Day by Day

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"A Little While"

John 13:33 "I will be with you only a little longer."

On different occasions Christ told His disciples that He would be with them only a little while longer. During that little while that was still left, He instructed them in His Word, in the purpose of His ministry, and in the method of their testimony about Him. At the very end of His ministry Christ told them that He was now leaving them for a little while and that they would see Him no more. He was going to the Father by way of the cross.

Life is full of "little whiles." Sometimes they seem very short because their moments are filled with joy and contentment. We have our friends and our loved ones around us for a little while, and we enjoy their companionship. But they are taken away, and we see them no more.

On the other hand, there are the "little whiles" that seem like eternities. There is discomfort and pain, disappointment and tension. We think these moments are eternities. The night of pain is endlessly long, and the morning never seems to dawn. We toss and we turn, but there is no relief.

But it is only a little while. "For a brief moment I abandoned you... . In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment." The promise is added, "'But with deep compassion I will bring you back... with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,' says the Lord your Redeemer" (Isaiah 54:7-8).

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"The Use of Decaying Trees"

Romans 8:28 "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."

Scattered in the forest along mountain trails lie the decaying hulks of downed trees. The passing hiker notices them but doesn't always realize their value. Small animals and birds use them for shelter. Delicate plants grow on and around them. Gradually these trees enrich the ground for other vegetation. Even decaying trees have their use.

As we follow life's trail, we hardly notice some incidents that happen. Other experiences are painful, forcing us to be aware of them but not always of any good purpose they serve. Much in life seems rather pointless.

But God reveals that "in all things" He is working for our good when we love Him because of Jesus, who died and rose as our Savior.

That promise can be very comforting when painful things happen. But if He works "in all things," we can look for good even in what might at first seem insignificant. We won't always understand the why or realize the good He intends. But if we try, we often will find unexpected meaning or blessing in what otherwise we might have taken for granted.

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"The Heavenly Father in Control"

Romans 8:28 "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."

"In all things God works for the good" is a staggering promise. Note "in all things" -- whether they seem good, bad, or indifferent -- "God works for the good." We usually make these distinctions. Some things we consider to be always of benefit to us. Other things we call misfortunes, believing them to be contrary to our best interests. Then there are things that we ordinarily regard as of no consequence one way or another.

In all things "God works for the good." The storms of adversity, the fires of affliction, the showers of God's blessing, the sunshine of happiness -- in all these experiences God works to fashion one harmonious design and purpose.

Not in themselves, of course, are all things working for good. All the various things that make up life's experiences work together for good to bring us closer to Christ and, by faith in Him, to the gracious Father in heaven.

God's dealings with His own are designed to bring about the best interest of His people.

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"Tribulation -- Peace"

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

None of us faces a trouble-free life. All types of hardship crowd in upon us. We are not responsible for much of it, but we are victims of the age in which we live and the world that surrounds us. Disease threatens our vigor, if not our vitality. Threats of war rob us of security. Automation crowds us out of a job. Easy immorality sneaks up to destroy our virtue--sometimes our very life. Into this ugly picture steps our Lord Jesus Christ, who says, "Peace. You have trouble in the world. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

He understands the tribulation that is heaped upon us, for it was heaped on Him as well. The assault of humankind, the wiles of Satan, the forces of nature all conspired to bring trouble into His life. He did not complain under its burden, but He carried it victoriously. In a triumphant speech He tells us that when trouble comes, we may face it with good cheer, for He will turn it into our victory. Peace will permeate our lives again, for He has reconciled all things to Himself and orders them for our good. As Jesus went to the cross with our sins upon His shoulders and atoned for them with the shedding of His blood, He has brought to us that perfect peace that gives us eternal life.

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"Help in Trouble"

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

The shaking of the earth and the trembling of the mountains are not such strange sights to us who live in an age when media coverage frequently brings us news of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes around the world. However, even beyond this, the little world in which each of us lives is often shaken by some personal crisis or tragedy, and life caves in on us. We may be able to find short moments of relative peace, but most of the time we are in the midst of trouble.

Above the roaring of the storm God's own promise speaks clearly in this psalm. Not only is He the refuge to which we may flee, but He stands with us in the midst of the torrents that rage around us. His loving presence grants inner stillness to the heart.

Dare we hope that the Lord of all is eager to be with us? Yes! In Christ God is with us. He is the Word made flesh dwelling among us. He pledges His presence with those who rightly bear His name, and He keeps that promise.

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"Encore"

John 20:26 "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'"

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. When he died, His sheep scattered, but as soon as He rose from the dead, He set about gathering them together into the one flock, His church. Individually and in groups, He rounded them up. But Thomas was not with them on the first Easter as they huddled in fear behind closed doors.

Jesus, however, heard every word spoken by doubting Thomas. Our Savior knows all. He is also patient and forgiving. Jesus had refused to perform a miracle for the entertainment of King Herod. Yet for the sake of restoring an obstinate apostle, Jesus made a repeat appearance so that Thomas would believe. Overwhelmed by the proof of the resurrection, Thomas made that great confession every Christian makes: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).

How comforting to know our Lord will not let us go! He understands our frailty and knows the doubts within us. Through the Scriptures He reveals to us that He is risen and alive. In His mercy He offers us a second chance, and restores us when our faith flickers. He calls us not to be faithless, but to believe. He wants us to come out from behind closed doors and gather with the rest of the church in His name.

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"The Good Shepherd"

Ezekiel 34:12 "As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock...."

One of the most comforting Old Testament pictures of the Messiah was that of the shepherd. Jesus claimed the title Messiah for Himself when He said: "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:14). He based His claim not on His teachings and miracles alone, but rather on His Saviorhood, as the One who laid down His life for His people. Christ laid down His life as a ransom to purchase His sheep.

Why did He have to die? Because "we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). Willfully we left the fold. We became lost in the night, in the storms of a troubled world. We became lost in our own pet theories and the blinding fog of our doubts, our sins.

For such lost sheep as we are, the Good Shepherd came and freely, willingly, lovingly laid down His life that we might once again be led back into the fold. What a wonderful shepherd is ours!

No wonder we love this picture of Christ!

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"Be Happy"

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

"Religion takes the joy out of life." That may be true of religions that require people to attempt to achieve perfection on their own. But the one religion for which that statement is completely false is Christianity. The Christian faith gives us constant reason to be joyous.

There is reason for joy when God lets us wake up in the morning. With the psalmist we say, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). With God's love and mercy in Christ, we go about our activities relaxed and at peace.

Paul experienced many hardships and disappointments in life. At the time he wrote the words of our text, he was under arrest for proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. And yet, even in chains, he encouraged the Philippians to be joyous.

Knowing that all things work together for good to those who love God, we can face challenges, hardships, and suffering with joy. God will give us courage and strength to deal with whatever confronts us. Even in disappointment and failure, God is still with us to comfort us and help us with our problems and sorrows.

No, the Christian faith does not take joy out of life. Rather, it alone assures us that God is at our side.

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"Thanks for Nothing"

Psalm 91:10 "No harm will befall you."

When someone is not much help, people might say sarcastically, "Well, thanks for nothing!" The comment draws attention to the failures of another.

In a positive way, however, we can thank God for nothing. When we think of all the troubles that exist in the world, as we contemplate all the diseases and afflictions that face humanity, while we hear of all the persecutions against religious faiths around the globe, we should pray to God and say, "Thank You, Lord, for keeping me safe."

God has three ways to keep us safe from all harm and danger in life. First, He pushes many troubles and dangers away from us so that we don't even come into contact with them. Second, He turns evil into good. We can in all truth affirm that God uses everything for some good. Third, Christ promises to lift us out of this vale of tears into heaven. This assurance comes through faith in Jesus Christ, who died to take away our sin. He rose from the dead on the third day and ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. Therefore we pray with trusting hearts, "Lord, thanks for everything!"

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"Able to Do All Things"

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

The story is told of a great violinist who was giving a concert -- when the A string on his violin broke. Without stopping, he adjusted to the situation and finished the piece on three strings. A lesser violinist might have stopped and complained about his bad luck. But it takes a really great artist to do what he did. He was able to work with what was available to him.

So it is with life. None of us has all that we would like to have. We struggle through life with our problems: illness, financial difficulties, an impossible boss, or loneliness.

Saint Paul, that great soldier of the cross, had his problems. He suffered from pain, persecution, perils, and many other adversities as he proclaimed the Good News of God's saving Gospel. Paul did not complain. He looked to the cross for help and hope. He exclaimed, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." That's a great word for our age. In Christ we have a marvelous friend. Our confidence is built on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages. Someone has said, "Christ did not come to make life easy. But, Christ did come to make life strong."

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"When Weak is Strong"

2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

The apostle Paul had a physical infirmity, the exact nature of which has never been determined. Whatever it was, it was a source of pain and embarrassment to him as he carried out the duties of his apostleship. He called it his "thorn in the flesh." Repeatedly he asked the Lord to rid him of this painful "thorn," but repeatedly the Lord replied, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in (your) weakness."

In God's unsearchable wisdom He knew that Paul would be a more effective witness to the Gospel with his thorn than without it. In a sense the "thorn" became a part of Paul's witness; not only did it keep him truly humble, but it also enabled him to give an eloquent firsthand testimonial to God's grace.

How about you and me? Do we have our thorns in the flesh, our limitations, our weaknesses? Even these can become open doors for the spreading of His Gospel. To each of us He says: "Give Me your weaknesses, and I will make them My strength." The important thing is that we recognize our weakness and dedicate it to His service. He can do wonders, even with our weakness.

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"Why Bad Things Happen"

1 Peter 4:12 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you."

Bad things do happen to good people. We often ask: Why, when we love and serve God, do so many bad things happen to us?

It bothers us, but Peter suggests that we should not regard this as strange. It is going to happen. The cross of adversity dominates our lives. It is our reality. Christ had to suffer; we shall have to suffer. But we shall not only share His suffering; we are assured that we shall also share in His glory.

Saint Peter tells us that through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, God has given us an inheritance, safe in heaven for us. Our trials can have the helpful purpose of refining our faith, as gold is refined, so that we cling all the more strongly to our Savior and thus gain what God wishes to give us: eternal life with Him in heaven.

There is evil, and we should resist it. But when bad things happen to us, with God's help we can move toward acceptance and the useful purpose He would make of them in our lives. Above all, God's desire is that we may enjoy good things with Him in all eternity.

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"Worry"

Luke 12:22 "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear."

A wise person once observed, "Do you know why Jesus was always saying to His disciples, 'Don't worry'? It was because they were always so worried!" We might find ourselves chuckling over this, thinking that it does not apply to us.

But after our little laugh, we come back to serious business. Worry is a destructive thing. Obviously worry can hurt our physical health. Eventually it can kill a person. To top it off, there is another destructive dimension to worry that is even worse than the loss of physical life. Worry can destroy a person's spiritual life. Worry is one of Satan's favorite weapons. He encourages us to believe that worry isn't all that serious. Meanwhile he uses worry to separate us from our heavenly Father. Before we know it, we can find ourselves worrying about virtually everything. When we get to that point, worrying has actually become idolatry. Worry has become our god. This need not be true for us.

Having acknowledged what worry is--a temptation of Satan--we can take our worries to God in prayer. God gave us the greatest gift, His Son. He will also give us the gifts we need for the lesser needs of life.

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"Nothing Too Hard for God"

Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Like her spouse, the faithful Abraham, Sarah passed through times of doubt and disbelief. There was the laughter of doubt in her heart that God could or would keep His promise.

But here is God's loving challenge for us as we, too, are given to wonder about the ability of God. We hear and accept the assertion of capable people: "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer." But the ability of the Almighty still creates problems. So He puts the above question to our hearts. In doing so He reminds us that nothing is demanded of faith which is not justified by His actions of the past. He has opened the gate of life to us; is it too hard for Him to lead us through it?

The "impossible child" promised to Sarah was born at the appointed time. The "impossible Child" promised to the Old Testament people was born in Bethlehem's stable to redeem the world.

Is anything too hard for God? Not when we believe in Him enough to let Him do the "impossible" for us. Nothing is ever too hard for Him to do for those who place their trust in Him. God's love for us is backed up by His might.

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"Doing the Impossible"

Nehemiah 6:16 "Our enemies...were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."

Walt Disney once said, "The most fun is seeing the impossible done." The Bible is the continuing story of the impossible being done -- by God's action.

Imagine the fun -- and triumph -- of Nehemiah and his workers, who returned from exile in Babylon to a seemingly impossible task. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days -- walls which had lain in destruction for 150 years. Seeing the impossible done had a great impact on the enemies of God's people -- they were forced to acknowledge that this work had been done only with the help of the Lord.

There are no impossible situations that can keep God from fulfilling His promises. What could be more impossible than to rescue humanity from the clutches of Satan and death? God did so when Jesus lived, died, and rose for us.

When God chooses to act in our lives, no enemy can stand in His way. He has promised to be with us in all situations, even the seemingly impossible ones. We too must acknowledge that any good which we accomplish is done only with the help of the Lord.