loves." Hebrews 12:6
   

Despite troubles and sorrows we are still God's people through faith in the merits of Christ, who gained for us and freely gives us pardon for our sins. Yet we find ourselves asking, "If the Lord is good, why is it that I must endure hardship and pain?" It is not a sign that the Lord does not care, for "the Lord disciplines those He loves."

A traveler went to southern France, where many shepherds with their flocks could be found. He was sure he would find the shepherds leading their flocks to still waters and green pastures. But to his surprise he found many of them leading their flocks into rough and rocky places near the seashore. Many of the sheep stumbled and fell, and some were bleeding as a result of injuries sustained. Of course, the shepherd was there to give them help, but why was he leading them into such places?

A shepherd was asked this very question. He said, "We hate to bring our flocks into such places, but it absolutely necessary, for this is where they can get the salt they need; they lick it from the deposits on the stones from the ocean waters."

Do not all of us need the salt of God's Word to purify our spiritual wounds? The rough road taking us to it leads to the healing Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Free For What?"

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. Galatians 5:13
   

Not so long ago there was a very special worship service at an Ohio penitentiary. The occasion had been made special because the governor had announced he was offering freedom to several inmates. With understandable impatience, the imprisoned waited for that moment when the governor would reveal those singled out for a pardon. The first name read was: "Lawrence Layton. Lawrence Layton, come down and get your pardon.” Nobody got up. Nobody came down. The chaplain started to look around. Spotting Larry Layton, the chaplain crooked his finger in invitation for Larry to come on down. Larry still didn’t move. The chaplain said, “Larry, he means you.” Larry, thinking there must be another Lawrence Layton in the place, stayed sitting. “They certainly couldn’t mean he was free.”

Finally the chaplain came down and led Larry forward to receive the precious certificate. After shaking the governor’s hand, Larry sat down with the other prisoners. Amazingly, when the prisoners had to go back to their cells, Larry Layton lined up with them. That’s when the warden called out, “Larry, you don't belong there anymore. You're a free man!"

Because of the Savior’s sacrifice on Calvary—because He fulfilled the laws you had broken and took the punishment you deserved, you as a believer in the Savior can be free. The Lord Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to your personal prison of sin with a complete and total pardon. This pardon is signed not with ink, but with Jesus’ blood. It does not come from a governor, but from God Himself. With your pardon in hand, the Savior says, "Come on down. Be forgiven of the past. Be free." I pray that when you hear the Lord call your name, you won't pull a Larry and ignore the invitation or His pardon. There would be nothing more tragic than to return to your cell of sin, when the Lord Jesus has died to make you free. Scripture says that the Lord desires all people to be saved. Believe with all your heart that this invitation includes you.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Mistaken Mockery"

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7
   

Colonel Ethan Allen, leader of the Green Mountain Boys, was a profound unbeliever, while his wife, a Christian woman, taught their daughter about Jesus and how He saves believers. The girl continued to live in this divided household until she became quite ill. As she neared the end, she asked, “Father, I am about to die. Shall I believe the principles you have taught or shall I believe what my mother has taught me?" Ethan wrestled with his conscience, and then searched to find the right words. Finally he answered his little girl: "Believe what your mother has taught you."

Strange, isn’t it? Ethan Allen was one of the most resourceful and courageous men of his age. Expeditions into the wilderness didn’t frighten him, nor did facing an armed enemy terrify him. Still, for all of his bravery and daring, he had no skill or ability able to defeat or even counter death as it approached the bedside of his little girl. Allen was forced to admit his helplessness and urged his daughter to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only Jesus, her Savior, had the ability to help her through what lay ahead.

The same is true for you. The greatest genius, the most brilliant inventor, the most courageous soldier, and the most acclaimed statesman will someday know that skills are insufficient as we face death. A person cannot argue with death. It will come, and at that moment an individual must either rely most foolishly upon himself or, by the Spirit’s power, upon the Savior who died to take away the world’s sins.

This day, before death comes, I encourage you not to believe me or your mother or your father. Believe the Scriptures, which tell of how Jesus was born into this world, not because He had to be, but because His Father wanted to save the world. Believe that Jesus loved you enough to be perfect when you would have been impious, caring when you would have been cold, holy when you would be hateful. Believe that Jesus took your place, died your death, and then rose to show the truth of His words and all that He had done. Believe that.