“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed.”

                                                           -John 6:27

This is a hard post for me to write. It’s hard, not necessarily because of what God has led me to post about, but because of the fact that I know this is one area of my own life that still needs a lot of work. Too often I allow things that don’t really matter to get in the way of what does, and spend my time “laboring for the meat which perisheth” rather than keeping my eyes stayed upon Jesus, “the Author and Finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) It’s not that I spend my life following after vain pursuits; it’s just that, on a day-to-day basis, it can be so easy to become distracted from what really matters. Perhaps you can relate.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

                                                        -Psalm 90:12

John Piper once said that one of the greatest uses of Twitter and Facebook in our generation will be to prove that Last Day prayerlessness was not due to lack of time. And even though I’m someone who doesn’t have a Twitter account and has never joined Facebook, these words still serve as a humbling reminder to me that God gives us all the time we need to do all He calls us to do. He will never give us conflicting responsibilities, and if we run out of time because we failed to schedule or utilize it properly we can’t blame Him for our irresponsibility. Even though it would sometimes be nice if there were 30 hours in a day, God knew what He was doing when He gave us 24 and we must do our best to make the most of them.

What are the responsibilities God has placed in your life? Pastoring a church? Providing for your family, or doing a few household chores? Whatever they are, recognize that it’s how well we fulfill our current obligations that will ultimately determine how much God entrusts us with in the future (Luke 19:17). We can’t expect Him to use us in the “big” things if we aren’t fulfilling today’s calling.

A few days ago we studied the rebuilding of the Temple as told by Ezra. We saw that, even though God’s timeframe is usually very different than our own, He is always faithful to finish what He begins and will not forget the plans He’s made for us (Philippians 1:6; Jeremiah 29:11). Yet in spite of the fact that God often tosses our own agenda to the side and forces us to wait upon Him, I believe it’s important for us to realize that the Lord still has a work for us to do today that’s far more important than any plans we’ve made for ourselves. Even if it means doing nothing more than simply worshipping Him, it is our Lord’s desire that we “redeem the time” He’s given us and utilize it for His glory (Ephesians 5:16).

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

                                                     -Psalm 40:1

Romans 8:28 reminds us that, if you a Christian, God will ensure that all things work together for your ultimate benefit. This doesn’t mean everything we go through in life will be easy or even enjoyable, but that, in the end, God can and will use it for His glory and our betterment. What we so often struggle with is realizing that, even during the times when He seems so distant and our hopes so uncertain, the Lord still has a plan for us that’s already been set in motion. Just because we seem to be at a standstill doesn’t mean that God is; He is always working, and will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Perhaps life has found you in the same place it found the Israelites some 2,600 years ago. You look around and see nothing but unfinished temples and incomplete promises, all the while wondering what on earth it is you’re supposed to be doing while you wait. If this is you, here’s a simple suggestion : “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5)  He’s up to something bigger than you are.

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

                                                       -II John 1:7

I recently attended a homeschool expo that comes to our area every year, and one of the most intriguing classes I attended throughout the course of our trip was given by a former police officer and Army veteran. Though the class was aimed primarily at illustrating how to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11), he did find time in his hour to share with us how difficult it was, even as a police officer, to distinguish between counterfeit money and the real thing. He said that one time he finally decided  just to ask the people at the Treasury Department how they can tell the difference when both look so similar, and was amazed by their simple response: “We just study the original.”  The truth is, even though they often look completely authentic, when you’ve spent hours and hours studying the real thing you’re not going to be fooled by a counterfeit very easily.

The same is true in our walk with God. As John reminded us in his second epistle, “many deceivers are entered into the world” and it’s absolutely necessary that we learn how to “discern between the righteous and the wicked” (Malachi 3:18). In the same way that a piece of currency is paralleled with the original to test its authenticity, so we must compare whatever we hear with the doctrine of Christ and see if it lines up to the Holy Scriptures (II John 1:9). Of course we may not always have the opportunity to flip through the pages of the Bible looking for an answer, and that’s why we are reminded time and time again of the importance of hiding the Word of God in our hearts (Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 6:6). If it lines up with what God has said, you can take it to the bank every time.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”

                                                    - 2 Timothy 2:15

In a world where there seem to be more counterfeits than true believers, it’s more important now than ever before that we know how to tell which is which. The Word of God gives us those answers, and all we have to do is bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5) Of course, I’ve always been told that another way to identify a counterfeit bill is by holding it up to the light, but I’ll save that for another post.

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

                                                         -II Peter 3:8

In the book of Ezra, we read the story of God’s people returning from their captivity to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. This was probably one of the most joyous occasions in their nation’s history since the exodus from Egypt, and yet their efforts for the Lord were brought to an abrupt halt no sooner than they’d laid the foundation when adversaries of their work wrote a letter full of lies to king Artaxerxes of Persia (4:11-16). For fear of losing his authority as king, Artaxerxes immediately put an end to their efforts, having been fully convinced that the Jewish nation was nothing more than a group of insubordinate rebels who would “endamage the revenue of the kings" by neglecting to pay taxes or submit to his leadership (4:13).

For fifteen long years no progress was made on the temple, and I imagine that every time a Jew passed it by he was reminded of the incomplete work everybody had been certain God began. Shouts of joy when the the foundation was laid (3:12) were now replaced by tears of sadness as they wondered if they would ever again be able to worship God in peace. The question on everybody’s mind was the same: “Why did God let us start if He wasn’t going to let us finish?”

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

               -Philippians 1:6

Just like in the days of Ezra, oftentimes God operates on a very different timeframe than we would like Him to. We look around and see all the things He’s started in our life and wonder if He’ll ever complete them, though seemingly forgetting that our Lord is far beyond the constraints of time and earthly circumstance. What He begins, He will always finish. Even if it takes years and years of waiting, God will complete the work He has begun in you and fulfill every word of the promises He’s made (I Kings 8:56). Just have faith.

“Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

             -Hebrews 2:17

Last night I lay in bed meditating on this passage of Scripture and, just as I was about to fall asleep, an amazing thought occurred to me: we serve a God Who is both mercifully faithful and faithfully merciful. It is because of His mercy that He loves us, and yet because of His love that we are shown mercy. Though none of us could ever deserve forgiveness, the price for our redemption has been fully paid by Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and all we must do is repent and believe the Gospel in order to obtain it (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9).

Though critics of our faith often say they won’t believe in God until He comes down from heaven and appears to them physically, they fail to realize that, for 33 years, that’s exactly what He did. The Word was made flesh, we beheld His glory, and then crucified it (John 1:5, 14). It’s never been about us lacking good reason to believe, but rather that people often reject the evidence God has already given and then blame Him for their own doubts. Like the Jews who wanted a sign of Christ’s deity after they’d just watched Him miraculously feed 5,000 people (John 6:30), it’s foolish of us to look any further than the cross in our search for God’s love. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

           -Romans 5:8

Unlike the brand of love we see at work in today’s world, love in its purest form cannot be expressed in words; it can only be proven by our actions. This is the type of love that filled the heart of our Heavenly Father, moving Him to demonstrate His undying affection for us by dying a sinner’s death on a cross at the hands of those He created. Such a love could never begin to be understood if all we had was the verbal promise of its existence. Of course some would probably still believe in it, but could we ever truly comprehend it? Now that we have such clear evidence that it does indeed exist, we are finally able to“comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

                                                   -Colossians 3:15