New Article: Strength for our Struggles

When going through challenging times, people often receive one of two pieces of advice: “Try harder,” or “Quit!” Unfortunately, most of the time, those answers are unrealistic, unhelpful or both. So, what should we do when we do not know what to do? Colossians 1 gives us some good advice.

The chapter begins with Paul mentioning two qualities that indicate his readers are on the right track: they have faith in God, and they love one another (Colossians 1:3-4). You may remember that someone asked Jesus what the greatest command of God was, and he replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Success starts here, but how do we get to that point? The next verse gives us a surprising answer.

“[This] faith and love spring up from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (verse 5). Hope is the key that unlocks every other blessing! Therefore, we must guard our hope! Stop looking at the bad and start seeing the good. Stop imagining the worst outcome you can think of and start believing that if God is at work, anything can happen. Negativity poisons our faith and kills God’s spirit within us!

Next, Paul says that hope comes from “the word of truth, the gospel” and by understanding “God’s grace” (verse 6). We have hope, not because we are good, but because God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8).

Too often, when we find ourselves struggling, we try to solve things on our own. Instead, we ought to begin by focusing on God’s grace and love. That will fill every situation with hope, and that hope will inspire faith in God and love for others.

We get better answers when we start in the right place.

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for. Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task. In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut. It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why. Ben became stuck on the glacier. He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below. That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice. He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety. Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....

Consider This: Press The Button!

Consider This: Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy. I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart. These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult. However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success. He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer. Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act. You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer. If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it. Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog