But now, this is what the Lord says—

He who created you, O Jacob,

He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name;

You are mine (Isa 43:1).

Here, the Hebrew word, “to create” in “he who created you,” is bara’, and “to form” in “he who formed you,” is yatsar. It is helpful to know that the Bible has two different creation stories in Genesis—type one in chapter one, and type two in chapter two. These can be explained as two different traditions on how the world was created, each of which has its own emphases and themes that are contrasted with those of the other. The verb bara’ represents the story of type one, and yatsar that of type two.

The important nuance embedded in bara’ is to create something by dividing it into two contrasted things. See, for instance, the following usages:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1).

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them (v. 27).

In the same way, light was created against darkness. It is important to know that creation in the Bible does not mean creation out of nothing. On the other hand, the second type of creation story is represented by the verb, yatsar, which means to make something with hands as a potter makes pottery with clay.

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (2:7).

The important implication of this statement is that what was formed was first dead, and when God breathed his breath of life into it, it became alive—the essential theme in the second type of the creation story. Death came into this world as a result of people’s sins, and they return to dust from which they were taken. Death came to be realized to them when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and deprived of the access to the tree of life. In the same way, the people of Israel were taken captives to Babylon by having been deprived of the access to the Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed. Yet, God would restore them to Jerusalem: the temple would be rebuilt, and the people would be revived. Such was the historical background of the above passage in Isa 43.

We are new creations today in Christ: God has restored us to the spiritual Garden of Eden where we have now free access to the tree of life again. We have the following words in Proverbs:

She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

Those who lay hold of her will be blessed (Prov 3:18).

“Wisdom” is the truth, the word of God, which is Christ himself according to John’s gospel. The Bible says, “… in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3).” Jesus said one time to those who came to follow him seeking the bread that would only fill their stomachs.

I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you (John 6:27-27).

He continued saying:

But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (vv. 50-51).

This is the Lord’s Supper—the communion we receive today. It is the restored access to the tree of life—the work of God’s creation. Jesus said to the disciples who were wondering what he meant by all these words:

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life (v. 63).

Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation (Gal 6:15).

This is where the difference comes between our faith in Christ and various religions in the world. What we have is the faith in God’s word, not Christianity, and what counts is God’s “new creation,” not circumcision, or anything, other than God’s grace, that Christians may consider as a means of salvation. Those to whom this letter was written had been saved by Paul’s preaching of the gospel, but when the teachers from the so-called “circumcision group” came and taught them about circumcision as a required means of salvation, they accepted it and departed from the grace of God. Hearing this news, Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian Christians.

For us, this “circumcision” can be anything that we may falsely put our faith in, other than what God’s word really says, like our faithfulness in attending church services, the amount of offerings we give, or the volunteer work we do for the church. Sometimes, good Christians come to me and ask this question, “I have been faithfully doing this for the church, but why are my problems still not solved? Why do I not get blessings so much?” The Bible does not promise that if you work hard, God will solve your problems and bless you more. In fact, he is glad to solve your problems and bless you even before you do anything. God’s salvation and blessings are given freely as his grace, not as your salary—in the form of “a new creation.”

The Bible teaches that the people of Israel came to exist, not by circumcision, but by God’s creation. Hence, the expressions like the following are found in the Bible:

This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker (Isa 45:11):

I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King (43:15).

God created Israel as a nation, and its people are God’s children. However, when they worshiped idols, God’s judgments came upon then: the nation was destroyed, Jerusalem was burnt, and those who survived were taken captive to Babylon. Yet, God said he would create it again! In order to understand what these passages mean, you will need to know the historical background in which they were written. If you are interested, read Jeremiah and Ezekiel. After the news of the fall of Jerusalem had reached Ezekiel, he had the following experience:

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know (Ezek 37:1-3)."

Where was this “valley” located? 　The following words are also recorded in Isaiah. God said:

Forget the former things;

Do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert,

And streams in the wasteland (Isa 43:18-19).

Just as it was prophesized, the people returned, the temple and the city were rebuilt, the covenant was renewed, and the nation of Israel was created again. In the same way, yet in a much more spiritual and universal level, a creation has occurred in each one of us who are in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

The old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17)!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17).

These words of Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians are so familiar to us today that such mental familiarity sometimes causes spiritual blindness to the true meaning of the scripture. Although it says, “The old has gone, the new has come,” we still have the same hair, nose, and eyes; we speak the same language, and have the same memory of the past as before. How much have we really changed from “the old” to “the new” since we believed in Jesus?

Does the Bible lie? If not, something must be wrong with the way we understand it. The reason that the Bible often seems unreal is that it always speaks of spiritual realities, not physical ones. Hence, you always need to be aware of the gap between these two different realities. Look at what Paul says immediately before the above verse:

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer (v. 16).

What he means by “a worldly point of view (literally, according to the flesh)” is the view in which a natural man with no spiritual awareness or discernment sees things of this world. For instance, if you consider Jesus from this point of view, he was only a son of a carpenter, who lived in Nazareth, but from a spiritual point of view, he is the Son of God, the Incarnate Word, who existed before the creation of this world. In the same way, when the Bible says that you are “a new creation,” it speaks of you from a spiritual point of view, not from a worldly point of view.

What is important about this reality is that you need to accept it by faith, and only then, the truth becomes activated and begins to work for you. Jesus who physically lived on earth two thousand years ago died for the forgiveness of the sins of all people. This truth, however, works only for those who accept him by faith. Read the following scripture:

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Rom 6:4).

In what sense, can you say that you “were buried with him”? Were you? No, not in a physical sense, but yes, in a spiritual sense. This baptism, therefore, is not the water baptism you received. Even if you have not been baptized with water physically, you were baptized into Jesus Christ, and were united with him in his death as long as you believe in him. It is the spiritual reality that happened to you, and you need to take it by faith.

The new series “God of Creation” has started. I see a lot of misunderstandings as well as ignorance concerning God’s creation among people of faith today. Be open-minded, and meditate upon the scriptures presented to you. If you really grasp what they mean, the truth you learn will change your life. It is so powerful that God’s creation work will be manifested not only to you, but also to those who come into contact with you. Be faithful in listening to the sermons, and doing each drill. Drills are made in a self-study format so that as you answer each question, you come to discover truths directly from the Bible. These drills also aim to train your spiritual ears and eyes so that you come to see more the mystery of God’s wisdom.

The Bible contains so many stories and passages regarding God’s creation starting with those in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. They are all true stories revealing the true spiritual realities. Let us first look at the following passage in Ezekiel:

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know (Ezek 37:1-3)."

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn will be lifted high in honor (Ps 112:9).

These words describe the spiritual status of the one “who finds great delight in his commands”: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor.” The heart of giving is an important part of God’s image, and it comes from God. All humans, no matter how wicked they may become, still have this heart hidden inside them, and when they give, whether it is material or work, they always experience joy. We are all created to give.

Yet, this hidden heart of giving is often veiled to us today, so that it does not work effectively. Obviously, it is Satan who has blinded us to it by making us believe that God is so mean that we, too, can be mean like him. It does not mean, though, that we have lost that heart of giving as a part of God’s image. It is still in us. Therefore, all we need to do is to follow that hidden heart, and let the joy of giving spring up in us.

Paul quotes the above verse in his second letter to Corinthians, in which he encourages the church members there to give and help their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. If it is only a matter of collecting money, he can simply command them to give. In that way, however, the offerings they give would have no meaning in God’s kingdom, and the money moves in no relationship with God’s work. Thus, he encourages them to give by teaching some basic principles of giving:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever (2 Cor 9:7-9)."

The most necessary condition in giving is to be “a cheer giver.” It means that you give willingly with the genuine desire to give. “Not reluctantly or under compulsion” refers to a non-legalistic attitude, not by being bound by a negative obligation—“I must give, though I do not want to.” To “give what he has decided in his heart to give” signifies freedom from such a legalistic attitude: you give by obeying the will given by God who lives in you. Thus, if you give against such freedom by comparing with others and desiring to be seen or praised by them, you lie to yourself and God because you give even though you really do not want to give. You remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Therefore, it is not the amount of money you give, but the heart of giving that matters in God’s kingdom. Look at the following story:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on (Mark 12:41-44)."

Note, particularly, the way Jesus sat down and watched the people giving. He watches you in the same way when you give. God is keener on seeing a spiritual thing than a physical thing because he is a spirit. He blesses you by seeing your heart of giving. And what is more significant is that God blesses others in your family and in your church by seeing you giving. This is a very important principle of God’s grace: God blessed us all because of one man, Jesus Christ.

(we are) … sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything (2 Cor 6:10).

Praise the Lord.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

who finds great delight in his commands (Ps 112:12).

Psalm 112 sings about the “the man … who finds great delight in his commands.” It describes what he is like, and the promises given to him. To delight in God’s commands is different from to delight in his works. When God delivers us from our problems and meets our needs, we naturally rejoice and delight in his works, and come to praise him. This is, in fact, the first step that all believers should take in knowing him as a gracious and compassionate God. Psalm 111 sings exactly about that.

Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate (Ps 111:1-4).

It is quite noticeable that these two psalms, 111 and 112, were written as a pair: the first one sings about God who causes us to delight in his works, and the second one about those who delight in his commands. The similarities in the structure (both are acrostics) and in some of the words and expressions used tie these two psalms together and lead the eyes of the reader to ponder and compare between them so that the differences in the subjects—God and the man—comes to shed even more light on the truth. Ps 112 continues:

His children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man (vv. 2-4).

Because of this man who delights in the Lord’s commands, “his children” and “generation” are blessed, and “wealth and riches are in his house.” In Hebrew, “house (beit)” can mean a whole clan or nation. In other words, the multiplication and the transferring of God’s blessings take place for the other people because of this one man who finds great delight in God’s word. Note that the expression, “his righteousness endures forever,” here, speaking of this man’s righteousness, is already used in the previous psalm speaking of God. This man has the same kind of righteousness that God has!

Then, the psalmist goes on to describe further about this righteousness in the following verses more specifically:

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,

who conducts his affairs with justice (v. 5).

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor (v. 9).

The word “justice (mishpat)” denotes actions in which he takes care of the poor—orphans and widows. This is the most important character of the one who finds great delight in God’s word. Paul quotes v. 9 of this psalm in his second letter to Corinthians teaching them about giving:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever (2 Cor 9:7-9)."

Only those who have the heart of a giver understand the heart of God. And those who have the heart of God love and find great delight in his word. His righteousness stands firm forever. They do not fear bad news because their house is built on the rock.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers (Ps 1:1-3).

This psalm depicts what a person who delights in the word of God is like, and at the same time, it describes the kind of blessings that are promised to such a person. Unfortunately, we do not find so many Christians who really love and delight in God’s word. For most of them, the Bible is something they feel obligated to read, or something that will benefit them as they live on earth if they read them, at least, in times of trouble. It is not at the level of loving it and delighting in it.

All humans as well as animals have desire to eat when hungry. They delight in the food they eat. It is natural, however, that when not hungry, they do not delight in it as much as they do when hungry. Healthy people cannot go without food even for a day: they love to eat, and enjoy the food they eat. But when it comes to spiritual food, some Christians feel still all right even after living without it for weeks, months and years. Why so? The Bible says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God?” Don’t they feel hungry? If not, there must be something that makes them feel not hungry.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation (1 Pet 2:1-20).

Newborn babies crave milk, and always cry when they feel hungry. What is important about craving “pure spiritual milk” is this hunger. If you do not feel this hunger, you will not crave. And the reason for not feeling hungry is that you feel already full with something else—“all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” That is why this scripture tells us to rid ourselves of all these things so that we can crave God’s word.

Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature (Luke 8:13-14).

Compare these two types of soil. Those on the rock, at least, receive the word “with joy,” but those with thorns do not even receive the word with joy. The reason is that they are filled with “life’s worries, riches and pleasures,” and do not feel the hunger for God’s word.

Many things can be said about joy in the word of God. Some who do not have delight in God’s word read the Bible legalistically, or superficially. They have not tasted the sweetness of the word, yet. In the story of Neh 8, we see that the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian captivity learned this sweetness when the Book of the Law of Moses was read and explained to them. We find the following words in Ps 119:

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Ps 119:103)!

Another possible reason for not delighting in the word is that some listen to it in an impersonal way. They receive God’s word as truth all right, but do not accept it something that speaks about them personally: in other words, they only think that the Bible teaches truths about God and humans in a general sense, and have difficulty in applying it to themselves personally and specifically. Look at the following words:

Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart (Ps 40:7-8)."

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers (Ps 1:1-3).

One kind of joy we receive from God is joy in the word of God. We rejoice when our needs are met, our problems solved, and sickness cured by God, but the joy we come to have by hearing the word and understanding it is different and more spiritual in its quality. Needless to say, this joy goes along with faith, which comes by hearing the word of God, and God’s power comes to be manifested with this joy and faith. The above psalm says, “He is like a tree … which yields its fruit in season, … Whatever he does prospers.”

A word must be said about the verb “to meditate,” hagah in Hebrew. It means to murmur or mutter, and originally comes from the sound of the roaring of an animal. You try to say something, but do not know how to express it with words, so you murmur, not to anybody, but to yourself or to God. You do that with God’s word. It is like praying in an unknown tongue—it is a voice of your spirit. So often we try to understand God’s word with our head, and we think we know what it means, but it does not do much for us as we expect it to. The reason is that the word is not really in our heart, and we do not believe in it completely.

But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Rom 10-8-10).

According to this scripture, we must do two things to be saved: to confess with our mouth, and to believe in our heart. It says nothing about knowing or understanding in our head. The power of God’s word becomes effective only when it is confessed with your mouth.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).

The same Hebrew word, hagah, is used for the verb “meditate” in this verse. So often, we hear God’s word once or twice, and think it is easy to do it, but later we find ourselves not doing it. The reason for that is because we do not “meditate (murmur with your mouth) on it day and night.” When we do, it is manifested, first, as joy springing up in our hearts.

There is an interesting story about joy in the word of God in the book of Nehemiah. Many decades had passed since the Babylonians swept the land of Israel destroying all the cities there including Jerusalem. The remnants of survivors who had been taken captive to Babylon returned to the land to build the temple, and were still rebuilding the city. One day, they all gathered in Jerusalem near the temple, and asked Ezra to bring the book of the Law and read it. As he and the Levites read it loud before them, and explained the meaning of it, those who were listening began to weep. Then:

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve." Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them (Neh 8:10-12).

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings (Rom 5:2-3), …

To rejoice in your sufferings is not to rejoice over the sufferings per se. No, every suffering you experience while living on earth comes from Satan, whether it is sickness, poverty, or a bad human relationship that causes you to suffer. Such sufferings cannot make you rejoice, and you should not thank God for them. You can only thank God for what he does and what he gives. He is not the author of any suffering. Knowing this truth, you can still rejoice in your sufferings as the above scripture says. Paul explains the reason for it as follows:

… because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Rom 5:3-5).

What you need to realize is that the kinds of sufferings Paul has in mind are mainly those of persecutions, or hardships that he experiences in preaching the gospel. Note the way he points our attention to the love of God, which was poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He argues that because of this love, he can go on to preach the gospel in spite of all these sufferings—the persecutions. It is God’s love that actually compels him to preach, and gives joy and strength to overcome such hardships.

James writes in the similar way:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Here, sufferings are expressed as “trials of many kinds” in a more general sense. They are trials because they challenge your faith to test you. Note that he, too, speaks about “perseverance,” through which you will grow up to be “mature and complete”—something Paul expresses as “character.” Therefore, James urges believers to “consider it pure joy” when facing such trials and sufferings. For Christians, there is really nothing to be afraid of. All things, even though they look destructive, are constructive in God.

This truth, if you accept it by faith, will change the way you live on earth. Without faith in God’s creation work, you will always be afraid of sufferings and will need to run away from them instead of facing them, because for those who have no faith in God’s goodness and power of creation, sufferings are considered merely works of destruction. See, for instance, the following words of Paul:

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:10).

What he lists here are all works of destruction—“weaknesses,” “insults,” “hardships,” “persecutions,” and “difficulties.” Paul went though all these works of destruction, and became weak physically and even mentally. Nevertheless, he says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” It means that even if he feels and looks weak, but he is actually strong in God who gives him strength.

The Greek word for “weakness” is astheneia, and many think that it refers to some kind of a chronic disease Paul had as the following verse seems to suggest:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me (v.7).

This theory implies that God sometimes leaves people sick, and in such cases, it is God’s will for them to be sick: no matter how hard they pray, they will not be healed. Accepting this idea, Christians often pray, “If it is your will …” But the key to understanding what Paul really means lies within the context of the whole passage. You will need to go back to ch. 11, and find out what he means by “weakness.”

Be joyful always;

pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:16-18).

Living in the world full of bad news and bad happenings, how can we be joyful always? Yes, there are times when we rejoice at good news and good happenings, but most of what we hear and see in this world is not good, if not bad, and there is not much we can be joyful about. It seems impossible to be joyful “always.” Yet, the Bible commands us to “be joyful always!” The only way to be joyful, then, is to be joyful in spite of all the bad news and bad happenings by not being controlled by what we feel or what our natural instinct says. Since our circumstances cannot always make us feel joyful, we need to be willfully joyful by faith standing upon God’s word. And if the Bible commands us to be joyful always, we should and we can. Look at the following words:

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance (Rom 5:2-3); …

Since God is spirit, anything of God—not only his existence, but also anything of his nature, his love, and his power—is spiritual. In order to have joy, which comes from the presence of God, we will need to focus upon the spiritual reality, rather than the physical reality. And this spiritual reality is manifested in us through our faith in the word. On the other hand, the sufferings that we experience today are the manifestations of Satan’s work of destruction, which came as the results of our sin. As long as we live on earth where Satan is still at work, we will experience such sufferings including persecutions. The important thing to remember, however, is that while those who are still hostile to God because of their disobedience and unbelief cannot help being afraid of such sufferings, we Christians, who have been reconciled to him through Christ, need not be afraid of them at all because of his promise: he will turn all those sufferings into something good and very valuable. Read the following words:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Rom 5:3-5).

Pay attention to the reason why we rejoice in our sufferings: “because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Everything that is seen with our physical eyes will perish and cannot be taken with us when we leave this world. But the “character” together with “hope” you have gained as a result of suffering and perseverance will never be lost even after the world perishes. If so, why should we be still afraid of our sufferings? God is no longer angry with us because we have been reconciled to him through Christ. He loves us, and he is for us.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were required to give various kinds of sacrifices and offerings at the temple when they worshipped God. One kind of such sacrifices was called “fellowship (peace) offering.” It was to repair their hostile relationship with God so that they could approach him peacefully and boldly. In other words, it brought reconciliation between God and his people. The New Testament teaches us that Jesus was offered as the fellowship offering. See, for instance, the following words:

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:20-21).

Because of this reconciliation we now have, we rejoice in God, and even in our sufferings.

Be joyful always;

pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:16-18).

Note the last part of this scripture: “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God wants to be with you more than you desire to be with him. In fact, he is with you all the time, but he wants you to have faith in it. That is why the above scripture urges you to do the three things—to “be joyful always,” to “pray continually,” and to “give thanks in all circumstances.” In order to see the mechanism of how these three steps work for us, let us look at Ps 95:

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song (Ps 95).

Pay attention to the expressions like “let us sing for joy,” “let us shout aloud,” and “with thanksgiving.” It is through joy and thanksgiving that you go before God: note the expression, “let us come before him.” Then, v. 6 says:

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker (v. 6).

Once you enter into God’s presence by being joyful and giving thanks to him, you can now worship him and pray to him. This means that if you are joyful always, and give thanks in all circumstances, you are in God’s presence all the time, and you can pray and worship him anytime.

While constant joy and invincible thanksgiving trigger God’s presence and activate his power, worries, fear and complaints impede his presence and deactivate his power. See the following verses:

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did (vv. 7-9).

If you are not familiar with the story of Meribah and Massah, read it. Try to understand how they tested and tried the Lord. In fact, many Christians, without knowing, are testing and trying God as they did. They have no joy, no victory, no faith and no blessing.

For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest (vv. 10-11)."

It is interesting to see how differently people see things and come to react to the problems and needs they face. We often see that those with relatively small needs and problems worry about them more than those with bigger needs and more serious problems do. The way you see what is happening around you is very crucial because if you see it negatively, you will not be joyful or thankful. The above scripture tells us to be joyful always, and give thanks in all circumstances. How can we do that, though? Look at the following words of Jesus:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life (John 9:1-3).”