Thy “Kingdom” Come

I have always been fascinated with the idea of what Jesus meant when he started out His ministry by saying "Repent for the Kingdom of God/Heaven is near" (Matthew 4:17). My initial thinking in looking at verses like this was that all of the world was God's Kingdom, and that Jesus was just explaining this idea – that the Earth belonged to God (or was God's Kingdom), and we should be mindful of this by repenting of our wrongdoing.

But as I've learned more of God's Word, I see now that my original understanding of 'God's Kingdom' was wrong. And now through a book I am reading ("More of the End Times Made Simple" by Samuel E. Waldron), I am understanding more clearly the concept of God's Kingdom, and the importance of one's end-time's view in applying an understanding of how God's Kingdom works in the real world.

OK, I know I said a mouthful there, so let me break it down this way. First, I will discuss the definition of the 'Kingdom of God'. Then I will take a look at one of Jesus' Parables (The Parable of the Wheat and Tares) that describes the Church in the Gospel Age, after Jesus' first advent. So let's get started:

1. Definition of the Kingdom of God. First, I believe it's widely understood that God's Kingdom is synonymous with God's reign, or a place where God reigns. Where God reigns, God's Kingdom is present. God reigns undisputedly in only one place today, in the unseen heavenly realm. But when God answers prayers, even miraculous prayers, His Kingdom breaks through into our world. A healing is God's Kingdom setting what is broken and putting it the way it is supposed to be – healthy and working properly. God's Kingdom breaking into our world is also shown through a believer's life being transformed from rebellion into obedience. Yet the greatest example of the Kingdom of God breaking into our world, this side of Jesus' return. is when a sinner repents and moves from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, or into the Kingdom of God. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in this new life of a Christian, this person is now a living, breathing part of the Kingdom of God. A moving, serving and talking part of God's Kingdom!
   

   
    

2. Parable of Wheat and Tares. So with this background let's take a look at Jesus' Parable of the Wheat and Tares. It is contained in Matthew 13:24-30, :36-43. And it's one of the few Parables that Jesus provides us with an explanation. So please allow me to draw out a few items from this Parable: This Parable is a description of the Kingdom of God (v. 24). There is sown good seed by Jesus (v.24 and v. 37), which causes grain bearing plants to grow (v. 26). The enemy who sows weeds alongside the plants is Satan (v. 39). And most importantly, the field is not the Church, but the entire world (v. 38). And the grain bearing plants are the elect of Jesus Christ, and the weeds are everyone else in the world (v.38).
   

   Jesus' next two parables in Matthew chapter 13 express the same concept. First the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31-32) and then the Parable of Yeast (Matt. 13:33) come together to speak the same truth – during the Church Age, the Kingdom of God grows. Where the Good News of Jesus Christ is preached, the Kingdom of God grows until the end of the age (v. 41-42). Yet there is also the continuous presence of the "weeds" in the world growing alongside the grain bearing Plants.
   

   
    

   So how does one's end-times/eschatological view effect one's interpretation of these Parables? This is where it gets really interesting. I remember going through a Bible Study course and being taught that the simple Parable of the Mustard Seed, where the tiniest seed grows into a large tree where birds can rest in the branches, is really not so simple. The Pre-Trib view explains that the birds are really a picture of Satan and his false teachers. These birds would attack the work of the Church. Yet this view seems at odds with Ezekiel 17:23, which explains that all of the Gentile nations will be at rest in the branches of the Kingdom of God. Similarly, in the Parable of Yeast, it is not God's Kingdom like yeast that causes the growth of the bread. Instead, the Pre-Trib view holds that the yeast is Satan and his followers, including the false teachers who will one day cause the downfall of the Church.
   

   So how did we get from a fairly straightforward set of Parables that explain that during the Church age, the Kingdom of God will continue expanding, to the opposite view held by those of the Pre-Trib view who believe that the Church of Christ is not expanding and that only Satan's kingdom is expanding? The Pre-Trib explanation that these Parables are describing the Church instead of the entire world is in direct opposition to Jesus' explanation in v. 38, which says "the field is the world". The simple picture portrayed by Jesus in these three Parables is that the Kingdom of God is expanding, and providing blessing to the rest of the nations is too clear to allow such a twisted explanation as provided by those of the Pre-Trib persuasion.
   

   
    

3. What about Post-Millennialism? Yes, and these Parables are also important to the Post-Millennial viewpoint. They view God's Kingdom as continuously growing until it brings in the Millennial 1,000 year golden age. And while there is a clear description of the Kingdom of God expanding during the Church age, it seems that the Post-Millennialists ignore the weeds also growing alongside the grain-bearing Plants. The Plants do not choke out the weeds, as Post-Millennialists believe, with the spread of the Gospel one day consuming the peoples of the Earth.. Instead, the weeds grow just as vigorously as the Plants. It is only the removal of the weeds by Jesus and His angels to judge the non-believers (v.42), which allows the righteous Church of Christ to shine forth (v. 43). And so, the message of these Parables is equally clear in opposing the Post-Millennial view. The only end-times view that correctly describes the growth of both the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan until Judgment Day is the Amillennial view. Therefore, the Parables of the Wheat and Tares, as well as the other two related Parables, support the Amillennial view that the Gospel and the kingdom of darkness will continue growing until Jesus' return.
   

   So that's what is on my heart today. Let me know if I have missed something. May God continue to bless us all with continued growth in our faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Saturday in Stillwater

I am in a happy place today. I spent yesterday in Stillwater with my family, and it was a good day. Peggy and the younger three kids are now into birds. And there was a bird sale / show there yesterday. It was fun seeing the different kinds of birds that are out there. And yes, Elijah bought a parrot. Don't ask me what kind, but he is a good, loving pet owner. And so, we now have three birds which stay in the basement with Olivia and Maggie.

I really enjoy spending time in Stillwater. It's not just because they have such a fun main street where we can shop. It's not just because they have an old-fashioned candy shop (yes, I bought too many jelly-belly jelly beans). And it's not just the small town feel being on the river, with the river boats passing by, and the amazing cliffs. No, it's all of this PLUS it having wonderful book stores. I spent some time in the amazing Loome Theological Bookstore, which is a converted church. I picked up a couple of interesting books – a book on the Protestant Reformation written by a Catholic scholar. And a second book on Logic and Religion. This one has already presented me with some interesting insights which I hope to share on the Blog in weeks to come. But I am glad this store in still in business and hasn't changed its unique character, of selling older Catholic/Lutheran books that cannot be found anywhere else.

Oh yes, this is also a good day because the Gophers opened their new on-campus stadium with a victory. And it's opening weekend in NFL Football. I am once again playing Fantasy Football, and I went the homer-route: I picked Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, and Visanthe Shancoe. So I am very excited about this year's football season, and I am especially excited to see what the Vikings will do this year.

Yes, I have a new Vikings jersey (Adrian Peterson's 28). I also bought a Brett Favre print, with him holding up his purple Number 4 jersey (it's beautiful). So finally, I hope this day finds you also in a good place. Take care. /s/Tom

Design: The Brain versus a Grove of Trees

A smart man once said a foolish thing – that if he saw a grove of 35 mango trees all in rows, he would conclude that this was more likely a product of design than even the human brain. I have recently read TIME magazine's special issue on the brain, and so I wanted to write about why the brain is clearly shown to be a product of intelligent design, or more specifically designed by the Christian God.

 

Is the brain really amazing? One writer puts it this way - One-quadrillion "connections" (synapses) between the one-hundred-billion cells (neurons) of an brain. The brain's one hundred billion neurons match the number of stars in the Milky Way, and the number of connections active in the brain's functioning verge on the number of stars in the entire known universe. To fill the capacity of all those synapses, a person would have to learn a one-billion volume encyclopedia (a million "letters" per encyclopedia). That's enough to fill a bookshelf 10,000 miles long. In contrast, the Library of Congress (The largest library in the world) only has 17 million volumes. The brain is the most complex structure in the known universe, far surpassing, by many orders of magnitude, the most advanced supercomputers. One human brain generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all of the world's telephones put together. This is all done with the power equivalent of a single flashlight, 12 Watts. All of our senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, feeling) are transformed to electrical impulses which are sent to general regions of synapses in the brain where we, after complex transformations, finally become conscious of it. To accomplish all this thinking, the brain uses 20 to 25% of the body's oxygen and 20% of its sugar, even though it is only 2% (2.8 pounds) of the body's weight.

 

But this really only scratches the surface of the uniquely special nature of the 'brain'. Here's a few more things that show the brain's special position in the universe:

1. Energy Consumption. The only way the brain can work if it is supplied with energy. So what came first, the chicken or the egg (or in this case the brain or the energy source/connection)? How does Darwinism explain this?
   
2. Motherboard. The brain is the motherboard of all of the other systems in the human body, including the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the central nervous system, seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, smelling all of which only work when tied into the brain. And they all work simultaneously;
   
3. Incredibly Efficient. Despite weighing only 3 pounds, the brain can store multiples of all of the books contained in the Library of Congress;
   
4. Incredibly Fast System. Each of the some 300 trillion cells in every human body, the words of life churn almost flawlessly through our flesh and nervous system at a speed that utterly dwarfs the data rates of all the world's supercomputers. For example, just to assemble some 500 amino-acid units into each of the trillions of complex hemoglobin molecules that transfer oxygen from the lungs to bodily tissues takes a total of some 250 peta operations per second. (The word "peta" refers to the number ten to the 15th power — so this tiny process requires 250x1015 operations. – this all obviously from another writer.) Something faster than what the greatest computer geeks in the world can design and create? Does this sound like something designed through a random process?
   
5. Unique Genes. TIME: 6,000 genes out of a total of 30,000 are expressed in the brain and nowhere else, meaning that our genome is 20% brain;
   
6. And there are many more similar examples than what is provided here from my simple understanding of a non-science geek. But here is the crown jewel of reasons showing that the brain is designed – consciousness. Even the best computer in the world has no idea that it exists. You do. No one knows what creates that ineffable awareness that we're here, although you and I disagree how this took place. Rene Descartes' famous line that "I think, therefore I am", hits it on the head. Our own consciousness is the most indubitable, concrete thing there is. All of the views of the world around us, starts with our own self-awareness, our first person viewpoint. Do you really believe that our brain is nothing more than a collection of electrical impulses?
   

Alright, this is a good point to stop. Mr. Edward Oleander how do you view the brain, the mind, consciousness, and this special 2.8 pound supercomputer? Does anyone else have thoughts on this topic? Otherwise, with the end of summer, and most kids going back to school tomorrow, here's my prayer for our children this school year: Heavenly Father, keep our children safe this next school year. Bless the principals, school leaders, and teachers with a hunger for truth, that will point to and lead our children inexorably to You. Help them to be less concerned about hurting the feelings of those with an untrue understanding of the world, and instead my prayer is that You are glorified through everything that takes place this school year. Help us all to grow in our faith through a more clear understanding of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The ELCA Convention and the Wednesday Tornado

Thank you, Ed for providing the City Pages' article on the ELCA assembly's Wednesday vote in favor of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality, which approved a social statement that, among other things, acknowledges the validity of same-sex relationships that are "chaste, monogamous and lifelong." Here is why I think Pastor John Piper is correct when he says that the Wednesday afternoon tornado was a simple, yet clear message of God's displeasure. And you probably saw the news reports, yesterday they also approved allowing homosexuals in committed relationships (unrepentant) to be Pastors in ELCA Churches.

The ELCA assembly vote on the Social Statement came up on Wednesday, August 19^th at 2:00 p.m. Outside of the Convention Center, beer vendors in tents were selling their libations to the Convention attendees. And across the street of the Center is a liberal Lutheran Church called Central Lutheran Church. This is the Church where the homosexual assembly attendees would gather last week. At this time a "curious" tornado hit downtown Minneapolis. Here is the way one eyewitness described the storm:

This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown.  

The time: 2PM.  

The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran (Church). The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what's left of the steeple in two...and then lifts.   

Central Lutheran Church is a liberal Lutheran Church, and the picture of the Cross that was torn down by the tornado, literally tearing it off of the steeple is mystifying. (See the picture at Pastor John Piper's Blog, entry for August 20, 2009 - http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/). The beer tents were shredded. And the roof of the Convention Center was severely damaged. And the 2:00 p.m. time of the storm was the same as that of the ELCA scheduled vote. The assembly passed the Social Statement by a single vote (two-thirds majority required – the vote was 676 to 338, 66.67%).

And so, Pastor John Piper said this tornado was God's condemnation of the ELCA assembly's approval of the Social Statement. Here is his statement: The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction…

So is Pastor Piper right? Was God sending a message to the ELCA because of its vote? Of course He was. It is nearly too obvious to provide support for, but allow me to connect the dots:

• The storm came out of nowhere. I don't know of any weather forecasters who called for severe storms on Wednesday;
  
• It was raining heavily on Wednesday. Tornados and rain don't go together;
  
• Tornado in a downtown area;
  
• It happened at the same time of the vote;
  
• Central Lutheran Church was also damaged. This Church was the meeting location for the homosexual leaders attending the convention;
  
• The Cross on the steeple of Central Lutheran Church was torn from the steeple;
  
• The tornado hit the Convention Center and the Central Lutheran Church, and then disappeared, as if it was directed to a single target;
  
• The beer seller's tents outside of the Convention Center were also destroyed.
  

And finally, why do I believe the tornado was sent by God? Because God's Word says so. Every calamity's message is the same, we are to repent and turn from sin (Luke 13:1-5).

ELCA Convention Starts Monday (and my prayer)

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the largest Lutheran body in the United States with something near 5 million members. The next closest is the Missouri Synod (LCMS) with about 2.5 million American members. On Monday, August 17, 2009, a national churchwide assembly of ELCA leaders takes place here in town at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Church I belong to is a member of the ELCA, and I fear for what is going to take place this week. Here are a few of the issues they will address:

1. This summer, the ELCA adopted a new hymnal. According to reports, their new worship book contains some very serious theological flaws. The chief concern I have read about is the increasing use of gender neutral language in reference to the Deity.
   
2. The second, and more widely publicized, issue has to do with homosexuality. Basically, there has been a movement to ordain practicing homosexuals and bless homosexual unions. One of the key phrases being used is the idea of having a "bound conscience" (the ELCA website makes reference to Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 - regarding the acceptability of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.)
   
3. The theme of the convention is "God's work. Our hands."
   
4. Recommendation of a Social Policy Statement entitled 'Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.'
   

 

Being at least a second generation (possibly third?) ELCA member, I don't want to see my church go through what the Episcopal church is recently going through including the rapid decline in membership (you remember the name Bishop Eugene Peterson?) And I don't want the ELCA to call into question any issue of sin, nor permitting non-repentant leaders in the pulpit or as Bishops, nor do I want anything done at the ELCA to stain the name of Jesus Christ, the only way of salvation. And so, here is my small prayer for the ELCA convention:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, have mercy on us who are sinners saved only by Your Grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. Bless all those who are attending the ELCA convention, and especially those who will vote with greater discernment of what is Your Will as is taught in Your Holy Word. I also pray for their Wisdom, and as Your Word teaches, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Send Your Holy Spirit and give us all teachable hearts. And if it is Your Will, protect the name of Jesus Christ and Your holiness at this convention. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Will you join me in this prayer, and add your own prayers? Thank you. In Christ, /s/Tom Wolff

 

Discerning Good from Evil

Here is a quick update on my job situation – I am now working at Machtig and Associates, which is a financial planning firm in Bloomington. The people there are great, and I have a nice office. The transition is going smoothly, and my old office is now closed with all of my old stuff removed. Thanks for your help and prayers.

 

Today, I wanted to start a two-part series on a spiritual gift given to some Christians – the gift of discernment of the spirits. Discernment is the ability to test and understand evil spiritual action versus action by God's spirit. Why am I writing about this? I am writing because Jesus thought enough about this subject that His one of His final warnings for those who fear God, was for us to be aware of Satan's most common tactic – the use of false teachers. Here is Jesus' warning: "See that you are not led astray." (Luke 218; Matthew 24:4). And those who would try and lead us astray are false-christs, false prophets and teachers. This means that as the last day approaches there is a growing danger of Satan inspired false teachers who try and destroy a Christian's faith. And here is what is at stake - an ominous warning is contained in Luke 18:8, which asks that when Jesus returns will He find faith? The implication is that a strong, passionate faith will be hard to find at Jesus' return, and so my hope is to help us be better informed of discerning truth from falsehood, protecting our faith, and to also help us know how to handle false teaching when it is near us.

In part 1 of my post, I will write generally about the gift of discernment, how we can help it to grow, and to write briefly about the enemies' tactics. Then in Part 2, I will write about God's voice, and how to have confidence in knowing when we hear God's voice versus Satan's lies and deception, or even knowing the difference between God's voice and our own inner voice. So let's get started!

The Gift of Discernment. 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 provides a partial list of spiritual gifts for those who are sealed by God's Holy Spirit. I count 14 different spiritual gifts provided in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 by the Apostle Paul. But the one I wanted to focus our attention upon is the gift of discernment described in verse 10:

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other… He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. (NLT – 1 Cor. 12:7-10).

So every Christian has at least one spiritual gift, and one of the wonderful God-given gifts is the ability to discern between the Spirit of God and other spirits. Hebrews 5:14 provides some helpful information about this gift: "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." From this we can see that the gift of discernment is only for mature Christians, and that it takes training with "constant practice" And so, discernment means being able to rightly distinguish between good and evil. In the New Testament perfect discernment is shown by Jesus and His battles against Satan and demons; And two verses show discernment in action ("Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…- 1 John 4:1), and ("Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said." - 1 Cor. 14:29.)

The gift of discernment might seem easy to understand and use. But let me suggest a couple of pitfalls that Christians may have in using their discernment. First, Satan is the great deceiver (John 8:44), and he uses others to attack Christians and the Church. This includes his use of false teachers, who may even be inside the Church (2 Cor. 11:15). And so, do not be fooled – everyone can be deceived.

Second, Christians may fall for the great temptation of judging others, instead of exercising "right judgment" (John 7:24). This is a big topic, and Pastor Greg Boyd has written an entire book on it ('Repenting of Religion'). For now, let me suggest that Christians may feel passionate anger against the ungodly and their actions. This is hard to challenge, but as the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 6 that our battle is not against other people. Instead, the real enemy is Satan and the unseen powers of darkness. And so, we may be either sinning or being used by Satan when we attack other people. So be careful!

So how do I reconcile teachings that tell us to love our enemies, and to 'turn the other cheek', with verses that tell us to contend (or argue) for the faith (Jude 3)? I think the difference is to recognize the nature of our opponent. If there is a false teacher, someone who is leading others away from the faith, or someone who is harming others, then Christians should use our sharpest attack against these people. But if the opponent is not a teacher, but is merely an ungodly person, then more restraint is called for. With the ungodly person, Christians should show gentleness and respect – these are the people we are trying to draw to Christ, after all. But to those who are false teachers, or harming others, we can look to King David as a model, who wrote against one of his enemies:

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

     ²     Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

     ³     You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah

     ⁴     You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. (ESV, Psalm 52:1-4)

To end, let me provide a quick summary of my points in this post. Discernment is a God-given gift, given to elders and those who are frequently studying the Bible. Discernment can grow through constant practice, and helps us to recognize the difference between good and evil. And it should be used to help the Church by exposing false teachers and doctrine. While we must be careful that we are not charging about against everyone who has a different opinion than us, we still must follow Jude's instruction to contend for the faith. Like King David we should feel comfortable in calling someone's actions evil, when they are hurting others. But more restraint is needed when a Christian is dealing with an ungodly person, and also our leaders. One final point – 1 Cor. 12:31 tells us we should earnestly desire more spiritual gifts. And with the battles our Church is facing today, we need more Christians crying out to God for discernment (Proverbs 2:3, NKJV). So my take away application is this – will you ask God for more discernment, so that you can help others in recognizing the difference between good and evil? If so, we need more people like you. May the Triune God bless you this week, in Jesus' name, Amen.

How Does a Christian Survive Tough Times?

Hi everyone. I read the news and I see a lot of people having tough times. Although I don't hear a lot of people speaking about how the tough times in America are affecting them. So I thought I would start the ball rolling. Yes, my family and I have been hit pretty hard by the downspin of the economy. But it looks as though I am coming out of some tough financial times. I'm not out of the woods yet by any means. But there is hope. And so, while I am able to catch my breath, I thought I would pass along how I have survived our latest struggle without going crazy. And my hope is that I am able to help others out there by what has worked for me. My hope is that from what I've learned that it may also help others who may be going through tough times. Here are three thoughts that I hope will help you:

 

1. 
   Faith, Faith, Faith, Faith, Faith! As Christians we are given such valuable and powerful resources at our disposal. We are given a direct line of access (through prayer) to the Creator of the universe. Hmmm, could He help us out? Of course! And God hears our prayers – not because we are such wonderful people, but because of our faith that Jesus' sacrifice provides us with an open line to God. Instead of God looking at our sins and mistakes, God looks at us as if we are clothed with Jesus' own righteousness (Romans 13:14, 1 Cor. 15:53-54, Gal. 3:27). Wow! A direct line of contact to the Sovereign over all creation? Who can truly fathom what this means. But let's make better use of it – are you with me?
   

   Next, what are we to have faith in? It's easy for us to trust in things like our brains, experience, our hard work, etc. But isn't it God Who is in control? Isn't it God Who brings blessing and trials in our lives? And so, the starting point for our faith in times of trial is believing that the trial helps us to know God better. And the best way to grow in faith and the knowledge of God's character is by taking in God's Word.
   

   Faith comes from God's Word (Romans 10:17). And if we believe we are saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, and that by our faith and repentance of dead works we have received God's Grace and forgiveness, then we are trusting in God's Word. This is the essence of what a saving faith is – trusting in God's Word and the promises that God's Word contains. So here are two of the foundational promises that Christians are to have faith in:
   

   Those who fear God and repent and are baptized receive God's salvation (Mark 16:16);
   

   Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus has fully paid for any punishment that is owed for any sins we have committed. And by faith and God's Grace we are forgiven by what Jesus has done (Eph. 1:7);
   

   And so, if it is easy for us to accept in faith that Jesus provides us our salvation and forgiveness, why can't we just as easily accept these other promises of God's Word:
   

   Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Tom: these "things" include at least God's provision of food, drink and clothing.)
   

   Romans 8:32-33 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
   

   **Philippians 4:19 - And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
   

   1 Peter 5:7 - casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
   

   Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   

   Lord's Prayer – give us this day our daily bread… (Luther rightly taught that this Petition in the Lord's Prayer was meant to include all of our daily needs including food, clothing and shelter);
   

   Isaiah 41:17-20 - When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
   

        ¹⁸     I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. … that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.
   

   Psalm 69:32-34 - When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.      ³³     For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
   

   As Christians, we will face tribulation (John 16:33). (I bet you didn't expect this one, did you?)
   

   
    

2. Who is God? If we can accept the promises that are listed above that God provides for the needs of those who fear Him, then why is it so hard to trust in these wonderful promises? Why do I struggle so easily to accept these promises when trouble comes knocking at our door? I think there are two reasons for this – first, that because we are so sinful, it is difficult to believe that God will REALLY help us in this battle. But as I read these promises, I understand them as unconditional.
   

   But I think the second reason is what is really at the heart of our lack of trusting in these promises. Maybe I'm the only one, but I have a tough time in seeing God as super-loving towards me. Instead, it is much easier for me to see God as the angry-nun-with a ruler. And this nun is just waiting for me to mess up and give me a whack! But this picture of God could not be farther from the truth. Yes, of course, God wants us to grow in our faith and obedience. But God wants Christians to grow in faithfulness through an understanding of His love, and not through His power and wrath. I base this on Romans 2:4 which says:
   

   Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (see also, Philippians 2:12-13: …work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ^13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.)
   

   And so these verses show that it is God's kindness leads us to remove the dead works in our lives. And God keeps working in us to no longer desire the things that we used to desire when we were ungodly. God does it all, and if we understand with humility the limited role we play in the process, we might be in a better position to see more clearly how God is responsible for helping us and cleaning us up.
   

   So praise God with a Psalm like these two:
   

   Psalm 3:7 - Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! (Tom: I love this picture of a silent Giant God rising to save the day)
   

   Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
   

 

1. This struggle is only temporary. Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
   

   Our final plane ticket is already written, and each day brings us closer to this destination: in heaven with our glorious God. Keep focused on this and it can't help but make the trial seem puny in comparison.
   

And so, here is my quick summary:

God loves me.

God will provide for my family and me.

This is only temporary.

I hope you will take these Bible promises to heart. And so, if you are going through a financial struggle like we are, or if there is something else that is difficult in your life, I understand your pain. But get up, read God's Word, sing a Psalm, and remember that even in tough times, we must be thankful that God thinks we are up to living faithfully through this tribulation. As God Word teaches:

Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit's fire; (1 Thess. 5:16-19).

May God bless you and your loved ones through whatever battle you are facing this week. In Christ, /s/Tom