Hebrews 10:32-34

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

1) These early believers remained faithful in spite of terrible suffering (vs. 32).
2) They were exposed to public ridicule (vs. 33).
3) They were persecuted (vs. 33).
4) They helped others who suffered the same way (vs. 33).
5) They showed sympathy to those thrown in jail (vs. 34).
6) They lost all that they had (vs. 34).

And here’s the kicker . . .

7) They accepted it with joy (vs. 34).

“People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:14-16a). 

Could we have faith like that in today’s world? Sure, we could.

Give it some thought.

Gary

God’s character

God is good.  God is faithful.

God knows what is best.  He is quick to forgive.

He will never leave me.  His mercy endures forever.

He makes no mistakes.  God has a purpose.

He is working out His plan for me.  God still loves me.

The Holy Spirit indwells me.  Jesus is alive today.

He will return someday.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

My faithfulness has been subject to change, but God’s faithfulness endures forever.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Timothy 2:13

if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Jeremiah 12:1

Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

Why is Jeremiah questioning God? In his limited view of things, it seems that the wicked are going unpunished and having their way with his people. They seem to be so happy in their evil pursuits.

If God was into our modern clichés, He would have said to Jeremiah, “Don’t be distressed because it is not over till the fat lady sings.”

Matthew 12:36

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Let it go and don’t get angry at the news. God knows what He is doing and He gets the last laugh.

Psalm 2:4

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

Psalm 37:13

The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that His day is coming.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Shortly before his death Mark Twain wrote, “A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle; they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; …those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. It (the release) comes at last–the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them–and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence…a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.”

Sad statement, but so true for so many. If it is all about this life, there is certainly enough disappointment to lead to this conclusion. However, in Christ we have a much different perspective.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

 Give it some thought.

Gary

“Let it never be forgotten that, although we may do nothing about the Word we hear, the Word will do something to us.
The same sun melts ice and hardens clay, and the Word of God humbles or hardens the human heart.”
― Vance Havner, 

Vance hit the nail right on the head. That is exactly what the Scriptures teach about the power of the Word of God.

Romans 1:16 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Be careful handling the Word because it is certainly capable of handling you.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Are you a gambler? How much are you willing to lose in the game of life? Let me tell you about the nation of Judah that gambled everything and lost.

Jeremiah 5:17

And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread,
Which your sons and daughters should eat.
They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
They shall destroy your fortified cities,
In which you trust, with the sword.

These soldiers would devour and demolish everything that the Judahites owned and trusted in for security. They made a tremendous miscalculation by not placing their security in God.

How are you standing in relation to God, Kenny?

Give it some thought.

Gary

“This World is Not My Home” dates back to 1924 when it was first recorded. It is a song about a better world coming for the Christian. All past homes have lost their glow and the future home takes on a new prospective. 

This world is not my home.  I’m just a passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore. 

O Lord, I know, I have no friend like you.
If heaven’s not my home, O Lord, what can I do?
The angel’s beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Hebrews 11:13-16

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.

Give it some thought. It’ll be great to be home.

Gary