trusting God

When will we get home?

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

“When are we getting home?” the kids used to pester their mother and I from the back seat of our car many years ago. Whether it was one hour or one day, no matter how many times we explained,  they never seemed to be able to just relax. In much the same way the disciples of Jesus who had just finished a three and a half year apprenticeship and a forty day journey of stress, sorrow and then joy wanted to know when they would  get to the end of their journey. They could have picked up a lesson from the prophet Jeremiah who looking at all the disasters around him in Jerusalem probably wondered the same thing himself. How gracious of our God to come to us, and not to just yell into the back seat, “Just sit down and be quiet!”. God knows the depths of our anxious thoughts and He comes to give us the blessed and healing assurance. that He knows not only the end of the journey but also all the stops along the way! Some days I really need to remind myself of the words of this song – “Now I’m riding in the back seat, and I find that that’s the very place to be. Now I’m riding in the back seat. And I’m leaving all the driving to the chief!”

 

 

 

Contentment

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But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 1 Timothy 6:6-7

Every commercial we see on our television screen has the goal in mind of causing us to become discontent until – we buy their product. Though we may not have worried much about, the style of our clothing, the brand of our car, or how comfortable our pillow is, marketing firms are out to change that in 30 seconds. Watching five minutes of advertisements might be enough to keep us up half the night wondering if our neighbors have noticed that the white shirts our kids wore to school yesterday were a little grey!

Madeline in Easter Dress

But having all the resources of this world at our fingertips will never make us content. No pile of money is high enough to assure a happy retirement. No detergent, toothpaste, car or dating service will ever deliver on the promise of real contentment. At the beginning when God created Adam and Eve they were content. They had neither clothing, transportation, nor possessions, and yet they walked in the cool of the day with God. Their only goals were to care for the garden and to obey God.  As we fold up the weeks and months of this past year and put them away in our memories why not end this year with contentment? Not everything has gone our way. Not every bill has been paid, every obstacle overcome. Yet Jesus offers to walk side with us from this year to next. Whatever we have, or whatever we go through He promises always to be with us. What unimaginable wealth to simply know that I am His and for all eternity He is mine!

Blessed Assurance

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Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

I was on the front porch when the lightning struck then just half a second later the ground shook as if struck by a giant fist. It was so powerful that for a moment I was raised straight up from my seat on the wooden bench. Since that day I have never again been so close to lightening but the fear and confusion remain etched forever in my mind. It was for exactly those kinds of moments that Jesus assures us his children again and again. “I will never leave, I will never forsake. I am with you always, I will not leave you orphans; your angels always behold the face of the Father.”

 

In the hymn, “Blessed Assurance”, Fanny Crosby pens these words, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine.” Jesus is mine! What a thought, that the one by whom all things were created is my own. He is always with me. He sees beyond my blindness and through my confusion. He takes my hand in the storm and calms me when the lightning bolts of life fall suddenly He calms me with His promise, “I will never leave.”  With each new clap of terrifying thunder He reaches out again and touches my shoulder. “I will never forsake!”

 

But even Christians still live in a world of storms, thunder lightning and unexpected change. We are not exempt but we have His word. He not only once lived among us, but He continues by our side. He is all that we need and I will choose again today to rest in a contentment that I cannot explain. He is by my side and sees beyond to the day when the skies will be rolled back like a

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scroll and Heaven comes down to this earth forever. Praise Him today for the promised calm assurance that He will never leave, no never forsake!