Set Your Mind On Things Above

Sometimes we get tired.

 

Tired of the struggles. 

 

Tired of the bad news.

 

Whether it is everything covid related or bad news from the doctor. Whether it’s friends getting diagnosed with cancer or people we know losing their loved ones. Then we wonder why does this all have to happen?

 

Life seems so short. Is there meaning in all of this? It feels like some of these situations are just so purposeless, so hopeless.

 

The truth is that we get so caught up in the muddle here that it’s like we’re looking through a murky glass. We catch glimpses of what God is doing but from our vantage point it doesn’t make any sense. There’s confusion, sickness, death, broken relationships, impossible questions.

 

And just as we are struggling and muddling. He calls us to look up.

 

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Col 3:1-2

 

It’s like God is saying; come on son, come on daughter, look unto me and live for I am God and there is no other. Remember this life here isn’t the end. It’s temporary. Hang in there. Stay strong, be steadfast, look up and you will see that all is calm in the throne room of heaven.

 

God is on the throne. He is in control.

 

Nothing is surprising to Him.

 

He knows everything.

 

He has a plan.

 

Not only is He in complete control of heaven and earth and everything that happens He is with each of us personally as we battle the storms of life.

 

He knows the hairs of our head. Our days are already numbered.

 

He who calms the winds and the waves calls to us and says. Why are you afraid? O you of little faith. I am with you always, even until the end of the world.  

 

For when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2

Nothing can separate us from His love.

 

Not tribulation. Not distress. Not persecution. Not famine. Not sword. Not death. Nothing.

 

Romans 8:35 says:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It’s like Paul is saying I am sure of it! Nothing. Ever. will be able to separate us from His love.

 

He won’t ever leave us or forsake us.

 

He will help us. He will be with us in our living and in our dying.

So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

He calls us to be strong, to be brave, to be courageous, because He is on our side. 

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

 

We can be strong and courageous by remembering that God is always with us. By setting our minds on things above not on things of the earth. By remembering who is in control and that He will work out everything for the good of those who love Him.

 

All is calm, all is bright, in the throne room of heaven.

Let’s take some time to look up today. 

God’s Thoughts Are Not Our Thoughts

I had to learn a hard lesson this week. 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 

I learned that when I felt conflicted or unsure after praying, it wasn’t because God wasn’t directing me, it was because I was stuck in my own understanding. 

This is also in regards to those whose lives He is working in. I get these thoughts sometime like, Oh, I think I should try to reach that person with the gospel, they seem so close to believing,  and then when I do I get nowhere. But then out of the blue someone else will contact me, who I would never expect, and God is so clearly working in their life it just floors me. That’s who He wants me to talk to. 

Or God clearly directs me to reach out to someone, and I just shake my head. They seem so far from grace what could I ever say that would make any difference. But then when I do get in touch with them, or more often than not I somehow run into them, I find out that God is already doing incredible things in their lives that I had no idea about at all. 

Or I hear about some horrible situation and I think, there is just no hope for that. But then God takes that horrible situation and makes beauty from ashes and once again I am amazed. 

We serve a great God, whose thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours. So we need to stop leaning on our own understanding and ask Him for His! 

This is what's going on my letter board this week: "My thoughts are not your thoughts!" 

I read this quote from Lysa TerKeurst yesterday: “God’s ways are sometimes the opposite of what we want and expect. This can be difficult on the human heart. Especially when we’re carrying around all of our expectations and ideas of how and when God should answer our prayers. It can also make us prone to missing God’s answers when we get attached to the outcomes of our own thinking.” 

Maybe there are hard things you are struggling with right now. Pray about them, God promises to give wisdom to those who ask. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 

Just open your heart to His answers. Don’t allow your thoughts to block out His.

Stop Asking God For A New Heart Instead Of Believing In Jesus For Salvation

It is a very devious thing; this asking for a new heart but refusing to believe in Jesus. 

Satan loves it when we do this. 

Why? Because it distracts and deceives us. 

It makes us secretly think that if we’re not saved it’s God’s fault. He didn’t give us a new heart right? 

But, you may argue, it says it in the Bible! And you are absolutely right. It does. 

In Psalm 51:10 David writes: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. But David was already saved when he writes this and here he is asking God for forgiveness of sins after committing adultery and murder, not for salvation. 

It also talks in the prophets about God taking our hearts of stone and giving us hearts of flesh.  God promises to do that for His people Israel and He also does that for all who believe in His Son, but I never read that we should ask God for a new heart in response to the most important question of “What must I do to be saved?” 

What does God’s Word teach us? In Acts 16:30 the Philippian jailer asks: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. In Acts 8:36-37 the Ethiopian Enuch asks: See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And Jesus Himself says in John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. and in Mark 1:15 and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 

Think about this. What if the Israelites in the wilderness refused to obey the command to look at the serpent and live and instead just kept praying and asking God to heal them, would they have died if they had refused to obey? 

Absolutely. 

How foolish. 

But people still do that today. 

We ask God for a new heart but we refuse to repent and obey Him by believing on His Son. 

It’s like we want something more, something bigger. We want a miracle. A sure sign from heaven, something extraordinary to prove to us that God saved us. 

God made a way for us to be saved by believing on His Son Jesus Christ, but we don’t like it. Instead we ask God to save us by giving us a new heart. When there is no response from God we just assume we are not one of the chosen.

But what happens when we refuse to obey. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 warns us that: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;  

When one of my sons was four years old, he asked me the question: “But Mom, what must I do to be saved?” and I remember it was on the tip of my tongue to say. “You need to pray for a new heart.” But the Holy Spirit stopped me and instead He reminded me what God’s Word said. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” So that’s how I responded. 

I remember very clearly how my son looked at me and said: “But Mom, I believe that! But shouldn’t we be telling the others about that too?” 

Now you may be skeptical about a four year old’s faith and honestly I was too, but God’s Word says that He came unto his own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: John 1:11-12. And Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

And as I see the Holy Spirit working in His heart, and yes renewing his heart! And see the fruit of the Spirit in His life I can honestly say: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:4 

Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus 
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 
Just to take Him at His Word 
Just to rest upon His promise, 
Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!" 

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! 
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er 
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 
Oh, for grace to trust Him more! 

I'm so glad I learned to trust Him, 
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend 
And I know that He is with me, 
Will be with me to the end. 

Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus, 
Just to trust His cleansing blood 
And in simple faith to plunge me 
'Neath the healing, cleansing flood! 

Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, 
Just from sin and self to cease 
Just from Jesus simply taking 
Life and rest, and joy and peace. 
William James Kirkpatrick

Turn to God

On my recent trip to Haiti, a former Witch Doctor came and shared his testimony with us. He shared how he, as a young adult, purposefully chose to follow and serve Satan and eventually had the ability to call on 37 evil spirits. He had significant power but also was in extreme bondage to them. There is a lot more to his story, which I hope to share at a different time, but one thing that struck me recently about his story was that Satan did not say “no” to him. I wasn’t surprised that Satan didn’t say no to him because I believe Satan will happily receive anyone who wants to come to him. But what struck me was the thought that if we believe that Satan would never say no to anyone, why do some people think that God would say no to us if we come to Him? 

 The God who loved us so much He gave his one and only Son to save us! 
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. 

He loves us, He calls us, He draws us, He speaks to us through His word and by His Spirit, and yet somehow people think that God would reject us when we come to Him. 

God would, but Satan never would; Satan loves this way of thinking. 

But God’s Word is more powerful than Satan’s lies. 
What does the Bible say? 

Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 

 Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

Revelations 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 

John 1:11-12 He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: 

Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

All to the Glory of God

I was preparing for Sunday School Class recently and stumbled across these words in John 21:19a: 
This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. 

Jesus was talking to Peter after His resurrection and was foretelling how he would die. If we back up to verse 18 it reads: Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” 

Early church tradition says that Peter was crucified with arms stretched out, and that he requested to be crucified upside down. The words that I couldn’t stop thinking about however where: by what death he would glorify God. 

We view death as something to be feared, and mourned but Jesus says that we can glorify God in our death. 

Jesus also says not to fear those who kill the body and after that there is nothing they can do.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Matthew 10:28 

The Apostle Paul writes that although we grieve when we are temporarily parted with our loved ones who die in the Lord, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. 
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 1 Thes 4:13-14 

Our death is precious in the sight of God. 
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15 

To be with God in heaven is far better. 
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Phil 1:21-23 

Will you seek to glorify God in both your life and death? 

The Westminster Catechism 

Q. What is the chief end of man? 

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

Our Haiti Trip in Pictures

Goodbye America..

Overnighting in the JFK, International Airport, NYC. The kids handled it like pros!

Getting in a cat nap on one of our layovers.

Hello Haiti! 

All the familiar sights and sounds and smells..

Port au Prince from a rooftop.

Sunset.

City lights.

Visiting our old church in Port au Prince. We kind of forgot that if the service starts at 9:45 it doesn't actually start till much later with people wandering in all through the service. By the time the service was finished the place was full. 

Getting reacquainted with old friends. (Some are scarier looking than others.) 

A special family we served with in Haiti. 

The next day we visited and spent time with Anoud and Denise and their children. It was very special as our kids grew up together and were very excited about getting reacquainted.

Of course our two oldest boys have the most memories and still consider each other best friends.

It was a very special time and new memories were made. 

That afternoon we made the 3.5 hour drive to a village in the central plateau where good friends of ours (and our HFL partners) are located. 

Haiti is rarely without some excitement and this time we suddenly came upon a crowd of people burning tires.

Apparently a police officer had gotten into an argument with a taxi driver. The argument escalated to the point where the police officer fired his gun at the taxi driver. The taxi driver ducked and one innocent bystander was killed and another seriously injured. 

We were through it so quickly that we hardly had to time to comprehend the situation and only found out the reason later on. God did bring this verse to mind: When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Isaiah 43:2 What a comfort to know that "without the will of my heavenly father not a hair can fall from my head." (Heidelberg Catachism Q &A 1)

Nevertheless we were happy to see the welcoming gates of UCI and know that we had safely arrived. 

It was exciting to see and hear how much they had grown and how God was guiding and blessing the work there.

That evening we were able to attend their belated Christmas program which was very special to see.

The boys quickly made friends and had a grand time.

Of course their favourite method of transportation was this..

Jason's parents had spent the last several years raising/earning money for various projects so that kept us adults busy in our time in the village.

My mother in law who had previously set up a sewing program now took the time to check up on the work of the sewers and encourage them in their work. We all were quite impressed with the young man pictured above who not only spoke English and translated all the sewing terms for my mother in law but had taken a Serger machine and transformed it into a treadle machine so it could be used without needing a power source. 

We were also able to contribute and participate in various food programs for struggling families. It really reminded me again that it was more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Jayden also had the opportunity to sit in a Haitian classroom. 

I think we take a lot for granted don't we?

One day in the village as the sun was sitting we visited some natural caves in the mountainside.

I actually occasionally struggle with claustrophobia but Jayden and several of his Haitian friends wanted to go deep into the cave and then climb up through a narrow chimney that would then allow you to emerge up higher on the mountain. Since I didn't want Jayden to go without an adult along and no one else volunteered I decided to go with them. It was very dark and narrow and the only light we had was from Jason's phone. Very quickly bats started swirling all around our heads and I had to fight down the panic. I turned to Jayden who was up ahead and was as calm as could be. "Don't worry Mom," he said. "Bats have echolocation so they won't fly into you." Instantly I felt much better and it struck me that knowledge was power. I could now carry on without fear because of something I knew. Wasn't that such a reminder of how we should "know the truth and the truth shall make you free"(John 8:32)

Once safely through the narrow opening, which was much harder to navigate then I had expected, we rested and examined the surface of the mountain.

It was quite interesting to discover all kinds of fossilized coral and shells and even beautiful crystals.

We then enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Haiti is full of natural beauty if you know where to look for it and one afternoon we had the opportunity to take a small Haitian water taxi to a beautiful island.

It was absolutely beautiful!

The boys of course enjoyed the warm sunshine and tropical ocean..

There was much more to see and do..

We also started the preliminary work of getting a widow care program started in Haiti.

All in all it was a very special trip..

Jason hopes to return again in a few weeks and my next trip is planned for this summer God willing..

Some of the verses that I meditated on during my time there were these:

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

                                                        Psalm 34:1-8

Worry about Everything

I know my last blog post was titled “Worry about nothing,” and I am not recanting that at all, for those who are in Christ, but since then I’ve been thinking about how dangerous life really is for anyone outside of Christ. If we are not yet in Christ we are like a ticking time bomb. Any moment could be our last. Every second brings us closer to death and eternal damnation. 

Do you know what happens to you when you die without having Jesus as your Saviour? 

Eternal damnation. 

Now that might sound harsh to you, but it’s 100% true. 

I don’t know if our English language even has sufficient words to describe the horror of it, but in the Bible it is described as a lake burning with fire and brimstone (Rev 21:8), the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50), a horrible place where the worm never dies and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48). A place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46), torment, and everlasting destruction (2 Thes 1:9). 

A place where we all deserve to go because of sin. 

But thanks be to God there is hope. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15) 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:31 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7 

While it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. Hebrews 3:15 2 

(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 2 Corinthians 6:2 

Don’t wait!

You are but one small step from everlasting destruction and eternal damnation! 

Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22 

 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: Ezekial 33:11a