Sermons - The Suko Family

America is in an identity crisis. People are searching for their identity and going to all kinds of drastic measures to change their identity in the desperate hope that with a new identity they will finally overcome their feelings of depression, anger, frustration, and lack of self-worth. . 

You can simply look at some of the best selling books to find evidence for this. Last year the book “Untamed” was published by Glennon Doyle and has remained in the top 5 on the New York Times best seller list for 68 weeks straight. The book is a memoir that describes how she, a discontent wife and mother of 3, in her late 30’s suddenly falls for a woman, realizes she’s lesbian, divorces her husband and starts a new life with a new identity. The tagline of the book says “This is how you find yourself.” 

Unfortunately, her story represents millions of Americans.

But what do we see when we go back to the founding fathers of the United States? Where did they find an identity for a new nation. We discover that there was no question in their minds about the identity of the United States because they based that identity upon a strong and unwavering faith in God.

John Adams the 2nd president of the US speaks about this foundation of faith in a letter to Thomas Jefferson

“The general Principles, on which the Fathers Achieved Independence, were the only Principles in which, that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their Address, or by me in my Answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities Sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence.

Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God: and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System.”

Sadly, those “immutable” principles of Christianity and the existence and attributes of God are quickly fading today in the USA. What many don’t realize is that when belief in the truth of God’s identity is lost, we also lose our own identity. Personal identity crises will always follow a public faith catastrophe. That is to say when the common population rejects God, the individual is left with no means to understand his existence and will resort to all new, strange, and extreme ways to obtain a meaningful identity apart from God. 

Another way we could look at it is like this, all identity crises are really about losing the identity of God, not of self! Find God and you will find yourself! Loose God and you will lose yourself! This is why God begins his very first written words to his chosen people with: 

Exodus 20:2-3  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

God was creating a new people and their identity would be the foundation for their nation. God knew that if their identity was not grounded in the nature of God himself then it would sooner or later veer off track. God’s very first words were words that clearly, uniquely, and undisputedly identified himself as God and God alone! 

If you don’t get anything else out of this sermon I want you to understand and to do one thing. Stop searching for your identity, stop looking for that elusive change you think you need to make in order to fulfill your desires and longings. Stop going to extremes to change your body, your lifestyle, you dress, or your home, or something else in search of identity. None of these things will ever bring you fulfillment and lasting identity. Stop searching for your identity and start searching for God because when you find him you will find your true identity. 

What happens when a nation or group of people lose the truth of who God is? 

2Ki 17:15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

It is no surprise that those who are seeking an identity in themselves and for themselves struggle with self worth. Millions in the US struggle with feelings of worthlessness. Without the infinite value of God they are forced to dig within themselves to find value. They will find all kinds of things within themselves if they go looking for it but they will never find the infinite value of an everlasting, everloving, and everable God.

Paul describes what it looks like when people turn from the truth of God’s identity and instead pursue their own passions.

Romans 1:21-28

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Always at the forefront of the loss of identity is sexual deviance and confusion. Why? Because your sex/gender is a core aspect of your unchangeable God given identity. Furthermore procreation, marriage and family are also divinely ordered elements of our society and a Biblical part of our God given identity. To live according to my god given gender, the nature that God gave me is to acknowledge that someone or something else has sovereignty in my life, because I didn’t choose the gender I was born with and I can’t change the gender I was born with. 

The existence of family itself is a testimony to God’s order, God’s plan, and God’s control of our lives. Thus, it is no surprise that when a society rejects the identity of God, rejects the authority of God, and rejects the sovereignty of God they will simultaneously reject the natural gender God has given them and the order he has put within creation. 

Man will go to all means and all methods to become his own creator and then worship himself! 

So how did American culture in particular get to this point of identity crisis? It is vital for the Church to understand where the thinking of the country is today. This identity crisis has in a big way crept into the church. We must identify it’s mistaken claims of truth and counteract them with what the Bible says. This is vital for each of us lest we also are caught up in the futile search for identity. It is vital for parents, in order to give their children a foundation upon which they can build their lives. And finally, it is vital for the gospel. We must understand that any presentation of the gospel must confront these new realities of American popular thinking. Let’s look at three popular American lies that are at the root of this rejection of the truth of God’s identity and his sovereignty in our lives, and that have led to America’s identity crisis.

We moved to Tacoma in 1999 where we found a little apartment across the street from Wright Park. The following summer a group of young people spent the summer months attacking unsuspecting victims after dark and beating them until they were unconscious. On August 19, 2000 they attacked Erik Toews as he walked through Wright Park after dark on his way home from work. They did it just for the fun of it, they beat him beyond recognition with their fists, knees and a croquet club. 8 youths were arrested, including an 11 year old, two 12 year olds and a 13 year old. After the youths were apprehended the news media interviewed one of the mothers and I remember her in tears saying, “My son really has a good heart.” I thought to myself, has she gone crazy? How does she define evil, bad? Do you have to murder two, three, four or more people before you become evil?

That’s an extreme example but the sentiment in our nation is prevailing. We are not bad people doing evil things, but rather we are good people who sometimes make mistakes. Let’s make no mistake, these are not mistakes, they are crimes, sins, and they are evil. They are evil because man is evil!

Luke 18:18-19

18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.

When we tell someone he is good no matter how he thinks or behaves then one of two things will happen when he does something that is obviously wrong. 

Gen 3:11-12 

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Personal responsibility and admission of personal guilt when it comes to sin is rare these days but we need to return to this vital understanding. Without it we become an unmanageable society of “good” people who do bad things and blame other groups, other races, and other individuals for their personal sin. 

The way out isn’t a comfortable one, it’s one of personal repentance before the cross of Christ. Yes, there is good news here and the good news is that God is good. You can stop relying on your own “goodness” God’s goodness is deeper, wider, higher, and greater than yours. And, yes, you are sinner, but God’s goodness can overcome that sin when you turn to the greatest good which is Jesus’ sacrificial death upon the cross for you and me. 

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We need to return in our thinking, and in our practice to the idea of the sinfulness of man. 

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins tells his eager success oriented listeners that they can get anything they want if they follow his simple 5 step formula. 4 out of his 5 steps are about asking others for what you want and the final step is “ASK UNTIL YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!” Wow, that sounds like all my kids when they were 4-5 years old! He then exhorts them, “Belief in failure is a way of poisoning the mind.” says Robbins who divorced his wife of nearly 15 years so that he could pursue his own fulfillment.

The no limits mindset that many young people have today is like heroin for the soul. It convinces people that not only can they do anything but that they have a right to do anything. This destructive mindset leads people down a path of moral compromise justified by the belief that “I can do anything.” Ultimately, the conviction that I can do anything is the natural and logical conclusion when we put ourselves in the place of God.

Ultimately, you can’t do anything, and that’s a good thing!

Remember the young man who thought he was so good? He came to Jesus and ask what other good thing he might do to get into the Kingdom of Heaven?

Luk 18:26-27

26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

[Psa 103:13-17 NIV] 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–

How much better it is to humbly acknowledge the boundaries God has created for us and put our trust in a limitless God. You are finite but God is infinite!

I don’t believe there is a popular philosophy out there today that has caused more pain and destruction in relationships than this one. Nearly every divorce has this theme in it. 

It sounds like this:

“I have to do what’s right for me” 

“I’m not going to put aside my happiness for the sake of another’s happiness” 

“Listen to that little voice from within”

“Do what makes you happy”

These all have the same root, they find the driving, guiding life force from within. This is akin to getting in a car, sitting behind the wheel, stepping on the gas and then taking your hands off the wheel. 

“Let the car guide us, it knows best where it should go.” 

This is ludicrous. We all know that a car must have guidance or it will simply end up in a ditch. Yet, this is how many parents approach child raising, and this is how many adults approach their own lives. They have no guidance system beyond their personal whims and emotional swings. Today they want one thing but tomorrow the same thing no longer satisfies them so they discard it for the next thing. They are following a fluid point and thus they become fluid. They are fluid in their jobs, fluid in their relationship, and fluid in their gender. Isn’t fluid just another way to describe instability, unfaithfulness, and lack of direction?

Our lives demand a point of reference to follow that is unchanging. A point that can’t be moved by emotions, politics, finances, relationships, or sickness. We need a point to follow that is worth following because it offers us something that is far more valuable than our very lives. We need a point to follow that is outside of ourselves and that will bring ourselves inline with it’s goodness, and grace. We need a point to follow that will give us hope so great that we can confidently follow that point to the grave and beyond.

Truth: you are lost and need to follow Christ Mark 8:34

[Mar 8:34-37 NIV] 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Only God offers us true direction through Christ and his cross!

The post American Identity Crisis first appeared on The Suko Family.

Unfortunately, as you look around our world it is not hard to find people who are rich, famous, in places of power, and over all who seem to be enjoying the “good life” yet they are also evil and have no fear of God. They say what they want and they do what they want. They seem to live on their own terms. Not only do their lives go against God and his Word but often they threaten the lives of those who are poor, who are in difficult circumstances and yet who honor God. 

This type of injustice can be found in any nation at any time. Evil men who are well off who do evil things to good people who are in difficult circumstances. We have seen this scenario many times throughout history. Evil and powerful people doing terrible things to poor and God fearing people. 

Many of us may have experienced such situations in our personal lives as well. Maybe it was a bully at your school growing up. Maybe it was someone one at your work who threatened you, who made your life tough, who was out to get you no matter what. These are the real life situations that who often find ourselves in and they can cause us to ask questions. 

“God why does it seem like the wicked prosper while we suffer?”

The other questions that we can ask is, “How should I react when the wicked are threaten me and I have no means to stop them”

Today we are looking at Psalm 37 where we find that David often dealt with these same questions. This theme comes up often in the book of Psalms, we can also see it clearly in Psalm 10 and Psalm 73. I recommend that you read through those psalms later.

We tend to think of Psalms as just being a hymn or a worship song. While this is true, many psalms also have the character of wisdom literature. Here we find a psalm that has a lot in common with the book of Proverbs. In fact it looks like Solomon quotes the first 2 verses of this psalm word for word in Proverbs 24:19-20. In this Psalm we find short and powerful statements of wisdom. We also see clear instructions for how we should view the world, how we should think about wicked people, and how we should react in these situations. The wisdom of the Proverbs can often be described as the skill of seeing the end at the beginning and in this Psalm this is exactly what we see.   

If we were to sum up the message of this psalm we could say two things. 

It’s application is thus:

This is a very simple way to look at it but sometimes that can be helpful for us as we take a step back and look at our own lives in contrast to the lives of the wicked. 

As we go through this text today I want to focus on 10 ways in which the righteous should react to the success and the threat of the wicked. 

The first two imperatives are negative, this is because generally as humans we react negatively to the success of the wicked. Before we can step in faith and walk the way God has planned for us we must first rid ourselves of these negative reactions. 

Psalm 37:1-2 NIV – 1 Of David. Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

I want you to notice how clear, how strong, and how straightforward David is here. He leaves no room for doubt. We are stopped in our tracks and told to stop. Also note that this is an unusual beginning for a psalm. Most psalms begin by addressing God, “Praise the Lord.” Thus, from the first line of this Psalm we can see that it has a unique nature. This is a Psalm that is more addressed to the individual, to you and me. So we better pay attention. This first line is an imperative for you and for me! 

What does it mean to fret? The Hebrew word here literally means “to burn” or “to glow” and it is often used to describe anger, especially God’s anger against the wicked. However, in the context of this psalm and also in the proverbs we see it being used more to describe someone who is getting worked up because of the evil deeds of another. 

It may include an aspect of fear, anger, anxiety, and frustration. The idea is that this wicked person is getting us worked up and hot in mind and in our spirit. We have no peace because of what they are doing. We can not relax our mind and we can not calm ourselves down. Yet, at the same time there is really nothing in our power that we can do to stop that person. 

I have to tell you that these feelings have crossed the surface of my heart as I thought about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “Why Putin, are you causing us such stress?” Yet, there is nothing I can do to change the situation. 

Do you have any situations in your life where you are preoccupied with frustrated thoughts, worries, anger, fear over something someone else is doing? If so then you need to take a step back and you need to put down your fretting and change your focus. A little later we will look at how we should change our focus. 

There is a second common reaction when we see evil people living wickedly and that is that sometimes it looks enticing to us. They seem to be enjoying life to the fullest. They have the all the money, all the sex, all the entertainment, and all the power. Those can be very tempting. If we are not careful we can start to quietly envy their lives. We can start to think, “if only I had one tenth of what he or she has.” These are dangerous thoughts and powerful temptations that we must recognize and we must put a stop to!

Envy and jealousy are terrible poisons for our soul. Just a few verses later David tells us:

…do not fret—it leads only to evil. Psalm 37:8

Envy produces within us other terrible things like discontentment, frustration, anger, and can even lead to violence and murder. Envy led Cain to murder his brother, envy motivated Joseph’s brothers to throw him in a pit and then sell him. We must be careful not to allow envy’s poison to enter our hearts, it will slowly poison our minds and lead us to places we thought we would never go. Envy will rob us of our joy and exchange it for bitterness and discontentment. 

What we need in order to avoid the fretting and especially the envy is a little of God’s perspective. This is what we get in verse two.

“For like grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.” Psalm 37:2

This is why eternal perspective is so vital for us. It puts the end and the beginning together. When we look at the wicked, we see only the pleasures they are enjoying now. We can not see their end yet. God’s Word helps us to foresee their future. Their wealth will end, their power will end, their entertainment will end. Every good thing that the wicked has is a temporary thing and it will sooner or later be taken from them. 

Here are a few reasons why we should not envy the lifestyles of the wicked.

Psalm 37:3 NIV – 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

David doesn’t spend a lot of time on the negative imperatives. He quickly directs our attention to the positive things we need to be doing. We can find at least seven positive commands in the psalm. What that tells me is that for those who have faith in God, we are so busy looking to Him, trusting Him, serving Him, praising Him, enjoying His goodness, that we hardly have time to be worried about the wicked or to envy their lifestyle. 

Truly, the righteous man will not envy the wicked because he has experienced and is experiencing God’s continual overflowing blessings of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness in his life! This all starts at one simple point in our lives. TRUST. Yes, we say it a lot and maybe sometimes it sounds like we are overdoing it but we are not. Trust, is what God’s Word comes back to again and again. 

When the wicked seem to succeed, when they threaten our lives, when they have all the power, all the money, and all the fun, God wants us to trust him fully, faithfully, and freely! Friends please don’t ignore this simple and vital truth. Trusting God isn’t simply a theoretical, theological idea that is thrown around to make us sound spiritual. Trusting God has real life application! 

We can see three aspects to how our trust in God should be worked out in daily life there. 

Psalm 37:4 NIV – 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Now we come to a verse that it seems everyone loves to quote. Wow, we get delight and we get the desires of our heart all in one verse. Certainly, there is truth here, a very encouraging and hopeful truth. Yet, let us be careful not to look at this verse apart from its context. You see, our delights and our desires need to be seen within the context of trust and obedience (verse 3) and on the other side, commitment (verse 4).

So we can’t just take this verse and start clapping our hands in delight and tell God that the desire of our heart is to have a million dollars! No, it doesn’t work that way! We must first bring our hearts, our minds and our life in line with God’s Word! We must trust God in everything, we must not envy the wicked, we must learn to fight to live within God’s will. It is then that God begins to work within us to create new, godly desires and these desires he will always fulfill. 

What does it mean to delight in the Lord? “To be soft or pliable… or luxurious” (Strongs)

It conveys the idea of putting on a soft garment that feels luxurious and pleasant to the skin. This is in fact a good illustration because when we delight in the LORD it is truly like putting on a garment that covers us wholly, makes us feel comfortable, and yet also provides protection from the elements. 

Yet in our world there will always be false delights and true delights. We can easily be deceived to think that the lifestyle of the wicked is a delight. Yes, there are the temporary pleasures of sin, the temporary excitement from doing what makes us “feel good” but is this really delight? It is a false delight, it is like a sour candy with a sugary layer on the outside. That sugar will disappear fast and then you will just be left with sour!

So how do we change our delight? By changing our focus, our faith, and feet! 

This brings us naturally to David’s next imperative for us. He calls us to commit our way to the Lord. We briefly discussed a similar verse in Psalm 31 last Sunday.

Psalm 31:5 NIV – 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

Of course the idea of commiting involves a lot of trust. Trusting God is an important prerequisite to committing your way to Him. Nevertheless, the kind of commitment that we see here goes above and beyond generally trusting the LORD. 

To commit is to intentionally make a decision to bring all your life under His authority, His protection, and His will. This is very important for us to do. When we do this we give ourselves confidence in God Himself. We give ourselves a foundation upon which we can build our lives.

There are a lot of similarities to marriage here. Why do we have wedding vows, why do we have a marriage ceremony, why do we have witnesses and make a big deal out of all these things. Because commitment matters! All the things we do when someone gets married adds value to the commitment, it makes it real and tangible, it tells us that this is something that should never change.

What about our commitment to God? Have you committed your life to God? In a way this is what we do when we are baptized. We show the world that we believe and we are committed to living for God. In difficult times, in times when we have questions this kind of commitment gives us stability and assurance.

Psalm 37:7 NIV – 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Oh how we need stillness in today’s world of non-stop activity. We have learned to always have something turned on, some media, some audio, some video. Sometimes we gauge our life by the level of activity. We go here, we go there, we don’t have time to sit and be quiet any more. This is the curse of modern life, this is the curse of the city and of our habits. 

One of the most common results of anxiety is constant movement of the body and the brain. Someone who is very anxious can’t stay still for long. They will pace the room. If they sit they will shake their leg or fiddle with their fingers? Why? Because there is a nagging feeling that they need to do something, they need to control the situation. 

The practice of stillness puts us in a vulnerable position. It’s hard to be still when we feel there is a threat. To be still is to recognize God’s sovereignty and control in our lives. It is to realize that there are very few factors that we have any control or influence over and many many factors in our life that we have no control over. It is the calmness that comes when we put those uncontrollable factors in the hands of God! 

Ultimately, the stillness that David is talking about here is primarily a stillness of mind and spirit. This is the peace of God that is uniquely available to all who have their faith securely resting in Jesus Christ. 

John 14:27 NIV – 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 37:8 NIV – 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil

Although there is such a thing as righteous anger, it seems that David is speaking of an anger that resembles personal revenge. We can also see this anger as part of the fretting that was mentioned in verse one, we see it here again in verse 8, “do not fret.” Remember that the word “fret” literally means “to glow.” Often it was a word used in combination with the word anger. 

What David is saying is that we should not allow our emotions to carry us away in these situations. As Christians we must learn to recognize our emotions and to direct them properly. Last week I talked about David’s emotions and mentioned that emotions are not wrong in and of themselves. It’s what we do with them, how we react to them that makes the difference. We can do nothing and allow the emotions of anger, anxiety, frustration grow. They will eventually take hold of us, they will control us. Or we can recognize the emotion and began to direct our mind and our heart towards God. 

To refrain is to put limitations on something. How do we put limitations on anger, wrath, and worry? 

Now here’s some simple advice that we can all use! 

Oh how we need the faith to do good in all circumstances. It may seem over simplified but this is really the key. Goodness, God’s goodness is what we really need. We need it not just as an idea but as an action in our lives. The Christian should always know what to do, he just needs to do the next good thing!

The word “good” is the Hebrew word “tov.” It is the same word used to describe God’s creation! “He said, ‘It is good’”

Here are a few other ways this word can be translated: pleasant, agreeable, excellent, rich, appropriate, becoming, glad, happy, prosperous, kind, right.

These adjectives should describe our actions and reactions in difficult times. So take some time to look around you. How can you begin to do good, to whom can you be pleasant, kind, glad…?

Psalm 37:34 NIV – 34 Hope in the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

As come towards the end of the psalm we see an exhortation to hope in the Lord. Where there is hope there is life, there is motivation, and there is progress. Without hope, all is lost. Our emotions can leave us hopeless at times and that is why it is so important to keep our hope in the LORD at the center of our souls. 

Romans 8:23-25 NIV – 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

What does it mean to hope in the LORD?

Psalm 37:37 NIV – 37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

David started with calling us to change our focus, to no longer fret over the wicked or envy them. He then called us to turn our focus to God Himself and now he directs our focus back to a different group of people, “The blameless.” Who are the blameless? They are those who have put their trust in God and received forgiveness and now their lives are examples of His grace? 

Why should we look at the blameless? Because their testimonies are powerful encouragements and reminders of God’s faithfulness. 

How can we look at the blameless? We can read their stories in God’s Word. People like Joseph, Daniel, Ezekiel, Stefan, Paul and many others who blamelessly stood strong in their faith in difficult circumstances and God rewarded them. We can read their stories in history books. Those who were persecuted and martyred. And we can look to those who are living with us now. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

No matter who we are, we will all face the problem of wicked people who do wicked things. Let us neither be discouraged or dismayed. Instead, let us put our trust confidently in the LORD. Let us remember his goodness and let us go about doing good things! 

Psalm 37:39-40 NIV – 39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

The post Don’t Worry About The Wicked | Psalm 37 first appeared on The Suko Family.

There is something about the worth of the Gospel that is greater than any threat we can face, physically or otherwise.

For us personally, I believe that God called us to Ukraine, and the conditions where we live should not change God’s calling in our lives. This morning, I want to talk with you a little bit about the worth of the Gospel in our lives. We all make decisions based on what we think is worth it, what we value in our lives. The thing we value most, above all else, is the one thing we will always be willing to sacrifice for, compromise for, give our time, energy, efforts, money, resources, and strength to.

Today, I want to talk with you about living a life worthy of the Gospel. What does it mean to live a life worthy of the Gospel? How do the truths of the Gospel change the way I relate to others, make decisions, and react to problems?

The Apostle Paul helps us to understand:

Philippians 1:27-30

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Before we look at the details of this text, let’s talk about the context. Paul is writing to the church in Philippi, a church he knows well. They were worried about him because he had been arrested and put in prison. Paul tries to calm them by telling them:

Philippians 1:12 NIV: “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.”

Amazingly, Paul sees his imprisonment not as something that hinders him from preaching the gospel but as something that aids it. Paul experienced many difficulties in his life, but one thing always remained the same: his commitment to Christ and to the Gospel. Paul was so committed to Christ that even the threat of death could not keep him from serving Christ.

When Paul was in Philippi (Acts 16), he was attacked by a mob, beaten severely, and thrown into prison. But this didn’t stop Paul. The Philippians personally witnessed his commitment to live for Christ and to preach the Gospel. So when Paul wrote to them, they knew it was true!

Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Yet, Paul knew that he would go on living for a while to serve the people he loved. The truth is that Paul was more worried for the Philippians. He says:

Philippians 1:30 NIV: “since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”

From what Paul says here, it seems like the same people who persecuted Paul were now persecuting the church in Philippi. Some of their church members may have been beaten or put into prison. It was a difficult time for the church, and Paul wanted to encourage their spirits and strengthen them in the faith so that they could endure the persecutions and remain faithful to Christ.

Before we move on, let me answer one question: What is the Gospel?

Answer: The Gospel is literally “good news.”

Mark 1:14 NIV: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.”

The good news is that Jesus came as Savior and Lord. He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. The good news is that God will forgive and give eternal life to everyone who puts their faith in Christ!

The Gospel is good news of victory over sin, forgiveness, and new life in Christ. It is the best news. The Gospel is valuable; Jesus paid the ultimate price to save you and me from our sins and from eternal punishment. Thus, when we talk about living “worthy” of the Gospel, we are talking about living worthy of the price that Jesus paid for us when he died on the cross. This is no small thing! To live worthy of the Gospel is to live like Jesus and to live for Jesus. It is to love others like Jesus; it is a willingness to sacrifice as Jesus did! A life worthy of the Gospel isn’t a way to earn salvation but rather a means to show your gratitude for all God has done for you!

In light of this difficult context, let’s take a deeper look at what Paul means when he tells the Philippians to live “worthy of the Gospel.” Paul gives us nine ways to help us ensure our life is worthy.

Notice how Paul begins this text. He doesn’t say: When the weather is nice, when you have a good sleep, when you have money to pay the bills, when you feel like it, when others are watching, or when you are at church.

No, Paul says “Whatever happens.” Before our life can become worthy of the Gospel, we must establish one thing. What place will we give the Gospel in our life? Will we add the Gospel to everything else in our life? Will we simply place the Gospel on top of everything else that we believe in?

“Whatever happens” is an all-inclusive statement. It doesn’t allow room for excuses. Oh, how we love excuses, especially when we don’t want to do something. We say, “I couldn’t do it because a friend called me,” or “I’m not feeling so well today, I’ll try tomorrow.” The Gospel is unique because there can never be any circumstances in this world that would make it impossible to live out the Gospel.

– Every time a loved one betrays you, it is an opportunity to show more grace.

The Gospel is unique because only the Gospel can grow stronger in our lives no matter the circumstances. To live worthy of the Gospel, we must first change our perspective on the circumstances of life. Difficult circumstances are no longer excuses for sinning but rather opportunities for greater Gospel power in our lives.

If you want to live a life worthy of the Gospel, make the Gospel the unchanging factor in your life. All other aspects of life change. Our emotions change, our finances change, our relationships change, our bodies change. The Gospel doesn’t change; the Gospel is eternal!

Now I want to focus your attention on just one important word here: “conduct.” The Greek word Paul uses here might be familiar to you: πολίτης (polites). This refers to someone who is a citizen of a country or city. The idea is someone who fulfills his duty as a citizen, who lives up to the requirements of the laws in his country, and who takes his responsibilities as a citizen seriously.

When you repent and put your faith in Christ, you become a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom, and you have a responsibility to live up to that citizenship. Citizenship is more than just a document that proves which country you belong to. A true and good citizen will also serve his country in real ways.

So, too, our faith is not just some confession that we repeat. Our faith in the Gospel ought to change the way we live. Paul says that we are “ambassadors of Christ.” We have a great responsibility to live out the Gospel, to make it real in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes it’s hard for people to understand how the Gospel should change their behavior. However, it’s very simple if we just look at it in two ways:

– The Gospel Means Living Out the Example of Jesus**

Let us look at how Jesus lived, how he served, how he related to other people, how he loved, how he sacrificed. This is our primary example of Gospel living.

– The Gospel Means Living Out the Core Gospel Truths**

The core truths of the Gospel are simple: truth, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

These are examples of how the Gospel changes our conduct.

– The Gospel Means Living Out the Teachings of Jesus**

Finally, we can simply look at the concrete teachings of Jesus and of the Bible. Our conduct should match these teachings.

Philippians 1:10-11 NLT: “10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Not long ago, I read about an old woman in her 90s who lived in Northern France. She was preparing to sell her very ordinary home and get

something smaller and easier to maintain. When the appraiser came, he noticed an old religious painting above her kitchen stove. After examining the painting, he urged the woman to get the painting looked at by an art expert. This woman had owned this painting for a long time. It was given to her by a family member, and she never thought it had any value, yet it had been in her house for decades. She could have lost it forever.

When she finally had an art expert look at it, they discovered it was a very rare painting by a famous Italian Renaissance painter. It was valued at nearly $7,000,000!

Her life was changed because she recognized the worth of something she had had for many years. How sad would it have been if she never knew what that painting was worth!

I wonder, how many Christians don’t really know the worth of the Gospel in their lives?

1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT: “for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

I want to suggest to you that the Gospel has value, not just because of what it does for us, but because of what God did for us. God sacrificed his Son. It cost God everything to bring you the good news of salvation. It cost Jesus everything to pay for your sins and for your eternal life. This is the ultimate worth of the Gospel. We must give the Gospel great worth in our lives.

If we don’t really see the worth of the Gospel in our lives, how can we live worthy of it? We give the Gospel worth when we worship God, when we submit our will to him, and when we obey his commands. We give the Gospel worth when we love him, when we love others, and when we pray. We give the Gospel worth when we place the Gospel above all other things in our lives. The worth of the Gospel should be visible to others in the way we live.

Philippians 1:27-28 NLT: “27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.”

Paul uses several strong phrases here:

Let’s focus on the first one, “stand firm.” When we see the phrase “stand firm,” we can visualize an army holding the line of defense against an enemy. The army is dug into their positions, they have a wall of defense, they have weapons and shields, and they are ready to stand firm against the enemy attack.

When Paul says to “stand firm” for the Gospel, he means to keep yourself strong in your faith and belief in the Gospel. When we are weak in our faith, we can be easily persuaded by others to believe different things or to sin. When we are strong in our faith, we will not be persuaded or tempted by the enemy. We can stand firm.

1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT: “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”

Philippians 1:27-28 NLT: “27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.”

Paul uses a phrase here that really stands out: “Striving together.” When we strive together for the faith of the Gospel, we are working together as one. We are united in our faith, united in our purpose, and united in our efforts.

As Christians, we are not alone in this world. We are part of a larger community of believers. We need each other to strengthen our faith, to encourage us, and to help us stand firm. This is why it is so important to be involved in a local church, to have fellowship with other believers, and to serve together.

Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT: “24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

When we strive together, we are stronger. We can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God. We can stand firm against the enemy, and we can support each other in times of need.

Philippians 1:28 NLT: “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.”

In every generation, there are opponents of the Gospel. There are people who will try to intimidate Christians, to silence them, to make them doubt their faith, and to persecute them. Paul himself faced many opponents throughout his ministry. He was beaten, imprisoned, and ultimately executed for his faith.

Yet, Paul encourages us not to be intimidated by our enemies. When we stand firm in our faith and are not intimidated, it is a sign to our enemies that their efforts are futile. They cannot destroy our faith; they cannot take away our salvation. It is also a sign to them that we are confident in our salvation, that we trust in God’s promises, and that we are not afraid.

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Philippians 1:29-30 NLT: “29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.”

Suffering is not something we naturally seek out. We tend to avoid pain and hardship. However, Paul tells us that suffering for the Gospel is a privilege. Why? Because it identifies us with Christ. Jesus himself suffered for the sake of the Gospel, and when we suffer for our faith, we share in his sufferings.

Romans 8:17 NLT: “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

When we suffer for the Gospel, it strengthens our faith, it refines our character, and it gives us a deeper understanding of Christ’s love and sacrifice for us. It is an honor to suffer for the one who suffered for us.

Philippians 1:18-19 NLT: “18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.”

Paul found joy in the Gospel, no matter the circumstances. Even when he was in prison, even when others were preaching the Gospel with wrong motives, Paul rejoiced because the message of Christ was being proclaimed.

Joy is a powerful testimony to the worth of the Gospel. When we rejoice in the Gospel, we show others that our faith is genuine, that our hope is real, and that our joy is not dependent on our circumstances but on our relationship with Christ.

Philippians 4:4 NLT: “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

Philippians 1:12 NLT: “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”

Paul’s imprisonment led to the spread of the Gospel. Even in difficult circumstances, Paul looked for opportunities to share the Gospel with others. He witnessed to the guards, to fellow prisoners, and to anyone who would listen.

Sharing the Gospel is one of the most important ways we can live worthy of the Gospel. We have been given the greatest news in the world, and it is our responsibility to share it with others. Whether it’s through our words, our actions, or our testimony, we can make a difference in the lives of those around us by sharing the Gospel.

Mark 16:15 NLT: “And then he told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.'”

Living a life worthy of the Gospel is a high calling. It requires commitment, sacrifice, and a deep understanding of the worth of the Gospel. It means making the Gospel the unchanging factor in our lives, allowing

it to guide our actions, our decisions, and our relationships. It means standing firm in our faith, striving together with other believers, and not being intimidated by our enemies. It means recognizing the privilege of suffering for the Gospel, rejoicing in the Gospel, and sharing it with others.

May we all strive to live lives worthy of the Gospel, bringing glory to God and making a difference in the world for His Kingdom.

The post What Is The Gospel Worth to You? | Sermon first appeared on The Suko Family.

What is the relationship between risk, God’s glory and God’s calling in our lives. This sermon based upon Isaiah 42:8-9.

The post Risk, Calling, and God’s glory | Isaiah 42:8-9 first appeared on The Suko Family.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where it seems that terrors are multiplying. None of us want to be in a place of terror and yet we have all been there one way or another. Certainly, our family has been at the center of some terror in the past few months in Ukraine.

At first it was rumors of war. Tanks, artillery, soldiers, weapons of every kind moving in on three sides of the country. For at least a month we received almost daily communications from the US government to leave the country. 

Then on the morning of February 24th we were woken by a phone call at 5:00 AM to inform us that the war had begun. Christina saw one of the first missiles directed at our city fly past our living room window and 30 seconds later we felt the boom. Now we knew war had started!  

When it comes down to it, terror is something that happens in the heart of man. On one hand you can’t control it very well and on the other hand there are things we can and should do at Christians to keep terror from ruling our lives. In fact, as Christians we have a unique advantage when it comes to terror, we have the greatest, most powerful, and most effective anti-terror weapon, which is the Word of God and presence of His Spirit in our lives. 

Today we will look at Psalm 31. We will take a deep dive into the terror of David’s heart. In doing so we must examine our own hearts. We must recognize our terrors and learn to deal with them the way David did. This is not an exercise for the faint of heart, so I encourage you to take up your shield of faith and breastplate of righteousness. We need sober minds and hearts to look into these things. We need honesty with ourselves and courage to recognize that which terrorizes our hearts. May God humble us as we look to his Word and see our own hearts in the heart of David.

We must remember that a psalm is never meant to be a theological treatise or a “how to…” nevertheless we find within each psalm deep theological truths and guidance that can help us how to get through many different situations in life. 

First, however, a psalm represents the heart and the emotions of its author. Here, like in so many other psalms we see tension within the heart of David. We see his fear and we see his faith, we see his anguish and we see his answer. We must recognize this Psalm for its beauty, for its spiritual and emotional power, and for its depth of truth and wisdom. As we look to this psalm we must allow ourselves to see ourselves through the eyes of David. As we step where David stepped I believe we will not only see the relevant theological truths but that God will also deliver to us the real help and healing that we need in these terrifying times. 

Psalm 31:13 NIV – 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

You might be wondering why I am starting with verse 13 in the psalm. The reason is because like many psalms, the middle is often the climax or the hinge of the psalm upon which the rest of the psalm hangs. This is true for psalm 31. Here we see David building to a point and he completes this with verse 13 which is the middle of the psalm. 

Let’s look at how David built up to this verse. This middle section starts in verse 9 where David tells us “I am in distress!” As we read from verse 9 through verse 13 we get a very graphic picture of what terror looks like. 

Here are some of the words David uses to describe his terror:

All these words can be found in the middle section of this psalm. This is very heavy, very dark, very foreboding, very hopeless! And this is how David felt! He was being honest with God, with us, with his emotional and spiritual state. First of all, let me say that all of us connect with some of these words at times. Some of us connect with these words more often than others. If you have had or if you have some of these feelings you need to know that you are in good company. You’re not the only one. In fact, you’re in the company of King David himself!

The initial feeling of terror is not a sin!

I want you to notice that the Bible never once condemns David or us for feeling this way at times. We live in a fallen world, bad things happen, terrible things happen. We can always go around pretending that everything is wonderful when it really isn’t. David’s son Solomon who would later say. 

So if you find yourself frightened or terrorized, you don’t have to feel guilty. Sin is not in the emotion itself but rather in our reactions and decisions later.

A sad face can be good for the heart when it helps us to think of the truly important aspects of life like our relationship with God, the love of our family, and the value of faith. That being said, we must also realize that some of these powerful emotions like terror can be destructive if they are left unchecked in our life. 

What is terror? Terror is a strong feeling of fear and helplessness in the face of danger. That danger can be only perceived danger or real danger.

The Hebrew word “Magib” seems to specifically refer to the fear or terror one experiences when they are surrounded by the enemy and they see no way out. In fact this specific phrase “terror on every side” is found about 6 times in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah uses it several times.

Terror is often seen in connection with “defeat”

Jeremiah 46:5 NIV – 5 What do I see? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are defeated. They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,” declares the LORD.

Terror also leads to panic:

Isaiah 31:9 NIV – 9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Terror can be self-destructive.

Jeremiah 20:4 NIV – 4 For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends…

Here are a few things we need to keep in mind when it comes to feelings of terror.

“People are saying” most likely what they are saying is not completely true. We were told to leave Ukraine for at least a month before the war started. Russia is constantly terrorizing Ukraine and specifically Odesa with threats. But they’re not all true and they’re not all as bad as people say. 

Watch the news media today and you will hear people talk for hours about hypothetical situations and potential risks. People will always talk but their talk is usually not filled with Biblical truth. In the absence of truth our terror will always grow. This is why we are afraid of the dark. We don’t know what is lurking in those shadows. This is why people are afraid to make big decisions and life changes. They don’t know how it will turn out. 

There is only one solution to this, we must bring truth into the light. We must look to the facts and truths that we know for sure. The truth is that we promises from God about our future that give us hope that is greater than any terror! We must focus on the truths we find in God’s Word and certainly this will calm our fears and relieve our terror. We will look at these truths in our next point.

We may all experience feelings of terror but we need to learn to react to these feelings in a Biblical way. In this psalm we see David very honestly and openly sharing his feelings. He experienced terror on some level. Yet in the end we see that he did not allow those feelings to change the course of his life but rather very resolutely declared in the last verse, “Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the LORD.”

1 Peter 5:8 NIV – 8 …Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Have you ever heard a lion roaring at night? I haven’t but I’m sure it would be very terrifying. The point of that roar is to induce terror. It’s much easier to capture someone who is acting out of terror than it is to capture someone who is calmly and logically thinking and using the mental powers God gave him in a wise and useful way. 

There are a million ways in which terror can enter our own hearts. Sometimes the devil uses other people to induce terror in us. Sometimes it can be geopolitical tensions and threats. Sometimes it can be our own sin the past that accuses us and terrorizes our hearts. Sometimes it is our own doubt and weak faith that put cracks in our spiritual armor and give terror an entrance into our heart. However it is that the devil finds a way to induce terror we are called to reset it. The first part of this verse gives us a clue as to how we can do that. 

1 Peter 5:8 NIV – 8 Be alert and of sober mind…

To be alert is to be aware of the devil’s work, to know that he is will always be looking for ways to cause terror. Sober refers to the ability God has gives each of us through his Spirit to calmly, logically, and resolutely look at the situation without panic, terror. To be sober is to understand the potential threat but to also believe in a God who is bigger and stronger and make a decision to proceed forward in faith and righteousness rather than in fear and panic.

We made the decision to go back into Ukraine despite the roar of Russia because we could see the need and believed in God’s power to save us.

John 14:27 NIV – 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Simply recognizing the fact that God wants us to live in his peace and in his power will do a lot to calm our fears. God’s peace comes with his presence. In times of terror we must always turn back to these vital and powerful truths. 

We have looked at terror, we have seen what it is like, let us know look at what David says before and after he describes his terror. Ironically, David sandwiches his terror with powerful statements of faith and truth. If we step back to look at this psalm in its entirety we see something interesting. The center of the psalm shows us David, pressed in on all sides by his enemies. “Terror on all sides.” There is a claustrophobic  feel as we read verse 13. We can imagine David is hiding out but he knows that every exit his enemy is waiting for him. He has no place to run, he is surrounded. Yet, David knows something his enemy doesn’t know. David sees the larger context. David doesn’t just see the enemy surrounding him, he also sees God surrounding his enemy. 

In difficult circumstances learn to see God’s grand context!

This is how David writes his psalm. We see David’s terrifying position right in the middle of this psalm but before that and behind that we see the power and the presence of a God! David makes some very powerful statements about his faith in God first 8 verses. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge. (verse 1) 

Here we see David looking back and recognizing a truth in his life. He remembered and he proclaimed that he had already taken refuge in God. David may be recalling some moment in his youth when he made that first step of faith on his own and called out to God for salvation. He recognizes that this has already happened in his life. 

The Bible often shows us how important it is to recall the steps of faith we have taken in the past. For the Christian this means you should Never forget those initial steps of faith that brought you to God, put you on your knees and resulted in true repentance and forgiveness. These moments of faith should be strongly etched on the walls of our hearts. They serve as powerful reminders of God’s great work in us and for us! 

David starts this psalm by looking back, recalling, and proclaiming a significant step of faith that he made in the past. 

Into your hands I commit my spirit (verse 5)

Once we remember our initial step of faith we then must actively do something to increase our faith. Here we see what David is doing in his spirit in this moment of fear. He tells us that he is committing his spirit into the hands of the LORD. 

This is not simply some theoretical church talk but rather a powerful statement that proclaimed the condition of his heart and the level of his faith. What David was saying was that he was ready to die if need be. His spirit was in the Lord’s hands. Whatever happened, if lived or if he died, it was up to the Lord and David trusted the safety of his soul in the hands of his Savior! 

Be ready to die!

We see the same statements by Christ on the cross and by Stephen when he was martyred.

Luke 23:46 NIV – 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Acts 7:59 NIV – 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

When we learn to commit our spirit to God it removes all possible terrors from our heart.

*How Chris asked me if I was ready to die and if my children were ready for me to die.

I will be glad and rejoice in your love (verse 7)

We also see that David makes a powerful statement about his future. He might not feel that gladness now, he might not be in a place of rejoicing now but with faith he looks forward to the return of gladness and rejoicing. These are vital statements and steps of faith that we must have in our spiritual life. 

Are you grieving now? Are you afraid now? Are you in pain now? Know that these are all temporary, joy will come again.  The hope of future joy and gladness can give us the strength we need to get through difficult times.

Our tendency during difficult times is to look only at the problems and dangers before us. As Christians we must learn to look beyond these dangers to our God! David did just that! If we look at the second half of this psalm we see some very powerful statements of truth about God which show us how David turned his faith and his heart towards God during this difficult time. 

You are my God (verse 14)

It’s important to notice how quickly David turns from “terrors on every side” to “you are my God.” David is showing us that rather than listen to what everyone around him is saying he will choose to speak the truth about God! 

When everyone else is speaking fear, may we speak faith. But more important than just speaking our faith, we must act in faith. David further explains what it means to have the LORD as his God. 

You have stored up good things (verse 19)

David reminds himself of the good things God has given him and will give him. God’s grace, his mercy, his forgiveness, his joy, and his peace are the greatest gifts that have ever existed. We must never lose sight of these greatest gifts in our lives. They bring us stability and perspective. They help us see through temporary problems to God’s timeless promises! 

You protect those good things (verse 20)

When I get a good thing for myself, I can lose it.

When others get me good things, I can lose them.

When God gives us good things, no one can take that away from us! 

The good things God gives us can be given by no one else and can be stolen by no one else! We need to stop looking to all the ways in which the world evaluates goodness and start looking to God’s goodness and the surety that his goodness will always be with us! 

God’s goodness to you does not depend upon other people, it doesn’t depend upon your mood, it doesn’t depend upon the weather, it doesn’t depend upon your bank account, it doesn’t depend upon influence, it doesn’t depend upon the government! Thankfully, it doesn’t depend upon any of these things and that is why it is completely safe! 

Finally, towards the end of this psalm we see David turning his attention away from himself and towards God’s people. Unfortunately, we tend to become very self-focused in trials and difficulties in our lives. We tend to think that we are the only ones who have experienced such problems, we tend to think that no one understands us, we tend to not see the need of those around us. 

Where there is a high level of terror, tragedy and torrment and there will always be a similarly high interest in the Gospel and thirst for God. And yet we tend to avoid these situations! 

Go to the places where you see terror, tragedy and torrment and speak the truth of God there! Praise him there and you will find that your efforts are multiplied! 

Praise be to the Lord (verse 21)

As we come to the end of this psalm there seems to almost be a separate short hymn of praise sung by David for the benefit of all the people. David praises God in this difficult time and he encourages us to praise God in our difficulties. This reminds me of how Paul and Silas praised God in their jail cell. It also reminds me of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand who spent 14 years in Romanian prisons during communism.

When I look back on my fourteen years in prison, it was occasionally a very happy time. Other prisoners and even the guards very often wondered at how happy Christians could be under the most terrible circumstances. We could not be prevented from singing, although we were beaten for this. I imagine that nightingales, too, would sing, even if they knew that after finishing they would be killed for it. Christians in prison danced for joy. How could they be so happy under such tragic conditions?

“I can never describe the beauty of this Church! Often, after a secret service, Christians were caught and sent to prison. There, Christians wear chains with the gladness with which a bride wears a precious jewel received from her beloved. The waters in prison are still. They receive His kiss and His embraces, and would not change places with kings. I have found truly joyful Christians only in the Bible, in the Underground Church, and in prison.

Love the Lord (verse 23)

David calls out to all of us now. He exhorts us to love the LORD. This is the motivation and calming effect we need on our hearts in fearful times. 

1 John 4:18 NIV – 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

If we have God’s love then we do not fear punishment nor do we fear men who may try to harm us. We stand in forgiveness, grace, and the goodness of God. This is the safest place we could ever be. We also are free to give God’s abundant love to all those around us, even to our enemies!

Be strong and take heart (verse 24)

Finally, David ends this psalm on a very powerful note! There is no room for doubt left in this statement. We are to be strong because our hope is in the Lord. We are to take heart because God has given us new and stronger hearts, filled with his power and his Spirit. 

The post Terror on Every Side | Psalm 31 first appeared on The Suko Family.

Did you know that your body naturally follows the direction of your eyes? If you’re walking, running, riding a bike or driving a car, it’s important that you keep your eyes in front of you. If you don’t you can easily get off track and you can get yourself into trouble by running into something. We can say that prayer is like the eyes of the heart. The directions of our prayers show the direction of our hearts. That is why it’s important that we learn to fix our prayers on the Heavenly Father, to look up and see him. When we do this it ensures that we are going the right direction spiritually.

Today we will look at the first part of Jesus’ greatest prayer in John 17. What I want you and I to get out of this more than anything is see clearly the direction of Jesus’ heart and to make that the direction of our heart.

John 17:1–5

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

In this prayer we not only see the direction of Jesus’ eyes as he looks up to heaven, but he also reveals to us the direction of his heart. We can summarize this direction in 4 ways.

These four things show us the direction of Jesus’ life. As we take a deep look at them we must analyze and ask ourselves about the direction of our prayers. In what direction are our prayers pointing? In what direction are our souls moving?

Before John shares with us the prayer of Jesus he says “after Jesus said this.” We shouldn’t skip over this important phrase so let’s go back just a bit. What did Jesus just say? If we go back we find that Jesus just spent his last hours in the upper room with his disciples. From chapter 13 all the way through chapter 16 we see Jesus giving his final instructions to his disciples. These instructions are full of words of encouragement, hope, and exhortation. John begins this previous section with the words,

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1b

Jesus ends his words of comfort with, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

It is at this point that Jesus turns his attention to God the Father in prayer and rightly so. He had just spent several hours ministering to his disciples, telling them of the difficulties to come and comforting them. To walk away from the disciples now would be to leave a task unfinished. Jesus knew that more than anything the disciples needed prayer, they also needed a good example of prayer. Yes, Jesus had taught them to pray early on in his ministry but now they would see a different kind of prayer. An intimate personal conversation between the Son and the Father.

We could say that the “Lord’s Prayer” was in a way a classroom prayer. It was a model given in the non threatening confines of a classroom setting. There’s nothing wrong with that, it was important for the disciples to have this framework as a foundation for how to pray. However, every good teacher knows that lessons must be reviewed and that lessons are most powerful in difficult times of need. We can be sure that Jesus’ prayer here powerfully impacted the disciples. So, it really served two purposes. First, it was a needed prayer at a difficult time. Second, it was a means to drive home the teaching Jesus had given his disciples earlier about prayer.

As we think about the timing of Jesus’ prayer here, let’s reflect upon our own prayer habits. Have you ever thought about how your prayers can affect others? I mean not only how praying for someone else might change them but praying for them in their presence. To tell someone that you will pray for them is one thing but to actually, sit down with them and pray with them and for them, that is another thing. Jesus presents us with a needed example here. When you give a word of encouragement to someone, don’t just stop there, pray with them also. When was the last time you asked someone if you could pray for them? Imagine what comfort you can give to another person by simply praying with them. I don’t believe I have ever found a person who rejected my offer to pray for them. Even people from other faiths are often willing to allow me to pray with them.

Why should we pray with and for others?

What I love about this prayer is that in it we can clearly see the heart of Jesus. If you want to know the state of a person’s heart, if you want to see his sincere desires, if you want to understand what a person is experiencing, what he is afraid of, what and whom he loves, what values ​​and desires he has, you need to do one thing: to hear his private prayers, if he has any!

Of course, we cannot do this because they are personal. But God gave us an amazing opportunity to hear the heart to heart conversation of the Son and the Father!

Jesus prayer has 3 parts

In this we can also see an example for ourselves. We ought to pray for our own spiritual well being. When we come to the Father we need to come in humility, knowing that there is always a need for growth, always a need for the Father’s help and guidance, always a need to strengthen our own faith.

If you have ever flown on an airplane then you have heard the instructions on what to do when the oxygen masks come down. You should always affix your own mask before helping others. A suffocating person can’t do much good in helping others. So a person who lacks personal prayer for his own spiritual life can’t very well pray for another.

May we take hold of the oxygen mask of prayer in our daily walk with God. He and he alone can breathe into us the much needed spiritual energy and life that we need for each day.

After we have taken care of our own spirit we must direct our prayers towards those closest to us. For Jesus this was his twelve disciples. For most of us, this is our family, our close friends and those people that we regularly come in contact with nearly every day.

Jesus told his disciples earlier that he would pray for them and now here he is praying for them.

Jhn 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever —

Jesus also prayed for many millions who were far from him. He looked beyond his immediate contacts because he had a “Kingdom” perspective. We also should pray for those who are far from us. Let us pray for Christians who are persecuted in other countries. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are in difficult circumstances all over the world. They need our prayers and we need to pray for them.

Finally, I wanted to note the content of this prayer. When we look closely we see something amazing, this prayer has all the main themes of the gospel of John.

Let’s now take a close look at the first section of Jesus’ prayer.

1a. After these words, Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven

It is no coincidence that John gives us the opportunity to not only hear Jesus’ prayer but also to see how Jesus prayed! The position of his body tells us a lot about Jesus and this prayer.

Remember that the statement, “After these words” refers to the conversation Jesus had with his disciples in the previous 3 chapters. Undoubtedly, when Jesus spoke to them he looked at them. Eye contact is an important part of our conversations. Through eye contact we convey meaning, intent, and it helps us understand each other.

When I want to say something important to my children and they are not looking at me, I tell them, “I want to see your eyes” I want to make sure that they really hear me and pay attention to my words. It’s difficult for me to determine whether or not they are listening if they don’t look at me when I’m speaking to them. I also want to convey to them the seriousness of what I am saying. I can do this more effectively when I am looking at them and they are looking at me.

When Jesus raised his eyes it also conveyed meaning.

Jesus wanted the disciples to see his relationship with the Father. I also sometimes talk with my father in front of my children so that they see my attitude and respect for their father. It seems that this was something Jesus had practiced occasionally. Jesus also did this before resurrecting Lazarus.

Joh 11:41 So they took away the stone [from the cave] where the deceased was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said: Father! thank you that you heard me.

There were many people looking at him. Through this movement, he showed them that he does nothing alone, that he is closely connected with the Father, that his power to resurrect emanates not only from him, but also from Heavenly Father.

After his final lesson with his disciples before his crucifixion, Jesus wanted to emphasize that all he told them was the will of the Father and came with the power and authority of God the Father.

I believe that Jesus also wanted his disciples to raise their eyes and their hearts to the Heavenly Father in prayer. He gave them an example and he knew that this example would serve them in future difficult situations.

Certainly this is not the only place that we see a picture of lifting the eyes to God.

Psa 120: 1–2 ^^ Song of the Ascent. ^^ I lift my eyes to the mountains, from where my help will come. 2 My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psa 122: 1 ^^ The song of the ascent. ^^ To Thee I lift up my eyes, Who lives in heaven!

This past summer I took our kids along with some of their cousins to the mountains. We hiked along a mountain trail for a few kilometers until we came around a bend and were greeted by an awesome view of Mount Rainier. Now let me ask you, do you think we just kept looking at the dirty old trail when we got to that viewpoint? Of course not! We lifted our eyes, to see the majesty and the beauty of Mt. Rainier. We lifted our eyes and could hardly stop looking at it. It was beautiful, breathtaking, awe-inspiring. It filled our hearts with the glory of God’s creation.

When we got home we all had to clean our shoes, because the trail was dirty and dusty. But you see that dirt and dust didn’t bother us so much because we were too busy looking up! We were looking up at God’s glorious creation.

I want to ask you now, are you looking only at the dusty trail in your life or are you taking time to look up! Our problem is that we are so caught up in our earthly affairs that we never look up, we never pause to talk to the Father, our minds are distracted by rubbish that fills our soul and pulls us down our head.

Lift the eyes of your heart to Him and you will find His glory!

Father! the hour has come, glorify your Son, that your Son will glorify you.

Here is another direction we see in Jesus’ prayer. Jesus was focused on and greatly concerned with God’s glory! How far many of us are from even thinking about God’s glory in our daily lives, not to speak of making his glory the greatest purpose in our lives. Often we are caught up with our own glory, with the glory of our own image, the glory of our successes, the glory of our aspirations, the glory of our own experiences. However, a heart that seeks God must also seek his glory.

What is God’s glory?

In order to understand Jesus’ prayer here, we must understand what God’s glory really is.

There are two words that are translated “glory” in the Bible: Δόξα, כָּבוד

They literally mean: to shine, to radiant, or brightness also heaviness. They figurative refer to God’s honor, majesty, and praise worthiness. God’s glory is the manifestation of this good, holy, and almighty nature

What this means is that anything that points to God’s goodness, his holiness, his power brings him glory. We give glory to God directly in our worship, but we must also give him glory in our life, in our work, in our education, in our families, etc…

God introduces us to his glory in the book of Exodus. God’s presence shone in the cloud at day and in the pillar of fire by night.

[Exo 16:10 NIV] 10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

God’s glory was central to his plan for Israel.

Ironically, the Israelites themselves feared God’s glory. Only Moses asked to see the glory of God.

Exo 33:18–19 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.

Moses could not see the full glory of God, it was like looking at the sun. The sun, which warms us, gives us energy, light to see, and with which we measure our day. The sun gives life to everything earthly, and yet looking directly at it without protection will quickly damage your eyesight.

It’s the same with God.

His glory is too great for us to immediately perceive it directly, so God protected Moses from the full revelation of God’s glory.

The amazing thing is that God’s glory changed Moses, he became a different person when he came down from this mountain, seeing only a fraction of God’s glory. His face was shining, and it shone in such a way that people did not want to look at him.

Later, Moses ‘face shone

[Exo 34:29 NIV] 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

God’s glory changes us and that is why true prayer changes us.

You Can’t Pray Sincerely Without Touching God’s Glory

Unfortunately, there is much fake glory in church services today. There is much of what people call glory but it’s not really glory. Fake glory is a surface of worked up emotions which hide a heart that is callused to God’s real glory. Fake glory can be turned on or off in a minute, fake glory shows up when needed then disappears, fake glory is for others to see, fake glory doesn’t change us but rather hardens us to the Holy Spirit’s work.

However, we will find God’s glory when we begin to engage in real, sincere personal prayer. Prayer by nature brings us into contact with God’s glory. Yes, we have prayer in the church, and that is good but what about individual prayers? Do they exist in your life? God’s glory will be in the church when God’s glory is in the secret prayer of each of its members!

God’s glory will be in the church when it is in our apartments, in our bedrooms, in our houses, in our kitchens, and in our hidden places.

If you want to touch God’s glory, pray sincerely. In prayer you are in the presence of the glorious God

It is impossible to touch God’s glory without passing it on to others

Jesus was the mirror of God’s glory. When we come to God often in prayer we begin to mirror his glory to others. We also become reflectors of God’s glory when we begin to spend time in prayer, in the presence of God.

2Co 3:18 But with our open face, as in a mirror, beholding the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Spirit of the Lord.

Jesus’ Glory Was His Sacrifice on the Cross

In today’s world we usually associate glory with fame, strength, power, greatness, and victory. Certainly, those are some aspects of God’s glory but they don’t always manifest here on earth in the way we might imagine. You see Jesus found glory in humiliation, pain, anguish, loneliness, and death on a cross. The miracle of Christianity is that God has worked in such a way that we can give him glory in even the most difficult aspects of our life. It is in these difficulties that we are often more likely to come to God in prayer and it is then that his glory shines through us.

[2Co 4:6–7 NIV] 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are clay, we are weak, we are not capable! This is so that when God does His great deeds through us, no one would say: “Here you are, Caleb, well done!”, but on the contrary, so that they say: “Glory to God!”

[Jhn 17:2–3 NIV] 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

In his prayer here we see Jesus summarizing God’s great plan of salvation. Jesus knew that God will never receive more glory than through his great miraculous plan for our salvation!

As we think of our prayers, we must remember that God’s plan of salvation should be central in our prayers. Eternal life, forgiveness, a relationship with God. These are not just theological concepts for us, they are in fact the reason we can even come to God in prayer. Let us never forget that prayer is the unique privilege of those who have repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and God.

Jesus kept the concept of the gospel central in his life and in his prayers. This was the driving force of his life, this was the reason he came to earth, this was the purpose of his teachings, this was the reason he would allow himself to be crucified on the cross. May we never allow the central role of the Gospel to move away from view in our prayers! Our prayers ought to reflect God’s goodness to us through Jesus Christ. It is right for us to remind ourselves in prayer of God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation!

[Jhn 17:4–5 NIV] 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Here we see one simple way to bring God glory and that is simply by doing the work he has called each of us to do. What glory we give God by simple obedience to his commands, by simply following his lead in our lives, but simply living pure and holy lives by faith. These are simple, yet sometimes difficult means of giving God glory. But don’t underestimate these means. A life lived quietly but wholly for God has more potential to give God glory than a loud public life that only promotes God’s glory on the surface.

Here we also see Jesus’ great desire to be once again in the presence and glory of God the Father as he had been in eternity past. This is the ultimate finish, it is the goal of our faith. Remember that this is what Jesus promised his disciples back in John 14:1–3

[Jhn 14:3 NIV] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Many of you are away from your parents and from your family. You long to see them. What a great reunion it will be when you see them again! How much more our reunion with God the Father will be wonderful. Sadly many of us don’t think about this much. We don’t long for this much. We need to return to looking up at our Heavenly Father. It is then and only then that these righteous desires will be reignited in our hearts. Look up today in your private prayers. Look up and give him glory. Look up and share with him your struggles, Look up and anticipate his loving and kind hand. Look up and thank him for his salvation. Look up now, because your father is good, holy, kind, and caring. His glory is there, we just need to look up!

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We just returned from two months in the US. Whenever we go back to the US I find that I have to adjust to the way of life there. I can’t always put my finger on it but life just feels different in a different country, so I have to change some of my expectations when we go back to the US. What I didn’t realize years ago was that living in Ukraine was changing me, it wasn’t just changing the way I lived or thought but it was also changing the way I spoke. I realized this when people in the US began telling me that I seemed to have a slight accent in English. “What do you mean?” I would ask with surprise. “I grew up here!” At first I didn’t believe it but later I came to accept it after a number of people told me they sensed an accent.

So what was it? Why did my speech change? All I can say is that conversations are powerful and they can change us, they can change the way we think and they can change the way we speak. All that time talking with Ukrainians and others who spoke English with a different accent than mine changed the way I spoke English.

As you have studied the conversations of Jesus this summer I pray that they have changed you, that they have tweaked your accent, that your faith, your life, and your speech look a little more like Jesus.

Today I want to point your attention to another type of conversation that we see in the life of Jesus. Thankfully, the gospels record for us many of Jesus’ conversations with God the Father. There is no better way for us to see the heart of Jesus and than to have an intimate look at his conversations with God the Father.

Mat 14:23

23 And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain to pray in private; and in the evening he remained there alone.

Jesus knew that ministry demanded much of him, spiritually and physically. Even though the people were constantly following him, constantly asking him to perform miracles he took time to get away from it all and spend time with his Heavenly Father. Jesus spent much time in private prayer. There are at least six times when we see Jesus leaving the crowds in order to spend time in prayer.

What an amazing example Jesus is for us! Today each of us has a crowd that is constantly following us. That crowd can be found in our social networks, at our work, in our computers, in our homework, and a thousand other places. It’s hard to turn our world off but it is necessary. God wants us to come to him in the quiet private hours of our life. He wants to hear our voice individually, apart from the clatter of this world. God knows that our spirits need quiet conversations with our Heavenly Father.

Jesus lived more in private conversations with God the Father than he did in public discourse and ministry. The temptation today is to live almost completely in the public. To do everything for everyone one or at least to make an impression and be seen by everyone. Jesus’ life was like an iceberg, his public ministry was only a small manifestation of his private spiritual life. Jesus lived an “upside” down life. We can see this come out clearly in his teaching on prayer.

Mat 6:6

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Unseen prayer is the type of prayer that God sees. Of course this doesn’t mean that we can’t pray in public, we can. However, there is an added danger in public. We can easily pray for the ears of others. Sadly, many of us are skilled and praying “theological,” “holy,” and “reverent” prayers in public, yet in private these same prayers are absent.

Why is private prayer so important?

Why is it that there is so much apparent religious working, and yet so little result in positive conversions to God — so many sermons, and so few souls saved — so much machinery, and so little effect produced — so much running here and there, and yet so few brought to Christ? Why is all this? The reply is short and simple. There is not enough private prayer.The cause of Christ does not need less working, but it does need among the workers more praying. Let us each examine ourselves, and amend our ways. The most successful workmen in the Lord’s vineyard, are those who are like their Master, often and much upon their knees.

~ J.C. Ryle

If Jesus needed prayer, then we need it more. Unfortunately, many people today live in silence to God. Many people do not know the embrace of a Good Father in times of prayer. Many Christians live day after day lacking spiritual strength and hope and it’s all because they lack those much needed conversations with God who loves them and is waiting to hear from them. Many live in icy silence and they themselves do not know and do not understand why they experience loneliness, feelings of abandonment, and coldness in their souls. Many of us are stubbornly trying to fix on our own what only God the Father can fix. Like robots we go about our daily task mechanically. We get the job done but we have lost the joy because we have lost the relationship. We perform our tasks, we manage to get by, we keep our heads down and our mouth closed.

Too many of us have forgotten that God does not want our theatrical performance, he wants our simple, sincere, and private prayers!

Why don’t we make prayer a priority?

What can we do to make prayer a priority?

It’s time for us to have a heart-to-heart talk with our Father, he’s been waiting

Luk 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Besides “The Lord’s Prayer” there are 6 of Christ’s prayers recorded in the Gospels

More occasions when Christ prayed

Jesus prayed at different times

Jesus always had time for prayer and it seems that…

Without question prayer saturated every aspect of Jesus’ life. Prayer wasn’t just a religious tradition for him, rather you get that idea, that he simply lived a life of prayer. Prayer just seemed to seep from every corner of his life!

Let me ask you, how often do you talk with your mother or father? How often do you talk with your siblings? What about your spouse? These are all people that we generally talk with often, why? Because we are close to them, we love them and they love us. We are interested and concerned about their lives. In fact, I would say that it’s difficult if not impossible to truly love someone, care for them, and be concerned for them without ever talking with them.

The first time I came to Ukraine was in 1994. It was in the age before WhatsApp, email, or even the internet. So how did we communicate? We made phone calls, expensive phone calls! That first trip we called back to the US several times. We had so much to say, so much we wanted to share that we didn’t pay much attention to how long we were talking. In about three weeks time we racked up a bill of around $300! That was the price of conversing with those whom we loved!

What is the price of prayer? It costs you and me nothing but it cost Jesus everything! Prayer is possible Because Jesus payed the bill on the cross!

Heb 10:19–22

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Prayer is really nothing more than coming into the throne room of God. Like Queen Esther in the Old Testament who came into Artaxerxes throne room and he extended his scepter to her and spared her life. So also God the Father extends his scepter to all believers in Jesus Christ. He allows us into his throne room whenever, and wherever. What a great privilege that many of us waste daily.

Frequent prayer is the unique privilege of God’s chosen sons and daughters. Let us not squander this privilege. The Father’s dining table is open to you and to me. Let us go there frequently to refresh our souls. Let us go there for needed spiritual rest. Let us go there to hear the Father’s voice in the quiet hour. Let us go there to bask in the love of a Father who wants to hear our voice, who is interested in our life, and wants to give us the help we need! Let us go to the Father’s table in private thanksgiving, in personal praise, and in peaceful contemplation.

Jesus knew that his prayers would be recorded for the sake of his disciples and for us. His prayers teach us by their nature and by their content.

Mat 6:7–9

7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

For Jesus, prayer was not a traditional ceremony, it was not reciting words from a book, nor was it a magic spell.It was his way of life. It was a natural desire of his heart. It was closeness with the Father, it was a heart-to-heart talk. For Jesus, prayer was simply a personal relationship with God the Father. Jesus did not know what ministry without prayer was, he did not know what life without prayer was, he was never silent in his relationship with the Father. He constantly felt the need to speak to Him.

When a young couple is in love, no one needs to force them to communicate with each other. When old friends meet, it is impossible to stop their conversation. When children need help, they cry out to their father. These are all natural conversations that don’t need to be forced. So also should be our prayers.

Jesus’ prayers came from his heart. They were genuine, they were rich in meaning and not superficial. They were real conversations and not something he did to “check off the boxes”

An example of the heart of Jesus was his prayers in the garden before his crucifixion. He honestly cried out to the Father in his pain and grief.

We must pray truth with an honest and sincere heart. God doesn’t want your impressive theological vocabulary, instead he wants to hear your heart. Like the psalmists who often struggled with difficulties and expressed this in their prayers, so God wants us to cry out to him.

Jesus didn’t browse social media to relax, he didn’t watch movies to relax, he didn’t go out to eat to relax, instead he spent time with God the Father in prayer. This is a lesson that we need to learn more than ever. Too many of us are emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained because we have failed to go to the refreshing springs of prayer in our personal life.

The post Conversations With The Father first appeared on The Suko Family.

I’m thankful for the strength of many churches in the US but at the same time I realize that we live in a time of great challenge and opposition to the church. In these times it’s more important than ever to get the vital issues right. You see, opposition doesn’t come out of nowhere, it is often formed over years and even decades of slowly eroding theology and weakening faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

One of Oprah Winfrey’s favorite theologians and author of the book “The Universal Christ”, Father Richard Rohr says:

“I believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is a revelation of the infinite and participatory love of God, not some bloody payment required by God’s offended justice to rectify the problem of sin. Such a story line is way too small and problem-oriented.”

“The theory of substitutionary atonement has inoculated us against the true effects of the Gospel, causing us to largely “thank” Jesus instead of honestly imitating him.”

“I’ve always tried to find a deeper inner connection with the purpose that Christ had here on earth,” Margit says. “All my life, I thought it was just for him to die on the cross for my sins. But I now recognize that Jesus actually taught me Christ consciousness.

I want to talk to you about the cross today because, unfortunately, the cross has quietly crept to the sidelines in many churches. We have ended up with a sort of crossless Christianity. It may have cross symbols but there’s failure to see the real need for the gory details of sin, death and the suffering it causes. A crossless Christianity will often be big on practical needs, personal improvement and social activism, and weak on personal guilt, the holiness of God and the need for repentance. 

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.”

Primarily a crossless Christianity is a Christianity without sacrifice, because, quite frankly, the need is not seen or felt. 

Story of Chernobyl. In order to stop the radiation from continuing to poison the air there had to be sacrifice. No machine could do the job of those firefighters who went out on the roof to shovel off the chunks of radioactive material. Their sacrifice saved the lives of others. 

There are many similarities to the cross of Christ and the Chernobyl nuclear accident. For one we can’t physically see what is doing so much harm. Because this many people try to downplay the dangerous effects. “

1Co 1:18

18  For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

The cross of Christ is considered foolishness by many because they don’t recognize the danger they are in. They fail to see what sin is and how much destruction it is causing. They don’t understand God’s holiness and that he must punish sin in order to remain holy. 

When we talk about the cross, we are speaking about 3 historical facts which have profound theological impact.

3  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

The truth of these events is the basis upon which Christianity is built, upon which our understanding of salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life is found.  

Here are 5 reasons why the cross of Christ is vital.

The cross had a Godward aspect and a manward aspect, however, we don’t often discuss the Godward aspect although it is the primary reason for the cross. 

The idea of sacrifice for sins and protection of God’s holiness can be seen from the earliest Scriptures. When Adam and Eve sinned something had to be done, there had to be a temporary fix in order for them to have some sort of ongoing relationship with the holy God. God provided this temporary fix through the sacrifice of an animal. This animal provided Adam and Eve a covering for their naked bodies. This was a symbol of their sin and the fact that they tried to hide themselves from God. Now they would need to be temporarily hidden from God’s presence until a complete solution could be offered. 

21  And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Adam and Eve were then expelled from the Garden because of their sin they could no longer enjoy an unhindered relationship with a holy God. 

Again when God initiated a relationship with the people of Israel, he put many boundaries and limits upon this relationship in order to protect them and to protect his holiness.

We see these limits very clearly in the building of the tabernacle, a place of worship for God’s people. The entire layout communicates the idea of God’s holiness and the need for there to be limits on who has access to God’s presence. 

33  And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.

2  and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

These key symbols pictured how serious God is about his holiness. The curtain or veil separated the ark of the covenant from the people. They knew that they had no right to enter into the holy presence of God. Even if they had offered the necessary sacrifices, they were not holy enough to be in God’s presence, there was still the defiling presence of sin in their hearts. Only the priest could enter the holy of holies once on the day of atonement once the sacrifice had been offered for the people. 

When Jesus died on the cross we see something significant happen, the veil that protected God’s holiness from man’s uncleanliness and protected man from God’s holiness is ripped apart. 

The veil is torn!

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

Now man can go into the holy of holies, he can once again have fellowship with God because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

The better we understand the power and purity of God’s holiness the more we will value the cross and the more we will be in awe of this great privilege God has given us through faith in Jesus to enter into the holy of holies without harm to ourselves. 

Nearly all religions will have some way for man to cleanse himself from impurity or sins. 

All of these washing must be repeated, they are temporary, and they all must be done by the individual himself. 

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

Christ’s death on the cross gives us the only true and permanent solution to our impurity. In this Christianity is unique among the religions of the world. Christ provides a way for us to be cleansed from our sins that is permanent and that is outside of ourselves. No one can wash their own sins away because they are impure themselves. Imagine trying to clean a dirty rag using nothing but the dirty rag itself. You can’t do it, you need something else to come and remove the dirt from it. You need something clean to effectively remove impurities from something uncleant. This is what Jesus did for us. 

15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

God protected his holiness by giving man the opportunity to cleanse himself from sin, not temporarily through the sacrifice of an animal, through the repetition of a prayer, or through any other act that you or I can do. God provides us with a forgiveness that is full and complete, that forgives past, present and future sins. A forgiveness that is found by faith in Christ and remains with us for eternity. 

To forgive is one thing but God did much more than that with the cross. The cross not only makes us innocent but it also makes us righteous in God’s eyes. God’s holiness is not just about avoiding sin, it’s not just about refraining to do something you know you shouldn’t do. No, God’s righteousness is far greater than that. 

Illustration of marriage: In order to understand why innocence isn’t enough for God we can think of it in terms of marriage. Imagine a young man and a young woman are dating. The woman turns to the young man and asks him. “Do you love me?” he responds by saying, “Well I don’t hate you, I have no ill feelings toward you, I’ve never done anything to harm you.” You can imagine the response of the poor girl, “but do you love me!?” she would say. Then she would probably tell him, “It’s not enough to simply refrain from hating me or doing harm to me, if you want me to marry you and you want to live together, then you must love me!”

For God to be with us, for him to really live with us and in us, he needs more than us refraining from sin, he needs more than a lack of impurity, he needs us to be righteous because he is righteous, he needs us to be righteous on a heart level. 

Thankfully the cross makes provision for the kind of righteousness God wants from us. 

21  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

If you shave a dog and dress him like a man, put shoes on his back legs, make him stand upright and put eyeglasses on, he’ll still just bark like a dog because he’s got dog on the inside. 

If you dress up man in all kinds of rules, laws, principles, and religious traditions, he may look very holy to you, he may impress some people who have never seen him at 6 AM just after he rolled out of bed but he still has sinful man on the inside, you can’t change that, keeping those laws can’t change that, he can’t change that, no one can change that except for Christ! 

No one ever became righteous through the law, it’s impossible.

21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus had to adhere to the whole law of God because the redemption He brought was not accomplished solely by His death on the cross. God did not send Jesus to earth on Good Friday so He could go straight to the cross. Jesus not only had to die for our sins, but also had to live for our righteousness. If Jesus had only died for our sins, His sacrifice would have removed all of our guilt, but that would have left us merely sinless in the sight of God, not righteous.

Unfortunately many people today spend their entire lives searching for true love, they look for someone who will accept their love, they look for someone who will return their love, they look for someone who will remain faithful to them. How sad it is that many never find this love! And yet this love is there for everyone, it’s nearer than many people know. The deepest and truest love is found in Jesus, it’s found on the cross, it’s found in his sacrifice for me and for you! 

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The cross is an invitation to accept God’s offer of love. His love is broad and it is extended to all who respond in faith. Yet, his love is exclusive, he doesn’t give it out where it is not accepted, where it is not believed. 

We must also note that God’s love is an initiating love, it’s the love that starts the relationship. God didn’t respond to our love for him but rather we respond to God’s love for us. 

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God initiated love toward you and me by sending his only son to die. This is the greatest sacrifice ever. No one else could make this sacrifice except for God the Father. His love found action in Christ’s sacrifice. His love is true love because it didn’t stop when the going got tough. His love is true love because it is not dependent upon our emotions, or even upon our obedience. His love is true love because it is eternal and sacrificial. 

24  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

We live in a consumer society. Brands make us offers, they promise us health, happiness, better experiences, better taste, more fun, etc… We live our whole lives as consumers, choosing the products that give us the best results for our money. We then put down the cash, make our purchase and wait to see if this new product will live up to our expectations! 

Some approach the cross in the same manner, they want to try it on in the fitting rooms before they will really believe. They want to see what it will do for them. They want to know if it’s worth their investment. They don’t see the cross as a life to live but rather at a slight improvement to their already somewhat decent life. They’ll start going to church, and doing some Christian things if it means their life will become more comfortable. However, if things don’t work out they can always return it and get their money back. 

If we simply take the cross for our own benefit and move on with our life waiting for the benefits of the cross to kick in then we have lost the meaning of the cross entirely. 

This is called “cheap grace”. 

Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance; it is baptism without the discipline of community; it is the Lord’s Supper without confession of sin; it is absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without the living, incarnate Jesus Christ. Costly grace is the hidden treasure in the field, for the sake of which people go and sell with joy everything they have.[5] [31]It is the costly pearl, for whose price the merchant sells all that he has;[6] it is Christ’s sovereignty, for the sake of which you tear out an eye if it causes you to stumble.[7] It is the call of Jesus Christ which causes a disciple to leave his nets and follow him.[8] Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which has to be asked for, the door at which one has to knock.[9] It is costly, because it calls to discipleship; it is grace, because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly, because it costs people their lives; it is grace, because it thereby makes them live. It is costly, because it condemns sin; it is grace, because it justifies the sinner. Above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God, because it costs God the life of God’s Son—“you were bought with a price”[10]—and because nothing can be cheap to us which is costly to God. Above all, it is grace because the life of God’s Son was not too costly for God to give in order to make us live. 

Jesus was careful to present the cross not only as a means for salvation but also as an example and way of life to be followed. 

When we don’t understand the value of the cross we end up with cheap grace

The post Why The Cross? first appeared on The Suko Family.

America is in an identity crisis. People are searching for their identity and going to all kinds of drastic measures to change their identity in the desperate hope that with a new identity they will finally overcome their feelings of depression, anger, frustration, and lack of self-worth. 

You can simply look at some of the best selling books to find evidence for this. Last year the book “Untamed” was published by Glennon Doyle and has remained in the top 5 on the New York Times best seller list for 68 weeks straight. The book is a memoir that describes how she, a discontent wife and mother of 3, in her late 30’s suddenly falls for a women, realizes she’s lesbian, divorces her husband and starts a new life with a new identity. The tagline of the book says “This is how you find yourself.” 

Unfortunately, her story represents millions of Americans.

But what do we see when we go back to the founding fathers of the United States? Where did they find an identity for a new nation. We discover that there was no question in their minds about the identity of the United States because they based that identity upon a strong and unwavering faith in God.

John Adams the 2nd president of the US speaks about this foundation of faith in a letter to Thomas Jefferson

“The general Principles, on which the Fathers Achieved Independence, were the only Principles in which, that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their Address, or by me in my Answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities Sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence.

Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God: and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System.”

Sadly, those “immutable” principles of Christianity and the existence and attributes of God are quickly fading today in the USA. What many don’t realize is that when belief in the truth of God’s identity is lost, we also lose our own identity. Personal identity crises will always follow a public faith catastrophe. That is to say when the common population rejects God, the individual is left with no means to understand his existence and will resort to all new, strange, and extreme ways to obtain a meaningful identity apart from God. 

Another way we could look at it is like this, all identity crises are really about losing the identity of God, not of self! Find God and you will find yourself! Loose God and you will lose yourself! This is why God begins his very first written words to his chosen people with: 

Exodus 20:2-3 (NIV) 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

God was creating a new people and their identity would be the foundation for their nation. God knew that if their identity was not grounded in the nature of God himself then it would sooner or later veer off track. God’s very first words were words that clearly, uniquely, and undisputedly identified himself as God and God alone! 

If you don’t get anything else out of this sermon I want you to understand and to do one thing. Stop searching for your identity, stop looking for that elusive change you think you need to make in order to fulfill your desires and longings. Stop going to extremes to change your body, your lifestyle, you dress, or your home, or something else in search of identity. None of these things will ever bring you fulfillment and lasting identity. Stop searching for your identity and start searching for God because when you find him you will find your true identity. 

What happens when a nation or group of people lose the truth of who God is? 

[2Ki 17:15 NIV] 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

It is no surprise that those who are seeking an identity in themselves and for themselves struggle with self worth. Millions in the US struggle with feelings of worthlessness. Without the infinite value of God they are forced to dig within themselves to find value. They will find all kinds of things within themselves if they go looking for it but they will never find the infinite value of an everlasting, everloving, and everable God.

Paul describes what it looks like when people turn from the truth of God’s identity and instead pursue their own passions.

Romans 1:21-28 (NIV) 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Always at the forefront of the loss of identity is sexual deviance and confusion. Why? Because your sex/gender is a core aspect of your unchangeable God given identity. Furthermore procreation, marriage and family are also divinely ordered elements of our society and a Biblical part of our God given identity. To live according to my god given gender, the nature that God gave me is to acknowledge that someone or something else has sovereignty in my life, because I didn’t choose the gender I was born with and I can’t change the gender I was born with. 

The existence of family itself is a testimony to God’s order, God’s plan, and God’s control of our lives. Thus, it is no surprise that when a society rejects the identity of God, rejects the authority of God, and rejects the sovereignty of God they will simultaneously reject the natural gender God has given them and the order he has put within creation. 

Man will go to all means and all methods to become his own creator and then worship himself! 

So how did American culture in particular get to this point of identity crisis? It is vital for the Church to understand where the thinking of the country is today. This identity crisis has in a big way crept into the church. We must identify it’s mistaken claims of truth and counteract them with what the Bible says. This is vital for each of us lest we also are caught up in the futile search for identity. It is vital for parents, in order to give their children a foundation upon which they can build their lives. And finally, it is vital for the gospel. We must understand that any presentation of the gospel must confront these new realities of American popular thinking. Let’s look at three popular American lies that are at the root of this rejection of the truth of God’s identity and his sovereignty in our lives, and that have led to America’s identity crisis.

We moved to Tacoma in 1999 where we found a little apartment across the street from Wright Park. The following summer a group of young people spent the summer months attacking unsuspecting victims after dark and beating them until they were unconscious. On August 19, 2000 they attacked Erik Toews as he walked through Wright Park after dark on his way home from work. They did it just for the fun of it, they beat him beyond recognition with their fists, knees and a croquette club. 8 youths were arrested, including an 11 year old, two 12 year olds and a 13 year old. After the youths were apprehended the news media interviewed one of the mothers and I remember her in tears saying, “My son really has a good heart.” I thought to myself, has she gone crazy? How does she define evil, bad? Do you have to murder two, three, four or more people before you become evil?

That’s an extreme example but the sentiment in our nation is prevailing. We are not bad people doing evil things, but rather we are good people who sometimes make mistakes. Let’s make no mistake, these are not mistakes, they are crimes, sins, and they are evil. They are evil because man is evil!

[Luk 18:18-19 NIV] 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.

When we tell someone he is good no matter how he thinks or behaves then one of two things will happen when he does something that is obviously wrong. 

[Gen 3:11-12 NIV] 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Personal responsibility and admission of personal guilt when it comes to sin is rare these days but we need to return to this vital understanding. Without it we become an unmanageable society of “good” people who do bad things and blame other groups, other races, and other individuals for their personal sin. 

The way out isn’t a comfortable one, it’s one of personal repentance before the cross of Christ. Yes, there is good news here and the good news is that God is good. You can stop relying on your own “goodness” God’s goodness is deeper, wider, higher, and greater than yours. And, yes, you are sinner, but God’s goodness can overcome that sin when you turn to the greatest good which is Jesus’ sacrificial death upon the cross for you and me. 

[Rom 5:8 NIV] 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We need to return in our thinking, and in our practice to the idea of the sinfulness of man. 

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins tells his eager success oriented listeners that they can get anything they want if they follow his simple 5 step formula. 4 out of his 5 steps are about asking others for what you want and the final step is “ASK UNTIL YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!” Wow, that sounds like all my kids when they were 4-5 years old! He then exhorts them, “Belief in failure is a way of poisoning the mind.” says Robbins who divorced his wife of nearly 15 years so that he could pursue his own fulfillment.

The no limits mindset that many young people have today is like heroin for the soul. It convinces people that not only can they do anything but that they have a right to do anything. This destructive mindset leads people down a path of moral compromise justified by the belief that “I can do anything.” Ultimately, the conviction that I can do anything is the natural and logical conclusion when we put ourselves in the place of God.

Ultimately, you can’t do anything, and that’s a good thing!

Remember the young man who thought he was so good? He came to Jesus and ask what other good thing he might do to get into the Kingdom of Heaven?

[Luk 18:26-27 NIV] 26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

You are limited and in need of God’s power 

You have limited time to live

You have limited strength

You have limited knowledge

God knows your limitations and has compassion

[Psa 103:13-17 NIV] 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–

How much better it is to humbly acknowledge the boundaries God has created for us and put our trust in a limitless God. You are finite but God is infinite!

I don’t believe there is a popular philosophy out there today that has caused more pain and destruction in relationships than this one. Nearly every divorce has this theme in it. 

It sounds like this:

“I have to do what’s right for me” 

“I’m not going to put aside my happiness for the sake of another’s happiness” 

“Listen to that little voice from within”

“Do what makes you happy”

These all have the same root, they find the driving, guiding life force from within. This is akin to getting in a car, sitting behind the wheel, stepping on the gas and then taking your hands off the wheel. 

“Let the car guide us, it knows best where it should go.” 

This is ludicrous. We all know that a car must have guidance or it will simply end up in a ditch. Yet, this is how many parents approach child raising, and this is how many adults approach their own lives. They have no guidance system beyond their personal whims and emotional swings. Today they want one thing but tomorrow the same thing no longer satisfies them so they discard it for the next thing. They are following a fluid point and thus they become fluid. They are fluid in their jobs, fluid in their relationship, and fluid in their gender. Isn’t fluid just another way to describe instability, unfaithfulness, and lack of direction?

Our lives demand a point of reference to follow that is unchanging. A point that can’t be moved by emotions, politics, finances, relationships, or sickness. We need a point to follow that is worth following because it offers us something that is of far more valuable than our very lives. We need a point to follow that is outside of ourselves and that will bring ourselves inline with it’s goodness, and grace. We need a point to follow that will give us hope so great that we can confidently follow that point to the grave and beyond.

[Mar 8:34-37 NIV] 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

God offers us true direction in life in Christ and his cross!

We need to return to the foundation that our nation was built upon. 

The post America’s Identity Crisis first appeared on The Suko Family.