What We Should Expect

What We Should Expect

by David Brennean

Endings and Beginnings

He whe sits on the throne said, "Beheld, l am making all things new." REVELATION 21:5

    With God, there is never a finale. The end of one thing marks the beginning of something new. For example, the completion of every day is immediately replaced by the inauguration of the next. We cease from labor to rest. For the believer, the condusion of life on earth is the start of life in heaven with our Lord.

    So as Christians, our life has no real finality--just endings and beginnings that mark our journey. After all, we are going to live eternally, so there's never a consummation without a commencement that follows. Opportunities may come to their conclusion, but they always give way to fresh ones. And we really don't have to worry about tomorrow because Christ, who is our life, will walk with us all the way, making all things new, Do we really need more?

    Many people drag their yesterdays into their todays--only to mar their beauty and miss the possibilities they hold. Didn't God give us night to separate one day from another? So leave yesterday where it belongs and make the most of the life the Lord has given you right now. He will certainly do something new right when you need it. 

Jesus, thank You that when things come to an end it's because You have a new beginning in mind. Amen.

-Trusting God with Today - Dr. Charles Stanley.

"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." Matthew 6:15.

"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”  Mark 11:25-26

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Galatians 6:1.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:23-25.

Encouragement does seem to have it's best roots in the soil of forgiveness.  Letting go of the past rather than visiting it more than the day we are in is critical to walking into the future and not wasting the gift that today is for us in the Lord.

We may not all get the most Godly of counsel in what we ought to do or even get any at all in the way of encouragement.  Most days the encouragement I receive comes only from my Wife and family.  I really don't see anyone most of the week these days for sure.

These times when we're made to lie down beside still waters...is often the time to reflect. 

What has happened what is happening and what's coming.  Jesus has always been in our tomorrows before our tomorrows knew they were being created.

We do need to end things in our lives that aren't growing us in Christ.  We do need to begin on the right foot in walking with Jesus.  Our understanding is going to be severely challenged.  We are going to face things that make no sense...and face things that we only THINK we believe makes sense.

We have to be careful of what counsel we receive.  There's several Old Testament examples of what happens when you don't receive Godly counsel.  There's many many examples of what happens when no counsel is sought at all.  There's many more examples of what happens when the selfish life takes over and the utter disaster it turns into.

We're to encourage one another and all the more as we see the day drawing near.  The day in question is the return of Jesus Christ for His Bride the Church.  

Most of my life people have never understood me primarily that they took everything about me based on an erronous assumption on what they saw or were told by others.  I can be a very odd form of introvert.  I can also under the right circumstances be a odd form of extrovert.   I can be many things depending on the circumstances.  I can be loyal to a fault.  I can get so wrapped around the axel on solving a problem that I lose sleep over it.  These are just some of my quirks that are me.  This blog was, I believe, what Jesus was showing me way back in the 1980's before I was stupid and got ahead of Him.  He's meeting with me every morning for many years to write whatever it is I've been lead to write.  This last January I was lead to increase my time in God's Word.  I had never learned what it mant to study before and now that's a chunk of my evening time.  I started out with reading the same chapters in two versions of the Bibles that I have and all their study notes.  I thought that was groundbreaking for me.  A month into it and the Spirit said it wasn't enough.  Add more.  I ended up with 4 study Bibles and 6 devotionals.  That's my daily intake each evening.  Haven't missed a day.  It's certainly been a learning time.  I'm learning how to study for sure.  The Bible says: "Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you".  If you're not IN the Word of God how can you say that?

I might not be able to recall chapter and verse but when the moment arises the Spirit brings to mind what is hidden in there somewhere.  

We should expect life to get dicey, to have troubles, when we are intent on being in the Word of God.

For starters our sin nature hates it.  Secondly the god of this world is dead set against people reading it.

He will even try to craft your life in such a way that you feel so good about it that you forget to spend time with Jesus in your Bible and in prayer.   Such are the schemes of the devil.

God's not done with you no matter what your life looks like right now.  The devotional that I quoted was really good news to my heart and mind of late.  As long as people are breathing there's hope.  

With regards to things that happend to Charlie Kirk...God's GOING to use this for His good and glory.

Lives in Christ are never in vain at the time of departure from this world.  Our lives are not in vain if we're setting our minds on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world.  Our lives are to be lived in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

We are to live our lives in such a way that we are known to be doers of the Word and not just hearer's only who delude ourselves.  We are to forgive as Christ forgave us.  We are to pray for those who persecute us.  Regardless of how heinous the crime.  It does not matter.  Jesus died for every single foul person who ever lived.  The Hitlers, the Stalins, the Nebuchadnezzars, the Judas's, the modern day people as well who appear to be the most evil form of mankind ever.  Jesus still died for them.  Jesus died for all the Pharasees and Sadducees that wanted Him dead. 

We should expect what we see out of the enemy of God.  For him to try to silence those who are living out the Christian life.  It was very 'illuminating' to read yesterday that we are to be lights in this world.  Those in the darkness hate it because everything is revealed.  Just like what we read in the book of John.  People hate the light of truth.  ESPECIALLY God's own truth about life, sin, and the eventual judgement concerning it...as well as the consequences of rejecting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. 

We should expect to need to be praying a lot more than we do.  I know I need to pray a lot more than I do.  Not just for the food either.  About my attitude, about my forgiving others, of my interactions with others, about what all I'm to be doing in a day.  

We should expect to see the thoughts crossing our minds that it's ok to take off the whole armor of God, or even parts of it.  

We should expect opposition to what God's told us to be doing.  Even from the most well intentioned people in our lives.  3 of the 4 friends of Job were very well intentioned but were also completely wrong.

We should expect Jesus to return at any moment.  This isn't date setting, it's a Biblical principle that you find throughout the New Testament.  The Apostles and other writers of the New Testament anticipated even in their day that the Lord might return.  

We should expect the promises of the Lord to come true for us.  

We should expect the need to remember all the times that Jesus proved His promises to us.

We should expect some to not understand what is going on in our life in Christ because it's OUR walk with Jesus.  While there's much that's in common in our walk with Jesus, each of us is in a different place in our growth in Christ.  Some are not able to hear what God's doing in us and through us.  They themselves are not just there yet.

These are some of the things we need to expect.  

Pray on, Pray Over, Pray Through.  You can expect to need to do that as you are breathing air right now.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

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