Beloved Brothers and Sisters:
The recent “winter storm” brought a thought to my mind. Where I grew up, in northern Minnesota, what we experienced here would not even be considered a storm. The kind of temperatures and amount of snow that paralyzed a large section of our nation, in other parts of the country would hardly even be noticed. As much as it seems humorous to poke a little fun at how such a minor occurrence causes such drastic problems, in reality, this is an issue of expectation and preparation.
This kind of weather causes so much trouble around here, and even worse further south, because the expectation is that this weather will not happen, at least not often enough to worry about. When there is no expectation that we will have to deal with a set of circumstances, there is very little, if any, preparation for such events. In areas of the country where winter weather is a common occurrence, there is infrastructure and training in place to make normal life possible even in difficult circumstances. Where there is an expectation of extreme winter weather, there is preparation made to accommodate it.
There is a very practical spiritual application to this phenomenon. Those things we expect to face in our spiritual lives, we are diligent to ensure that we are prepared for. If I believe that my spiritual journey will be easy, continually improving, and always uplifting, I will not be prepared for those time when things are hard, when I stumble, and when my very core is consumed with despair. If I believe that church life will always be enjoyable, natural, and loving I will not be prepared for when the life of the body is trying, difficult, and hurtful.
When do things that we face in our lives devastate us? When we did not anticipate them, and were in no way prepared for them. What does the Bible tell us to expect in this life? Can we expect that life will be easy? Are we to expect that our walk with Christ will be easy? Does Scripture promise that unity in the body will never require work?
Scripture promises that we will face many trials in this life. Scripture promises that we will have to war against the flesh and fight for godliness. Jesus told us that following Him will cost us dearly; we ought to be prepared to give up our very lives for His name’s sake.
Will life always be characterized by these? Yes, and no. We will face difficulties throughout our lives, but we will likely have seasons of relative rest and peace as well. What we cannot do is set our expectation on peace and rest; we will face many trials, and if we do not expect them, and therefore prepare for them, they will leave us paralyzed and destroyed.
There is hope in the midst of every trial. We can and should have peace and joy in the midst of every trial. That will only happen if we live with the expectation of trial, place our hope and trust completely in Christ, and remember His promises no matter what we face. Trust in Christ; find your joy in Him; be diligent to prepare for the trials He promised we will face.
In Case You Missed It
We are continuing our study of the book of Hebrews. Sunday we looked at how Jesus is greater than the angels. The eternal Son of God, who in taking on human flesh was made lower than the angels, became greater than the angels. He is uniquely the Son of God, worthy of worship (even from the angels), and He sits on the sovereign throne over all creation. You can listen to the sermon (here).
Scripture Reading and Prayer
In order to promote unity of heart and mind among us, we are encouraging as many as are willing to join with us in reading through the entire Bible this year together, as well as devoting specific Scriptures to prayer each day. It is our prayer that as we meditate and pray over the same Scriptures each day, that God will work in our midst to bind us to one another, and to give us a common vision for the ministry here in Maynardville. Prayerfully consider joining with us in this endeavor, and we will see how God will work in our midst.
Our Scriptures to pray over this week are:
- Thur (1/30): Rev 4:8, 11; 5:9-10, 12; 7:12; 11:17-18
- Fri (1/31): Jud 20-21; 24-25
- Sat (2/1): Rom 12:1-3
- Sun (2/2): Luk 11:1-13
- Mon (2/3): Ps 19:12-13
- Tue (2/4): Eph 1:17-23
- Wed (2/5): Ps 139:23-24
- Thur (2/6): Eph 3:14-21
Our Scriptures reading schedule for the week is:
- Thur (1/30): Ex 10:1-12:13; Matt 20:1-28; Ps 25:1-15; Pr 6:6-11
- Fri (1/31): Ex 12:14-13:16; Matt 20:29-21:22; Ps 25:16-22; Pr 6:12-15
- Sat (2/1): Ex 13:17-15:16; Matt 21:23-46; Ps 26:1-12; Pr 6:16-19
- Sun (2/2): Ex 15:19-17:7; Matt 22:1-33; Ps 27:1-6; Pr 7:1-5
- Mon (2/3): Ex 17:8-19:15; Matt 22:34-23:12; Ps 27:7-14; Pr 6:27-35
- Tue (2/4): Ex 19:16-21:21; Matt 23:13-39; Ps 26:1-9; Pr 7:1-5
- Wed (2/5): Ex 21:22-23:13; Matt 24:1-28; Ps 29:1-11; Pr 7:6-23
- Thur (2/6): Ex 23:14-25:40; Matt 24:28-51; Ps 30:1-12; Pr 7:24-27
With Love and Affection in Christ,
Caleb
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