Living, not just Existing!

 
Just a couple of miles from my house, there is place to which I often return along the banks of the Delaware River. Whenever I walk that trail that meanders along the river, I am renewed by the sounds of the water tumbling over rocks, the rustle of the breeze in the branches, and the songs of birds. It is a place that is alive! Particularly now in the months of Spring it is a delight to see the green emerging, new life bursting even in the smallest flowers on the forest floor.

In my spiritual life I turn often to another Source of life, taking time to renew my hope in the Lord, fed by the water of the Spirit. The stress of daily life, the hot dry winds of anxiety, the uncertainties that are the common human experience all combine to sap my strength. Without that renewal, life can become hard, seemingly futile.

Jeremiah, the ancient preacher, was inspired to write the people of God during a time when they were under threat of attack from a great foreign power. Their future was dark, hope almost non-existent. Their whole way of life was in peril. Where could they turn to find renewal?

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”  (Jeremiah 17)

In what or whom have you centered your life’s hope?

If you are hoping that a political party will secure your future, you are sadly duped!
If you think that a charismatic leader will make your life richer and fuller, you are destined for disappointment.
If you have made your job or wealth your anchor in life, you will find yourself worried by every fluctuation in the economy.

We choose to “trust in the LORD,” to make Him the Source of our confidence.

Let me be authentic at this moment. Trusting Him does not mean that you will be exempted from the difficulties of life. Good and devout people of faith still get cancer, still grow old and infirm, still find life touched by the meanness of people with whom they live. The faithful find themselves confused, hurt, and even sometimes doubtful. The question “why?” is one that we all ask in the inevitable dark days.

I have found solace many times in the words of the 73^rd Psalm. The writer finds his faith under assault and says “I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. … These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!”  Has life been like that for you? Have you ever wondered why God seems to have forgotten you?

That song continues with this point of change. “I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God … “I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Simply said, we choose to trust. We choose faith. We grasp the truth, supported by the Scripture and the long experience of those who walk with God, that there is purpose, that there is Eternity; that we are ‘held by His hand!’

In that faith, our lives are watered by the Spirit, finding refreshing and renewal. There is a kind of lasting beauty in the one who does not wither even in times of drought. They do not turn into grumpy old cynics. They are not full of regrets. They are not locked into some time of glory that happened decades ago. They are not hateful.

Instead, they are marked by real joy, anticipating the goodness of God, and filled with a godly compassion for others.

Will you continue to make Him your Source?
Will you trust Him in the darkest moment, steady and faith-filled?
Choose to live by the River of Life!

Take this word from the Word with you today and meditate on the promise of Jesus. “Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.)”  (John 7)

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Video of this blog https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

 

But, What If?

Do you ever get caught in the ‘what if’ kind of thoughts, the ones that create one script of dread or doom after another? What if I get cancer? What if my son gets called to war? What if the economy collapses? What if …   It happens to me occasionally around 2 am. In the darkness, my mind goes into high gear with anxious thoughts about the possibilities of tomorrow.

Most of us become fearful or anxious every now and then, but for some anxiety is a daily curse. Some feel it so acutely that they are caught in a panic that paralyzes. For others, it is nagging worry that robs their energy, like carrying a heavy weight through life. Sometimes that anxiety creates a sense of inadequacy that makes the person retreat from life.

If you are one of those who wrestles with anxiety, know that it is not because you are weak or flawed in character. I want to encourage you NOT to just ‘learn to live with it’ for there are choices that can defeat those thoughts.

We are a combination of “Thoughts-Feelings-Behaviors.”  How we live is shaped by what we think, from what we are taught to believe, or even from values we absorb without conscious thought.

What are you feeding to your thoughts? What kind of stories do you believe? If we are often in the grip of anxiety, we do well to examine our thoughts, perhaps with the help of a skilled counselor. We may become aware of thoughts not based on truth, exaggerated fears, assumptions unsupported by facts.

Christians go a step further! God, by His Spirit, enters me and the Word informs me. There is a wonderful promise in the Scripture, a key to a changed life. We learn that the Spirit will direct us and we can “be transformed by the renewing of our mind.” (Romans 12)

Another inspired passage points to the way to ‘peace.’ "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:6-10, NIV)

How do we get control of anxiety?

First, that passage urges us to pray! Real prayer is not a rote set of words we offer sleepily right before we go to bed. We engage our mind with God; we take our genuine concerns to Him. We ask for wisdom, insight, and provision. We can pray by choosing a place alone, in silence, focusing our thoughts on the Presence of God, breathing slowly, letting our thoughts become quiet so we can ‘hear’ the voice of Holy Spirit.

Next, we are told to “give thanks!”  Yes, friend, gratitude is more than a response to pleasant situations. It is sometimes a ‘sacrifice’ offered with conscious choice. We look away from our need to see the good, what God has provided. Thankfulness elevates God over Self in our minds. It helps us to see His work in our lives.

Then, that passage tells us to choose to redirect our thoughts!

“If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
A Psalm of praise helps reshape them.
Turning all the stream of negative news that makes us feel as though the whole world is on fire will help us to better thoughts.
Setting aside the endless distraction of social media will give us clarity.

Yes, we may need to speak to ourselves to break a cycle of negative reactions. “Stop! Lord, come near and own my mind!”  It is a simple prayer that can be powerful.

That Word we read a moment ago reminds us that “you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

There will be times, in every life, when fatigue comes after major effort, or when illness depletes us, or when many pressures come from all side, or when disappointment finds us and won’t let go. God is still God those times. Isaiah invites us to enter the promised peace of God. "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10, NIV) The peace of which that Scripture speaks is a state of being. “Shalom” is the Hebrew word, rich in meaning – including being whole, complete, and living with a tranquil mind, as we know God’s full provision for life!

So, let me ask it again – are you entering into the promise of God, living in His holy peace, the ‘shalom’ promised to people who are embraced by His great love?

Defeat anxiety with simple prayer, by choosing gratitude (to God and others), and by redirecting your thoughts. The ‘peace of God’ is real, but we must own it! When we build our hope around money, reputation, or even the acceptance of other people – we will turn into unsettled, confused, and anxious people.

I pray that the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   Amen

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Video of this blog

https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

No One Left Behind

 

In the darkness, just hours before Easter morning, a rescue was unfolding in the mountains of Iran. An airman who survived when the F15E in which he was the weapons officer was shot down. Injured and alone, he made his way to a rocky mountaintop and waited …  while hundreds of military personnel and intelligence officers worked to create a rescue plan! Millions of dollars were spent; many lives were put on the line to complete the mission.

In the end the motto that ‘no one is left behind’ became truth and the man was saved. What a story of courage and commitment on the part of so many for the sake of just one.

This recent weekend Christians marked another rescue mission, accomplished at great expense. God’s grace caused Him to come to His Creation, in the Person of Jesus. The death of Christ at the Cross opened the way to freedom, your rescue and mine. Luke records Jesus’ words – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  (19:10)

John says that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (3:16-17)

Do you sometimes feel that you are beyond hope, that for reasons known only to you you’re convinced that God could not love you? Perhaps the scorn of another has made you feel worthless. It might be the memory of some great failure that you cannot forget. It may be weight of accumulated shame as you have become more aware of just how sinful you are. I know those feelings, too, but I also know the love of God that provides a grace so wide and deep that no person it outside its reach – truly!

Jesus did not just die for the world, my friend. He died for you and me so that we could live eternally. He met Evil and paid the ransom so that we can walk freely with God, our Father. The Word says that (God) “has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”  (Colossians 1) Believe it and live!

Further developing the thought the inspired passage says – “May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”  (Colossians 1: 12-14)

A Gospel song expresses the truth this way –
In lovingkindness Jesus came,
My soul in mercy to reclaim.
And from the depths of sin and shame
Through grace He lifted me.

From sinking sand – He lifted me,
With tender hand – He lifted me.
From shades of night
To plains of light,
O praise His name He lifted me!

Don’t live in the shadows any longer. Banish dread and guilt today.
With faith, tell the Lord Jesus that you accept His rescue.
Thank Him for forgiveness, for freedom, and for life eternal.

For it is true that “if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8)

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Video of this blog https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55