These are difficult days for all of us. Time marches on and we have no answers to how long this isolation will control our lives. How long are we going to hear daily updates on Covid-19? Will life ever get back to normal? Why is this happening? In the blink of an eye we hear of a deadly disease that is out to get us all. In the blink of an eye many of the stores and most restaurants we enjoyed are closed. In the blink of an eye some of us have lost our jobs. Suddenly a future that seemed bright with promise has turned into a long dark tunnel that seems to never end.
Of course we all fear getting sick or for someone we love to get this virus. Even as believers God does not promise us that we are exempt from sickness and death. These are realities we actually face every day just not as in focus as today. Why? We live in a fallen and imperfect world. Ever since sin entered in to the human race none of us has been totally safe from the dangers that life presents.
Sometimes, most times, we forget that this life is not all that there is for us. We really do have a bright future we just aren’t there yet. When Jesus left his disciples behind He said ” I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there will you be also.”
In spite of sickness and death that surrounds and sometimes becomes part of us, there is still a brighter future in heaven with Him where no sickness and no death will ever occur to us and our loved ones again.
As bad as this plague is for us as believers be aware of the unbelievers. They are fearful for good reason. They have no hope of heaven. In fact death is the doorway to eternal punishment. We need to fervently pray that many hearts will turn to God and repent at this time. Perhaps this is God’s final wake up call to a nation that has in recent years grown cold about spiritual things.
I could go on in that vein a long time but my purpose today is to write about mountains in our lives. We talked about about how reaching up for that handhold –a verse from God’s Word–and placing our faith in trust in Him will help us conquer this mountain of fear and doubt and disease but I thought of something else lately.
Thinking of the 12 disciples—did they go searching for Jesus and ask Him to be a disciple?
No He chose them. Just like He chose us. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Not the other way around.
No Jesus selected His disciples out of hundreds of others. He walked by and said, “Come and follow me,” and they willingly left all they had and their lives to follow Him.
Remember that day when He called you? Come and repent and link your life to mine. “There is a verse that says bound up in the bundle of life—with the LORD God.” We became bound up in that bundle. I Samuel 25:29
The disciples’ life on the day He called them became bound up in the bundle of life with His.
Did they truly understand what they had given up their former lives for? Did they really understand first of all that He was the Messiah that they had looked for? The Gospels seem to teach that some of them did and some of them did not. It took some convincing for some of them to realize fully who Jesus was.
With this realization came indescribable hope. But it would not be what they hoped it to be. You see they thought that when Messiah came He would set up His kingdom and rule and reign. We find the verses in the Gospels that describe how the mother of James and John approached Jesus one day to ask that her sons sit on each side of Jesus when He came into His kingdom. She wasn’t talking about in the after life she meant now in that day and time. The disciples truly believed that they had surrendered their lives to Jesus ultimate victory and importance as they would reign along side of Him and defeat the Roman oppression.
This is why they would not hear of Jesus’ death when He described it. They just did not get it. For the Jews, Messiah was coming to rule and reign on earth, which we know He will, but their timing was off. God often works in mysterious and unexpected ways.
Soon, however, they would get the whole picture and understand that the time was not right for Jesus to set up His kingdom. This was to be a future event. Then the victorious life of ruling and reigning with Messiah at that time were vanquished. Their true calling was revealed to them. It was to suffer persecution and to die for their faith in Him. Amazingly they did not turn back. After realizing their purpose would be one of hardship and trial the message of hope that they carried burned bright in their inner being. They were willing to accept their fate of suffering and ultimate death to tell others of Jesus. To bring others to faith in Christ. To give others hope and spiritual healing.
I heard of a pastor in Africa say, “A convert is one, that when troubles come give up on their faith. A disciple is one who, even though they know that this life of following Messiah will not be a bed of roses, still sticks to the stuff. Are you a convert? Or a disciple? Yes we must have converts. That is the beginning but then we need disciples.
Disciples willing to weather the storm, climb the mountain paths of life, and trust in God no matter the discomfort and hardship. No matter the uncertain and fearful surroundings. No matter Satan’s taunting persecutions.
So while there will be good times, precious times, victorious times, in our walk with God, there will also be mountains placed in our way for us to climb. That mountain rises up and we have no choice but to go over it. Impossible it seems but it is a mountain that God has already conquered and He is just waiting for us to join Him at the top.. He sits there cheering us on with every handhold every step with His Word. No mountain is too hard to conquer when it is one that God has allowed in our life but we must do our part in time spent in the Word and prayer. Confessing our sins and growing closer to Him. Learning to accept His will for our life when it doesn’t look like what we imagined. How does God ultimately view this world–“the harvest ripe. Souls need to be saved, some quite ready to be saved, now before worse days come upon the earth. He gently asks–” Where are the laborers?” Yes, in the midst of this distress He needs laborers that reach out with the message of God. Repent, turn from your wicked ways and be saved from your sins and join your heart to Mine.
Especially, when this plague passes over we need to be prayed up and ready to witness like never before. Hearts will be more tender and ready. Hand out those Bible tracts and speak of Word of salvation to those you meet.
What am I saying exactly? The Christian life will not always be easy. We will have many questions. Why has God allowed sorrows and heartaches in our lives. We may be called to give up everything to follow Him. It won’t be an easy comfortable life. It was never meant to be. But we are called and we are sustained and we are hopeful. He abides in us and works through us and will never leave us or forsake us and there are better days ahead. Perhaps not here on this planet but in His heavenly kingdom will be peace, love, and satisfaction forever and ever. His reward for our temporary sufferings will be great. We just have to believe, hang on, and pull ourselves up towards that summit of the mountain. Just keep your focus on the glories that will be revealed when you reach the top. Just think of His gentle smile just for you and His Words,”Well done, enter now into the joy of your Lord.”
Simplemeditations 