“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
John 19:28-30
This is quite possibly the lowest point in all of the New Testament, if not the whole Bible. It certainly looks like it, at any rate. These were Jesus’ final words, His last breath that He took while hanging on a tree like a common criminal. This was the Savior everyone had been waiting for. This was the One everything had been leading up to. And He was dead.
It seemed that things couldn’t get any worse, and the truth is, they didn’t. Things didn’t necessarily get better right away, either, though. At least not for the believers. Jesus’ body was taken down and preserved, and He was sealed away in a tomb for three days. That was when the light began to shine through. Many of us know the story; Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb. He didn’t remain dead. Our Savior rose from the grave to new life, not only atoning for our sin through His death, but defeating death itself in His resurrection. This is the entire foundation of the Christian faith, and yet it wouldn’t have been possible without the cross. Without the blood and scorn, and the utter injustice and hopelessness that was felt that day, we’d never experience the miraculous life that we see today. Often, this is how God works. The lowest lows lead to the highest highs. He uses sinful people and painful circumstances to bring His people to exactly where He wants them to be, and we can be sure that, “. . . In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
We go through scary and painful things every day. These issues aren’t as dramatic or world-changing as Christ’s death, but they often follow the same pattern on a much smaller scale. Whenever you’re tempted to feel discouraged or hopeless, just remember the cross. God always has a plan. Sometimes it hurts to get there, but the end result will always be worth it.
“How come Good Friday is called Good Friday and Black Friday is called Black Friday? Shouldn’t they be switched?” I don’t remember who asked that in Sunday school, but it seemed like a good question to me. Good Friday is a solemn day, a day to commemorate Christ’s death, and black is usually the color of mourning, so that made sense. There didn’t seem to be much that was black about a bunch of sales.
The idea behind the name “Black Friday” is that storekeepers used to write profits in black and losses in red. All of the deals after Thanksgiving drove sales up, adding more black to the record books. This isn’t the actual origin of the name, but it’s the modern reasoning.
As for Good Friday, if you know the significance of Christ’s death on the cross, it really isn’t hard to understand why it’s called “good”. If He’d never died, our sins wouldn’t be forgiven, and we’d need to continue making animal sacrifices forever, or die in our sins. Death is tragic. It was also the greatest sacrifice Christ could’ve possibly made for us. Because of His death, we live and are saved, as long as we believe. I don’t know about you, but I’d call that pretty good!
“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5
As it turns out, the names aren’t the confusing part. What sometimes is a contradiction is how people treat Black Friday. Let’s back up for a moment to what precedes the big sales: Thanksgiving. This is an entire holiday dedicated to giving thanks and appreciating everything that we have. It’s a holiday of family, feasting, and general goodwill. How on earth do we go from this to elbowing others out of the way to get to the last discounted appliance? One day we’re celebrating everything we have, and the next we’re fighting others at Walmart to get more, more, more. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The thankfulness shouldn’t end on Friday, and it doesn’t have to. Even if you decide to go shopping, and even if there’s something you really want to find, it doesn’t have to be all-consuming.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying something for yourself on Black Friday, or any other day, for that matter, but it’s important to remember what you have. Even if you don’t have as many physical possessions as you’d ideally want, or you weren’t able to have a nice dinner this year, or even if you don’t have anyone to celebrate with, you can still be thankful. Black Friday might tell you that you always need more, but Good Friday says that you already have all that you need. All you need to do is believe, and Jesus saves your life. This is all the motivation we need to be thankful every day; everything else is just an added blessing.
Why did God make friends? What does it mean to be a friend? Friendship is when two or more people care about each other and spend time together. Good friends are always there for each other, but there are also many instances in life when so-called “friends” betray us, or lead us into sinful situations. What does it really mean, then, to be a good friend?
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” This verse is speaking to a body of believers, saying that they should encourage one another because they’re made alive in the hope of Christ’s salvation. As Christians who are saved, we should always build our friends up with encouraging words, even if those friends aren’t fellow believers. Since we have this hope in life, it’s important to share it with the people we care about. This doesn’t always have to be something big, either. Being kind and positive towards your friends in small matters is enough.
Another important part of friendship is honesty. Have you ever seen those videos on TikTok comparing friends to best friends? The friend will ask if something looks good on them, and the person will say it does, but when the best friend askes, they get a “No, go change.” These videos are exaggerated, and they’re supposed to highlight the fact that best friends are comfortable enough with each other to joke around, but they also show that people are more honest with their closest friends. No, you don’t always have to tell your friend they look stupid (even if they do), but you should be open with each other and honest about what you think and feel. 1 John 3:18 says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Jesus gave us the greatest example of what it means to be a friend: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). We should always follow His example when attempting to be a good friend. 1 John 3:16 puts it clearly: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” The truth is, we’re never going to be able to do this perfectly. No matter how hard we try, there’s always going to be some area where we fail, some issue we’re too small to fix, some step we’re afraid to take. The trick to being a good friend isn’t doing it all perfectly, but following Christ’s example as closely as we’re able to and turning to God to heal what we can’t. Christ died on a cross to forgive the sins of those who believe in Him. By doing this, He saved us. Ultimately, God is the best friend any of us can ever have. All we can do is follow His example.
Friendship can be difficult. Being a good friend means being encouraging, honest, and following Christ’s example. Ultimately, being a good friend means trusting in God when we fail, and leading our friends to do the same. Proverbs 18:24 reads, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Do you ever just want to be alone? It's not like we crave loneliness, particularly, but sometimes people can be overwhelming. Sometimes we want to let loose by ourselves. Similar to how it's uncomfortable having someone watch you sleep, many find it difficult to fully relax when there are other people around. As a result, they like to spend time alone. This alone time is beneficial to the person, but it might mean doing less to help those around them, or not seeing loved ones as much. As a result, some people feel guilty for spending time alone. Does God really frown upon alone time, though?
God is a loving Father. Fathers always want what's best for their children, and God is no exception. Our heavenly Father wants what's best for us. Another indisputable fact is that some people need to be alone to recharge. Because of the fall, people need rest, and God designed us to do that in different ways. Human nature is deeply flawed, which is why we get tired in the first place, however, God doesn't have anything against the natural way we counteract this tiredness. Jesus even says specifically that He wants us to rest in passages like Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
You might be thinking that the above verse doesn't apply, because Jesus was speaking of coming to Him, not hiding away by ourselves. The truth is, for a Christian, the two things aren't far apart. The Holy Spirit is always with us, so even when we're alone, He's still with us. Obviously there's a difference between coming to God in prayer and just lying in bed and staring at Facebook, but God is with us through it all. Psalm 139:7-8 says, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!"
God is always with us, and we were actually created to serve Him. This means that we don't live our lives for other people. We live them for God. One way we serve God is by serving others; helping them out and brightening their days. Another way to serve God, though, is to take care of the body and mind that He's given us. Oftentimes this means taking some time by ourselves. Of course, the main way we praise God is directly; by talking to Him, reading His word, and spreading the gospel. Our calling does require us to have contact with other people to some extent. In fact, Christian fellowship is very important. Still, there are many aspects of serving the Lord that can be done alone and even work better that way.
Throughout the Bible, people have talked to God and met with Him when they were otherwise alone. In the Old Testament, Abraham and Mosas were by themselves when speaking with God. After receiving His message, they'd pass it on to others. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself went off alone to pray. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there" (Mark 1:35).
Alone time in itself is not bad. It is a valuable tool given to us by God for rest. As important as it is to spend time with others, it's also important to take care of our bodies and minds. Ultimately, our purpose is to serve God. As people, we could stand to spend more time in God's word and less time doing anything else we may want to do alone, but even these things aren't sinful. The most important thing is to balance the way we spend our time, taking rests alone when we need it, and making room for God in our day.
This month I visited New York City with my Dad and my sister. We were three out of several thousand people roaming the streets surrounded by tall buildings and bustling businesses. Looking up at the sky, framed in by metal and windows and colorful billboards, my Dad remarked, "It's crazy when you think about it. God created people, and He gave us these minds, and we can build all of this." New York is a prime example of the wonders mankind can build with their minds and hands, and that makes it a pretty good example of what God can do, too. He created the people that built the city, and every individual life traversing its streets. This might not be where most people's minds instinctively go, but once the thought is there, it's undeniable. We serve an amazing God. When faced with something spectacular, or interesting, or exciting, we have two choices. We can enjoy the experience without a second thought for the God who made it possible, effectively turning a good thing into an idol, or we can take the opportunity to worship the Creator.
James 1:17 puts into plain terms why we should glorify God whenever we see something impressive here on earth: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Everything comes from the Lord. Even if it's built by human hands, the glory should go to the One who formed the hands. This is like the difference between praising a machine for a product it makes and praising the inventor who made the machine and keeps it running. Earlier in this chapter, in verse 11, God gives a warning to those who build up earthly riches and don't remember to praise Him for it: "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business."
Romans 1:18 is another passage that speaks about the destruction of the sinful: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Verses 21-25 of that chapter go into greater detail about these people: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. . . . They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." Unfortunately, this is the same mistake that many of us make today–worshiping the thing created instead of the Creator.
This has been a problem since Old Testament times. Most children have probably learned about the Tower of Babel in Sunday school. This commonly taught story might just be the most catastrophic example of people worshiping their own work instead of God. "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth,'" (Genesis 11:4). Because the people were coming together to worship earthly things and seek personal glory, God confused their languages to prevent them from understanding each other. By doing this, He stopped them from building the sinful tower. "So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city," (Genesis 11:9).
God created each and every one of His people with certain capabilities. People have been able to do some pretty amazing things with these capabilities, but the glory should always go back to the Lord who makes it all possible. Scripture says that destruction will come on those whose eyes are on worldly things. As Christians, we shouldn't be distracted from our Creator by impressive or exciting experiences in this world, but we should instead use everything as a chance to glorify Him. We should obey passages like Psalm 100:1-3, which says:
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."
Life is unpredictable. A couple doesn’t expect to have their baby born dead. My friend never planned on waking up in the middle of the night to find her family’s barn on fire and the animals lost. My mom’s cousin never wanted her digestive system to fail. Routine check ups turn into life-changing diagnoses. Everyday drives become fateful accidents. Life is dangerous.
With problems that could appear at any turn, it’s easy to wonder: “What’s the point of any of this?” Where’s the silver lining that makes this fearful life worth living? I’ve written devotionals on similar topics before, but it’s an important question to ask. Everyone has felt hopeless at some point in their life. God is the only One with the answer.
I’ve never been great at memorizing Scripture, but there’s one verse I always used to think of when I was upset, or felt like the world was falling apart: Matthew 24:35, which reads, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” In context, this verse doesn’t mean quite what I thought it meant. Here Jesus had just finished speaking of the end times, and the judgment that will fall on unbelievers. This means that one day sin will be judged, and the world will be made new. The problems we see in the world today won’t hurt us any more.
While the Matthew passage is speaking about end times, it’s also true that every word spoken by the Lord or through the Holy Spirit will last forever. In fact, Isaiah 40:3 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Later in that chapter (verse 31), we read the encouraging words that, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” These sentiments are repeated in multiple passages, including Isaiah 43:2 (“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”) and Joshua 1:9 (“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”) These words were spoken to the nation of Israel, but they still hold true for believers today. In Matthew 28:20b, Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Here, “you” is referring to the disciples, and all believers who are sent out to evangelize the nations. Are worldly problems really significant when we have the eternal God of the universe on our side? Of course, we may still hurt, but we can take comfort knowing that we’re never alone, that God is always right there beside us.
1 Peter 1:3 tells of the greatest truth in God's word: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” I’ve quoted this verse frequently, as it’s probably one of my three favorite verses. Humanity was dead in sin and hopelessness, but God sent His own Son, Christ, to die so that we didn’t have to. (Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”) The world may be in shambles now, but it won’t be forever. No matter how hard things get, we always have this living hope that one day we’ll be in heaven, praising God forever.
A third promise made in God’s word is that He always has a plan. It may be hard or even impossible to understand now, but one day it will become clear to us. In the meantime, we should trust that God knows what He’s doing. Jeremiah 29:11 reads, “‘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.’” In context, He was speaking to the nation of Israel, exiled in Babylon. If He was with them, working to a much larger plan than they could ever imagine, why wouldn’t he do the same for us today? Paul gives a reason for his own suffering in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, saying, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong..”
Suffering is never enjoyable. Hard things happen in life. It’s difficult to comfort people who we know are going through these types of problems, and even harder for those actually in the situation to endure. Through it all, though, God’s word remains the same, as does His character. No matter what happens, God is always with us. He’s already sent Christ to save us from our sins. One day He’ll make all things new. In the meantime, He still has a plan for our daily lives. His strength is made perfect in weakness.
When it comes to work, whether it's at school, in the home, or at a professional job, there seem to be two kinds of people: those who are extremely motivated at working hard for the best result, and those who do the bare minimum that’s required of them. Of course, most people lie somewhere between these two extremes, but almost everyone leans towards one side or the other. There are several Bible passages, particularly in the book of Proverbs, which condemn laziness. God wants us to live productive lives, serving Him and others. However, some people take this way too far. So here’s the question: what does the Bible say about overworking?
God rested on the seventh day of creation to show us how to regulate our work. Obviously God didn’t need rest, as He is all-powerful. He rested on the seventh day to set an example for us. This example was solidified with the law of rest on the Sabbath, as well as other religious holidays that prohibited work. Leviticus 23:28, 30-32 gives us one example of this: “On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. . . I will destroy among His people anyone who does any work on this same day. You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. . . .”
Because of the new covenant in Christ, the old law, including its rules for the Sabbath, is no longer in place. However, God’s advice on rest is still the same. An example can be found in Luke 10:38-42, when Jesus visits Mary and Martha. While Martha is busy with her many chores, Martha sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to Him speaking. Martha complains to Jesus that her sister isn’t helping with the work, and this is Jesus’ response: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her” (verses 41b-42). Fellowship with Jesus is far more important than earthly chores. This passage and those in the Old Testament both indicate that a relationship with God is far more important than physical work. Even if you’re working for something good, if it gets in the way of your Christian walk, it will harm you more than it will help you.
Work can mean many different things, from efforts to reach personal goals, to chores done around the house. Many people’s motivation to work, however, is to earn an income and provide for themselves or their family. In any case, it isn’t really our job at all to provide. In Luke 12:22-24, 27-30, Jesus tells His disciples: “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?. . . Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will He do for you—you of little faith? Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.” In practical terms, there should be a healthy balance of God’s provision and our effort in terms of day-to-day life. Still, He cares about us, and His plans are always perfect, so He can absolutely allow us to prosper without working ourselves to death every day.
I’m not suggesting that anyone should quit their job or give up on everything they’re striving for, but God does tell us that He will provide, and that a relationship with Him is far more important than anything else we can work for here on earth. God wants us to bring honor to Him. He wants us to work hard, but He also emphasizes the importance of rest. What is the point of achieving anything if, at the end of the day, we’ve forgotten to allow time for the One who gave us the abilities to achieve it? God didn’t create us to be machines. He wants us to work, yes, but He also wants us to slow down and appreciate the world that He created and the life that He gives us. Most importantly, we must slow down to appreciate Him.
Why do we celebrate Easter? Obviously to honor some random bunny who hides colorful eggs full of chocolate. Makes sense, right? Ok, so that story is pretty random. If you aren’t a fan of creepy bunnies (how does he hide said eggs? Weird.), you might say that the holiday is about spring, growth, and new life. This is a lot closer to the truth, anyway. For Christians, Easter is a day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection after dying on a cross for our sins. I want to share how I depicted that important message in my painting.
What you probably noticed first in my picture was the cloud near the center with a red outline of a heart on it. Most hearts we see are red. Why? Well, I don’t know if this is a real reason, but it clicked for me: blood is also red, and blood can represent sacrifice. Hearts of course mean love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says this about love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” The best kind of love is sacrifice. Jesus loved us so much, despite our sins, that He gave His blood for us. He sacrificed
himself so that He could die for our sin in our place. That’s real love. John 15:13 puts it clearly, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I used the first cloud to represent that.
The second cloud, near the corner, is wrapped in some sort of ribbon. This is supposed to be like the wrappings Jesus was buried in. They are wrapped around the cloud because, well, they aren’t on Him anymore! Jesus was more powerful than the grave. He rose again! We read in John 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen!” In verse 12 of that same chapter, “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
Finally, there is the sun in the other bottom corner. You may be thinking I just really like to paint sunsets. Well, I do, but that’s not all. It can be a sunrise, too. Thinking of it that way, it represents a new hope for a fresh start. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can have new life. To quote 1 Peter 1:3, the verse Dad used in his sermon this morning, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Maybe that’s why we celebrate the resurrection in spring. The sun also represents the Son, as in Jesus, the Son of God. He rose from the dead to give us light in this dark world. It represents the Son’s ascension to heaven, as well. Finally, if you look at it like a sunset, it could represent the end of the world. It will be beautiful for those who are saved with heaven waiting on the other side. Psalm 16:11 says this: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We only have that because of what Christ did for us, and because of His power.
So that’s what Easter is about, not sugar rush or oversized bunnies. It’s about new beginnings because of Jesus’ sacrificial love for us and His power over the grave. It’s about the joy we have in heaven someday, and about Jesus waiting for us there now. The words that really stuck with me from Dad’s sermon this morning are “living hope.” That’s what we celebrate today. As Easter comes to a close, let’s try to remember that every day throughout the year. I’ll leave you with this verse: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5
Life is full of disappointments. That sounds like a pessimistic thing to say, but there is truth in it. People had big plans for 2020, but a pandemic began and then the only item on everybody’s calendar was to stay home. Even when this is all over, things in life will still be unreliable. Unfortunately, life will always be like that. The question is, what can we do about it? The answer? We simply need to focus on what is reliable. God has given us many things in this life that can’t be canceled and that brings us to the most important thing that can’t be canceled: God Himself. God and His love will always exist.
Let’s take a look at Psalm 136:1. It says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” God’s love endures forever. It doesn’t fade away or get old. No, God’s love is always there. God loves you, He always has loved you, and He always will love you. Nothing could ever change that.
God’s love for us is even more amazing when we consider how undeserving we are. That’s right, Titus 3:3-5 says, “They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”
What did God do that saved us and washed away our sins? “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” -- John 3:16. That Son is Jesus Christ, who died on a cross to forgive our sins and rose again to defeat death. (You can read more about this in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, or John 17-21.)
Can anything else be said? Love, love, love. God’s love. It will always be there to save us. Store that in your mind and remember it the next time you feel down and disappointed. Now all that’s left to do is give thanks to the LORD through prayer.
Have you ever felt lonely, discouraged, or angry? Of course everyone has experienced these or other troublesome feelings, but that does not change how terrible they feel for each individual person. It would be great if all of these problems could just disappear and we could always be happy, but that just isn’t how life works. Some people preach that the Bible can get rid of all of your problems and grant your every wish, but this is not true. This world is ruled by sin and it will be until Christ returns. So, if it depends on our circumstances, we can’t always be happy, but leave it to God and we can have something better than earthly happiness: joy. Let’s look at how we can obtain this joy.
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:4-8
This is one of my favorite Bible verses because it unlocks the answer to the important question: how do we find uncircumstantial joy? If we fill our minds with God and His word, it will fill our lives with His hope, peace, and joy. The way I see it in my mind and the way I chose to draw it, God’s word will wrap around us and comfort us as we are filled by Him so that we can shine through our difficulties.
How do we fill our minds and our lives with God and His word? By getting to know Him, of course! If we read the Bible and pray regularly with open hearts, then we will begin to know God. The more we learn about Him and interact with Him, the more we know him, look like Him, and learn to rely on Him. As we become more like God, we begin to produce the fruits of His Spirit, which fill our lives even more with Him.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23
Sounds simple enough, right? All you have to do is trust and set your mind on the right things. It’s really that simple! Next time you’re feeling bad, be prepared. Fill your mind with God right now so that you always know where to look for comfort.
A few days ago I was painting with watercolors. I got very upset when some brown paint dripped onto the best part, which was a pink flower patch in the bottom right corner. After I calmed down, though, I was able to salvage the picture by blending the brown in with more pink and green paint. It actually turned out better than it looked before. See the picture above.
How does this relate to anything at all? Well, God can make good things come out of mistakes or bad things in life, just like even more beauty came out of the mistake in my painting. Let's see how.
First, we need to understand that God has the power to make good come out of bad things. He has this power because He can control all things. Verse 35 of Daniel 4 says, "All the people of the earth are nothing compared to
Him[God]. He does as He pleases among the angels of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, 'What do You mean by doing these things?'" This is basically saying that God is more powerful than anyone or anything else, He does whatever He wants (and since He is perfect and all-knowing, this is a very good thing), and nobody can stop or question Him. Isaiah 46:10 says something similar: "Only I[God] can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish."
Now we know that God can make good out of bad, but we need to know if He does. While God does sometimes bring just judgement on people, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work out for those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." This means that Christians don't have to worry! If we truly love God and want whatever He wants for us, everything will eventually come together to help us in some way, be it obvious or unexpected.
Though it may not seem like it, God always has a purpose that will ultimately benefit believers. I am not saying that if we believe in God we'll get all the possessions we want and our lives will immediately be perfect, not at all! All I'm saying is that God is on our side and He knows what's best for us in the long run and how to make it happen, even if it makes no sense to us at the time.
Things are pretty crazy right now with the coronavirus and the panic and precaution it has caused. Schools and businesses are closing temporarily. People are buying all the food, hand sanitizer, toilet paper they can get. Some may feel like the world is going crazy, or even falling apart. This is all scary, but the good news is that we don't have to be afraid!
Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever." This is why we don't have to be afraid, we can always trust the Bible, which never fails even when everything else in life does. "OK," you may say, "The Bible will always last, but what does it matter to me? How will that stop my fear?" Well, it isn't so much the book itself, but what God has written in it that should give us hope.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," Genesis 1:1. When God created this world for us, it was perfect. There was no sin, sickness, fear, or death. God didn't want the humans He created, Adam and Eve, to be like robots, so He gave them a choice between good and evil. Sadly, with one sin, they chose evil. This is how sin, sickness, fear, and death entered the
world. Now everyone in the world is a sinner.
The penalty for sin is death but the good news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ (who was fully God and fully man, and therefore sinless) to die on a cross as the sacrifice for all of our sins. Now that Jesus died to forgive us of our sin, we can go to heaven if we trust in Him. We also need to ask God to forgive us of our sins and He will.
Heaven is a perfect place with no sin where God and everyone who has left this world trusting in Him lives. It is a paradise where God is praised all day long with joy. No matter how hard things get here, those of us who believe in God and all He has done can have the hope of heaven to chase our fear away. We know this world's problems aren't permanent and one day we will be in perfect paradise praising Him.
This is why I drew the earth flying apart with the cross in the middle, standing in one piece. If you look, you will see that there are lines coming from the cross to keep the world from completely falling apart. Jesus died on the cross so one day we can go to heaven, this hope can be what keeps our world from completely flying apart.