In the Beginning, Anew

Matthew 28:6

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

I have a friend I haven't seen anymore. Her home is in Los Angeles, but she lives in her head inside a dream. Other friends tried calling her to see if she can come out. And, help her lose the down that she's found. Unfortunately, she cannot be reached. Friend, what if your world should fall apart? Will you implode, too?

Think about a time when your heart was broken because your expectations were dashed and your world fell apart. That is exactly what happened to the women who came to Jesus' tomb. They had put all their hopes in Him as Israel's promised Messiah and had given Him their love and devotion.

Now He was dead.

Can you imagine the sudden change in their emotions and outlook when an angel told them He had risen? Hope sprang to life again. Even though this event happened 2,000 years ago, the empty tomb still holds a message for us. Like these women, we can be dramatically changed when we consider the ramifications of Christ's resurrection. It should affect how we live from this day forward.

Jesus' resurrection proves that there is life after death. So many people today think that earthly existence is all there is. But this belief robs life of purpose and meaning. God created us as eternal souls, and Jesus demonstrated that death is not the end - much more awaits us.

The empty tomb also gives us hope and dispels our fears about death. We have One who has gone before us and shown us what's ahead. Those who trust Him as their Savior (Rom. 10:9-10) will be resurrected to new life just as He was.

By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you begin your life anew that very moment. In a way, it's your own Genesis 1:1; that is, God creates you through the blood of Jesus to be a new creature. Consider II Corinthians 5:17-18,

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;"

And, Romans 6:4 goes even further: "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Thus, walking - not sitting, resting or convaslescing on a mountain top - but walking in the newness of life is what we're called by Christ to do. To be sure, we are to walk all the days of our life in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and redeem the evil days (Eph. 5:16) with the Gospel of peace (Rom. 10:15).

None of us know what day the Lord will call our name, signaling the end of our earthly life. Yet we do know that He has promised to prepare a place in heaven for us (John 14:1-3). Death is not the end, but simply the stepping into eternity and beginning the greatest adventure of our lives: Coming home to Christ.

Dear Reader, one day you will die (Heb. 9:27). When that day comes, where will you be spending eternity? Are you going home to Christ?

Settle it now! I Want To Spend Eternity With Christ!

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

(portion of this posting is courtesy of Dr. Charles Stanley)

When You're Let Down, Look Up

Romans 8:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

I think about the disciples who Christ said would be offended and scattered. In Matthew 26:31-31, it reads, "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee."

True to form, the disciples did flee (v. 56) when the Temple guards showed up to arrest Jesus. Likewise, afterwards they hid in fear from the Jews (John 20:19).

So, I got to thinking about what these men must've been going through - scared, cloistered and cramped in that room thousands of years ago, peeking through the window and door when they heard sudden noises. Were there recriminations and rebukes? Or was there regret and sorrow? Do you think, Reader, that maybe some of these men felt disappointment with the way things turned out?

I couldn't tell you if it was Peter who felt disappointed. After all, he had denied Jesus 3 times, even after knowing and confessing that He was the Christ (Matt. 16:16); his tears of bitterness suggest otherwise. I couldn't reason with you about Thomas's mental state, considering that he was given to doubt. No, I couldn't even begin to speculate if Matthew, aka, Levi, was taking into account everything that led up to his Master's death, replaying every word, gesture and action in his head as if he were reckoning the matter in terms gains and losses. But, if there was one who felt disappointment, it might have been John, the one the Bible refers to as the one Christ loved (John 13:23 ; 19:26; 21:7). He who loves deepest, hurts most.

They disciples had heard Jesus predict His death and resurrection many times. Nevertheless, they were so intent on ignoring Him that no one even ventured to ask questions about why He kept bringing up the morbid topic.

Here are a few examples of the disciples’ incomprehension:

1. “Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?” (Matthew 16:9)

2. “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13)

3. “But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.” (Mark 9:32)

4. “And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.” (Luke 2:50)

5. “And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” (Luke 18:34).

6. “They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.” (John 16:18)

7. “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” (John 20:9)

I’ve experienced enough disillusionment, disappointment, depression and despair to last many life times. And, I'm sure you have as well.

What's it like to divorce? Face bankruptcy? Lose a baby to a miscarriage? Have an abortion? Put away a goal before it's accomplished, like college or vocational school? For a loved one to die, especially without a profession of faith in Jesus Christ? To relocate because of a foreclosure, job loss or because one's spouse was offered a job elsewhere? To live in a war torn country in which seeing death is a daily routine? To not have food for your children to eat? To witness a person eaten away by cancer or anorexia or drug use? To have failing health? To not be on speaking terms with your family?

These are just a few things that can be discouraging. You see, heart sickness isn’t cured by time alone; it can only be dulled by time or drugs. Countless people have felt defeated and let down by disappointing situations.

But our response can make all the difference. Frustrations can be either an opportunity for spiritual growth or a destructive blow. A right response to disappointment begins with resisting the natural tendency toward bitterness.

These disappointments bring us to an honest place in our relationship with God. If we're willing to allow ourselves to speak to Him about our disappointments and then accepting that God knows what is best for us then it deepens our walk with the Lord. Indeed, Christ set the example when He taught his disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:7-13) and when alone in Gethsemane Jesus yielded to the will of His Father, knowing that He does all things well.

Keep your focus on God and in His book. His higher purpose in your life will be revealed through His holy Word. Don't dwell too long on the hurts and harms of life; they're part of living. When they come - and be sure, they will come - surrender them to the Lord. He will work it all out for you. The Lord will give you beauty for ashes. Just trust Him.

God turned Calvary into victory. There's nothing God can't do, if you let Him.

And remember, no matter how deep your hurt goes, Jesus Christ will go even deeper to shepherd you through setbacks and sorrows while growing your faith. Read Psalm 23 in its entirety.

When John leaned into Christ's bosom, I imagine that it really must've been comforting, knowing that Jesus was the Lord, the Prince of peace. How poignant! Remember, Christ was about to step into His final hours on earth. I wonder if He was just as comforted by having John lean on His bosom?

But, one day in the sweet by and by, He shall wipe away all of our tears as promised in Rev. 21:4,

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

I'd like to think that on that Great Day, I too will be leaning into the Lord's bosom as He wipes every single tear away, once and for all. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see!

If you're missing peace, it's because you don't have Jesus in your life. Invite Him in now and see what you've been missing! I Want A Peace That Surpasses All Understanding!

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on His everlasting arms.

In the Heart of the Earth

Matthew 12:40
"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

The request for a sign from the Pharisees gives the Lord an opportunity to pronounce the judgment of that generation. They had just seen a miracle (ie, the healing of the demoniac), but demand another. Jesus wasn't a circus performer or public entertainer; Miracles weren't done to gratify human curiosity or to secure popular applause, but to confirm who He was: the Son of God.

If you think about it, "signs" had abounded up to that point. Here are a few:

1. He healed a leper (Mt. 8:2-3)
2. He healed a palsied servant of the centurion (Mt. 8:1-10)
3. He cast out demons (Mt. 8:28-34)
4. He healed every sickness & disease among the people (Mt. 9:35-38)
5. He healed a withered hand on the sabbath (Mt. 12:9-14)
6. He healed a demoniac (Mt. 12:22-23)

Thus, with their unbelieving heart, the only sign Christ gave this bunch of unbelievers was the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so should the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And the miracle was this: Just as the life of Jonah was preserved in the whale, Christ too would be in the earth, both of which are a picture of a living burial). On the other hand, while Jonah was a prisoner for his own sins, Christ was a Prisoner for ours. Even so, death could not hold Him down!

Keep in mind that when Jonah preached to the Ninevites, their conduct changed. They were condemned by God's word through the preaching of Jonah and they repented as a consequence. The evil generation in Christ's day had already rejected Him in spite of the healings and preaching by the Son of God. Therefore they were judged already because they believed not and repented not, even though Someone greater than Jonah stood before them.

Another way to consider Pharisees is by word-playing with their name: Far-I-see. In other words, the Pharisees didn't believe the signs and healings of the Lord Jesus Christ because they could only believe in what they saw with their eyes "as far as they could see". In their state of hardened hearts, they couldn't not see at all, being spiritually blind.

Friend, Christ came to give sight to the blind. Are you wandering around, struggling and stumbling day to day with no real purpose in your life? Christ died for you, my Friend. Understand something: Jesus did not stay in the earth for that much time. He was resurrected from the dead by the power of God. Oh, make no mistake, Jesus is the Messiah, Saviour and Lord.

Don't put off tomorrow what can be done today! Be saved by the King of kings! Here's how: I Want to Make Jesus My Lord and Savior Today!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Your Own Personal Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36

"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder."

The word Gethsemane is Greek in orgin; in Hebrew, gat shemanim. It's an ancient oil press; that's the meaning of the name. And a garden bears its name. You could even say that the milling stone that was used to press the oil out of the olives was the Gethsemane Stone. The garden was located on the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. It is here that Jesus prayed on the night before His death.

In the Garden, Jesus struggled, knowing His impending crucifixion meant separation from His Father. At no other time in the Gospels do we see the Son of God more brokenhearted than in these last few hours of freedom before He is seized by the Temple guards. In fact, Christ was at the point of physical exhaustion in the Garden of Gethsemane. He cried out until His sweat became like drops of blood in the agony at Gethsemane.

Try to imagine the great, immense pressure on the Christ. The weight of the world's sins would soon be consummated at Calvary. And the worst part of Calvary (ie, Golgotha) is that Jesus knew what would happen there; He'd be separated from God.

In anguish, Jesus would cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). As the full weight of humanity’s sin fell upon Christ, the Father withdrew His presence, since He does not remain in the presence of sin. Jesus had never known a moment of separation from the Father, until that very moment when Jesus took on our sin. That rejection was agony for Jesus.

Jesus was willing to be forsaken by God in order that we could be accepted by Him. Talk about the Passion! Who else could loves us to the point separation from the Father and dying a horrific death? No one but the Son of God!

But in Gethsemane, the Son did not plead for release from the pain; instead, He prayed three times that the Father’s will be done.

Have you ever prayed with a brokenness for His will to be done in your life? Giving up your desires and willful ways brings turmoil and pressure to resist because the flesh is at war with the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). But, whatever besetting sin is causing a break in your walk with Christ, take it to Him in prayer.

If we follow Jesus’ example and release ourselves to God’s will, then inner turmoil is calmed by a sense of peaceful contentment. External circumstances may be unchanged, they may even worsen, but in our inward Gethsemane, we have a peace that surpasses all understanding because a loving Father gives it to us (Phil 4:7).

Jesus promised in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Jesus left the garden a prisoner, but at the same time He walked out triumpant because He had submitted to His Father's will.

What about you, Reader? Have you experienced you own personal Gethsemane lately?

I'd like to know more about Jesus: The Plan of Salvation

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

The Mistrial of Christ

Luke 22:66-71
"And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth."

If ever there was a miscarriage of justice, it was the trial of Jesus Christ. He was arrested under the cover of darkness, whose betrayl was arranged by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, the money man. In league with the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, who wanted to capture and kill Jesus Christ for what they perceived as a threat to their religion.

Imagine the reaction of these men upon hearing the report of Lazarus' resurrection at the hands of Jesus Christ. The word had spread about Lazarus who had been dead. Wouldn’t you go to see for yourself somebody who had been in the grave dead for 4 days? Think about it. The guy is dead! Well, he was dead and then alive. I’d walk if I had to to see someone like that.

Exhibit #1: John 12:9-11
"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."

Thus, the religious leaders desired to kill Christ and the testimony of His power, Lazarus. You see, he was evidence of the true nature of Jesus. Jesus was more than a carpenter’s son from Nazareth. He was the Messiah, the Son of God. The religious leaders weren't going to stand for any of that.

It should be of interest to you, Reader, that there are men, religions and governments that are trying to kill the message of Jesus Christ. Because the threat posed to the Pharisees of yore is the same threat modern people experience when they encounter the truth of the Gospel and see its effects on the believers.

These effects include happiness, joy, peace, love (Gal. 5:22-25). These are evidences of the indwelling of Christ in a believer. Some peoples and governments want to restrict, hide, or even destroy in some cases the Christians.

The peaceful way to control people is through falsehoods, deceits, distortions and outright lies. When these dark methods are exposed by the brilliant light of the Gospel, is it any wonder that the ungodly and governments move to more violent methods.

And back to our story of Lazarus, that is exactly what we witness when Christ meets a dead religion. All hell (pardon the pun) breaks loose. But, why did this have to be so?

Exhibit #2: John 11:46-48
"But some of them went their ways [after seeing the resurrection of Lazarus] to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation."

In common parlance, it was all about the Benjamins; that is, it was about power and money and influence. Sounds like one of those Hollywood conspiracy theories, huh? In this case, the evidence and documentation is recorded for all posterity. The motive is clear.

It's scary to think what hardened hearts can do when confronted with the Truth. Jesus Christ was no mere man. No one else could do -or, can do - what He did! Yet, rather than repent, the Pharisees chose to have Him killed.

Enter Judas.

This petty thief walked and talked with the Messiah, the Living God and yet was not stirred by the words that He spoke nor moved by the miracles He wrought. Why? Because his heart was hardened as well.

And so, Christ was taken to a star chamber, as it were, to be tried, judged and condemned by the religious elite. There was no jury, no evidence or cross examination. Simply, blatant lies and false testimonies that contradicted each other. When it was all over, they took Jesus to shop around for the death sentence they wanted: crucifixion.

BUT, this was part of God's plan. Don't think for one minute that Christ was a victim. No, sir! He willingly laid down his life and took it up again (John 10:17-18).

Make no mistake, Friend, you're just as guilty as those Jewish elders and the mob who demanded that Jesus die on the cross. When Christ said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  (Luke 23:34), He meant you as well.

Your sins held Jesus on the cross, Reader. But, Jesus has forgiven you, too. Have you asked Him to forgive you? Please Forgive Me Jesus!


On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

He Carried Our Sorrows and Sin

Matthew 26:26-30
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

On a night like tonight, 12 men met to observe the Passover meal. One man would betray another, the God-man, the Lamb of God. On this night, thousands of years ago, the men observed a memorial that the LORD had commanded the children of Israel to keep. It was an event, too, that had happened thousands of years ago. In both of these events, they spoke of the same Person, Jesus the Messiah. Examine Exodus 12:5-14,

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

⁶And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

⁷And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

⁸And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

⁹Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

¹⁰And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

¹¹And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.

¹²For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

¹⁴And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

God judged Pharaoh and Egypt experienced the greatest plague it had ever seen: the death of their firstborn. Meanwhile, death passed over the household of the Israelites (i.e., the Jews) because the blood was on their doorposts. What God did for them, Christ also did for the world. That is, He died on the cross and shed His precious and holy blood (Heb. 9:22) so that all those who believed on His name (Rom. 10:9-10) would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16, 36).

But, before Christ died on the cross, He was severely beaten and tortured and bruised and battered. As Isaiah prophesied in that Old Testament book in chapter 53:4-5, 10, he spoke of the Messiah.

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

¹⁰Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

If it hadn't been for God reaching out to a lost and dying world through Jesus Christ, all of us would have been condemned to hell, and rightfully so. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

What about you, Reader? Are you saved and glory bound? Or, are you condemned to hell and the everlasting place called the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:12-15)? It doesn't have to be that way, you know. There's a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. Make your peace with God now before it's too late.

Click here and settle your sin debt with God: I Don't Want to Go to Hell. Save Me Now Jesus!

Judgment is coming, all will be there,
Who have rejected, who have refused;
O sinner, hasten, let Jesus in,
Then God will pass, will pass over you.

When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you.

Send the Light

Galatians 5:24-25
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

In 1838, when James Calvert went out as a Christian missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among [them]."

To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."    

In a nutshell, that is the story of the missionary. However, it is a daily dying and not a one time proposition. Our church recently concluded a 3 day home missions conference. And it got me to think about how our missionaries are in the outer limits of their comfort zones all in the name of taking the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to lost peoples.

In October the church hosts a missions conference. In both conferences, there are missionaries who give their testimony on how the Lord is working in their lives and through their lives. What incredible stories of faith, courage, and love for the Gospel!

About courage, G.K. Chesterton said, "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die."

It's obvious that Christian missionaries need our prayers. But, what to pray for? Here are some suggestions compliments of the pamphlet, "Praying for Missionaries" (Wonderful Word Publishers), which our church distributes:

1. Pray for their basic needs and missionary needs to be met. When you have an opportunity, talk to missionaries and find out about the country they're serving. Ask about the religion, language, culture and customs. Thus, your prayers will be more specific than just the generic prayer of "Lord, please meet their needs."

Consider these quotes -

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never even heard about the First."
— Oswald J. Smith

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light"
— John Keith Falconer

2. Pray for Christian character during trials, troubles and temptations as well as during times of repose, peace and boredom. Pray for strength during physical trials and spiritual ones, too. Usually one type of trial leads to the other kind. After all, they are ambassadors of Christ.

Regarding strength, Hudson Taylor questioned, "How often do we attempt work for God to the limit of our incompetency rather than to the limit of God's omnipotency?"

Thus, prayer for strength and wisdom is very critical for the missionaries. I think about Zechariah 4:6, which states, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

3. Pray for victory over stagnation. The missionary may have little or no time for personal reading and studying.

4. Pray for freshness in prayer and Bible teaching.

5. Pray for  the recently converted soul, that he or she doesn't backslide.

6. Pray for deliverance from the temptation of pride. Because missionaries are looked up to, it may be easy for some to fall into conceit. So pray for humility.

7. Pray for wisdom in relations with other missionaries - victory over irritations, resentments, criticisms.

8. Pray for a saving sense of humor and to guard against becoming morbid or unbalanced, especially those in the midst of filth and terrible sin.

9. Pray for the nationals, many of whom the missionaries are training into assuming leadership roles. They need wisdom and grace.

10. Pray for strength to overcome the temptations of loneliness.

And while you're at it, please be mindful and prayerful about missionaries needing encouragement from us. So, when they visit your church, please let them know how much you appreciate them. If you can't financially support them, at least keep them in your daily prayers.

With respect to missions, there are only three kinds of Christians: burdened goers, burdened senders, and the disobedient. Which one are you?

Final quote:

"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more is it inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death?"

— Dave Davidson

Let us not grow weary in the work of love,
“Send the light! Send the light!”
Let us gather jewels for a crown above,
Send the light! Send the light!

Send the light, the blessed Gospel light;
Let it shine from shore to shore!
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light;
Let it shine forevermore!

To find out why missionaries are burdened about telling others of Jesus Christ, Click Here!

Seasons of the Tree

Psalm 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, twisted and empty of any value.

The second son said, No. It was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, saying it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son took issue with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

The moral of the story is that if you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

In Psalm 30:5b, God promises, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Furthermore in Isaiah 61:3, there is more encouragement: "...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

Even though the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, there's a Biblical principle that applies to Christians as well. To wit, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, in John 16:20 declares:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

What more comfort do you need than from Christ's own promise? I want to encourage someone out there today to not give up, to not despair and worry. Press forward toward the prize. The travail you're passing through will be nothing compared to the glory that awaits you in heaven if you faint not.

You might be thinking: But, what about right now? I need something now! All I can share with you is God's word. Paul pleaded, prayed and begged God to remove his thorn in the flesh. Let's read what happened next in II Corinthians 12:8-9,

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

And for the rest of you who like to point fingers and tsk-tsk at others' predictaments, beware! As Christ warns in Matthew 7:1-5 -

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

So,  let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not! (Gal. 6:9)

To find out more about Jesus Christ, click here: Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory!