Light at the End of the Tunnel

Sometimes it seems like trials take forever to end. Even when you're doing all you can think of, it seems like it grows lengthier and heavier with each passing day. Sometimes it seems so dark you wonder if GOD notices and honestly cares, or whether He regards it with indifference. You wonder if He  really is listening and working for your good. You wonder if there is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, it's easy to say there is. It's easy to say anything. It's not that easy to always believe it when everything seems to be going so badly.

Then there are those words that have a way of piercing the thick clouds of gloom and letting a ray of light, a ray of hope, in. The first thing that did this for me was 1 Peter 5:10. "But the GOD of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you]." Friends, what hope this brings! If you and I let Him, if you and I cooperate with Him the best we can, GOD will eventually bring good out of our sufferings.

In Acts of the Apostles,  chapter 51, page 527, Ellen White writes: "Thus Peter wrote to the believers at a time of peculiar trial to the church. Many had already become partakers of Christ’s sufferings, and soon the church was to undergo a period of terrible persecution. Within a few brief years many of those who had stood as teachers and leaders in the church were to lay down their lives for the gospel. Soon grievous wolves were to enter in, not sparing the flock. But none of these things were to bring discouragement to those whose hopes were centered in Christ. With words of encouragement and good cheer Peter directed the minds of the believers from present trials and future scenes of suffering 'to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' 'The God of all grace,' he fervently prayed, “who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.'"

While I haven't yet experienced, at least in my own estimation, the sufferings of Christ, I do believe the words could go for any present trial. May we learn to look up, up, up to the blessings that await us after this is all over.

The second thing that encouraged me was a passage in the book Steps to Christ, on page 96: "The assurance is broad and unlimited, and He is faithful who has promised. When we do not receive the very things we asked for, at the time we ask, we are still to believe that the Lord hears and that He will answer our prayers." What an encouragement! It goes on to say, "We are so erring and short-sighted that we sometimes ask for things that would not be a blessing to us, and our heavenly Father in love answers our prayers by giving us that which will be for our highest good—that which we ourselves would desire if with vision divinely enlightened we could see all things as they really are. When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the blessing we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption. God is too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. Then do not fear to trust Him, even though you do not see the immediate answer to your prayers. Rely upon His sure promise, 'Ask, and it shall be given you.'"

I know that what I ask for is something He would like to give us all, but my heavenly Father is too wise to err. Perhaps now wouldn't be the best time for us to receive it, no matter how much we want it. Perhaps there are things we need to learn first. Whatever the case, I am once again reminded that He does care, that He does answer prayer, and that He will one day end these lessons of suffering. May we learn them well.

Yes, I'm reminded that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Blessings,
Jean

"Be Careful For Nothing"

Everyone has those moments, those days, where nothing seems to go right, where it seems life is just one big mess, one big burden. You're worried, mostly about things you have no power to change. You know, those times where you're bound to be in a bad mood, and do or say things you wish you never had. I struggle with not losing control in stressful situations such as these, and often I fail. The other day was one of those days. As I sat by the window full of anger and anguish, part of a Scripture came to me. I didn't know where it was, but I knew how it started, and I searched for it in my Bible's concordance. It was Philippians 4:6-7:

"Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto GOD. And the peace of GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

"Be careful for nothing" means not to be full of care, or anxious about, anything. We are to pray and give thanks at all times, and if we do this, the peace of GOD will fill our hearts. Not before. We can't fully appreciate this privilege, though, until we come to the realization that worrying, fretting, or seeking feebly to fix things ourselves, will not do us an ounce of good. It won't. I can testify, unfortunately more times than I'd like to admit.

Do you see? It is our privilege to bring every problem to GOD and leave it in His hands, trusting He will work it out or show us what to do about it. In the meantime, we are to do our very best with the things we know how to do. He will take care of the rest.

Blessings,
Jean

I Don't Need to be a Shepherd

When Moses slew the Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh's face, he was known as the presumptive heir to the throne of Egypt. We know GOD did great things through Moses, but it was only after he had been a shepherd for forty years. He had to learn be Christ-like-humble, patient, sympathetic, and so on- before he was fit to be used in delivering Israel. Sheep have a way of teaching you these virtues. A particularly stubborn one will most likely show you you don't know it all, and teach you to be patient as you seek to make it obey. A sick one will teach you to have compassion and a tender regard for life.

It was because of this that I used to wish I could be a shepherd. I needed-and still do need-to learn these lessons so badly! After thinking some, however, I realized more clearly that even though I may not be alone with GOD and a flock of sheep under an azure sky, He has sent me my own "wilderness" experience. I have been disabled for more or less twenty years for a reason. GOD knew there were things I needed to learn-patience and sympathy being among them-that I couldn't otherwise learn. Not only did I realize this more fully, but I also realized that if I don't learn from this trial, keeping sheep probably wouldn't do me any good.  Unfortunately, I haven't always looked at my lot in life in such a positive way. I've often moped, complained, and fretted, thinking it was mean of GOD to allow this to happen. I've wasted years that could have been invaluable in molding my character for the better.

Perhaps you are in the same boat as I am. There is nothing that can be done to change the past, but if we cling to GOD and seek to cooperate with Him, we can make the best present and future possible. Through His strength, I hope we all can learn to look cheerfully on our perhaps humdrum, disagreeable portions of life, remembering to thank Him for these teachers even when we don't want to. After all, "no chastening [the root word means tutorage, education, training] for the present seem to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11.

Are we willing to learn?

Blessings,
Jean

"Take Care of My Business"

Sometimes GOD asks us to do things that make us scratch our heads in confusion. "Why, LORD, are You asking me to do that? I have this and this and this to think about, and You want me to do that?" We become worried and nervous and frazzled, but we don't need to. GOD is a wise GOD, a GOD of infinite understanding (Daniel 2:20, Psalm 147:5). He knows all that we need to do when He asks us to do something else. Obviously He has an answer for that as well. He never asks us to do something that will not be a blessing in our other situations or to other people involved.

Let's not be like Moses who kept objecting when the LORD gave him a command. The LORD kept giving solutions for each thing that Moses brought up, until finally He became angry with him and said this to the last one: "[Is] not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well" (Exodus 4:14). He says, in effect, the same thing to us with our issues. No, we may not have speech issues or brothers who can speak well, but the LORD has the answer if only we will trust Him.  These obstacles we encounter should make us happy; they are opportunities for GOD to show forth His love and power in answering them. May we not then be full of complaining and distress, but wait  and see what GOD will do for us when we present the issue to Him.

He says to us, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me" (Psalm 50:15). GOD has many marvelous ways of answering prayers, ways we can't even imagine. In Jeremiah 33:3 He says, "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." The apostle Paul says that GOD "shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" ( Philippians 4:19). This is why he writes, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto GOD" in verse 6. With such promises, why fear?

Queen Elizabeth I once asked someone to do her bidding. When he asked what he would do for his business and family if he complied, she gave this reply: "You take care of my business, and I will take care of yours."

That is what GOD is saying to us today. "You take care of My business, and I will take care of yours."

Sincerely,
Jean

We Must Finish

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it?] Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish [it,] all that behold [it] begin to mock him,

"Saying, This man hath begun to build, and is not able to finish." Luke 14:27-30.

It is not enough to lay the foundation in the Christian life-accepting and believing in GOD's pardoning love-as important as that is. We must advance farther on, allowing that love to transform us into His image and likeness. We must finish what we started; we must build to completion. For Christ's sake and the gospel's. For the sake of those we love. For ours.

The Holy Scriptures never say that the transformation will be an easy process, that we would always enjoy it. In Malachi 3:3, GOD is likened to the "refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap:" The LORD asks in Jeremiah 23:29, "Is not My Word like as a fire? ... and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?" Ephesians 6:17 states that His word is the "sword of the Spirit", and Hebrews 4:12 says it is "sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Fire, soap, hammer, sword. All those either purge or destroy. GOD's Word isn't there to make always make us comfortable, though it can comfort; it's there to show us what we are, and to remove all our wickedness. To make us the noble people GOD intends for us to be.

We allow this to happen by choosing to deny ourselves, and do according to GOD's will; when we surrender whatever (idea, hope, practice, etc.) that is not in harmony with His Word. No, it won't always be enjoyable at the moment. It won't free us from difficulty. It won't make us popular, even with the Christian world. In short, it won't make smooth-sailing out of this life. Even our Saviour wasn't free from a thorny path, and if we honestly follow Him, neither will we be. Yet, just as we shall know of His suffering, we shall know of His joy. He will not leave us alone, and there will be reward in this life as well as the next for our sacrifice. The joy, the reward, of leading some souls-or soul- to Jesus by our example.

And if nothing else, when all is said and done, when all the sorrows and trials are passed, we will inherit life everlasting, and we may be sure that we uplifted our Saviour most clearly to a dying world.

Blessings,
Jean

Measured by Motive

When we think of good deeds, we think of the act of doing something good. For example, somebody donates thousands of dollars to a charitable organization, and we say that is good. We tend to praise people for doing such nice things. "Look at how good he is! He did such and such, and such and such..." It is profitable to help such organizations, to help others, and so forth-it can do a lot of good, to be sure! The effects of such deeds will not entirely be understood in the here and now. And when it comes to our fellow men, we should assume the best of them, and put the best light on what they do. That is in harmony with a true Christian spirit.

Yet let us never think that simply doing good somehow makes us good, or gains us any favor in the sight of GOD. Aside from the fact that He, whether we acknowledge it or not, is the one responsible for us doing those things, Heaven decides whether something is good or bad differently than we do. It is not the act alone that determines what manner of work it is, but the motive. Not the what, but the why. That is part of the reason why Jesus denounced the Pharisees. Much of what they did, if not all, was done to be seen of men, not to glorify GOD. Their worth of their deeds was measured by their motives.

When one considers this, it is not hard to understand why Isaiah said, "But we are all as an unclean [thing,] and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags;" (Isaiah 64:6). We find ourselves saying it too.

To stay focused on that one thought is enough to make anyone want to give up. The good news is, there's hope. While it is true that most often our "good" works are really corrupt, GOD knows we cannot change that ourselves, and longs to help us. Here is a wonderful thought from the book Steps to Christ, by Ellen White:

"What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him." ~SC, pg. 47

If we confess our wrong motives, that our springs of action are impure, and ask GOD for help, He will forgive and change us. We are to go by faith on this matter, as with everything else, so if you do not feel that your motive is right, don't lose faith; keep asking for purer motives, certain GOD has heard you, and in the meantime do what's right anyway. It won't hurt anything; but refusing to most certainly will.

Blessings,
Jean

What Kind of Flower are You?

Flowers are beautiful things. With their many varieties and colors, one cannot deny that our GOD appreciates beauty. I recently learned a few interesting things about flowers from a sermon by Doug Bachelor. I thought I'd share them with you.

The first thing was that colored flowers have less fragrance than those that are white. Mr. Pastor Doug said that the white ones aren't as eye-catching, so they must have to rely on fragrance to attract insects. It made me think, isn't that how a Christian ought to be? People shouldn't be drawn to us because we are bold, because we purposely do things to gain attention, but because Christ's character is like a sweet perfume about us.

The second thing that struck me rather goes along with the first point. Pastor Doug mentioned a flower known as the "corpse" flower. He said it was the biggest known flower, weighing thirty-two pounds. He also said that while it is a very pretty flower, it stinks, and instead of bees about it, there are flies. He likened it to those Christians who make a big profession, but don't live up to it. On sight they are attractive, but as you get to know them, they quickly lose their charm. I can relate to that. I was-I still am-one of those flowers, one of those people. The good news is that even though I have much to learn, Jesus has brought me far, and He can do the same for you.

The only way we can allow Him to do this, however, is by spending time with Him. Yes, friends, it requires commitment and sacrifice, and at first may not be pleasant. But our Saviour said in the Song of Solomon, chapter 2 verse 1, "I [am] the rose of Sharon, [and] the lily of the valleys." The more time we engage in studying the Bible, and talking to GOD as our personal Friend, the more we shall see it. We shall be able to say, "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so [is] my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit [was] sweet to my taste" (v. 3). His character will become ours and we will bear fruit like His (John 15:4-6, 8). People will see that, and want some for themselves.

So let us do this and aim to be a fragrant, fruit-bearing flower.

Blessings,
Jean