Winner Either Way

I have a good friend and recently we were talking and he was so excited. He told me he just had a great weekend and had gotten to see his parents perform. They are part of a gospel/bluegrass group in North Georgia. Part of the performance included a song that just touched him. It was called “Winner Either Way”. He told me the lyrics just touched him and encouraged him that no matter what as believers we have such hope! I think I agree with him. He gave me a copy of the lyrics;

A LOVED ONE KNEW HE'D REACHED THE END OF LIFE'S JOURNEY, BUT HE'D BEEN HOLDING TO GOD'S HAND A LONG, LONG TIME AND AS I KNELT BESIDE HIS BED, MY HEART WAS THRILLED AT WHAT HE SAID," IF I GO, OR IF I STAY, THE VICTORY IS MINE."

NONE OF US REALLY KNOWS ABOUT TOMORROW, WE MUST PREPARE TO GO TO HEAVEN ANYDAY BUT WHILE WE'RE HERE LET'S TRUST THE LORD, HE'LL LEAD US SAFE TO OUR REWARD AND BY HIS GRACE, WE'LL BE A WINNER EITHER WAY

I'M A WINNER EITHER WAY, IF I GO OR IF I STAY FOR I'LL STILL HAVE MY JESUS EACH PASSING DAY I'LL HAVE MY HEALING HERE BELOW, OR LIFE FOREVER IF I GO, OH PRAISE THE LORD, I'M A WINNER EITHER WAY.

You know there is great encouragement there and it brings to mind Paul’s trials and there is a passage in Philippians 1 that I often dwell on;

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[d] 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Can you see the hope of believers? Paul in Jail, facing trial and possible execution sees the hope and it is “better by far”. Life is tough and there will be many bumps in the road, but if we trust in Christ we will be “winners either way”.

Abba Father, thank you so much for your Son; our Lord and Savior, your word and your great plan of remdemption, so that we might have true hope and rejoice no matter our circumstance.

Grace and Peace!

Man Left to His Own Devices

I have been thinking deeply about my need to fully trust God. It is beyond me in my few moments of clarity to realize how much I trust myself. It brings to mind the first part of Isaiah 53:6;

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way

So to me as fallen creatures we have gone astray, we have left the true navigational path of life. And if we follow our own ways how far will we stray? If we can’t or won’t see the way, where might we end up? Think about that for a while.

I recently experienced this straying in a somewhat humorous way, but it really reinforces this idea. Recently, I was fishing with my Pastor and my wife. We were miles offshore; beyond sight of land, but don’t tell my wife, she doesn’t like to go that far out. Oh yes, she was there, but that is another blog.

Anyway, after a successful few hours of fishing, we start to head in. We used our GPS to guide us back to our launch point. However, we had failed to mark this point and were simply using an address. As we near land, I begin to see what I thought were some clear land marks indicating we needed to head due north. The GPS said we needed to head south to the pass. However, I knew this could not be; so I turned north and after several minutes noticed we were indeed headed in the wrong direction. Oh, how embarrassing!

I turn around and trusted the GPS for the rest of the trip and although we arrived where we started; we arrived in the dark. While we were making our way back, it hit me that if man is left to his own devices; he will truly stray. In fact, it hit me that left to our own devices; life is truly hopeless. What we need, what we must have is a grand and glorious compass of life. In this new year I am so thankful that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is that compass; our GPS of life.

You know we are even told this in John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So this new year, may we all fully and absolutely trust the GPS for our soul; Jesus Christ! May we all follow Him for the way, through Him may we all see the truth, and in Him may we all live the life.

Grace and Peace!

I Cry Out!

Oh why do some things have to be so difficult; so emotional, so trying? I am really struggling right now. I am not a very patient person, and my patience is being tried. I so desperately want things to be in perfect harmony, focused on Christ and all he has done so that we all undertake the great commission. So why is there all this junk?

I struggle and struggle to the point of exhaustion and it is then that I become truly reliant on my God. What a wonderfully complex and powerful God we do have. I am reminded of Psalm 40:1-3;

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Maybe that is it we must wait patiently and God will lift us out of our slimy pit as we wait, as we cry out and trust in the Lord. You know there is no other like our God. In Psalm 71 we read;

19 Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?

20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

21 You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

22 I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed.

Though we see troubles many and bitter through Christ, God will restore and may we all shout for joy!

Grace and Peace

Who is Like You?

I am in a good place this morning. I have this internal “glow”. This morning I have such clarity. I can see and feel my God and this morning I take such comfort in the circumstances of life recognizing and taking solace in the complete sovereignty of God.

As we can see in Exodus 15:11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

Now the question will be what do we do, how do we react when our place, our circumstances put us in a position where our clarity is not so good and our “glow” seems distant? Which direction does this take us? You know, life is full of these times and the question really is where will we turn? Who will we trust? The circumstances of life cause deep emotions, and how we react to these emotions become important.

I am continually amazed by the revelations I get in the times I turn to God. Christ provides the answer. I recently was reading Matthew 26 and the emotion of the garden just hit me full force. Can you see it?

36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Do you see the example Christ provides in the most trying of circumstances? He turns to our most gracious heavenly Father in prayer and reminds us; yet not as I will, but as You will. He reminds us that trusting God will not always be easy, trusting that God does have a plan for His glory and our ultimate good!

Father, who is like You?

Grace and Peace!

Have You Ever Had One Of Those Days?

Wow, what a day! Have you ever had on of those days; a day where nothing goes right, a day where you may even feel distant from God, a day full of the 4Ts – trials, tribulations, turmoil, and temptations? Have you ever had one of those days where you don’t know what to do or where to turn?

Well two things; first, we are not alone we all have days like this (James 1:2 - 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds) and second, we do have a place to turn (2 Peter 2:9 - 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment).

I recently was dwelling in "one of those days" and I stumbled across Psalm 40:1-3:

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Father, we thank you for lifting us out of our mud and mire, for providing a firm place to stand and with praise may we all put our trust in you!

Grace and Peace!

For I am With You

Much has been going on in the last few days. Friends suffering with personal issues, the death of a relative, cancer, and at times like these I feel useless. So my typical response is to say and do nothing, mostly because I don’t know what to say or do.

One thing I am certain of is that I can pray and I can turn to the Word. While doing that I came across a passage in Acts that just brought so much comfort to me, but also could lend comfort to anyone struggling in any way!

Acts 18:9-10
9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."
Isn’t that amazing; no matter what we can trust in Christ for he is with us. It is a question of faith and trust. We find these words throughout the Old Testament as well and John Stott in his commentary on Acts calls this the “greatest of all encouragements”.

Taking it a step further we can certainly by faith come to understand this issue of truly trusting God. Jerry Bridges wrote a great book called “Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts” and in it he says “In order to trust God, we must always view our adverse circumstances through the eyes of faith, not of sense.” You have to think about that for a while. He goes on to say someone he knew expressed it this way; “God in His love wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.” That is somehow so very encouraging to me.

I think I will go and say or do something – even if it is just being there.

My friends, do not be afraid for He is with you!

Grace and Peace…