Friday has come and gone… But it’s Sunday tomorrow

Saturday, the day after Good Friday, the day after the disciple’s hope had been completely dashed, and it felt even worse than it had the previous day. They had had so many hopes, they had followed Him for three years and they “were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Now he was dead, and so were all their dreams. How many of us have been there, or are there now, a lost marriage, dashed hope of a decent job, hope of promotion passed and gone, a friend of mine in jail his hope of parole unrealized? It’s Friday, Jesus is dead, our dreams are dead, …. we had hoped. It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming!

There is a line from a song we sing “Into the darkness You shine, out of the ashes we rise, there is no one like You, none like You (Our God is greater). You see for the Christian there is light, there is hope, when for the rest of the World there is no hope. The point is that we believe in the God of Resurrection, and He can and does restore what the enemy has stolen (John 10:10a). Well, He may or may not restore a broken marriage, we may not get the job back that we lost, but He has promised that He is actively at work for the good of those who love Him and have responded, or are choosing to respond in the midst of the trial, to His call (Romans 8:28). And as we were saying the other day, even when we have totally blown it He, the Potter, will restore us to a useful and fulfilling life as we submit to Him. Yes it is Friday, but Sunday is acoming!

And there is something that is encouraging to me, and I was talking about it the other day - the deeper the pit, the more tragic the form of our “death,” the more spectacular the resurrection, the more fulfillment we have in the subsequent ministry, and the greater the Glory He receives.

Father, no wonder we call You redeemer, no wonder we call You friend, no wonder we call You Lord for so You are. Lord for many of us it is Saturday, the day in between the promise that followed the death of all our hopes, and the fulfillment of the said promise. Lord You have promised that in You we can rise out of the ashes of the mess. We need your help Lord we cannot do it without You. We were not intended to! Help us Lord to wait on You for we know it will be worth it. And we give You all the honour and the Glory and the Praise in Jesus Name Amen

Why is it called “Good” Friday?

I tend to forget that those outside of my own little bubble do not know what I have taken for granted for many, many years. I don’t even know why I asked the person the above question the other day, but the occasion was that this week it was TG IT rather than TGIF (thank you Lord it’s Thursday :) ).

She was puzzled. “How can it be good when Jesus was crucified on that day, it doesn’t make sense?” So I was able to share the good news that Jesus died for my sins, and that when I put my trust in Him there is no longer any condemnation (Romans 8:1), and I bear the guilt of my sin and shame no more.

But I do need to put my trust in Him. Jesus first recorded words in Mark are “repent ([have a change of mind which issues in regret for past sins and in change of conduct for the better) and believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to) the good news (the Gospel)” ( Mark 1:15 AMP). This is how I receive his forgiveness and eternal life. There is no forgiveness, if I reject forgiveness! Scary!

Father, thank You that You loved us so much that You sent Your beloved Son Jesus so that You could be just and the justifier of those of us who put our faith in You (Romans 3:26), and You could begin the long process of changing us and making us fit to spend eternity with You. It is so scary to me father that You will grant the wish of those who wish nothing to do with You, the fountain of all goodness. Help me to live a life father that shows that You are real. Your word tells me that I am a fragrance of life unto those who are being saved, but a fragrance of death unto those who are perishing. And I am so insufficient for these things (2 Corinthians 2:16). Have mercy on us Lord, in Jesus Name Amen.

The vessel was marred in the Potter’s hand

Have you ever came for the place in your life when you suddenly realized, that you had totally and absolutely blown it, and it was all your fault? Perhaps it was a job gone wrong, a marriage on the rocks, all your hopes and dreams totally and utterly smashed. It can be a very good place to be! I say “can be,” because actually it is a crossroads.

A friend of mine, and I have permission to relate this, tells of a time standing on a bridge ready to jump, when the Lord whispered to her that there is a better way, and that she should follow Him. And she did and she does, and she does it for His glory! In this morning’s quote from Jeremiah 18:4, the Lord had sent Jeremiah down to the potter to watch him. Elsewhere we are told that He is the Potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8). But sometimes the clay is unworkable, resistant, stubborn, determined to have its own way. And we reap the consequences (Galatians 6:7), and this, many times brings us to our personal crossroads.

The quote from Jeremiah goes on to say that the Potter made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to Him. In this season of death and resurrection, it is good to be reminded that God never throws us away, that it is never too late to turn to Him, that He will redeem even our mistakes, and “restore the years that the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). So the question is ”Will we let him?”

Father, there’s a song we used to sing “He made something beautiful of my life.” And I’m thanking You this morning Lord, that You are in the process of doing just that in my life, not in spite of what I have done, but because of what I have done, warts and all. It’s not in my strength that You receive the honour and the glory and praise, but rather in and through my weakness. In particular, if You can do what You have done for me, then You can do it for anyone. I bless You again this morning Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Conflict avoidance robs us of win - win solutions

In my first marriage I fought too much, in my second too little. Don’t get me wrong, when I imply that we need to fight, I mean that we need to fight fair, no insults, no blame, no dragging up the past. We need to attack the issues, not the person! And we have to learn to do this! Our first fights will likely include all of the above and more. And we likely will need help! Perhaps the main job of marriage counselors is to get us past attacking each other, and to start to actually with the issues, such as unreasonable expectations, ignorance etc., etc.

It’s much easier to fight fair, if you are mature, gentle, humble, have learned to listen, are willing to admit it when you are wrong, have learned to give a sincere apology and become willing to make amends where appropriate. I have found it to be easy to be humble with those who are humble, but those who are not? Well that’s another story!

But actually, the above mentioned qualities are the very qualities that will be formed in us if we engage in the process the right way. In fact, the process will also show us how very deficient we are in these qualities. So the process it is important, because without this insight, the verse “he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (1 Peter 1:9) is truly applicable to us!

Father, my problem during the long period of my conflict avoidance, was that I was still licking the wounds I received from engaging in conflict in the wrong way. I had not yet experienced the substantial healing of the extravagant unconditional love of your embrace. And I had to learn the hard way, that pushing problems under the rug does not work, but rather leads to lose - lose explosive scenarios. But I also understand that if we learn to engage with each other in the “iron sharpening iron” way you prescribe (Proverbs 27:17), then the win - win scenario of developing love, intimacy and mutual respect is bound to follow. We need your help Lord, I do! Thank You Lord that it is so readily available when we ask. And I give You thanks and praise for this and many other things this morning in Jesus Name Amen

We have this treasure in jars of clay

The treasure that Paul is talking about in this quote from in 2nd Corinthians 4:7, is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Elsewhere we are told that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). So that God is not only with us (Emanuel), but God is also in us. The problem is that we are jars clay, and that clay is opaque, you can’t see through it.

There is an illustration of what needs to happen in Judges 7. The Lord had instructed Gideon to take 100 men to take trumpets and torches inside jars of clay. The battle was won, when the jars of clay were broken allowing the torches to give light, and the trumpets was sounded. The point is that the good news can only be truly heard when the jars of clay are broken.

And what this means is perhaps best summed up in what David said when, after being confronted with his sin, he repented. And what he said was “A broken and contrite heart of God you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). In other words the light shines in the darkness when we come to Him in repentance and humility. It is only then that our lives will teach transgresses His way (Psalm 51:13).

Father, I not only give you permission to do what needs to be done in order that the treasure that is You in me, will shine out to this wicked and hurting world. I not only give You permission, I even ask You to do whatever is necessary, whatever it takes. I used to ask You to break me, now I simply ask You to do whatever it takes. Lord, I so want to do my part in what You call me to in bringing many to see and fear and to put their trust in You. Whatever it takes Lord, whatever it takes in Jesus Name Amen

This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind … I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are three things we may need to forget as Christians that can hinder our pressing towards the prize. Firstly there is the guilt and shame we so often carry for things done in the past. These things can so easily cripple us. The second thing, the thing that Paul was talking about in this quote from Philippians 3: 13, 14, is our pride in our self accomplishment, our self-righteousness. We may not quickly see that this hinders our progress towards the prize. The third thing that may hinder, is the trauma of past events, abuse, betrayal, hurts etc. caused by others.

Before I say more, let me say first, that we need to understand “forget” as meaning that with His help we will no longer allow these things either to define us, or to affect our future. This is how God forgives us (Hebrews 10:17). And if this is to happen, it will not happened by suppressing the memory of the past. In each case there is work to be done, it’s called recovery and there are many Biblical and secular helps available. I have come to realize that the real task of sanctification is dealing with these things, the things in our lives that need to be dealt with!

When we have lived with guilt and shame for years, then embracing the reality that our sin is completely and totally covered by the blood of Jesus Christ can be a process, and sometimes forgiving ourself it is the hardest thing to do (Mark 12:31). Likewise coming to the place where we realize that all our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) can lead us to despair rather than salvation, but like Paul, we need to exchange our self-righteousness for His righteousness (verse 9). In the third case the road to healing is often long, but if it is not going to affect our future, then the healing that is promised will definitely need to be pursued. In particular, for our own sakes, we will need to begin or continue the process (self forgiveness included) of forgiving from the heart (Matthew 18:35).

Father, I have needed much help in this ongoing process of neither letting the past defined me, nor letting it cripple me. The verse that comes to mind speaks about our looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our salvation (Hebrews 12:2). Thank You Lord for the realizations that all I am talking about this morning only happens in relationship with You, and so we all - I do- need to draw closer to You and to stay close to You. I thank You again this morning Lord that all these things are possible in You. In Jesus Name Amen

The Word of God is living, effective, sharp, piercing and discerning

it would be hard to overvalue the Word of God, to overvalue its beauty, its living nature and its effectiveness in our lives. In this quote from Hebrews 4:12 we are told that it is sharper than a two-edged sword and it is piercing and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. in particular when we immerse ourselves in His Word, we can be sure that God will use it to expose the lies we tell ourselves as well as false and or selfish motives. And I take great comfort in this, this morning, since I know how easily my wicked heart can lead me astray. Actually, I have seen but a glimpse of this wickedness, since “Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

When I am feeding daily on His Word, He uses it to show me the way I should go, it convicts me of sin when I have strayed from His ways, shows me how to get back on track, and finally it shows me how to stay on track (2 Timothy 3:16). This morning the Lord used His word to help me overcome deep defilement from something I inadvertently heard yesterday. This is called a trigger in recovery, and I found myself wrestling with deep disgust and temptation over which with His help I have been walking in victory for years and years.

But His Word had prepared me for such times “Let he who thinks he stand take care lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). And through His word I have come to know my heart well enough to know something of what I am capable of, and to know that it it is in His strength and not my own, that I walk in victory. Next His Word assured me that with His help I could overcome this temptation and defilement (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 John 1:9). Finally His Word reminded me that He had already provided me with the weapon I needed to overcome. In particular it tells me that I have the authority to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Father, thank You that when I seek to walk in humility, knowing that it is You who saved me and that it is You who keeps me, then I have access to all of the tools I need to walk in victory, and so bring honour and glory and praise to Your name. I pray for those this morning Lord who like me know they are constantly in need of Your help and grace and mercy. And I thank You Lord that when we fully put our trust and hope in You, then You so freely give us these things. In Jesus Name Amen