Sorrow with Hope

 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.

Nothing is quite so awful as the sorrow of one without hope. The weight of trials are hard enough and living without hope of relief can be more than most can bare. The saints living in the city of Thessalonica were despondent over their departed loved ones, fearing their fate. Paul didn’t want the church clueless about those who died in Christ and their problem their sorrow but sorrowing the wrong way, as hopeless men. The saints arrived at their precarious condition because of Biblical ignorance. It is ok to mourn, just in the right way as Christians. When these Christians thought of their loved ones in Christ, who had died, they acted like lost heathens because they did not know, or they did not remember the truth about death and how to apply those truths. They were not mourning like Christians.

Had they forgotten the gospel? Did they not remember what Christ had done for them? After beating the Lord and mocking him, Roman soldiers took a hammer and nails and drove them through the hands and feet of Jesus, fastening him to a cross. They lifted him up off the earth on that cursed tree, and there he suffered, bled, and died. He was removed from the cross, buried in a tomb. His cold, lifeless body laid there for 3 days and three nights before He rose from the dead. Jesus rose, stood up, and walked out of the tomb. Because Jesus lives, we who are in union we Chris will live. We serve a living Saviour, who defeated death, or overcame the grave, and in his victory promises all those who put their faith and trust in him, likewise shall have eternal life.

Christians have hope, and we must live in that hope, trusting in the promises of God. These are not platitudes, because those pithy sayings don’t help us when we grieve. Our hope is based on the risen Lord Jesus and his promises to us. I can stand and look at the grave of loved ones who trusted their soul to Christ with sorrow, but also with hope. Their bodies laid to rest, but only for a little while. Paul used the euphemism “sleep” for death for that very reason. The soul goes on to be with the Lord, but the body is laid to rest until the Lord himself descends from Heaven with a shout, and those dead bodies will rise from their graves and be transformed and glorified. Sown in corruption, they will rise in incorruption. One day, I will see them again. I have hope even at the grave. They will rise – I will rise – because He is risen.

Spiritual Heritage - Tuesday with (2nd) Timothy #5

2 Timothy 1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

When Paul thinks of his friend, he thinks of the genuine faith Timothy has in the Lord Jesus. Timothy truly loves the Saviour. And when  he thought of Timothy’s faith, he was reminded of the women who nurtured it. Lois and and Eunice where godly, Jewish women who believed in Christ (Acts 16:1). We know that Timothy’s father was a Greek, and it his absence here seems to imply that he was not a believer.

Verse five is setting up Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, to be bold in the service of Christ.

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

Paul remembered Timothy’s faith and his mother’s faith, and his grandmother’s faith and was was convinced that Timothy was a saved man. He wanted Timothy to also remember his grandmother Lois, and her commitment to the faith once delivered. He wanted Timothy to remember the great faith of his mother Eunice, who came to faith in Christ, and believed, even though her husband apparently did not. He wanted Timothy to remember the faith of these women in raising him up, and teaching him the Bible and to see God’s providential care. Paul wanted Timothy to remember that he too believed and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and to be encouraged as Paul was convinced that Timothy was following after the Lord, just like his mother and grandmother, with a real, genuine faith. I imagine if you asked Timothy, he would have considered Lois and Eunice great and godly women. Paul was saying that he believed that Timothy had that same faith in the same Lord. Remembering his spiritual heritage was an encouragement to Timothy.

Paul wanted Timothy to think back and be encouraged. The Word of God says to “honour thy father and thy mother”, not throw them under the bus. Not only should you honor your physical parents, but also those spiritual fathers and mother’s who were instrumental in you coming to faith. Don’t turn your forefathers into villains to make your “journey” more intriguing. Why did Paul bring up Eunice and Lois? To fire him up. To get him out of the spiritual doldrums. To shake him out of his fearful immobility and get him motivated and moving again. Remember your faith, remember your heritage, and stir up the gift of God.

The purpose was for Timothy to “stir up the gift of God”. That might not sound very spiritual, but you can take that up with Paul. God’s gifts to us are meant to be used and we cannot be Samson like in our treatment of the gifts of God and expect to “slay the Philistines as we have done before”. These gifts of God require the diligent care and use of the minister.

Hast thou no scar? by Amy Carmichael

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?

Essential Oils and Quenching Oils of Friendship

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart:

so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9

My wife has spent some time learning about essential oils, their uses, and benefits. It seems there are no end to what different oils purport to do. Reading through the wisdom books, you’ll notice that Solomon was a fan of essential oils, if for nothing else than the smell. There is something refreshing about a nice aroma. I suppose that’s why Yankee Candle does so well (Newell Rubbermaid – no relation; I’m not heir to any vast kitchenware fortune – bought Yankee Candle for $15 billion in 2015). It made Solomon happy to come home and have a sweet smell waft through the doorway, and if such small common graces fill your heart with joy, then more power to you and praise the Lord.

Solomon mused on his buoyant bouquet and it reminded him of friendship. Friendship is sweet, and it does the soul good to talk another like-minded soul, but especially a wise friend who is invested enough to give advice from the soul. The particular fragrance of friendship Solomon is talking about here comes from the friend’s counsel, wise words from a friend who really cares. It delights the heart to have a companion offering guidance when we are troubled. During some calamity, to know we have a friend to help us get back on track or stay to stay the course is comforting. When we are not thinking clearly, or cannot think clearly, how rewarding to have a friend, detached from the situation, to give us fresh perspective. When tragedy comes, it cheers the heart to have a friend to remind us of truths we both believe. What a help to stand in the funeral home and have a friend who cared enough to come or to hear the voice of one offering a word of encouragement. It rejoiced the heart to know, even in terribly sad times, one could rely on a friend’s words to give comfort and aid. How good to know there is another person who loves and cares enough to share their heart and give all they can to help you, knowing they love and want the best for you. It’s good to have a friend who tells you what you need to hear, not just want you want to hear. A friend with a backbone.

Are you a friend who rejoices the heart? It’s good to receive, but it’s better to give. Strive to be the kind of friend one can rely on. Labor to be the kind of friend whose counsel is sweet and sought after. If you want to be that sort of friend, you need to work to be wise, and “whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so the them.” Be a good friend.  Consider the fragrance in your relationships and what kind of counsel are you getting, and what kind of counsel to you give?

The Forge of Friendship

Ambrose Bierce, in his Devil’s Dictionary said being friendless is, “Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense.” Part of being a true friend means you have to sometimes do or say things your friend is not going to like. Bierce, though in jest, hit close to home because to have many “friends”, you will need to lay off the truth and common sense. But is that really friendship? When someone does nothing but butter you up, they are not helping you out or being your friend -- they are setting a trap for you. Proverbs 29:5, “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.” The only person who believes you are the greatest the world has ever known is your Mom -- anyone else saying so is flattering you wants something. Maybe you lay it on pretty thick because you want people to like you. Unfortunately, this is counterproductive if you are looking for close friendships. The flatterer may enjoy the company of others, but they won’t enjoy close friendship that comes over time through honest counsel. Proverbs 28:3, “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.”

A good friend has your best interest at heart, not their own. You are not perfect, and no one knows that better than our friends. But, they also want the best for you, so we can see how correction, or a warning may be in order from time to time. Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” It’s better to be corrected by a friend than kissed by an enemy. If the flatterer wants something from you, he’s buttering you up. If he is looking for advancement, they’ll use you and leave you behind. The wounds of a friend are faithful to the truth and faithful to the friendship. The enemy pretends to be a friend and feigns love for personal gain.

A friend is going to make you better. Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” True, taking your Case and your Buck and scraping them together is not the best way to sharpen a knife. But you don’t live in the Iron Age and your Case is made of high carbon steel, not iron, but the principle is easy to understand. Men can make each other better by thoughtful, purposeful resistance. When you sharpen a blade, you must remove material. The result is less of what you don’t want and more of what you do. Friends make each other better in the forge. Be careful - too much sharpening, and all you’ll have is a handle. Or, if you hammer the tip of your blade into the face of the whetstone, you’ll break the blade and make it worse. There is a right way to sharpen and a time to stop. 

Safe and Secure

The final note of the epistle of Jude (verses 24-25) points believers to Jesus. Jude warned us to watch, charged us to vigilance, cautioned us not to fall, or stumble, the letter concludes with praise to Christ, the One who is able to keep us from falling. Jude’s doxology is an example of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We are responsible to watch, to be diligent, to contend for the faith, but our security is found, not in our hands, but in God’s. We should live as if it all depends on our works, but trust knowing it all depends on God’s grace. It’s the Lord who forgives our sins (I John 1:8-9). He keeps us by graciously giving us faith in Him. God gives us a hatred of sin, and leads us not into temptation, but in paths of righteousness. Because the Christian abides in Christ, we have security in Christ, knowing that he will keep us from falling away forever.  In Philippians 1:6, Paul was confident God would carry out what He started and not leave the work unfinished. Jesus does not begin a work of salvation and then abandoned it halfway.  Some are plagued by the fear of losing this precious gift of salvation. Seeing our sin, meditating on the Holiness of God, fearful of God’s judgment makes one sense their great failures. Truly, our sin is great, and our failures are great, but our Saviour is greater, and there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God is able to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

Christ will present us faultless  before the Father in love. I have sinned. I still sin. I’m not perfect and certainly not faultless. But I’m not saved by my works. I’m not saved by my righteousness. My sins are forgiven. My debt is paid. I received a pardon, all by the finished work of Jesus Christ. I’ve been washed clean of my sin, justified by God, and the pure and perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to my account and with “exceeding joy” Christ will present me as a trophy of His grace. That great day, the homecoming of His people and the gathering of the family of God.

Our hope rests on the power of Christ. He is the Rock upon which we stand, the anchor of our soul, strong and immovable and impenetrable stronghold. W serve the “only wise God our Saviour” who ordained  the great plan of redemption and made the way for my salvation, with no loophole, no unthought of contingency, who ordained my salvation before the world began –  to this God, be glory and honor, and worship. To him, all “majesty ascribe”.  To him, all dominion, power, might, and authority belongs, both now and ever. Eternal praise to Jesus the captain of our Salvation, now and forever. The Eternal Son provides eternal life and the saints of God will glorify and praise Him for evermore.