Manna in the Morning

Once again we turn to Paul’s letter to the Romans chapter 12 verses 9-13 for what William Barclay calls “the Christian Life in Everyday Action.” It is a very appropriate title for this inspiring section of Scripture because it touches so much of what we face each and everyday. The last exhortation in verse twelve is to be “patient in affliction.” Another translation suggests that we “meet tribulation with triumphant fortitude.” I like that. Encountering troubles and trials is not a matter of “if” but “when.” The way of our journey is not always easy... sometimes there are bumps in the road. The day of our travel is not always sunny... sometimes the storms come. The path that we take in following Jesus is often met with adversity. When trials come we have a choice. We can either be beaten and discouraged or we can face the trial with a sense of victory because of our triumphant faith in Christ. Jesus once said, “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) Everything may not go the way we want it to today but with faith in God it can go His way! Today is Friday... that means Sunday’s coming. Be in church with the gathered body of Christ on the Lord’s Day and celebrate the victories that He has won for us!

One of the great yearnings of many in our world is to have peace...peace of mind...peace with others...peace with God. Isaiah wrote, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust in the Lord forever for in the Lord is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) Dwight L. Moody has said that “as long as our mind is stayed on our dear selves, we will never have peace. Some people think more of themselves than of all the rest of the world. It is self in the morning, self at noon, and self at night. It is self when they wake up, and self when they go to bed. They are all the time looking at themselves and thinking about themselves, instead of “looking unto Jesus.” Faith is more of an outward look. Faith does not look within; as much as it looks without. It is not what I think, or what I feel, or what I have done, but it is what Jesus Christ is and has done, that is the important thing for us to dwell upon.” And, when we do, we will have peace...a peace that passes all understanding.

One of the enemies of faith is undo criticism. From time to time we are all victims of the harshness of another’s attack. We should remember that God’s opinion is in the final analysis the only one that really matters. We should also remember that when we are criticized we are in fairly good company. It’s been reported that when the famous preacher Henry Ward Beecher preached in Brooklyn, New York, he carried a handful of flowers into the pulpit and placed them in a vase on the stand from which he spoke. The next day, the local newspaper carried lengthy articles condemning Beecher for desecrating the pulpit with flowers. When Samuel Morse was trying to get money from Congress for a telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington, he had to endure criticism from the press for 11 years. When Cyrus Field was trying to lay the first transatlantic cable, the newspapers denounced him as “a mad freak of stubborn ignorance.” Jesus also endured criticism from the religious sector of His day when He healed the sick on the Sabbath or when He rightly claimed to be the Son of God. So you see, we are in great company.

How strong is your faith? I know that is a personal question but it is one that we need to ask ourselves from time to time. There was a time when Jesus was in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his twelve disciples and a furious storm came up. The disciples feared for their lives even though the creator of the sea itself was resting peacefully in the boat. They out of fear for their safety woke Jesus up with “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” The first thing Jesus did before he settled the storm was to rebuke them for their small faith, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:23-27). So, faith can be small or great...it can be deep or shallow. It can be strong or weak. How is your faith? Katherine Workman wrote, “Faith is not a hothouse plant that must be shielded from wind and rain, so delicate that it has to be protected, but is like the sturdy oak which becomes stronger with every wind that blows upon it. An easy time weakens faith, while strong trials strengthen it.” I pray that your faith is strong enough to weather any storm and face any trial!

Do you remember Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego? The three Hebrew young men who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Because of their defiance to idolatry they were sentenced to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Listen to their statement of faith, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Now that’s what I call a resolution! To resolve to be faithful to God...no matter what. No room for fair-weather Christians here! The faithful resolve of these three Hebrew young men should inspire us for this day. We always need to remember: Our God is able!