How to see the good

There’s a lot of negative vying for our attention.  Election ads have been in our face for months.  Constant worries about the rapid swings in the stock market, the jobless claims reports, and individual company earnings.  Closer to home, we’ve all seen small businesses in our communities decide to close permanently – perhaps you’re one of them that had to make that painful choice.  And then there’s a pandemic to deal with.  2020 just seems to bring one hit after another.  No one has been left unaffected.  Families are struggling, churches are struggling, communities are struggling…leaders, governments, and nations – struggle, struggle, and struggle.

I’d say it feels a little overwhelming at times, but that wouldn’t be an honest statement.  Truthfully, it feels INCREDIBLY overwhelming A LOT of the time.  There’s so much negative and so much muck to wade through…where’s God while we’re in the midst of all this?

My church recently reopened for in-person services (with COVID protocols in place), and I was able to teach in the large group meeting for the elementary-age kids.  I’ve been doing it for years, and it was so good to be back with them again.  And it was in their lesson that I found the answer to our problem question of Where’s God in all this mess?

The verse their lesson focused on was one that most of us Christians would be familiar with.  Prepare yourself to not be shocked by which verse I’m about to quote.  It’s not taken from some obscure Old Testament passage.  There’s no deep-dive into the Greek words needed to figure out what Paul was saying.  God made this one easy for us…so easy, a child can apply it:

Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.

Yep, that’s it.  Class dismissed.

Well, not quite.

I couldn’t just leave them with a simple thought of you know, you should just think about the good stuff even when bad stuff is happening…so after I talked about this verse, I gave them a very simple way to apply it:

I pointed out how every month, our elementary kids program focuses on a memory verse.  I explained to them that if they want to apply what Paul is saying in Philippians 4:8, then they need to learn their memory verse.  I told them how when I was their age, because of my mom, I memorized verses too.  And many of the verses I learned when I was their size are still burned into my brain.

If I need a verse that reminds me of how much God loves me, I have that (John 3:16-17).  If I need to be reminded that God’s path is best, then I know that, too (Proverbs 3:5-6).  When the Holy Spirit needs to kick me in the rear and remind me that I’m supposed to intentionally love others, He brings to mind 1 John 4:7-8.

However, memorizing Scripture isn’t just a kid’s activity.  I’ve continued it well into my adult life.  I’ve added verses like Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 22:29, and 2 Corinthians 5:10.  I’ve also learned to quote several verses together so I can grab hold of a complete God-thought on a subject – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and I’m currently working a chunk of verses found in Philippians 1:20-30.  Right now, I’ve made through verse 27 and will add 28 soon.  I’ve also memorized Titus.  Not just a verse or passage, but all of it. 

Before you put me on a pedestal of any level, hear me out.  Titus isn’t very long, just 46 verses.  At the time I was working on it, I was driving over an hour, one-way, to work each day.  My radio was lousy.  Satellite radio and streaming music wasn’t a thing back then.  So spending time during each drive memorizing Scripture broke up the monotony of driving the same roads for 3+ years.  It took many months to get the entire book down, but it was time well spent.  Over the years, God has honored that investment in more ways that I can recount in this post.

Again, I do not admit these things to build myself up or to look good in your eyes.  Instead, I want you to realize that Scripture memorization is both possible and beneficial…just like I was conveying to the elementary-age kids (for the record, I didn’t tell them about Titus, just the first 3 verses I listed above).

Having Scripture at the front of our brain and the tip of our tongue will help us keep perspective in a world that constantly feels like everything is upside-down and spinning sideways.  Having Scripture handy helps us dwell on the good things that God has all around us.  And lastly, having Scripture memorized fulfills what Paul wrote to another group of believers:

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Memorizing Scripture will renew your mind and transform your thinking…only then, with clear thoughts, can we discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Yeah, it’s easier to memorize when you’re younger, but that’s no excuse not to start now.  Better yet, help a child memorize a verse and you’ll end up learning it, too.  Maybe you’ll be the one that inspires them to have God’s Word burned into their brain for the rest of their life.

Keep Pressing,
Ken  

When hardship looms

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus had spent the previous day with his disciples.  Together, they celebrated Israel’s most important feast, Passover.  Together, they recalled how God had mightily rescued Israel from her Egyptian enemies.  During the meal, Jesus gave them instructions of how they were to perform communion going forward.

Throughout the entire evening, Jesus knew what the night would bring.  The Scriptures containing the prophecies about the Messiah’s death were going to be fulfilled.  Jesus knew that his death would be on a cross, one of the most horrific and painful methods of execution ever invented by man.  He dreaded what was about to happen, what He would have to endure.

The last thing Jesus did before He was betrayed was pray.

Mark 14:32-35 Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified.  Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow – to the point of death.  Remain here and stay awake.”  Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray…

The gospels of Matthew and Luke also describe Jesus’ praying in the Garden, and both explicitly state that He prayed separately from his disciples.

On the eve of the most difficult and painful day of His life, Christ desired comfort and strength from God the Father…and no one else.  Jesus knew that what He needed to fulfill His mission would not be found among the people closest to Him. 

Is that our typical course of action?

Usually, our first reaction to an impending hard situation is to call the prayer chain, ask our small group to pray for us, or get together with others for a prayer meeting.  All of these things are the body of Christ supporting one another…and that’s a good thing.  However, Christ’s example in the garden of Gethsemane raises questions about our motivations for calling on other believers to “pray for me”.  I wonder if we take the comfort we receive from knowing that others are performing the act of prayer as a substitute for the comfort that we should be seeking from God.

True comfort and strength are not found in praying, rather they are found in the One we are praying to. 

Even if 1,000 people are praying that I find strength and courage in God, and I do not choose to seek God for strength and courage, then I cannot expect God to make me stronger simply because others have asked him.  We must pursue God in prayer on an individual basis, others cannot fulfill that relationship for us.

Jesus knew this…and it was because he spent time alone in the garden seeking the Father that He was ready for the cross.

Keep Pressing,
Ken