Devotions with Pastor John
Some words for Zion today.
1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Four words for you today....
1.) Faith: Faith, according to the book of Hebrews is, "...the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, it's believing in what you hope is true and will happen; having a strong belief in things that cannot be seen at this time but will be revealed in the future. In other words, it's believing that things are going to work out according to the way you believe.
This virus and all the changes we have had to make, and whatever changes lie ahead, will really test our faith. Because we aren't in control of outcomes. We can only believe that what God tells us about his plans for us are true and will come true.
When it gets overwhelming, remember, God knew this virus was going to happen. And he put you and I in such a time as this because together with him, we can overcome this. We choose today to hold on to our faith that says that Jesus is with us, he is stronger than the virus, he can heal us, he will protect us and our loved ones, he is able to accomplish all things and through him we will have the victory. We believe these things are true and we hold steadfast to our faith.
2.) Hope: Hope has everything to do with anticipation while you wait. You're waiting and wishing and growing anxious for the arrival of the future and what it has for you. Anticipation is really important to human beings. Anticipation heightens the actual experience of the arrival of what is hoped for. Half the fun of going to your favorite restaurant for a special dish that you enjoy is waiting and hoping and eagerly anticipating the arrival of that taste treat supreme. The other half of the fun is taking that first bite and savoring it. When you can have your special dish every day, the special becomes mundane. In a culture that seeks after instant gratification, we have lost the thrill of anticipation, that waiting, that yearning, the emotional buildup for something good.
Our self isolation protocols may give us back our sense of anticipation, our sense of hope. This Easter could be the best ever. Why? Because we will have been living for four weeks of Good Fridays. Because it could be the first time that we are all together to worship and fellowship again. It will be like all of us coming out of the tomb at once and seeing Jesus and each other after a time of separation. It will be like Resurrection Day! And, hey, I'm not naive, if we still can't move around by Easter and gather for worship, don't worry. I was talking with some people last night and we all agree that Easter will happen whenever it is that we are all together again. Easter will be a victory celebration that God has once again saved us, from death, the devil, sin and the dread virus. So let's start hoping, anticipating, planning, our Easter this year. It should be a blow out celebration, that's for sure.
Maybe we should all keep a list by the door of what little Easters we would like to have - things we're hoping for, places we can't wait to go, things we want to do, people we want to see, as soon as this incarceration is over and we rise again, and leave our tombs.
3.) Love. It's the greatest of all these words. It's the greatest concept. God is love. When we love we are like God and that makes heaven come to earth and everything gets better. Three things about love you can think about during this unique time in history:
a.) What we're doing right now, shutting things down, staying out of public spaces, refraining from public worship and so on, this is because of love. We are doing all of this because we love our neighbor more than ourselves and we want our neighbor to stay healthy and not get the virus from us. The world will try to turn this into an act of fear. We are all hunkering down because we're scared of the disease and so we don't leave the house. No! Don't let them win. These sacrifices we are making are because we love our neighbor and if we stay home we won't pass the virus to someone who could get sick. This isn't about fear, this is about love. Fear says, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die." Love considers others as more important than ourselves or our desires or dreams. Love sacrifices for the sake of the other. Our Master, Jesus Christ, showed us how to love. It's about going to the cross for others. We're not voluntarily giving up our liberties because we fear; we do this out of love for our country and our fellow countrymen.
b.) Let's take this time we've been given and contemplate how to love God more. We have all this time and space now to take a fearless moral inventory of our life and consider what needs to be repented of. And we have time and space to do it. We have time to read Scripture, have devotions, pray. Start some new practices that will draw you closer to the God who made you and loves you.
c.) We've got time to figure out and contemplate how we can better love each other. Take time each day to consider who has helped to make you who you are today. Send them a note. Call them. They are probably home. How can you love your wife better? Your husband? Your parents? Your children? Your neighbor? Your friends? Who are your friends? So many things in our life just function on automatic pilot as we ride the white water rapids of modern life. The river is calm now. Things have slowed down. Who do you love and how?
4.) Remain. In the King James it used to be translated, "abide." It's the same word that appears all over the gospel of John. Jesus said it all the time. "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15:4).
To remain means not to move. It means "stay put." We're all remaining these days. We're staying put. So let's stay put in Jesus. Just sit and talk to him. Sit and ponder who he is. Read his word. As you go out for a walk to get some exercise, let Jesus remain in your thoughts. Stay put with him in your heart and mind. He stays put with you.
Jesus is remaining with us during this whole crisis. Don't worry about what you're going to eat or wear or how you're going to pay the rent. Jesus has this. Remain in him. Nothing good happens outside of Jesus. Nothing good can be done without remaining in him. He said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." Where is the strength going to come from in the days and weeks ahead to stay hunkered down? Only from remaining in Jesus. Where is the love going to come from that drives out our fears? Only from remaining in Jesus.
God bless you and keep you. Jesus is with you. Remain in him. He remains in you.
Holdfast, Zion. The hour of your deliverance is coming.