Tag: Hope

“Carrying Each Other’s Cross?”

Was our Lord Jesus modeling for us the opportunity for us to carry someone else’s cross? As I read the account of Simon of Cyrene, he appeared to be forced into service by the Roman soldiers because the Lord Jesus could no longer carry His cross. 

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. (Mark 15:21NIV84 emphasis added; cf.; cf Mt. 27:32 and Luke 23:26). 

Now for certain, our Lord was much too weak to continue to carry His cross, so Simon was “enlisted” to help. Our Lord gave no protest. He accepted the help.

Again, is it possible our Lord was modeling for us helping our brothers and sisters carry their own cross? We are to pick up and carry our cross daily (Lk. 9:23), but maybe there are some days we do not have the strength to carry our daily cross, and we need the help of others to carry it? 

In the past I have taught Grief Relief Seminars in which I have expressed the reality of this ministry: When someone’s life is upended through a tragedy or death or some crisis, to bring the grieving relief, it requires upending our lives to help someone whose life has been…upended!

Is this what Simon of Cyrene was doing? Even though he was “forced” to carry the Lord’s cross, are we also to carry each other’s cross, especially when it becomes too heavy for them? 

And what’s even more fascinating, the Lord Jesus “let” Simon help. How many times have I resisted letting someone help me carry my cross? But what a marvel!?! We help carry each other’s crosses when “they” cannot! Helping carry someone’s cross is indeed a ministry of the Body of Christ to one another. It is fulfilling the “New Command” isn’t it? “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:35)

I’m curious, is this what the Apostle Paul means in Colossians 1:24–29?

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me. (NIV84)

Wow! I get to practice carrying someone else’s cross! And I have a choice to become embittered, filled with rage, envy, and resentment…. Or, I can choose to “rejoice in what was suffered for you [the one whose cross I help carry]!” What a marvel: this Mystery of Cross-Carrying.

Peace,

Pastor Mike

“The Storms of Life”

We all grew up with the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” It was said whimsically, hopefully. We know that the flowers are the blessings—the beauty—of life; ah, but the showers…, they get in the way of life. We may handle a gentle Spring rain, or a mild thunderstorm, but the fierce lightning of a potential tornado sends us, at best under, under the covers and at worst into the storm cellar…. 

Sadly, instead of seeing the good that comes from the “April shower”, thunderstorms and tornadoes, we want sunshine all the time, but a line in a song my son-in-law, Josh, wrote observes, “all sunshine makes a desert, you know.…” It is the April showers that quench a dry and thirsty soul. It is the thunderstorms that drive us under the covers of prayer and under the wings of the LORD; … and it is the tornados of life that remove a lot of what got in the way of our relationship with the Lord Jesus….

Painful, but true. Questions of “why” this or “how come” that may still linger in the aftermath, but as our Beloved brother, the Apostle Peter notes:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”—1 Peter 4:12–13 (NIV2011)

and 

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”—1 Peter 1:6–7, (NIV84)

All the “April showers” we encounter are ordained to bring the beautiful glorious “May flowers”  of our Lord Jesus Christ’s glory. How? Revealed in and through us. Just amazing, isn’t it?

In the Hope of May Flowers blooming,

Pastor Mike

“Thankful for Naming Our Rainbows?”

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thes. 5:18 (emphasis added, NIV84)

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Eph. 5:20 (emphasis added, NIV84)

Ah, yes, it is that time of year again to focus on being thankful. I am truly grateful for this time of year, as it calls us to reconsider and refocus on what we are truly grateful for. With thankfulness in mind, perhaps you have heard the above two verses, but never together? Perhaps you have heard it taught from 1 Thes. 5:18 that we are to be “thankful in all circumstances” but not for all circumstances. I heard it again about a year ago….

But if this is so, then how does Eph. 5:20 fit into the “thanksgiving” framework? As you can clearly see from the “emphasized” “for”, we are to be thankful for every “thing”, and this clearly is “everything”. We are to be thankful not just for our food, our clothes, and our families, etc., but we are to be thankful for our circumstances, too. “For” them….

Why do you suppose the Lord is teaching us this? Perhaps one suggestion is: “Since He is working all things out for the good, I can be thankful for this hard, unpleasant—and rather difficult—circumstance knowing that the Lord is working even this out for the Good”? What do you think? Is this a viable observation?

If so, then allow me to share a thought from Emily E. Ryan’s Devotion from September 3, 2023, in Mornings with Jesus. She writes this:

…I recently realized that I not only name my weather-related storms, but I also name the storms in my life. I’ve survived Hurricane Miscarriage, Tropical Storm Unemployment, and many others. But what if I stopped naming my storms and started naming my rainbows instead? The Bible Says that Jesus created the rainbow to be a reminder of His covenant with us. … Within that promise is also a reminder that the storms of life do not have the power to destroy us. They may cause damage but even in their destruction they leave room for Jesus to step in and provide, teach, comfort, or save. If I stay focused on Him, I will always find rainbows at the end of my storms.

Join me in naming our rainbows, even before the stormy circumstances are over, because I know I can always give “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus.”

Join me in the Naming Process,

Pastor Mike

“Living the Resurrection Power Life”

As the tulips blossom, the roses bloom and plants reveal the beauty and life they have in them, so ought we. The Beauty of the Lord Jesus seen in our lives as His Resurrection Power is manifested when we bloom and blossom and reveal His Life in us.

[All kinds of trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. —1 Peter 1:7 (NIV84)

Yes! The blossoms of His glory are revealed in us; the blooms of His honor are seen by all—even ourselves—through all sorts of difficulties and challenges….

But how do we “live” this Life? How do we appropriate this empowerment? By faith. We confess the Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him to empower us to do the task or be the person we need to be, and then step out in faith walking in the power of His Spirit. It is then the blossoms’ beauty is revealed; the blooms’ fragrance is sensed….

This confessing may be a morning experience or throughout the day, as we walk with Him: “Lord Jesus Christ, be the person in my life You need right now,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, by Your Spirit empower me to accomplish this task.” Then we take that step of faith and “Go do it”—whatever He has prompted us to do or empowered us to be.

Let the beauty of our Lord Jesus’ resurrection be seen in and through your life,

Living in the Hope of the Resurrection,

Pastor Mike

“Remember the ‘Good Ol’ Days’?”

Do you think that as we enter a new year, it will be filled with uncertainty and anxiety? If so, do you think we may be tempted to yearn for the “Good Ol’ Days? When life was simple, and Love was easy?

Intriguingly, Ecclesiastes warns us: “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions’” (Ecc. 7:10 NIV84). Why not ask such questions?

Perhaps one answer is: Just as it is hard to drive a car staring in the rear-view mirror, it is hard to live life always looking back at the past. Ahead are only crashes ….

But perhaps another reason is: The Lord has planned better “things” ahead for us. Beyond what often becomes a trite cliché, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV), He truly has something wonderful in the future for us. But you may ask: How can I say this with all the dreadful things happening from deaths to lockdowns?

One reason I can say this is, of late I have been stretching out with my mustard-seed-faith to really grab the truth: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28 NIV84 emphasis added). All things, even my foolish and silly “mistakes”! All things.

So, in this new year perhaps you can join me in following the Apostle Paul’s declaration of determination:

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – (Philippians 3:10–14 NIV2011)

Peace,

Pastor Mike

“The Empty Tomb Response”

When emotions run high and logic is empty, let the empty tomb respond. When a relationship slips & falls and leaves you empty, let the empty tomb respond. When the bills mount up and the bank account runs empty, let the empty tomb respond.

The empty tomb is after death. The empty tomb shouts of After-Life. The empty tomb is full of hope and reassurance: Jesus has conquered death—and sin, and has given us Full Life, Abundant Life.

The empty tomb response to empty logic may be silence, or a well-crafted answer prompted by the After-Life in this life. The empty tomb response to an empty relationship may be to terminate the relationship or to let the Resurrected Life revitalize and fill the emptiness. The empty tomb response to financial short falls may be to cut back on extras, and even if there is nothing left to cut, the After-Life response is full of hope and Abundant Life: “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1 NIV2011), and “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25 NIV84). The empty tomb response says, “He will provide; You will make it!”

As we celebrate the Resurrection this year, let us proclaim the emptiness of the tomb and the Fullness of the Resurrection. Let us rest in the confident Hope that the Resurrected One has secured for us Fullness in our emptiness. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!!

Peace,

Pastor Mike

“Hope For the Future”

There is a promise in Jeremiah that a lot of us quote without realizing the context. It is a great promise no matter what, but the context gives us a deeper understanding of the promise. Here’s the promise:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV84).

Ah, but the context? The prophet Jeremiah is “promising” in a letter that the people of Jerusalem are about to go into exile into Babylon for 70 years! Sadly, dark days are ahead, and yet the spotlight of hope in v. 11 shines in this darkness: The LORD has great plans for us, too, to “give you a hope and a future.” Yes, even in this exile, even in this very darkest of times. …

So whether COVID or lockdowns or elections or weather or life appear to not be going “your way,” or whether it is but an encroaching darkness, know this: the LORD has plans for you, for us, to give us a hope and a future…, but do not stop at verse 11; we need to keep reading as we secure this hope and future:

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:12–14 NIV84).

Is it as clear to you as it is to me? In this encroaching darkness, we are to “call upon” the Lord, pray to Him, seek Him—with all our heart, and then He will be found by us! This is my hope in any darkness: I need to keep seeking the Lord Jesus with all my heart as He uses this “Dark night of the soul” to cleanse my heart from what is not seeking Him. Is He your hope for the future?

Peace,

Pastor Mike

“Smell the Roses?”

When my roses begin to blossom, I take an early morning walk stopping at each bush to capture their fragrance. And, yes, I do think to “stop and smell the roses.”

Now you may not have roses or flowers to stop and smell, and you may not even be a morning person, but let this not deter you from stopping and smelling the moment. In the midst of all that we have been through these past few weeks, it is all the more imperative to do this.

Step out of the slipstream of panic and hysteria and worry and ultra-concern and take time to rest in the presence of Jesus. Let the Prince of Peace be your Peace:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He is our peace … . [Ephesians 2:13-14a]

Will you join me, then, in stopping to smell the Flower, the Rose of Sharon?

Peace,

Pastor Mike

“Syrupy Love Vs. Substantial Love”

Year’s ago when I used to get hurt a lot—usually in sports, but not always, I would look for that sympathy, you know, “You, poor baby,” kind of sympathy. I soon learned, however, that it vanished rather quickly. So I guess I kept getting hurt. A silly plan, right?

After a while, I started using the phrase, “Syrupy love,” to describe this kind of temporary concern that vanished in few moments. Along the way, I added words like, “gushy” and “gooey,” too. Obviously, I was looking for something more lastly, more substantial. Maybe that’s why I really don’t like cotton candy? Hmmmm….

Sadly, I learned that this syrupy, gooey love says all the right things, but more often than not for the most selfish of reasons: to puff up the one giving the “love.” I found that the one being “loved” is more or less consumed to meet the needs, pleasures and desires of the one dispensing this ooey, gooey, syrupy love. Again, I would hear the “right” words, but like clouds that promise rain and move on, these promise, “I’ll always be there for you,” … yeah, right….

Like I said, I was looking for something far more meaningful, more lasting. I was look for Substantial Love. I was looking for the Love that is patient and kind. It is other-serving and not self-seeking, it does not demand its own way through intimidation, shout downs or skillful manipulation. It makes the other person the center of attention. It listens carefully, hearing the whole person. And this substantial Love is often inconvenienced, put out, put off, taken advantage of, and wounded. In and through all this, this Love never fails. It does not shift with moods, the wind or the seasons. It never gives up.

Sound familiar?

If you are familiar with the Bible or know Jesus, this Substantial Love will sound very familiar to you. This is the Love I found: This Substantial Love.  If you are not familiar with this Love, perhaps you would like to get to know it a little better? Check out the verses below….

Main Text— 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NIV)— 4  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.—John 13:34–35 (ESV)

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?—Matthew 5:43–46 (ESV)

 Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.—Romans 12:9 (ISV)

  But God demonstrates His love for us by the fact that the Messiah died for us while we were still sinners.—Romans 5:8 (ISV)

Lord Jesus Christ, continue to reduce me to Your Love, Substantial Love. Empower me to Love exceedingly above and beyond what I am capable of. Let others know I know You by the Love I have for them.

Pastor Mike

How Heavy is Your Burden?

 

Whether it is a heavy purse, briefcase, backpack or grocery bag, we’ve all carried around something a wee bit too heavy for us. Oh, we seem to manage, but afterwards are shoulders and just below the neck are killing us. But we made it. We gently drop the purse, briefcase, backpack, or grocery bag where it belongs. Whew! Glad that’s done!

Ah, but a lot of times in life, we never put down, let alone drop, that heavy “purse,” “briefcase,” “backpack,” or “grocery bag.” Instead, we carry it for days, months—dare I say it, years? The burden? The heaviness that stoops our shoulder or aches our neck? Unforgiveness….

Yes, unforgiveness. Now, I am looking at this from two perspectives: (1) me not forgiving someone; AND (2) me not receiving forgiveness….

The first is often more readily identifiable. There is no floating anger; it is laser focused. I know the one I haven’t forgiven. Sadly, the thought may shoot through my mind, “I’ll never forgive…,” only to be stopped by the grace of the cross. But still, unlike Jesus, I am still carrying this cross—instead of laying down on it, and joining Him in saying, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV84).

Ah, the second perspective is rather more challenging, often floating in our being: I have refused to receive the forgiveness that is mine from Jesus. So what do I do? I continue to carry that heavy briefcase (or purse or backpack, etc.) And my whole body—physically, spiritually and emotionally is “groaning all day long” (Ps.32:3 below).

What do I need to do? Fortunately, I kept reading: “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’” (v. 5). And what did the LORD do? The rest of verse 5: “You forgave the guilt of my sin!” My burden was removed from my briefcase. The freedom of release was overwhelming. Joy flooded my soul….

How Heavy is your burden? Probably no heavier than mine. And, guess, what? The LORD can forgive you, too. Yep, just acknowledge your burden and receive His forgiveness. Sounds too simple; too easy, huh? Which is easier? Carrying that heavy purse, briefcase, backpack or grocery bag or letting it drop?

Main Text— Psalm 32:3–5 (NIV84)— 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

So I’m telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that’s why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.—Luke 7:47 (ISV)

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.—1 Timothy 1:13–14 (NIV84)

Lord Jesus Christ, I confess my burden to You. Lift this burden of unforgiveness. I receive the release of my burden and the Joy of Your Salvation in my life. Empower me to let others know how much You Love them, too. Amen.

Pastor Mike