The whole tooth; so help me God.

I have a place in my teeth where food snags every time I chew.  So, I keep one of those flossing devices with me at all times.  And then, having started flossing anyway, I often floss all my teeth.  I've thought about getting that nuisance fixed; but I haven't because it encourages me do something I should be doing anyway:  floss my teeth. 

I have other "nuisances"in my life, most of which can't be "fixed" by me.  They are out of my control.  They, too, make me do something I should do anyway:  trust God.

The Apostle Paul, too, had his "thorn in the flesh", not to mention all the abuse he suffered for preaching Jesus.  Nevertheless, Paul understood that life's trials produce good in us; not just in this life, but forever:  Endurance "has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."  I (Tim. 4:8)  

Paul endured suffering because he believed God's promise of blessing for faithfulness in this life.  Paul wanted a crown (and not the kind that goes on teeth); "a crown that will last forever", given him by Jesus Himself in heaven.  Paul endured all "for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." He ran to "get the prize". (I Cor. 9:22-27)  The prize is not heaven.  That is a gift of God's grace.  The prize is what all who trust God in the midst of trials will receive someday.

Would I be rid of my life's struggles if I could.  I'm not so sure I would; because they spur me to trust in God and, to the extent I do so, I will "receive what is due [me] for the things done while in the body." (II Cor. 5:10.)  

And so will you.  




Do you know someone who is suffering physical or emotional pain who would be encouraged by this blog? Then please send them the link by clicking the envelope below, where you can also share it on Twitter and Facebook.

Life's Hurricanes

The pleas of officials to evacuate before Hurricane Florence reminds me of the storm that Paul encountered, the firsthand and dramatic account of which is told by Luke in Acts 27. Tropical-like cyclones are rare meteorological phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea; so perhaps that is why the ship's captain ignored Paul's warning not to set sail.  For two weeks the ship was battered and eventually ran aground on Malta. It's a fascinating story.

I've wondered:  Why did God allow that to happen to Paul?  After all, he was on his way to Rome to meet Nero, who was still relatively sane at that point in his reign.  Why waste the time of one His most valuable assets with a detour that could have been avoided?  What was the point of that?  

Luke doesn't tell us.  But we do know that God will go to any length to bring people to Himself.  Almost certainly at least one person on the ship or on the island came to trust in Jesus through Paul's testimony.  That alone would have been worth the detour.  And maybe that person then led others to Christ and those people led still more to Christ, and so forth, for 2000 years.  Maybe there are tens of thousands or even millions of spiritual descendants of that one person.  Maybe you are - or will be - one of them!  I can't wait to hear the rest of the story at the Throne of Christ.

The next Atlantic hurricane will be called Gordon.  We are early in this year's hurricane season, so it will come; as will personal hurricanes in our lives.  But God is always in control.  For those who love Him, He will bring good out of the storms of life.  



Do you know someone who is suffering physical or emotional pain who would be encouraged by this blog? Then please send them the link by clicking the envelope below, where you can also share it on Twitter and Facebook.

Recalculating

We have a new (used) car!  (See earlier post, God Provides, for why we needed one.)  On it's maiden voyage, I missed an exit.  I was using Google Maps, but I'd inadvertently turned down the volume, so I didn't hear the instruction to "Take the next exit."  

Google Maps did what Google Maps does:  It automatically recalculated.  We found ourselves behind a pickup truck whose driver obviously knew the road's dangerous, just-over-the-hill, hairpin curves.  So, since our new car has radar-enable cruise control, we simply set it to follow the truck, with my foot off of the gas and the brake.  We relaxed and enjoyed scenery we would have missed via the planned route.  Twenty minutes later than we had planned, we arrived at our destination.

It occurred to Sandy that Google Maps does what God does when, mistakenly or willfully, we make a wrong turn in life.  He recalculates.  He gives us new directions to our destination.

That destination is the Throne of Christ, where we will talk with Jesus about our journey to heaven.  He will point out all the ways He helped us. (Like how He provided that pickup-truck to be our guide.) Jesus will show us why He allowed the wrong turns in life and what He accomplished through our mistakes, our bad decisions and our inattention to His instructions. He will praise us for the times we trusted Him throughout the journey.  And we will praise Him for all of eternity for His loving provision throughout.

So, enjoy the trip!  Though perhaps the path will not always be straight and direct, if your "Maps" destination is set to where Jesus is, you will get there!  

Bon Voyage!





Do you know someone who is suffering physical or emotional pain who would be encouraged by this blog? Then please send them the link by clicking the envelope below, where you can also share it on Twitter and Facebook.