LIVING THE BLESSED HOPE

"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heaven from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. "Gather My saint together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Psalm 50:1-3).

It’s no secret that Jesus is coming soon. The greatest event in all the Bible is the grand reunion between God and His people. In fact, you might say, it’s the pinnacle of prophecy. For one out of every 11 verses in the New Testament speaks of Christ’s glorious return. It’s the promise that has fueled our faith more than any other. To see Jesus with our own eyes! To finally be together with our blessed Savior, for whom we have waited so long! 

And for everyone who's accepted the new covenant, sealed by the blood of Christ, this is the day they yearn for. It colors everything they see with a heavenly glow. “The world loses all attraction to them, for they seek a better country, an eternal world, a life that is to continue through never-ending ages. This is the theme of our thought and conversation. The Word of God becomes exceedingly precious. They discern spiritual things. They rejoice in “the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)” (In Heavenly Places, pg. 95).

But the hope of the 2nd coming is much more than a promise. It’s a life-changing experience right now! Or at least it can be. When the 2nd Coming fills my heart, I “will seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). I will fix my mind on “things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2) because I have died and my life “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Already my heart is in heaven. And by faith I am sitting together with Him in the “heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6). 

That takes a radical shift in my focus. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the hectic pace around here. To run from one appointment to the next. To jam more stuff into my schedule. And if I’m not careful, all my energy can be sapped by what’s happening right now and eclipse my focus of Jesus in the heavenly places. I can lose my center. And heaven’s attractions can get pretty dim if I’m not renewing my mind each day with the Blessed Hope.

But when my focus is looking up instead of down, looking forward instead of back, the blessed hope of Christ’s coming gives me strength for my journey. And I will be with Jesus in the heavenly places! Not just tomorrow (when He comes for me) but right now. Today.

How can I stay with Jesus in the heavenly places and experience the hope of His Second Coming? How can I have this upward focus when my time is so tied up to the here and now? King David knew the answer. He said, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8). That means putting Jesus in the right spot, right before my eyes, no matter where I’m going or what I’m doing. It means remembering He is with me and I can talk to Him as I go through my day—as I’m driving to work or to the store. When my hands are busy, I can praise Him as if I was already on the Sea of Glass up in heaven. 

Setting the Lord always before me means practicing the Lord’s presence. But it also means something more. That’s where the Hebrew comes in. The word we translate as ‘set’ originally is ‘shavah’ and it can mean “to agree with or become like” another. To set the Lord always before me means something is happening to me. I’m becoming like the One I’m focusing on. And focus isn’t just remembering to think about Jesus. It’s agreeing with what He tells me—not merely intellectually, in how I think (though it definitely starts there). But most of all, it’s showing my agreement by how I put God’s Word into practice. It’s hearing and doing. Believing and living. It’s becoming what God longs to see when He comes in the clouds of glory with all the holy angels. 

“Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2,3).

TASTE AND SEE

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

I remember when I was going through the check-out lane at the grocery store when a young bagger asked me, “What is that?” He pointed to a bag of dates that I had just bought in bulk. To him, they looked like beetles! I told him what they were, but it didn’t do any good. He’d never heard of them before.

“What do they taste like?” he asked. Now that was a hard one to answer! They were sweet and creamy, but what did they taste like? At first I thought of raisins; they were another dried fruit. But no—they didn’t taste like that. Dates tasted like…well, like dates. How could I compare them with anything else? I finally decided I just couldn’t describe them. So I took one out and gave it to him, saying, “You just gotta taste it yourself!”

I think it’s like that with Jesus. You can’t really know how good He is until you’ve experienced His love. It’s hard to put into words exactly what He’s like. I could tell you how He’s answered my prayers or how He’s given me peace. I could tell you what my life was like before I ever got to know Him and then tell you what a difference He’s made. Maybe you’d be inspired. Maybe you’d understand what grace is all about. But it’s still not the same as experiencing it for yourself.

God wants us to know first-hand that His love is unstoppable, that He’ll always love us no matter what we do. He wants us to know He’ll be with us through every emergency in life. He’ll comfort us when our children leave home or when we say good-bye to a loved one taken from us in death. He’ll give us strength to say no to every temptation or to keep us going when our life is falling apart. He’ll be there to sustain us and hold our hand, saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

God wants us to know all that and much more. He wants us to know He means what He says. His word is rock-solid. It’s something we can always depend on. When He makes a promise, He aims to keep it. He’s eager to bless us in every possible way. And He wants us to know these things—not just because we’ve read them in a book, but because we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

We know for ourselves that He’s faithful and true, He’s compassionate and merciful, kind and tender. He’s incredibly strong and yet understanding of all our weaknesses. He never gives up on us, no matter how many mistakes we’ve made. He’s such a true Friend and a caring Savior! And as I write these words, my heart is so full of ove for Him that tears are running down my cheek. But I know I’ve not described Him the way He truly is. How can I compare Him to anything else? He is like no one else!

And the only way you can see how good and wonderful He is—is to get to know Him yourself. It’s to test His promises and find they are true. It’s to let Him into your life and discover first-hand just how much He loves you.

“How shall we know for ourselves God’s goodness and His love? The psalmist tells us—not hear and know, read and know, or believe and know but—“Taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8) Instead of relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself. Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now” (God’s Amazing Grace, pg. 252).

It’s especially needed if you want to be intimate with Jesus and to know “what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18,19).

ALL THROUGH THE DAY

“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8)

As my feet touched the ground this morning, I was still groggy with sleep. But I bowed my head in prayer and asked the Lord to be with me through the day. I gave my life to Him and began to praise Him for His goodness. After starting breakfast, I opened up my Bible and feasted on the Psalms before eating breakfast. A hearty breakfast keeps me going all morning long. Will a Quiet Time with Jesus first thing in the morning do the same thing?

Yes and no. Yes, it will bring nourishment to help me grow in the Lord. But it’s not enough to start and end my day with Jesus. I must bring Him with me all through the day. It’s easy to forget the lessons I’ve learned in my morning devotions. Temptations batter me right and left and I’m pulled in so many directions. I need to train my mind to keep the Lord always before me. I need to abide in His presence.

“When the mind dwells on self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Savior and thus prevent union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of this world, life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections—to any or all of these He will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices…

All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Say with the apostle Paul, “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.” (Steps to Christ, pg. 71)

The battle today is over your mind. Where will your thoughts be? Turn them toward the Son to find peace and strength. As you’re driving in the car or your hands are busy, turn off the noise of the radio and open your heart to God. Meditate on His amazing grace and wonderful love. Praise Him for His goodness and claim His promises as you talk to Him in prayer. We can live in the presence of heaven all through the day when we train our minds to go up to Jesus.

I love singing this little song, “Love Him in the morning when you see the sun arising. Love Him in the evening ‘cause He took You through the day. And in the in-between time, when you feel the pressure rising, remember that He loves you and He promises to stay.” Jesus says, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). 

That’s where Jesus will be.  But it’s our choice to decide where we will be. Will we be with Him all day long? Keep the Lord always before you by keeping Him in your thoughts and prayers. Sing of His grace. Sing of His mercy. And have a day filled with Jesus!

GOD IS ABLE

“For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a Rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places” (Psalm 18:31-33).

Do you ever feel that victory is way beyond your reach? When I look at my “track record” on this journey with Jesus, I can easily say I have no chance of winning. I’m stuck where I am and there’s no way out.  But that’s not the voice of Jesus. That’s the lie of the enemy, the accuser of the brethren “who accuses [us] day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10). He points at our shortcomings and the many times we’ve fallen, and he laughs at our faith, saying “Where is your God now?”

I’ve listened to those lies too long! We serve a God who knows no limit. He is the God of the Impossible. He can turn our weakness into unlimited strength, our fears into boldness, and make our way perfect. 

 “It is not the capabilities you now possess, or ever will have, that will give you success. It is that which the Lord can do for you. We need to have far less confidence in what man can do, and far more confidence in what God can do for every believing soul. He longs to have you reach after Him by faith. He longs to have you expect great things from Him” (Christ’s Object Lessons, pg. 146).

The bottom line is—my God is able. I may be weak but He is almighty. I may be faulty but He is faithful. My feet may stumble along the way. But He is able to change them to be more like a deer—surefooted in climbing the steep path and bounding from peak to peak.

We serve a God who knows no failure. If God can make this world by His great power, He can create new life in you and me. He says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh [the God ‘who spoke and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast’]. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27. And when I look up to my All-Powerful God, and turn my life over to Him, the impossible becomes possible. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 Dear Lord, teach me to believe in You more—that You are able and more than willing to help me in every temptation. You are here to comfort me in my sorrows and make my way perfect.  Help me to cooperate with You, the God who knows no failure and the source of all power. Thank you that victory is mine through Your mighty name and by the power of Your Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

UNDER HIS CARE

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul” (vs 1-3).

What a kind Shepherd we serve! We have no need to worry, for He provides all we need. Every day we can follow Him to green pastures and feast on His Word. As He speaks to us each morning, we can literally “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). His word is the link that keeps us close to the Shepherd, so we can hear His voice and follow wherever He goes.

Every day, Jesus leads us to a Quiet Place where we can talk together, one on one. He says, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). Jesus knows the heavy burdens that we bear. He sees how busy we are and what little time we have together. He wants to lift those heavy burdens and bring us heaven’s peace. So He invites us to follow Him, to a lonely spot where we can open our hearts and He can be our refuge.

“Come to Me,” He says, “all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28,29). Drink in My Spirit as you drink at My quiet waters and you will find the rest you’re craving for. 

What do we need to have intimacy with Jesus? It starts with only two things—green pastures and quiet waters. Food for your soul and refreshment in prayer. If we come to the Shepherd each morning for those two things, we’ll thrive under His care. We’ll have exactly what we need to grow and flourish. 

But sometimes, even after a rich feast in the Shepherd’s company, a sheep can still wander away. Sheep are curious animals, and that curiosity can get them in big trouble. It can lead them far away from the Shepherd’s care. Sometimes, they can even get lost. And there are so many enemies out there that would just love to capture a lost or frightened sheep. 

But the kind Shepherd never abandons one of His flock. He drops everything and searches everywhere until he finds the sheep that is lost. He doesn’t stop until He brings the wanderer safely home.

In our Father’s pasture, the kind Shepherd does the same. When I turn my back on Jesus and insist on my own way, He comes looking for me. He knows what danger I’m in, so He pursues me day and night. And when He finds me, He carries me in His loving arms, back to the safety of the fold. He restores me to my rightful place as a sheep in the Savior’s fold. I can rest right at His side, with His loving hand upon me, feeling the warmth of tender care. My Shepherd restores my soul. 

And the Kind Shepherd sings, “Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6). And “when a wanderer is found by the great Shepherd of the sheep, heaven and earth unite in thanksgiving and rejoicing” (Christ’s Object Lessons, pg. 189). Do not be afraid if you've wandered away. You are infinitely precious to the Father of the Pasture! He sings over you when you come home. There is nothing that brings more joy to His heart than to have you back where you belong.

And the Kind Shepherd reassures us today, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). “The Lord your God is in your midst…He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, NRS).

TRUSTING GOD

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

When my children were small, I’d often hear them say, “Me do it!” or “I want to do it myself!” I’d smile when I heard those words because it was a clear sign they were growing up. They were taking a big step forward in being responsible and not being so dependent on me all day long. (Whew! I could breathe again!)

But this sense of autonomy doesn’t operate in a vacuum. We want our children to grow in independence—to learn to make choices and take care of themselves—but we don’t want them to be so independent that they think they’re a law unto themselves. They don’t need anyone’s help anymore. They can control their lives on their own.

But where is God in this picture? Autonomy can really get in the way in our walk with Jesus. It can interfere with following His Word and even knowing how to trust Him. How can I depend on God if I think I can handle things on my own? I may not even want Him around, telling me what to do or how to live my life. 

It can be pretty hard to trust in Jesus when you want to be independent. And trust is the first step in developing intimacy with Christ. To know Him is to trust Him. And trusting Jesus is more than just believing what He says. It’s admitting that I’m not as strong or smart as I thought I was. I can’t make it by myself. I need Him at the center of my life--guiding me, empowering me, and saving me.

Trust is letting go of my independence and letting God lead the way. It’s accepting that I'm His child and I’ll always need my Father to take care of me. So instead of me being in charge, I choose to follow Him. And rather than doing my own thing, I choose His way. I accept His wisdom, not my own understanding. I reach out for His strength to help me walk. And in place of my sinfulness, I receive His righteousness.

So "as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God" (Psalm 31:!4).

TIME OF TROUBLE

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:9,10).

A crisis is coming upon the earth, a time of trouble that has never been seen before (Daniel 12:1). Our faith will be tested to the utmost as the last scenes of the Great Controversy between good and evil are played out. Revelation 13 pictures the crisis over allegiance to God. Will we worship the beast and its image even when a death penalty is pronounced? Or will we worship the Lord and keep His commandments regardless of what others may do?

How can I be rock-solid then if I'm quaking when trouble comes my way? To be faithful tomorrow, I must be faithful today. To trust in God when days are dark, I must learn to lean on Him now. As Hosea says, "It is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness on You" (Hosea 10:4, NRS).

But do I really know the Lord? Do I know His name? Am I calling on Him in prayer and claiming His precious promises? We must take time to lean on God's power. For "a season of distress  and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay and hunger--a faith that will not faint though severely tried" (The Great Controversy, pg. 621). And "those who exercise but little faith now are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience" (ibid, pg. 622).

As I face my troubles today, I know that God is preparing me for the Time of Trouble. I need stronger faith muscles  to stand in that day so I won't flinch or surrender my conscience. I must not compromise principle in the smaller tests now, so I can have victory in the name of Jesus.

He will be our refuge in trouble if we take the time to seek Him today. Spending time in God's Word will strengthen our faith and make it rock-solid. If we're spending time with Jesus, we won't be swept away at the first sign of trouble. We'll stand our ground and trust in our Savior's care. His strength will be ours. 

But unshakable faith isn't built overnight. It's only forged a little at a time. So every moment I spend with Jesus is forging greater faith. For "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). That's where it all begins. But I also need an experience of faith for my faith to grow. When I'm battered with the storms of life or everything around me is shaken to its core, my faith is going to be tested. And it's those testing times that give me opportunity to use my faith. (Faith strengthens as it's tested and it's often tested in the fire--when trials and trouble come our way). 

But if I make time to know the Lord, my faith won't disintegrate in the fire. It will only make me stronger because I'm not depending on myself to get through it. I'm turning to Jesus and leaning on His strength. I'm holding onto the power of His Word. And that power is actually the presence of God Himself! He is found in His Word. His Word is who He is. 

So that's how I know His name. I know it by listening to Jesus and  by experiencing who He is. He is Faithful and True. He is my Rock, my fortress and my Deliverer. Not merely because I've read it in the Bible but also because God has been there for me. Every single time. He's the only way I've made it through the fire.  My times of trouble have shown me that God is always there--He's faithful and true. He keeps His promises and He never leaves me to fight my battles alone. And even if no one steps up to protect me, God is on my side. And His presence gives me strength to move on and keep going. I know He'll never let me down. 

"I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).