“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” — Ephesians 4:15-16
I had lunch with a friend the other day. As we talked, he said something about “P.T. slabs.” With my engineering background, I knew he was obviously talking about post-tensioned slabs. But, I told him, most people would not understand that. We then shared a laugh.
Happy New Year! Once again, one year ends while another one takes its place. It’s a never-ending cycle. As I was reading through Revelation, something really stood out to me. When Jesus comes to make all things new, it will be the end of the “out with the old and in with the new” mentality we’ve all known.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” — Revelation 21:1-3
We get to live by faith not only from our past experiences but also those in the present and in the future. It’s New Year’s Eve (Happy New Year), and we’ll usher in a new year at midnight. 2024 and the faith we walked in (and hopefully learned from) will be in the rearview mirror. The year ahead will certainly offer new opportunities to live by faith.
Faith From The Past
We can undoubtedly learn from not just this past year, but all prior years. Many of you will no doubt remember 2024 as a decadent chocolate dessert as it slowly melts in your mouth. Perhaps you’re healed from a difficult medical challenge, promoted at work, graduated from school, fell in love, got married, had your first baby, or your fifth? You have memories of incredibly joyful events. Maybe even more amazing, you were “born again” and became a follower of Jesus? All glory to God! Yes, many of you are currently thrilled to walk by faith in the goodness of God.
“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.“ — Proverbs 18:12
“For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” -Timothy Keller
Christian, when we walk in humility, we walk within the circle of God’s blessing. The world tells us that we need more power, money, fame, position, praise, more…more…more! The Bible, however, actually calls a person like that a leech. The world is a leech!
“The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” — Proverbs 30:15
You see, God’s plan is the exact opposite of the world’s way. In the world, it’s always about more of me, more of me, and more of me. By contrast, the Lord tells us something else. We find true joy in thinking not less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves LESS.
Pride is indeed competitive by its very nature. If I am a proud person, then as long as there is one person in the world more powerful, richer, or smarter than I am, that person is my rival and enemy. Pride always means division and separation. Not only between people but also between us and God.
What It Is
To be humble, however, is to recognize that you don’t always need to be correct. To be humble is to realize that you certainly don’t know everything. To be humble is to remember you can apologize when you’re wrong. To be humble is to recognize that you can finally stop pretending to be the best at everything. To be humble means you can absolutely have real friendships without having to “prove” yourself.
The point of humility is that God wants you to know Him. But pride always gets in the way of that. He wants to give you Himself. And when you know Him, you will inevitably be humble — wonderfully humble! As a matter of fact, you will feel infinite relief. The relief of finally getting rid of all the silly nonsense of your inflated ego. It has only made you restless and unhappy all your life.
For now, think about this. God is good, and He loves you. He wants what leads to your greatest joy. So, if He tells you that pride leads to destruction, by all means, we must learn to listen and obey. Therein lies true joy.
This week, consider thinking of yourself less. Consider not fighting for first place but being content to be last. Not surprisingly, this is a pathway to joy.
The other day, I ran a quick errand to the grocery store. I pulled into my parking spot, and when I looked up, I noticed two cars near me backing straight into each other! The drivers were looking left and right but not behind them! With a split second to act, I honked my horn loudly without delay. As a result, both cars slammed on their brakes, narrowly averting an accident.
But I don’t think one of the drivers understood why I honked. After pausing, the driver continued to back out, glaring at me the whole time. I pointed at the other car they had almost hit. However, their facial expression suggested they had no idea why I honked. In fact, my honking had made them pretty angry.
Afterward, I processed this parking lot incident as I walked into the grocery store. I had seen an accident about to happen. And I had done something to prevent it. But the driver who glared at me had no idea why I did what I did.
Then it hit me. This is a tiny glimpse into the mind of God.
God sees all of time and space. He not only knows the past, present, and future, but is all-powerful. Additionally, He is our Good Father. But the Lord does things and brings situations into our lives that make no sense (from our earthly perspectives). Along with my own life, I can think of numerous trials and difficulties my friends and family are dealing with. Very hard things.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” — 1 Peter 5:10
“Blessed 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.” — James 1:12
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” — Genesis 50:20
These verses present profound and yet challenging truths. Like the driver who glared at me, we often don’t understand why God has brought this or that trial into our lives. It certainly doesn’t make any sense. Also, it’s very difficult to accept. But faith is trusting that God sees what we don’t and knows what He is doing. Equally important, He is powerful and good.
So, through tears, we strive to trust and not glare.
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
With Christmas just a couple weeks away, I’ve been contemplating eternal matters. I’d like to share two different true stories that I experienced a few years ago. They are similar stories but have different endings. Both accounts involve funerals. One involved someone I’d never met, the other a dear friend.
The word “Noel” has several meanings. Most notably, it communicates the news of God’s goodness and love expressed through the birth of His son, Jesus Christ.
Comments Off on The Comfort of The Suffering Servant
One of my best friend’s son has recently been in the hospital for several weeks. It has been heartbreaking to see their family walk through so much pain and uncertainty. In moments like those, when the weight of our struggles feels overwhelming, I find myself praying. I pray for the Lord to help us see that suffering, while deeply painful, is never without meaning. Equally important, we are never beyond the reach of our Great Comforter.
A quote (often attributed to Augustine of Hippo) comes to mind: “God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”
“ALL means ALL, and that’s ALL ALL means.” If you’ve been going to The Rock Church for very long, you have probably heard this catchy saying. And you’ve also probably heard that today is Election Day. Perhaps, if you’re like me, you may even feel a sense of relief that this day has finally arrived.
The current political environment reminds me of the time an undertow in the ocean caught me. I am a capable swimmer but I felt somewhat out of control as the waves tossed me head over heels under the water. As the tide rolled away, I could stand and get my bearings again. In much the same way, no matter how this day unfolds, I know where to find my bearings. I believe we ALL will remain under the authority of King Jesus. These verses help me immensely. I have used the NLT version and capitalized and underlined the word ALL for emphasis.
“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 9:23-24
Without a doubt, we live in a culture full of boasting, don’t we? There is no need to go further than our phones, computers, news feeds, billboards, television, radio (or even our mirrors) to see how prevalent boasting is.
