Imagine how powerful you would be if you knew only twenty-four hours into the future. Not only could you win the lottery – every time! – but you could also avoid many of life’s painful experiences and even be able to save or destroy lives.  With only a day’s worth of foresight you could change the world as you know it, and rather easily change the course of human history.  The power and influence you could possess, with even just a few hours of foreknowledge, is staggering.

 Worry can be a consuming fire in the heart and life of a person – an out-of-control blaze that leaves destruction and devastation in its path.  Physically, worry can wreak havoc on a person’s body and mind.  Emotionally, worry can induce panic and despair.  Spiritually, worry can severely debilitate one’s faith in God and disconnect them from an intimate fellowship with Him.  Because of this, Jesus said: “… I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt 6:25-26).

 One of the more troubling passages in Scripture for many people is the story of Uzzah and the ark.  In the account, recorded for us in 2 Samuel 6:1-11, the Israelites had just recovered the ark of the covenant from the Philistines.  The ark represented the presence, power, and promises of God, as it contained the divinely autographed stone tablets of the Ten Commandments written with the finger of God.  The ark (also called the ark of God) was regarded as sacred – a symbol of God’s absolute holiness and sovereign glory.  Consequently, God gave the Israelites very specific instructions as to how they should transport the ark, ensuring that no one would touch the ark itself.

 Quitting is neither courageous nor difficult.  It is easy to “throw-in-the-towel” or “coast” in this life (all you have to do is nothing or whatever you naturally want).  It does not take great effort or resolve to give up.  In fact, the easiest life to live is the one that affects and is affected by nothing.  But that is not the life of a true believer in Jesus Christ; that is not the life that is modeled for us in Scripture.  Rather, Christians are called to passionately and patiently endure to the very end: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Heb.10:36; cf. Matt.24:12-13; Gal.6:9; Phil.2:12-13; 1Tim.4:16; 2Tim.2:3). 

 Those who try to acquit God from ever sovereignly causing or allowing any calamity, suffering or pain – on a personal or national level – must modify, if not outright ignore, passages such as Habakkuk chapter one.  For in it, the prophet Habakkuk clearly implicates God as tolerating wickedness and ignoring the suffering of God’s people.  Then, in response to his cries, God answers Habakkuk not by reassuring him but by giving him a further glimpse into the greater suffering that God was about to bring as judgment against Judah: “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.  They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor” (1:6-7).  While Habakkuk did not understand how a just and loving God could allow such suffering, God Himself unapologetically acknowledges His sovereign hand in it.

 America has been rightly called “the Disneyland of the world.”  This is sometimes difficult for us to see because it is the ocean we swim in – the air we breathe.  Compared to most of the world, Americans are immersed in luxury, prosperity, materialism … and debt.  I recently read that worldwide, one billion people do not have safe water to drink; sixteen thousand children die every day from hunger-related illnesses; and almost eighteen million children are orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa.  To be sure, there is poverty, homelessness, and hunger in America.  But compared to other countries in the world – namely, third-world countries – most Americans are blessed far beyond what they realize.

 Repentance is a gift from God.  Not only has God graciously given us the ability to repent, He has also patiently given us the opportunity to repent.  For God is an absolutely and infinitely just God, and as such He has the divine right to punish sinners for any and every sin the very moment they commit that sin (see Ps.103:10, 130:3).  Yet, in His supreme and sovereign grace, God’s love is manifest as He patiently waits for sinners to repent.  The word “repent” literally means “to change one’s mind” and can even be translated “to turn around.”

 One might think that the consequence of a society ignoring, or outright rejecting, God and His Word would result in the people of that society not believing in anything at all.  In many ways, this is simply not true.  Today, we have found that when the truth of God vanishes from society, people do not believe in nothing – they believe in anything or everything!  The late English writer G.K. Chesterton once asserted that a mind with the absence of conviction is like an open sewer – rejecting nothing.  He stated: “When we cease to worship God, we do not worship nothing.  We worship anything.”

 It seems we are hardwired to view suffering as bad.  Scripture, however, gives us many blessings associated with suffering.  While these are certainly easier to write (or read) than they are to experience, we need to a have biblical perspective of suffering.  Here are a dozen reasons to be thankful to God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the sufferings and trials He allows (or causes) us to endure:

 When Bill Gaither, the well-known gospel writer and singer, was asked what he thought was the greatest Christian lyric ever written – not including the songs of Scripture – he did not hesitate to quote the words from F.M. Lehman’s 1917 hymn “The Love of God.”  Bill Gaither added that, in his opinion, no lyrics in all hymnody surpass the third verse of that song.  This great hymn has been sung in many different arrangements, and in countless venues.  It is a song that resonates in the hearts of believers because it masterfully describes the infinite and matchless love of God for His children.

 Last week we began looking at the various ways in which God never changes.  As things seem to be ever-changing around us, it is good to know that God will not – indeed, cannot – change.  These six unchanging truths serve as an anchor to our souls, and a lighthouse for our journeys. 

 Perhaps you have heard the saying, “The only thing constant is change.”  This ancient adage, of Greek philosophy, dates back to the 5th century b.c.  In many ways, the statement is true.  We live in a world that is constantly changing – people change, circumstances change, societies change … even the majestic mountains (which appear so impervious to change) are slowly eroding before our eyes.

 New Year’s is a great time to think about “new” things.  We typically flip-open a new calendar, reminisce about the past year, and make New Year’s resolutions.  In many ways, the promise of a new year is the hope-filled potential of a new and improved start.  Thankfully, with regard to the true believer, the Bible speaks a lot about newness.  As you look to the excitement and challenges of a new year, let me encourage you to meditate on these Scriptural truths regarding God’s blessing of new things:

 Today, in many circles, it seems as though offending someone is viewed as the worst possible thing a person can do.  In fact, to be offended has been lofted to almost virtue status.  Some people are easily and often offended.  It is as if they have an “offense radar” that is always scanning to detect if they are being slighted or if their feelings are being hurt.  They are offended if someone thinks differently than they do, acts in a way that is unbecoming to them, or expresses a view that is contrary to their own.  When this happens, they will quickly seek to silence the person by crying out, “I am offended”  or “That offends me!” (ironically, and hypocritically, with little or no regard for the fact that their views, actions, and speech might be offensive to anyone else).

 There is one word that perfectly describes the right response to the birth of Jesus Christ – the incarnation of God’s Son – and that word is “worship.”  To worship Christ is to adore and revere Him, to praise and glorify Him, and to honor and obey Him.  The worship of Jesus Christ was certainly on display on the very first Christmas, and throughout the birth narratives of Christ:

 From Proverbs 3:5-6, we discover four principles to help us find God’s will by seeking God:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
These are not four steps to “finding God’s will,” but four principles that guide us in our quest to know God personally and to live for Him faithfully.

 Jesus plus nothing equals everything.  Or to put it another way, Jesus Christ is, in and of Himself, infinitely, absolutely, and gloriously supreme in all His divine nature and attributes.  No one on earth is at any time or in any degree equal to or greater than the Son of the living God.  His authority is unmatched.  His power is unsurpassed.  His character is unblemished.  His rule is unrivaled.  His reign is unlimited.   His glory is unparalleled.   Simply stated, if you have Jesus you have everything.

 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a physical example and literal reminder of what happens when something is built without a proper foundation.  The one hundred and seventy-nine-foot-tall bell tower was built in Pisa, Italy and is made of solid marble.  The ground beneath the tower was not solid enough to support the weight of the tower, and it began to sink on one side.  Now the tower leans more than seventeen feet off center.  The walls are straight, but the whole building leans.  The problem is with the foundation – if the foundation was firm and in line; the walls would be in line as well.  Now, even if someone took a huge crane and pulled the walls to plumb again, the problem would return just as soon as the tower was set free from the crane.  Without a solid foundation, the tower would sink and be crooked again.

 Those who try to acquit God from ever sovereignly causing or allowing any calamity, suffering or pain – on a personal or national level – must modify, if not outright ignore, passages such as Habakkuk chapter one.  For in it, the prophet Habakkuk clearly implicates God as tolerating wickedness and allowing the suffering of His people.

 By simple definition, to repent is “to turn from sin and turn to God.”  Both are required for there to be true repentance, and both are required in order for a person to be truly saved (see Acts 2:38; Rom.6:1-2, 6, 15; 2Cor.5:17; 1Jn.3:9).

 On July 8, 1741 (in Enfield, Connecticut) Jonathan Edwards preached his now-famous sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  In this sermon – from Deuteronomy 32:35, “Their foot shall slide in due time” (kjv) – Edwards vividly captured the wrath of God against sin.

 In our culture, inclusivity and tolerance have become the new morality (or religion).  But both of these secular standards are nothing more than façades, an attempt to hide idolatry under the guise of virtue and decency.  For example, those who promote inclusivity often exclude those who do not, and those who scream for tolerance are often intolerant of those who disagree, and those who state emphatically that there is no absolute truth, emphatically believe that is an objective truth.

 Years ago, when I was a teenager (ok, decades ago), I asked one of my sisters for a special Christmas gift.  I was getting ready to go off to college and I wanted a picture to represent one of my favorite verses: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps.42:1).  My sister is an incredible artist and since I cannot draw or write legibly, I asked if she could capture the essence of this verse in a small picture.  Being that it was a Christmas gift, all she said to me was, “We’ll see.”

 There is one book (other than the Bible) that has enriched and improved my prayer life more than any other.  The book is titled “The Valley of Vision” and it is a collection of Puritan prayers.  Where my prayers can tend to be simple and shallow, the prayers in “The Valley of Vision” are Biblically based, doctrinally sound, profoundly deep, and poetically written.

 One essential aspect and duty of the Christian life is prayer.  The importance of prayer simply cannot be overstated.  As John MacArthur wrote, “Prayer is like breathing for Christians.”
Prayer holds a preeminent place in God’s Word.  In Scripture, we are exhorted to pray regularly, humbly, fervently, sincerely, continuously, faithfully, boldly, persistently, expectantly, and reverently.  In the Bible, we find examples of godly men and women praying early in the morning and late at night, formally and informally, short prayers and long prayers, corporately and privately, desperately and devotionally, repentantly and joyfully.  It is clear that prayer is an important part of the Christian life.