hatred and protection

John 17: ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 

 

We have been given the Word, and the world has hated us. That statement has never been more true than it is today, and if you are reading this, then most likely you are defender of that Word. The world wants the Word gone. The Word is truth, the Word is conviction for the world, the Word goes against what we are taught. The world has no use for the Word. All one has to do is look around today and see just how hard they are working to scrub the Word from everyday life. Yet Christ, knowing the hardships that lie ahead, for Him, and for us, did not ask to be removed, He did not ask for His Father to cut this life short. No…..He asked His Father to protect us from the evil one. That is just what He has done, offered His protection. There has never been any promise of an easy life when you choose to follow Christ. I would go as far as to say that if you find yourself at a point where you are not struggling spiritually, then it is not that you have “arrived” it is that you have started to become stagnant.

 

We have been given the Word, we have been trusted to go out and despite the hate, despite the resistance, despite the best laid plans of the devil, we have to share that word. We will be hated, for the world hates change, and we are not of this world. SO fight the fight of faith, know that if you are getting pushed it is because you are moving forward, if you experience resistance, it is because you are not standing still. Remember that we are protected, we are loved, and we have a job to do. The lukewarm Christian will tell you to sit back and let it pass, but I would ask….aren’t we glad Christ did not take that approach?

 

Peace to all and love in faith,

 

 

Brian  Thetford

Complete Joy

John 15:9-11    ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

 

As I read this this morning, I am reminded of the simplicity of Christ. Keep my commands. What were Christ’s commands? Love God, love each other. That simple true message is so often lost in this crazy hectic world. We get so caught up in the flash, the new, the job, and the world….we make this life so much more complicated than it has to….no, not has to, but … than it is supposed to be! Imagine today if you resolve to live a life of love, just for today. Just to try it out. If everything we did was out of love of God, or love of neighbor. Nothing else mattered, nothing else came first. There was only God, and love. We would find that we were living well within Christ’s commandments, and do you have any idea what the result would be? We would truly understand the remainder of this passage. His joy would be in us, and our joy would be complete. Let that resonate for a moment. Our joy would be complete. When is the last time your joy was complete? Has it ever been complete? Think of the feeling of actually being full, mentally, spiritually, complete and utter joy. Happy to be alive, happy to serve God, happy to serve those around you. JOYFUL! No your bills will still be there, the hardships will still be there, the irritating people in your life will still wake up this morning and come looking for you. However, none of that would matter because you would know true joy. The bills will go away, one way or another, they are not forever, the hardships will be seen for what they are, an opportunity for Christ to work in your life, instead of you working so hard to fix what you cannot, and the irritating people, well I can promise, they will not be irritating, because when we approach people with love, even those we would call unlovable become softened.  You see, Christ has had the answer all along, of course, Christ has been the answer all along. Resolve to keep His commands today, just today, one day, give it a try, maybe you make the day, maybe today can turn into a week, a month, a year….think of that a year full of joy! Commands of the world are sure to bring disappointment, but the joy that can only be found, and made complete in Christ, that has the possibility to last an eternity. So today, lead with love, and see where the Lord will take you.

 

Peace to all, and love in faith,

 

Brian  

 

 

Who is leaving whom?

John 16:30-33  Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Listen to the words Jesus spoke, read them again, there will come a time you will leave me alone…….yet I am not alone……..I have said these things so that you may have peace in me.  Jesus is doing far more than telling His followers what is to come for Him. He is giving them a model to live out their lives in the coming days, weeks and years. Has He not told us that the Father is with Him, and those with Christ are also with the Father? He offers us the peace, He offers His followers that day peace in knowing that they will never truly be alone. We all know that feeling don’t we? The feeling of being alone? That crushing, deep thump in the bottom of your stomach. That moment you look around and realize that your world is about to fall apart, and you have no idea how to fix it, or who can help, the situation is hopeless, helpless, and done for. That is the moment Christ was about to face. His mortal world was about to come to an end, in a way that makes most of our darkest hours seem much lighter by comparison. It is in our dark times, in or troubled times, in the times when the world has abandoned us, just as Christ’s disciples are about to abandon Him, we must realize we too are not alone. Christ is with us….and Christ has overcome the world, He has defeated death, He has not left us, even when every other person has ran out, Christ remains. Why is that truth so important to remember? It is tough times for many of us, debt is at an all-time high, work is hard to find, bills are due, the kids need shoes, summer is around the corner, free time will have to be filled, everyone wants something, and you only have so much to give….and I bet if you are honest with yourself, you have looked around and said “I am all alone in this”. That is the lie that the devil wants you to believe, it is the lie that the world will foster and feed you to increase your dependence on it, it is the lie we allow to take hold in our hearts, because we have forgotten the light, in our time of darkness. We are never alone, and if we will rely on the One that has brought us this far, if we will listen to His call, instead of the call of the world, if we will stand with Him, instead of running head long into the brick wall alone, He will show us the way through, or around, or under, He has told us we will have troubles. Christ was never one to bluff, that is not something He was just saying. He knew the troubles that were to come for those that followed Him, and He knew of the troubles you were to face, and are facing at this very moment. He wants you to have peace! Peace in Him! He wants you to walk with Him, and let Him direct your steps, just as He left His Father direct His. No, no matter how dark it might seem, you are not alone, unless you choose to be. You are not lost, unless you choose to be, you are not at the end of your rope, you are simply at the beginning of His. Grab hold, and pull. He will sustain, He will endure, He will fortify you with the strength, and the insight. He never asked to be the co-pilot. Let Him fly the plane. We spend so much of our lives chasing something, Chase Christ, and you will find you are never alone, and He is always within reach. 

Peace to all, and love in faith,

Brian