Day by Day

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"God With Us in the Fields of Life"

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2
   

We ought not overlook David's striking consciousness of God at work in the fields of life. We, too, can see Him there if only we look.

Often we are like the lady who took her first train ride to see her son. She had hardly gotten settled when she was up to check on whether her baggage was secure, to seek out the conductor to make sure she was on the right train, to summon the porter to bring a pillow, to find the water cooler, then to call the porter again to open the window, and on and on. The conductor called, "Jamestown!" It was her destination! She sighed, "If I had known the trip was so short, I would have taken time to enjoy the countryside."

There are two ways of living. We can be so occupied with immediate needs that we never really look at the life around us. Or we can pause, look up, and catch a view of God majestically providing for the needs of His flock.

While we are manufacturing imaginary needs, accompanied by frequent bleatings, the Good Shepherd is supplying our every want. God sustains our life and points the way to righteousness and eternal glory through the cross of Jesus.

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"No Need to Fear"

The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
   

Why are so many Christians haunted by fear? Some live with fears they have never faced.

Worry is a form of fear. We do not like to admit that we are afraid we may lose our job, fail to get a promotion, or pass an examination. So we often disguise our fear by fretfulness over details.

A woman once gave a friend a motto that read, "Those who worry do not trust; those who trust do not worry." The friend was hurt because she resented the implication she was a worrier. But she had never realized that her excessive concern with personal problems spelled out the word worry!

At times we can become very much concerned about physical safety, spiritual development, school progress, etc. Worry can so upset us that we lose our grip on ourselves and go to pieces.

Why should Christians be afraid to stumble if Christ is the light that illuminates their paths? Why should they be afraid they cannot hold out against temptation and trial if God is the strength of their life? "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). God is all we need for life and growth and comfort and safety!

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"The Care-Less Life"

In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat -- for He grants sleep to those He loves. Psalm 127:2
   

One of the secrets of living the Christian life is learning how to live care-lessly, that is, to live without care, without anxiety, without fear. Such care-less living is precisely what God wants to give us, not because He is careless but because He is so care-full.

Life filled with cares is so hectic. Everywhere there seems to be something that just must be done. "There are not enough hours in the day," we fret. "I'll get up an extra hour earlier; I'll go to bed later," we say. But the worries of life don't become fewer. For all our care about life, we only work ourselves into a tizzy.

But God wants to give us a care-less life, one free from the anxieties that contribute to our stress-induced illnesses. "In vain you rise up early ... for He grants sleep to those He loves."

Yes, even when we are sleeping, God is careful to give us what we need. The child of God can be care-less because God is care-full. We are His beloved, after all. And He has given us what we need most of all: forgiveness and love in our Savior Jesus Christ, even when we get all caught up in the cares and concerns of this life.

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"No One Left Standing"

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. Psalm 130:3-5

Twenty-five innocent Afghani civilians were killed last week in an air strike made by NATO forces. Wishing to take out a suspected group of thirty insurgent fighters, the bomb missed its intended mark and destroyed a building that was occupied by non-combatants.

Among the dead were the mullah of the local mosque, nine women, and three babies.

Reaction to the deaths has been varied. A spokesman for the military said, “We are concerned about reports that some civilians may have lost their lives during this attack.” President Hamid Karzai has called for foreign troops to do more in the prevention of civilian casualties, while a senior official in the Afghan Defense Ministry said that all civilian deaths are a matter of “concern.” I imagine the mourning families and friends of the dead might express their pain in a more personal and passionate way.

Although war has always touched innocent and uninvolved bystanders, any death like those described above is a terrible tragedy.

This is why the death of our Savior is especially tragic. It is tragic because, in the war between good and evil, in the battle for the souls of humankind, Jesus was an innocent, albeit necessary, casualty. Look at His life. The Divine Savior is shown to be innocent because He never steps into any of Satan’s traps. He is innocent because He never sinned, nor was He ever disobedient of His Father’s will and wishes. That Jesus was innocent can hardly be argued. Even those who were partly responsible for His death have announced He was free of any wrongdoing. Judas, the man who sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, ended up confessing “he had betrayed innocent blood.” Pontius Pilate, the official who eventually ended up allowing the Christ to be crucified, repeatedly went on record saying that Jesus had done nothing to merit His execution. The unnamed thief who died on a cross next to Jesus confessed the Savior was free of any and all wrongdoing.

Innocent, Jesus died for us who were guilty. Innocent, Jesus gave His earthly life so all who believe on Him might be given eternal life. Jesus’ death is the great, essential tragedy of history that gives us salvation. His sacrifice is what enables forgiven sinners to come to the Father in….

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"Formula for Happiness"

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

The Persians have this advice: If you have two coins, use one to buy bread for the body and the other to buy a hyacinth for the soul. We need more in life than eating, dressing, making money, and paying bills. Jesus said: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). An animal eats and is satisfied, but we have a soul, and that needs food, too. So God comes to us with this formula for happiness: "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

In other words: Lift your spirit into the world of spiritual values! Discover the heavenly treasures that are there for you! There is forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, joy and peace, and the promise of an eternal life in the new world. Can anything be better than that?

If we live on the side of these Christian positives, we will overcome the enslaving negatives of worry, fear, doubt, and despair. In God Himself we have the secret of serene delight, a feeling of security in His grace, peace through His love, and confidence in His promises. All that was purchased for us when Christ gave His life for us.

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"Grief"

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Perhaps you've heard the expression "Good grief!" Strange expression, isn't it? The two words are opposites. How can there possibly be such a thing as good grief?

Grief is very much a part of life. Sooner or later we all experience it. For each of us there are "nights of weeping" -- times when we experience personal loss, professional setbacks, physical suffering, and other heartaches that cause grief.

Yet as Christians we know that grief is not permanent. Morning will follow the night of tears, and morning will bring rejoicing. That's what God has promised. Jesus promised comfort to those who mourn (Matthew 5:4). He also promised the blessings of hope, deliverance, courage, freedom, and a new day -- life everlasting where there will be no grief. These things are good indeed!

As painful as grief is, it can help us to recognize God's promises and to claim them for ourselves. When it does, the morning dawns. And with the morning comes joy -- a joy based on God's eternal love in the redeeming Christ, a joy that grief will never destroy. Thank God for the morning!

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"When Trouble Comes"

"(God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

Troubles can cause us to question God's love for us. Saint Paul tells us in Romans that we can rejoice in our suffering because, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sufferings can fit into the context of the primary goal God has for us -- that we spend eternity with Him. If we will let them, our troubles can be helpful to us. Saint Paul says: "Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

Trouble can teach us perseverance. We learn not to give up. This develops strength of character. And character produces hope. Biblical hope is the unshakable confidence in Christ that comes from having survived many troubles. And such hope, the apostle says, "does not disappoint us" (Romans 5:5). Why not? Because we shall see our God face to face in His kingdom, where He will "wipe every tear from our eyes." Gone are death, mourning, crying, and pain. It is good to remember this when trouble comes.

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"Being With Jesus"

These men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

Peter and John were standing before the same priests who had put Christ on the cross. They expected to fare no better than their master. Instead of being silenced by fright, they went right on witnessing that only in His name could salvation be found. This took real boldness. Where did these uneducated disciples find it? "These men had been with Jesus." He had secured this courage for them by His suffering and death and was giving it to them by His abiding Word.

Christ gives us this same boldness. If He dwells by faith in our hearts, we shall stand up boldly to the problems and disappointments of life. Things do not always run smoothly. There are sorrows and adversities deep enough to defeat many people. They do not overthrow us; Christ gives us the strength to endure. By His power these are turned to our advantage and even made blessings.

We face an adversary worse even than the men faced by Peter and John. None is mightier or more deceptive than Satan. But Christ gives us boldness to stand against him, too. If we are with Jesus, Satan throws his fiery darts in vain. One little word can fell him.

If Christ is with us and we with Him, we have boldness on the Day of Judgment.

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"Riding High"

“I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land.” (Isaiah 58:14)

One of the rules learned by an airline pilot is to fly against the wind when taking off or landing the aircraft, or when seeking to climb above a storm. People learned this rule from the birds. In ordinary flying the bird goes with the wind. But if it meets danger, it turns into the wind, even if it means flying directly into the sun.

Sufferings, trials, and reverses are God’s winds. Sometimes they are extremely contrary and strong. But these veritable hurricanes take human life and lift it to higher levels, even toward God’s own heaven, if one understands their purpose.

On many a summer day the atmosphere becomes so oppressive that even breathing is difficult. But then a cloud appears in the northwest, grows larger, and then throws out its blessing of refreshing rain. The storm that seems to threaten the landscape also charges it with new life.

Our redemption in Jesus Christ is proof of God’s love, also in days of distress. “The Lord disciplines those He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). The wind sings best when hindered by the trees or the strings of a harp. Living in God’s grace, God’s child rides high, no matter what the weather.

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"One Step at a Time"

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect; but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Pursued by chariots and horses (the fastest mode of travel in that day), the children of Israel walked across the Red Sea. Forty years later, after a circuitous and tedious journey, they walked into the Promised Land.

That’s the way our journey through life usually is – a daily walk, one step at a time. Occasionally we “fly with the eagles,” but more often we just plod along, day by day, and the perfection we dream of seems far away.

Like the apostle Paul, through faith in Jesus Christ we look ahead and see perfection, the kind of Christian God wants us to be, the promised land of heaven. Looking at today, however, we see slow progress, slipping and falling, rocks along the way, a step backward for every one forward.

Day by day, as in faith we come to God for guidance, we press on in our upward journey, one step at a time.

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"God’s Promises"

He remembered His holy promise given to His servant Abraham. (Psalm 105:42)

A promise is considered a sacred thing. It has been said often and properly that the person who breaks a promise made to a child will lose the child’s trust and confidence. This is also frequently true between adults: all of us expect others to keep the promises they have made to us, and by the same token, we should not make promises we don’t intend to keep.

Our God has gifted us with some wonderful, comforting, and reassuring promises – promises for us to remember in all of our life circumstances, promises we can rely upon. “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). “And this is what He promised us – even eternal life” (1 John 2:25). There are so many, many others. And our God never, no never, goes back on his promises.

What a gift! We, too, have made promises and vows to our God – to love Him, to serve Him, to glorify Him, and to follow Him all the days of our life. In receiving His many promises, we grow daily in ways we often don’t realize –another gift!

Rejoicing in His faithfulness, let us perform our promises to Him and our fellow human beings, asking almighty God to give us the needed steadfastness and strength to carry them out.

Trust in God – He never breaks a promise!

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"God’s Good and Gracious Will"

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

A seminarian, when asked where he’d like to serve his first parish, answered: Anywhere the Lord leads me – in Texas.” Sometimes we fail to understand the nature of God’s will.

Jesus expressed the will of God as the sovereign justice, goodness, and wisdom by which He governs all things. Some people have reduced the will of God to cold, cruel fate or even to “luck.” Many speak of the will of God only in connection with tragedy. Actually God’s good and gracious will is active in every event of our lives, if only we will seek to become aware of it.

Too often we try to impose our own will on the will of God, and that isn’t good. Isaiah says: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way [will]; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Praise God! Sinless Himself, Jesus has paid for the sins of our stubborn will. We stand forgiven before God.

So we pray that God’s divine will may become the regulator of our attitudes and ambitions, as well as the divine blueprint for all our actions. Even as the angels in heaven know and joyfully do God’s will, so may we come to understand it and do it gladly.

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"Medicine for the Soul"

Praise the Lord, O my soul…who heals all your diseases. (Psalm 103:2-3)

Vacations are beneficial when they provide for a change of pace. Often a doctor will prescribe a holiday for an overwrought person. Once Jesus, the Good Physician, said to His disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.”

We know that the formula for good physical, mental, and spiritual health calls for more than just rest periods. Dr. George W. Crane, a psychologist and doctor of medicine wrote, “The best medicine as regards physical health and vitality is belief in God and an active part in church work.”

This is a step in the right direction, but it is not the full answer. Even a hypocrite can do church work: serve on committees, collect funds, teach a class.

The true medicine for the soul is the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins. The psalmist calls on his inner self to bless the Lord, “Who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases.”

God forgives our sins because Jesus Christ, in whom we believe, has with His shed blood cleansed us from all sin. This is the good news – “In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

When we have peace with God we have also inner peace, and inner peace makes for the health of the soul.

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"When a Stranger Becomes a Friend"

Their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. (Luke 24:31)

When we travel along a road and expect to stay overnight somewhere, as was the case with the Emmaus disciples, we may meet strangers who at first annoy us: too much talking, littering, playing the radio too loudly.

The woman guest in a hotel was angry. The man in the suite next to hers was practicing on the piano incessantly. She complained to the manager of the hotel. “That is Paderewski,” he said. That made a difference. Then the woman invited her friends to her room to hear her new “friend” play next door.

On the way to an Emmaus inn Cleopas and his companion were at first slightly irked when a Stranger joined them uninvited and wanted to take part in their conversation. They chided Him politely, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:18). But what a friend this Stranger turned out to be when at the blessing of the bread at the supper table they recognized Him as their Lord and Savior returned to life! Afterwards they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).

Perhaps God has sent you on this vacation trip so that you might meet strangers through whom He wants to bless you. Perhaps He put you on the road to become better acquainted with Jesus Christ, your dearest Friend.

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"Vacation Reading"

“Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30)

People who expect to spend several weeks in a summer cottage at a lake or in some other quiet place usually take along books to read. Many good books are available, and we can most profitably fill out our leisure time by reading them. The opposite is also true, as Charles Dickens once wrote, “There are books of which the backs and the covers are by far the best parts.” Some books fail us because they are too hard to understand.

The man who was asked whether he understood what he was reading was the treasurer of Ethiopia. He had been in Jerusalem to worship. There he had also obtained a copy of the book of Isaiah. On his return trip in a chariot he was reading the 53rd chapter. Philip explained the passage to him as fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who as the Lamb of God suffered silently and died in our behalf.

Perhaps we too have trouble understanding what we read in the Scripture. The Book of Revelation states, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3). But the series of prophecies in Revelation is often hard to understand. So we do better to start with easier books of the Bible: the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the Book of Acts, First Peter.

Vacation time is a good time to read, not only good books but also, and especially, the Bible. There is a great blessing in that, for the Holy Scriptures testify of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the world’s only Savior.