Life is hard.

James 1:12

¹²Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Life is hard. It seems like a mystery when we face troubles. We wonder how things could happen to us and how things could end up the way they do, but life is hard.

I think it is cool that God promises us a blessing for coming through hardship. The blessing is eternal life. Because it is eternal life, I can only assume that our whole earthly existence will be relatively hard. I’m sure it is due to our separation from God and living in a fallen world opposed to the perfection that was originally intended.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Poor in spirit is not referring to those who don’t have the Spirit of God in them but rather it refers to those who are bummed out and struggling in a hard life.

Just tonight I was alerted to a couple folks struggling with hard times. Additionally, I can think of few others that have been having a hard time for awhile now. Father, you know who these folks are. I pray that your promises from James and from the mouth of Jesus would give comfort to their tired and troubled souls. Remind them of the blessing that awaits them at the end of this life. Thank you for your love and blessings. Amen.

Christian, God’s not mad at you.

I run into so many Christians who are convinced God is mad at them. They will say “oh this happening because I did this and God is punishing me”, or “I haven’t been walking with the Lord and my life is a mess”. Admittedly, I have had similar thoughts. I have worried that I haven’t attended church enough or read my Bible enough or prayed enough or served enough and on and on. The reality is God loves us. God created us with a desire to have relationship with us. God sacrificed His own son so that the relationship between Him and us would be full and unencumbered. Think about it, would God really do all that He has done to reconcile mankind to Him so that He could be mad at them. It doesn’t make sense.

But don’t take my word for it, here’s His.

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

What the Apostle Paul is explaining to us is that those who are followers of Jesus have a transformed relationship with God. We are no longer on the outside of God’s grace, we are no longer the objects of God’s wrath or anger. Simply, God is not mad at us.

I think the challenge for most of us is to let go of the way we understand how relationships work. For many of us we think that we have to act a certain way and do certain things to be accepted in relationships. We are keening aware of what to do and what not to do to make sure those we are relating to are happy with us or not mad at us. We can’t apply this formula to God. We have to look at all He has done out of love for us and learn to rest in the fact that there was nothing we did, good or bad, to cause Him act that way.

Finally, if I am powerless to cause God to love me, how could I somehow have the power to cause Him to be angry with me? Like I said before. It doesn’t make sense. Christian, God is not mad at you.

Father, thank you so much for your love and grace. Thank you Lord Jesus for your work of reconciliation and your example. Help me rest in the reality of your love and peace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Daily Devotional – Christians Love Politics More than Jesus

Psalms 7:11 (ESV)

11 God is a righteous judge,

and a God who feels indignation every day.

It seems like the social media sites are blowing up with indignation over the current state of affairs in American politics. Even though the volleys are short tweets or status updates you can feel the emotion behind the impassioned pleas of their authors for justice and equity in the political realm. Sadly, I rarely see or demonstrate this kind of passion for God. I don’t know if we are so corrupted by sin or we just don’t believe what we say we believe, but it seems most Christians I know can go on and on about politics, sports, entertainment, gossip and so many other things but rarely show the same enthusiasm for the Lord. It makes me question my faith honestly. Look at today’s verse. God feels indignation every day. Every day. I wonder if that indignation springs from the passionless apathy of those who profess to follow Him demonstrate. Obviously, I am thankful for grace, but should grace excuse me from a vibrant passionate pursuing and making much of God? Shouldn’t I at least be somewhat mindful and declarative of God and what He has done for me. I’m feeling convicted. It is easy to rant, yet hard to do something about it. I think we should try.

Father, thank you for your love and grace. Thank you Lord Jesus that by your sacrifice you have given us a way to be reconciled to God. Forgive us our passionless pursuit of you Father, while we passionately pursue other things. Help us. In Jesus name, Amen.