August 9, 2016

There once was a man who was ship-wrecked and stranded on a remote island. Every day he prayed asking God to send someone to rescue him, but to his disappointment, no one ever came.

Month after lonely month dragged past and out of necessity the man learned how to survive on the island. During this time, he accumulated things from the island and stored them in a hut that he constructed. One day after hunting for food and returning back to his hut, to his horror he saw that his hut was afire along with everything else he owned.

He collapsed to his knees and watched helplessly as all he owned went up in smoke! the only thing he had left were the clothes on his back. After the initial shock wore off he became consumed with anger and rage.

In his fury he looked to the sky, shook his fist toward and began yelling, "God, how could you let this happen to me? I've been praying diligently every day for months begging you to send someone to rescue me. Now all I get is this fire that destroyed everything I have except the clothes I am wearing. Why did you let this happen to me? How could you?

The man so exhausted himself in his grief that he fell asleep on the beach. When he awoke he sat up to catch sight of a ship sailing in his direction. The ship landed on the shore and the man was finally rescued. When he met up with the ship's captain he asked him, "How were you able to find me?"

We were sailing near your island when we saw your smoke signal and knew someone was in distress so we came in to check it out. That's how we found you!

How do you think this man felt after he had doubted God?

Have you ever doubted God?

Have you ever accused Him falsely?

I Corinthians 13:7 says, "It (love) always trusts, always hopes...."

The word used for "trust" means "to give the benefit of the doubt" or "to judge charitably". This poor man in the midst of his trouble and distress forgot to give God the benefit of the doubt. Fortunately God extended the benefit of the doubt to him and sent the rescuers.

Perhaps you can relate with poor fellow's plight. Maybe you feel God has left you stranded in a lonely situation and He seems tone deaf toward you prayers. Perhaps, like him, you have lost hope of being rescued from your dire situation.

What can you do?

I suggest you do as he did. I recommend you decide to give God the benefit of the doubt in your pain or suffering. When you begin doing that you will be amazed at what will happen to you. What will happen is hope will start rising within you!

Where would you be if God ever failed to give you the benefit of the doubt?

Doesn't God deserve the benefit of the doubt from you?

August 8, 2015

"It (love) always trusts, always hopes....." I Corinthians 13:7

I wouldn't be a Christian for nearly 60 years if I hadn't learned to always give God the benefit of the doubt and to remain hopeful in the face of discouragement. I am thankful I learned early in life that when I wave the will God makes the way!

When I always want to trust and always want to hope, God enables me through His Spirit to do those things.

One of my inspirations in this effort is Noah! Here's his story as recorded in Hebrews 11 - the Hall of Faith:

"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." Hebrews 11:7

Here's the short on the story of Noah, he repeatedly (120 years?) gave God the benefit of the doubt and continually hoped for the salvation of his family.

For the rest of the story, Noah had several reasons to doubt! Let us count the ways:

Noah had never seen rain 

He had no concept of a flood

Noah had never built a boat 

Possibly he had never seen a boat

BUT, Noah gave God the benefit of the doubt at every point every day!

Imagine every day for over a century Noah arose and went to work building something he had never built to prepare for something he knew nothing about! He had to cut the trees, drag the logs back to his place, mill the lumber from the wood, make the nails, make the pitch for sealing the cracks, build the tools, and endure the ridicule of his neighbors the whole time he labored on the ark!

No wonder Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!

No doubt, Noah found hope in the promise God had given him for the saving of his family!

The more you give God the benefit of the doubt the fewer doubts you will have and the more hope you will experience.

I think you can confidently say that Noah always trusted and always hoped. Therefore it is safe to say Noah loved God!

Will you love God today?

If you want to love Him and experience His love then give Him the benefit of the doubt at the very point where you are tempted to doubt!

As you do that you will find yourself being filled by God's hope and love!

August 7, 2015

"It (love) always trusts, always hopes" I Corinthians 13:7

There are three important reasons we are studying I Corinthians 13:4-8 this Summer.

First, these four verses describe and demonstrate the love, the unconditional "agape" love, God has you. How does God love you? Read the verses!

Second, it is important to understand how God wants you to love others.

The Great Commandment says to "love God completely and love others passionately". I Corinthians 13:4-8 shows you what that sort of love looks like.

Third, this portion of Scripture gives you a way of knowing if God's love is active in your life!

Experiencing this great Godly love begins with your decision to trust God for your salvation. Trusting God means you give God the benefit of the doubt. When you are tempted to doubt God's Word or His will or His work in your life, instead you give Him the benefit of the doubt.

That's one aspect of what it means to "always trust" - to always give God the benefit of the doubt.

Something amazing happens as you commit to "always trusting", hope begins to grow within you. There is hope when you believe God is trustworthy but not much hope when you don't believe He is.

This reminds me of Hebrews 11, the "Faith Chapter":

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

If you want a blessing, study this 11th Chapter of Hebrews to see how these heroes of faith "always trusted" by always giving God the benefit of the doubt. When God asked them to do some BIG and DANGEROUS things, they trusted Him rather than doubting Him.

Notice how as these heroes made decisions to trust the Person of God, He gave them hope by promising them some wonderful blessings.You could say that "always trusting" means refusing to doubt the Person of God and "always hoping" means trusting the promises of God!

Enjoy your meditation!

August 6, 2015

"It (always) trusts, always hopes....." I Corinthians 13:7

The great Mark Twain once said, "If a cat sits on a hot stove it won't sit on a hot stove again. But it won't sit on a cold one either!"

All good humor has an element of truth and Twain's statement is absolutely true!

After a brief chuckle, ask yourself, "What is his point in this humorous remark?"

His point is this, if you get burned in life it is much harder to trust after that. If you have been on planet Earth more than a year or two you have been burnt in a relationship or a business deal or in a church.

Once you have had your trust betrayed, how much harder is it to trust again?

Been there and done that? 

Have a few trust issues?

When you lose trust you also lose hope, don't you?

How can you trust again?

How do you have your hope restored?

The good news it there is a love that makes it possible to trust again.

There is a love you can hope in!

Trust me on this!

No, actually, trust Him on this!

You want to trust again, I know you do! Life is too lonely when you can't trust.

The word used for trust in the original has the idea of "trying to trust" or "being willing to trust". If you are willing to trust God He will help you! He will prove Himself to you!

All you have to do is be willing to approach the stove again and He will touch it for you to show you that it is safe! He will let you know which stoves are hot and which ones are safe!

Here's what you need to understand about this portion of Scripture. It not only demonstrates how you are to love but it describes how you are loved! God believes in you even when you struggle to believe in Him! 

So, if you have trust issues trust Him with them!

August 5, 2015

"(love) always trusts, always hopes,,,,,," I Corinthians 13:7

Many wedding ceremonies contain a phrase to this effect, "And to you I pledge you my faith..."

In other words, the bride and groom promise to one another, "You can trust in me! You can put your hope in me!"

There is an undeniable connection between love and trust. 

Can you love someone you don't trust?

Can you pin your hopes in someone you don't trust?

Can you trust someone whom you can't pin your hopes on?

If you answered, "No!", give yourself a Popsicle!"

You cannot love someone you do not trust or don't respect.

So, "love ALWAYS trusts".

Some translations render this "love always believes".

The root word for trust means having a willingness to believe or an eagerness to give the benefit of the doubt.

Trust is something that must be given but it is also something that must be received. The word used here has elements of both! It is willing to give trust because it has received the trust of God. It is certainly easier to trust others when you have learned to trust God! It's nearly impossible to love if you are cynical or suspicious of others.

Here's something you can trust. Whether you give God the benefit of the doubt or not, He has given you the benefit of the doubt! 

"God demonstrated His love for you in this way, while you were yet sinners Christ died for you." Romans 8:28

When you think of God's love and how He loves you think of this, He believes in you! He always gives you the benefit of the doubt!

Will you choose to believe in Him? 

Will you always give Him the benefit of the doubt?

Will you give Him the trust He has earned?

Will you trust Him in your struggles today?

August 4, 2015

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you and watch over you.  Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" Psalm 32:7-11

Guilt originated in Eden with Adam and Eve. That is because sin began with them and guilt is the result of sin.

One of the truly heart-wrenching scenes in the Bible is that tragic moment when God comes to the garden looking forward to His fellowship with the man and his wife. But they are not there in the usual place. God calls out, "Adam! Adam! Where are you?"

Where was Adam?

Adam was hiding from the God Who created Him in the garden He had created for him. Was this a game of hide and seek?

No. It was far from a game. It was more about shame. Adam knew he had disobeyed God and he was feeling the guilt. He felt the guilt because He was guilty.

So, here we are all these centuries later and the guilt from our sins still causes us to hide from God. Sin and guilt have no place in the presence of God.

This is the primary reason that sin is so bad. Sin causes you to hide FROM God when you were created to hide IN Him.

That is precisely why forgiveness is so good! Forgiveness removes the sin AND the guilt allowing you to hide IN God!

You can choose to remain in your guilt or you can revel in His grace and forgiveness!

Think of all the blessings you will enjoy as you reside in God's grace:

1) "you will protect me from trouble"

2) "surround me with songs of deliverance"

3) "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go"

4) "I will counsel you and watch over you"

5) "the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him"

Wow!

It sure makes a different to hide in God's grace!

What about you? 

Are you hiding in God or are you hiding from Him?

August 3, 2015

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:5

Forgiveness is like the eraser on the pencil.

Forgiveness is like a mulligan on the first tee.

Forgiveness is the cop letting you off with just a warning.

Forgiveness is a do-over when you have made a major blunder.

Forgiveness lifts the elephant off your chest.

In his great book, "What's So Amazing About Grace", Phillip Yancey tells the story of a prodigal daughter who grows up in Traverse City, Michigan. Disgusted with her old fashioned parents who overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to, the length of her skirts, she runs away. She ends up in Detroit where she meets a man who drives the biggest car she’s ever seen. The man with the big car – she calls him “Boss” – recognizes that since she’s underage, men would pay premium for her. So she goes to work for him. Things are good for a while. Life is good. But she gets sick for a few days, and it amazes her how quickly the boss turns mean. Before she knows it, she’s out on the street without a penny to her name. She still turns a couple of tricks a night, and all the money goes to support her drug habit.

One night while sleeping on the metal grates of the city, she began to feel less like a woman of the world and more like a little girl. She begins to whimper. “God, why did I leave. My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She knows that more than anything in the world, she wants to go home. Three straight calls home get three straight connections with the answering machine. Finally she leaves a message. “Mom, dad, its me. I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way, and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, I‘ll understand.” During the seven hour bus ride, she’s preparing a speech for her father. And when the bus comes to a stop in the Traverse City station, the driver announces the fifteen-minute stop. Fifteen minutes to decide her life.

She walks into the terminal not knowing what to expect. But not one of the thousand scenes that have played out in her mind prepares her for what she sees. There in the bus terminal in Traverse City, Michigan, stands a group of forty brothers and sisters and great-aunts and uncles and cousins and a grandmother and a great-grandmother to boot. They’re all wearing goofy party hats and blowing noise-makers, and taped across the entire wall of the terminal is a computer-generated banner that reads – Welcome Home!

Out of the crowd of well-wishers breaks her dad. She stares out through the tears quivering in her eyes and begins her memorized speech. He interrupts her. “Hush, child. We’ve got no time for that. No time for apologies. We’ll be late. A big party is waiting for you at home!

That's forgiveness - God-style! He takes your penalty and gives you His peace and throws you a party!