Thought for the day...

God’s heart hurts when we suffer
By Pastor Mark Jeske
It is one of the painful aspects of parenthood that sometimes we have to stand by and let our children struggle. We instinctively want to rush in and fix everything for them and spare them any pain. But sometimes it is necessary that they suffer consequences of bad decisions they have made. If we intervene too soon, we will ruin the educational aspects of their experience.

But our hearts still hurt while we watch and wait. So does God’s. He loves his children even more than we do ours. His heart is thrilled when we are doing well and gloomy when we are rebelling and creating messes. And when he judges that the time is right, he will come to help, just as he did for the Israelites as they were being assaulted from both east and west: “Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer” (Judges 10:16).

Some Christians visualize God as reigning serene and undisturbed over all things in his heaven, emotionlessly moving his chess pieces around. They reason that since he has already seen the past, present, and future, nothing can surprise or delight him. Not true. Scripture describes his intense and emotional engagement in how we are doing. How he grieves when we run away from him! How he rejoices when we repent and return!

That’s what love is like, you know

 

A life-changing sentence
By Pastor Mike Novotny
If you could pick any person—any friend, any family member, any celebrity, any pet, anyone alive or passed on—to walk through the door and be right here, who would that person be and what would that person make you feel? What would you feel if your husband was still here? Or your crush from work showed up? Or your daughter from California surprised you? Or your favorite musician walked into your coffee shop? Or your grandson came bumbling though the door? I bet you would feel a lot! Even if nothing else changed in your life, that person’s presence would have the power to change you.

Okay, here’s the big question, the question that’s changing my life, the question that can change yours—Is God better than that person? Is your version, your view, of God as exciting, thrilling, and comforting as your view of that person? If I told you, “GOD is here!” what would you feel? More or less than before?

Jesus made us an amazing promise in Matthew 28:20: “Surely I am with you always.” That promise will make you nod an emotionless “amen” unless you remember who Jesus is. More faithful than the best spouse. More creative than the best artists. More beautiful than a newborn child. More comforting than a lifelong friend. Jesus is better than them all. And, because he’s full of grace and forgiveness, Jesus is with you always.

 

Verse of the Day
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 NIV

 

Full-Circle Compassion
Following a tumultuous season in her life, Bethany Haley Williams battled with shame and brokenness. The journey was difficult, but through Jesus she experienced healing that transformed her life.

Prompted by the grace and mercy she received, Bethany formed Exile International, a nonprofit that implements art/expressive therapy and long-term, rehabilitative care to restore and empower war-affected children—including children rescued from the dreaded Lord’s Resistance Army in Africa. In her book The Color of Grace: How One Woman’s Brokenness Brought Healing and Hope to Child Survivors of War, Bethany writes, “When your greatest heartache becomes your greatest ministry, grace comes full circle.”

Bethany now devotes her life to living out these words: “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Regardless of where we live, our social status, or our circumstances, we can rest assured that God knows about our suffering and misfortunes. He’s with us in the pain. God is merciful, loving, and attentive to our needs. Whether our suffering comes from persecution, disease, or emotional hurts, He can use what we experience to lift up and help others who are in need. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “When we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you” (v.6).

No matter what we’ve done or what we’re facing, God is there to shower us with His unfailing love and compassion—gifts we can then share with others. —Roxanne Robbins

MORE: Read Isaiah 41:10 and consider the comfort that God alone can provide.

NEXT: How have you experienced God’s presence and comfort when you’ve gone through difficult times? Who can you comfort today—pouring out the comfort you’ve received from your heavenly Father?

 

January 9, 2020
Verse of the Day
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:12 NIV

 

GOD is here
By Pastor Mike Novotny
The other day I asked my friend Katie, “Who would be the most life-changing person to walk through that door and be here with us?” Katie leaned in and muttered, “I’m supposed to say Jesus, right? . . . Because I’m thinking about someone delivering sushi. . . . But I love dolphins too. Can a dolphin show up?” “You bet,” I said. “How about a dolphin swims through that door with a rainbow roll on its dorsal fin?” And Katie beamed with excitement.

I have the same spiritual problem as Katie. I know the technical answer to my question—the greatest joy and peace and rest are found in Jesus. But what really gets my heart going is something else. In other words, I believe God is here, but I forget that GOD is here. I bet you forget that too.

Which is why we need to eavesdrop on the angels. In Isaiah 6:3, the angels shouted, “Holy! Holy! Holy.” Holy means “set apart,” “wonderfully different.” The angels preached, “You think sunsets are good? and babies smiling? and puppy videos? and last-second field goals? and a new boat? You should see GOD! GOD is holy! He’s even better! This is the GOD of love, of forgiveness, of mercy, the GOD who came into the world to show us grace. This is the GOD who created mountains and sunsets and water and waves. This is the GOD who invented colors and sound and taste buds. This is not some dusty God from a theological textbook. This is the GOD of glory! And, because of the cross of Jesus, this GOD is here with us!

 

There's some doozies right there

 

January 10, 2020
Verse of the Day
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalms 73:26 NIV

 

January 11, 2020
Verse of the Day
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
John 5:24 NIV

 

GOD is there
By Pastor Mike Novotny
I still remember her heartbreaking words: “I keep jumping to reach God, but I feel like I’ll never get there.” The woman from my church knew she fell short of Jesus’ high standard of love every day. And she felt that GOD, a glorious and good God, was so far away that she’d never get to him.

Ever felt that? When we mess up spiritually, especially when we know better, the most natural thing in the world is to feel what that woman felt. After all, Isaiah said, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” (59:2). Maybe you feel that today. Maybe something from way back—your abortion, your divorce, the words that came out of your mouth to your dad or about someone of another race or toward your ex. Or maybe it’s something from just now. Some default setting to control or get the last word or make a big deal out of nothing or keep score instead of showing grace. You know you have issues, and you assume God is taking a step back, just like everyone else would.

If that’s you, listen to Jesus’ friend Peter: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). To bring you to God. Not just to bring him or her or them to God. You. Your sins separated you, but Jesus suffered for your sins. Jesus took them out of the picture. He didn’t make you crawl up the morality ladder to get up to him. He came down to get to you. Because of Jesus, GOD is here!

 

January 12, 2020
Verse of the Day
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
James 1:19 NIV

 

The end of anxiety
By Pastor Mike Novotny
I should have been anxious. I was about to speak to the biggest audience of my entire life, a crowd of over one thousand people. I should have been terrified of what they would think of me, but that day I wasn’t. Because the Holy Spirit helped me remember, “GOD is here. The GOD who loves me, accepts me, and delights in me is here. And he will be here no matter what happens today.”

Does anxiety ever get the best of you? Do you freak out trying to impress your boss or your colleagues or your classmates or the guys on the team or the women at church? Do you worry about how you’ll perform or how they’ll react? Do you drive home with those crazy thoughts, hoping that you didn’t sound stupid or look dumb?

Let the apostle Paul free you from all that. He wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). How? “The Lord is near” (verse 5). The Lord GOD, the glorious and good and more than enough GOD is near. If the boss is mad or not, GOD is here. If you do a great job or fall short of your potential, GOD is here. If they applaud you or boo you or are bored by you, GOD is here. What could she do? What could he say? What could they decide that would change that sentence? Nothing. So don’t be anxious. The GOD you need to be okay is not way over there. Because of Jesus, he is right here.

 

January 13, 2020
Verse of the Day
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalms 119:105 NIV