Trusting, Expecting and Loving

The group of people to whom the book of Thessalonians is addressed to were a remarkable group. Despite pressure from the status quo of that time, they stood out 'like a healed thumb'. They were not 'tide riders' or 'crowd followers'. When Paul shared the word with them he did not use flattery nor power positioning to pull people to his way of thinking. Paul loved them and he gave them the simple truth in so much that how these people acted as a result was widely reported.

9 For they themselves (people who observed) shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols (faith) to serve the living and true God (love); 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven (hope), whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Paul himself said of them:

3 Remembering without ceasing your work (effort) of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 1 Thessalonians 1:3

 The three 'virtues' mentioned here: faith, hope and love, are all active and  are exhibitions of trust. They occur together in several passages. Interestingly enough, faith is usually listed first. Trusting God is what is primary in hoping and in loving (all 'ing' verbs).

Hope, in our culture, is often describes as 'wishful thinking'.  Biblical hope is not wishful thinking.  It is active, visible (Paul saw it in the way the Thessalonians lived) and assured, more like an 'expectation'. When we invite someone over for dinner and they accept our invitation we don't wish they will show up, we expect them to come. We prepare for their visit. We don't sit around fiddling our thumbs; we are busy. We turn away from the idols of this world to enter into an expectant rest which is not passive in any sense of the Word.

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast  the profession of our faith without wavering (hope = active expectation); (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Hebrews 10:22-24

Love is very active and true love reflects God love.  It is productive  and fruitful. Love is a stimulant. It is the right word at the right time with the right truth that explodes and starts a domino effect with everyone it touches and that is why it is the greatest:

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

God loves us!

6 But without faith it is impossible to please (to have thankful joy, for Him to have thankful joy) him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

So often in sermons we are reminded that we didn't earn salvation and I don't disagree with that at all. God, however, would not want us to wallow in our in our plight, rather the emphasis should be on believing who God is and trust in His magnificent ability to love us. That is what faith is. That is what Hebrews 11 is all about!

It is not God who constantly reminds us of our unworthiness. It is not God who pushes fear in our face every time we turn around. He is not the one whispering in your ear "What if?" God is always ready to be there for us, we just have to look in His direction for the answers instead of some place else. We run into trouble when we look to the world for answers or even try to rely on our own introspection for handling things.There are many things we do easily using the brain we have. However, we can be our own worst enemy at times due to blind spots in our thinking.The light of God's word alerts us to those things when we face Him squarely and love Him.

The apostle Paul was by the world's standards back in his time, a very successful man. Then one day he realized he was the wrong side of God. I'm sure when he thought of some of the horrible things he did once he woke up, thoughts of self-hate and condemnation probably tried to grab him back away from God (Check out Romans 7). He had to learn to disown his past mentally and stand up for the freedom and grace he was being offered.

Self-hate and condemnation don't originate with God. They are the tools of the devil. we can become downright monsters if we allow them to dominate our lives. Romans 8 has a lot to say about staying out of their grasp. If you are struggling with those thoughts, slap Hebrews 11:6 on your mirror and remind yourself to trust the God who is real and that He can help you with that problem. An if doubt that read Romans 5:6-8.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

The Wind in Your Sail

Last week as I wiggled my toes in the sand and looked out over the Sound, I envisioned the sailboats that soon would come out of their storage and take up residence among the hollows and crests of lapping waves of this inlet.  The ocean is amazing to me, its beauty, its color reflecting the sky and its wonderful sounds.  The waves are ruffled at the surface, but deep below there is quiet and it is somewhat motionless.

Last summer for my birthday, one of my kids rented a large sailboat to sail over this area around sunset.  We were there vacationing for a week  and everyday the weather had been beautiful. The night before the sail, however, a big storm had blown in and was threatening the next day. It was supposed to last all day. Miraculously 45 minutes before our voyage, we got a call from a member of the crew of the ship that the storm  had blown by and the sail would be even better in the aftermath of the storm and it was!

Watching big sails unfurl and catch the wind reminded me of what life is like when God is the wind in your sail. It is in reading and quiet times with God that we unfurl the canvas and we are energized. As we then act in whatever situation we are involved in we start to notice fruit in our heart, love (not grouchiness), joy (not misery), peace (not anxiety), longsuffering (not impatience), gentleness (not hardness), goodness (not cruelty), faith (not fear), meekness (not arrogance), temperance (not greed) despite what is going on around us. (Galatians 5:22-23)

With God's strength we are able to tackle even the most difficult tasks and projects. When the waves get rough we also have the courage to make those decisions that are necessary to move in the direction of still waters.

In Acts 12 it is recorded that Herod had killed James (one of the apostles) and Peter had been thrown in jail.  There was great pressure all around and yet Peter was able to sleep (verse 6) in this ordeal and God was able to deliver him.  This had all happened right after his meeting with the Cornelius household in one of the most significant events in God's timetable. Waves of life come with crests and hollows.

I think of things that Peter must have remembered like walking on water, the transfiguration, standing up with the eleven on Pentecost, and healing the man at the temple gate.  Unlike the walking on water incident, he did not hesitate to stand in the wake of the spiritual tsunamis that was pounding on Jerusalem. He did not question himself and his standing with God. He set his sail.

We also have access to God through Jesus Christ. God is faithful to His promises. He listens to our heart and His strength becomes our strength as he directs and guides us to safe harbors.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.