Category Archives: Christian Life

DAILY STOCKTAKING

Christian Life, ,

To determine the value of their stock, shopkeepers must do annual stocktaking. In this way, they can keep an account of what’s on their shelves, the value of their assets, and what losses they have incurred during each year.

The Bible encourages God’s children to do stocktaking as well, not to keep account of material assets but to determine the condition of our eternal benefits. We need to take stock of our lives, not annually but daily, to keep short accounts with God and with our fellow humans, to check our gains and losses and to ensure that we are up-to-date with our daily payments.

A few Scriptures will guide us in this stocktaking exercise.

Romans 13:8 NLT
[8] “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”

Paul reminds us that we have only one recurring debt…to love one another. Loving one another in practical ways, i.e., meeting each other’s needs at our own expense, takes care of every requirement in the Old Covenant.

What if we took a few moments each evening to review our interaction with others? What did I do today to benefit another? What did I not do today that I could have done for someone in my circle? Did I show love to another by a friendly smile or a kindly word? Did I forgive another’s debt as Jesus has forgiven mine?

This exercise is not to bring us into bondage but to alert us to the importance of the words we speak or the attitudes we display in our interaction with others.

1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”

Our stocktaking must also include our review of the place our Helper occupies in our daily activities. God has graciously provided for us the supreme Teacher, Advocate, and Companion, to be in us as our “paracletos”, a beautiful Greek word meaning, “the one called alongside” to help us carry the load. He is our divine our Helper. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in us, nearer to us than our breath. He is the perfect Representative of the Father and the Son.

Have I been so aware of the Spirit in me today, that I have consulted Him for help and guidance in every choice and decision I made? Did I live today in the Spirit or in the flesh? Do I need to repent of my independence? Did I offend or grieve the Spirit today by my attitudes, words, or behaviour? Did I tarnish His name today?

If I forget who is Lord in my life, I can easily lose my way and get lost in the wilderness of selfish indulgence and self-preservation. The Holy Spirit is in me to keep my heart focused on Jesus.

John 16:12-14 NLT
[12] “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. [14] He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

How imperative it is for us to be “joined at the hip” in spirit to Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
[24″Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

I must take stock of my use of God’s Word. God has entrusted to His church a body of truth, a deposit He has made into our account, to be guarded and kept intact, to be used responsibly and wisely, and to be passed on to the next generation. His Word is the light that guides our feet in our daily walk.

God has provided His “treasure trove” of promises to ensure that we have all the equipment we need to become who we are, sons and daughters of the Father.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Jesus has underwritten every promise by fulfilling all the requirements of God’s Covenant, including the penalty of death for the debt we owe Him. All His promises are now freely available in Him to ensure that we reach our destination.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

God did not give us His Word to get what we want or to manipulate Him to do what we demand. He gave us His promises to guide us on our way to becoming like Jesus.

Of what use did I make of His promises today? Did I believe what He said and act in faith on His Word? Did I experience His grace in difficult moments because I believed His promise for enough grace in my weakness? Did I trust His Word when He warned me against sinning and and glorify Him when He applauded me for doing the right thing? Did I take His Word seriously?

The last area of stocktaking, at least in this short meditation, is an examination of my beliefs, and the way I apply them to my daily life. How important this is because beliefs guide our thoughts and actions but, in themselves, they are empty and meaningless without application.

2 Peter 1:5-11 NLT
[5] “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. [8] The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. [10] So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Daily stocktaking, reviewing our assets and acknowledging our losses, will go a long way towards enabling us to live lives that are up-to-date with our progress towards God’s goal for us. His intention is clear – likeness to Jesus. His provisions are clear, His Spirit and His Word. He has removed all the obstacles and provided the perfect model and mentor, Jesus.

The rest is up to me. He cannot submit, obey, and trust for me.

I must not carry any losses I made today, into tomorrow. I must assess my assets today, increase and use them to provide what I need for my journey towards eternity. Through God’s grace, He provides everything we need to live godly lives in this world.

Hebrews 3:7 NLT
[7] “That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice…” Today is the day of salvation.”

Before we reach our conclusion relating to spiritual stocktaking, I would warn us all, dear readers, to beware of the notion that we must indulge in self-awareness and self-condemnation. Self-awareness only has value when we know and acknowledge our fallibilty and our need for God’s help. Self-awareness is dangerous territory when we indulge in self-absorption. He has not instructed us to become more self-aware. He wants us to be more Christ-aware.

We must learn to do what David did…invite the Holy Spirit to search us. He alone knows the full extent of who we are in our human fallenness. He alone can shine the light into all the dark corners of our lives.

Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
[23] “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

We can have every reason to be secure in our fellowship with Jesus when we keep short accounts, do our daily stocktaking, correct our errors, and stay close to the heart of our Master.

GOD WILL MAKE A WAY

Christian Life, ,

Picture the scene…upwards of three million people, including thousands of young children and all their worldly possessions and livestock cluttering a small space… a noisy, restless, frightened, unruly mob of slaves, trapped on a piece of beach jutting into a very deep and very wide stretch of sea.

Behind them, a vast army of well-trained soldiers, drumming war-horse’s hooves raising clouds of dust, rolling chariot wheels closing the gap with frightening speed. Sights and sounds so terrifying that the Israelites are almost insane with anguish! No escape! What could they do?

Exodus 14:9 NLT
[9] “The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.”

In a panic, they turn on their leader. All the promises of freedom and a new life! Will they end up as fodder for the Egyptians or food for the fish?

Moses has no one to consult but the God he hardly knew. After all, they were there, the whole motley crowd, because of Him. Moses had followed God’s instructions to the letter. Now this!

God warned him, before they left Egypt, that this would happen. Now it’s for real. With the growing confidence he didn’t feel, Moses reassures the people.

Exodus 14:13-14 NLT
[13] But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. [14] The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

He calls out into the wind, “God, help!”

God responds with seemingly stupid instructions! This is no Dunkirk! He doesn’t miraculously send rescue craft to ferry the people across the gap. He doesn’t send a squadron of angels to fly them over the sea. He instructs Moses to stretch out his staff over the water. What staff? His walking stick, of all things? Of what use is that!

Somehow, the Egyptian horses and chariots, threateningly and frighteningly close, slow down as dusk falls. The soldiers peer into the dark but they can’t see their prey. A fire, small at first but rising ever higher and growing ever brighter, blocks their view. They can’t advance on their quarry. They will have to wait until daylight.

The wind beguns to blow, a breeze slowly gathering strength until a howling gale frightens the people into clumps of trembling flesh, families huddled together for comfort and warmth.

The night passes slowly, both parties anxiously awaiting the dawn. The Egyptians are restless, eager to finish their mission. The Israelites are frightened and uncertain. What will happen when morning comes?

Dawn finally breaks over the scene. Viewed from above, millions of tiny figures milling around, preparing for action. The soldiers….rearing to go, hindered only by the fire that still blocks their way. The slaves, astonished and hopefulas daylight reveals a wide path through the sea, walls of shimmering water miraculously carved out by the raging wind. Can they trust the water to stand up on either side as they hurry through the gap towards safety? Surprisingly, the path is dry under their feet.

Moses urges them on. “Move along there! Hurry up! Time’s running out!”

As the hours pass, the mob empties from one shore to the other like sand passing through an hour glass. The soldiers peer through the fiery curtain only to watch their prey disappearing from sight. Finally, the last groups leave the beach and take to the path through the sea…the fire slowly dies down and the restless horses are free to pursue. Dust rises under chariot wheels… the army chases down the stragglers hurrying along between watery walls.

Suddenly, war cries turn to cries of terror. The walls of water begin to collapse. Instead of dry ground, waves crash down on Pharaoh’s helpless army, slowly swallowing chariots, horses, and soldiers as though they had never been. Now an arm, a leg, a chariot wheel, rises up and sinks beneath the water.

The Israelite mob watches in amazement as the sea returns to calm. The beach they have vacated is empty. The army? Vanished! They are now safe, on the other side, Egypt only a distant memory. Just as God had said, they are free.

“The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.”

Really? A seemingly impossible promise… but God pulled it off.

However, despite all the mighty miracles God did to rescue His people from Egypt and to settle them in the Promised Land, they never really believed in Him. Every time God tested their faith, they forgot and failed. Why? Was it because their hearts were unchanged?

When we believed in Jesus, He gave us new hearts and put His Spirit in us. He did a miracle in us that outstrips anything He ever did for Israel. Paul discovered a truth so glorious that what God has done for us through Jesus should overshadow every test we encounter in our lives.

Romans 8:31-32 NLT
[31] “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? [32] Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

We have what Israel didn’t have, the cross of Jesus! The cross stands as a guarantee and a beacon of hope in every trial. Look at the cross! It speaks of God’s love and grace so vast that it outshines even the biggest of life’s adversities.

No matter what comes our way, we can sing Don Moen’s song with unshakeable confidence in our God to make a way through our “Red Sea”.

“God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way….

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me
Rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade but His Word will still remain
And He will do something new today…

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Don Moen
God Will Make a Way lyrics © Integrity’s Hosanna! Music, Ninth Avenue Music

If God could do that for the Israelites, imagine what He can do for us when we trust Him.

WHAT IF GOD HAS NOT SAID…?

Christian Life, ,

I can think of many things that God said in His Word that have given us reason to have confidence in the outcome of our faith in Him. Take for example, His stance on sin. What if He has never said, “Your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more.”

Jeremiah 31:34 NIV
[34] “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

What a promise, spoken to Israel in the Old Covenant and ratified by Jesus in the New!

God’s explanation for suffering is another huge “light bulb” for us in our daily struggles. Problem is, first, that we so often ask questions without looking for answers in the Word and second, we don’t realise how serious God is about making us holy.

People have written books without number about suffering, to justify believers’ bad experiences in life. Unbelievers hold God responsible for their troubles. “Why did God let this happen…why did He do this to me?” as though God made them sin with its consequences so that He could punish them…a very good excuse not to believe in Him!

We don’t need “wise theologians” to write tomes to exonerate God for suffering when God Himself gave us His reason for our hardships.

Hebrews 12:5-11 NLT
[5] And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. [6] For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” [7] As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? [8] If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. [9] Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? [10] For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. [11] No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Sin is a serious issue to God. He sent His own beloved Son to take care of the debt humanity owes Him for sin. He left no stone unturned to save us from our own self-destruction. He explained the importance of dying to our old self-gratifying ways. Our station in eternity depends on overcoming the ravages of our old nature.

We know what happens when children are left to themselves, when parents indulge their every whim and fail to train them to be mature and responsible adults. Wise Solomon had much to say about training children. Perhaps he saw his own father’s indulgence and the consequences.

Proverbs 29:15 NLT
[15] “To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.”

Proverbs 23:13-14 NIV
[13] “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. [14] Punish them with the rod and save them from death.”

If our natural children need drastic measures to keep them from destroying themselves, how much more do God’s children need discipline to save us from eternal loss.

Romans 8:12-13 NIV
[12]” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

What does God mean by “dying”and “living”? There is an eternal realm, the kingdom of God, in which we shall have a part if we learn, in this life, to submit to and obey our heavenly Father. He stated clearly, more than once, that without holiness, no one will see Him. Every time we sin thoughtlessly, we move farther from intimacy with God and nearer to eternal separation from Him.

Sin cuts us off from fellowship with God. If we persist in living sinful lives, Jesus said, He will eventually disown us and send us away.

Matthew 7:22-23 NLT
[22] “On judgment day, many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ [23] But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ “

However, what if God had not told us why He allows us to suffer in this life! We would come up with all sorts of explanations and justifications but never really know God’s purpose for our suffering. We would not understand how much God hates sin, how sin prevents us from having fellowship with Him, our holy God, and what measures He has taken to ensure that we are ready for our role in His eternal kingdom.

Knowing God’s purpose for our hardships makes all the difference between resistence and rebellion or even fear of punishment, and our willingness to submit to His discipline without question.

I think that the worst way in which we can react to suffering is to blame the devil! We even think that Satan is more powerful than God or that he can harm us without God’s permission or intervention. The book of Job should put paid to that lie!

The Apostle Paul discovered the best and most reassuring solution to the issue of suffering.

Romans 8:28-29 NIV
[28] “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Armed with this assurance, of both God’s unassailable sovereignty and His glorious purpose, suffering and hardship take on a new meaning in this life.

We are God’s dearly-loved children. Our suffering is not random, mindless, or meaningless. He is training us for our role in eternity. He wants sons and daughters like His own Son. He will do what it takes to make us holy and like Jesus. He has promised us not only grace to endure and overcome but also assurance that He Himself will finish what He started.

God will test every facet of our faith in Him through trials of every kind until we pass every test with unshakeable confidence in His love and goodness, no matter what He calls us to suffer.

Armed with knowledge and understanding, we can embrace our suffering with joy because we are absolutely secure in God’s love.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
[16] “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

THINKING GOD’S THOUGHTS

Christian Life, ,

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
[8] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. [9] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

What Isaiah wrote centuries ago, repeatedly jolts me into remembering that God’s thoughts and ways and mine are vastly different, as far apart as heaven from earth.

Let’s take for example, God’s thoughts and ways about judging. I find myself falling into a pattern of thinking when I am confronted with what I consider to be “sin” in myself or in a fellow believer. Accusing! I am shocked, outraged, “How could I, he, she, do that!” Judging! “Don’t I, they know what they are doing? Offending God! Breaking His law?” Condemning! “I, you are in big trouble.”

It takes me quite a while and lots of rethinking to attune myself to God’s thoughts. I think that the biggest difference between the way God and I think is that I focus on behaviour while God focuses on the person.

Let me explain. Even when I sin, God views me as His “son”. God doesn’t come down on me with a big stick. He treats me as His child. I have done wrong, yes, but I must be corrected, not destroyed, and shown the right way, not condemned.

When the Holy Spirit deals with my sin, He doesn’t tell me HOW BAD I am. That’s what the devil says. He tells me WHO I am, a child of God who is holy and beloved. He holds up the measure and shows me how to reach it. He offers the remedy for my sin, the cleansing blood of Jesus, and His power to overcome temptation. He teaches me how to “walk in the light” and draws me gently back into fellowship with the Father and the Son.

David celebrated this way of God’s dealings with him that warmed his heart towards Him. God isn’t like us. He restores; He does not annihilate. Unlike us, His judgment is designed to correct and to reinstate His sons and daughters to their favoured position in His family, not to alienate us from Him.

Psalms 103:8-14 NIV
[8] “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. [9] He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; [10] he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. [13] As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; [14] for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

The great difference between the way God thinks and the way we think is that He knows that He is in covenant with us. His ways are always in harmony with who he is, holy love. God made a covenant with Jesus which Jesus signed with His own blood, and gave Him to be the covenant to people. Whoever believes in Jesus is united with Him and participates in all the terms of that covenant.

By contrast, we quickly forget that we are in covenant with one another in Christ, in His family through Jesus. We are quick to throw stones instead of applying balm to the damaged soul.

The foundation of God’s covenant is His “chesed”, an untranslatable Hebrew word which means that He promises to be faithful to all that His love is and provides in a his covenant. This word is often translated “mercy” which includes the truth that what He does, He does, not because of our worth but despite our worthlessness.

When humans judge, we start with the offender’s behaviour and go on to what to do about it, ending with punishment of some sort. When God judges, He looks, first, at who did the offending, and what to do about it, ending with forgiveness and restoration.

Since God has made His Son the second party in the covenant so that He is both participant and mediator, Jesus IS the New Covenant. We trust Him to mediate everything that the covenant provides. Therefore, when we sin, we display unbelief in the one who provides everything we need in that Covenant, by disregarding His instructions.

This means that all God’s judgment hangs on the way we live out our faith in Jesus. If we disobey His commandments, we fail to believe Him and we fail to love Him. All sin, then is the fruit of our unbelief in Jesus.

Jesus could say, then…

John 8:31 NIV
[31] “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples….”

And…

John 3:18 NIV
[18] “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

The character of Jesus and our adherence to it, is God’s criterion for judgment. If we sin, Jesus Himself is our advocate and, through the Holy Spirit, He forgives and guides us back to His way.

If we sin wilfully and deliberately, we have no one to represent us because Jesus’ Word is our judge. His standard is righteousness and His method is His Word.

John 12:47-50 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. [50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

This way of dealing with sin, ours or others, is the way God wants us to think, so that we maintain fellowship with Him and with one another in His family. John called this, “walking in the light.” Thinking God’s thoughts and following His ways will guard our hearts from acting in a way that splinters our fellowship and treats people as enemies, not family.

MOLLY AND ME – HABITS

Christian Life, ,

Our time together, Molly and me, has produced some unusual habits. Habits are good, I suppose, if they contribute to a peaceful life. Some habits are irksome but…we tolerate each other for the sake of love and harmony.

Habits develop over time when we repeat behaviour patterns until they stick. Take Molly’s cute habit, for example, of make a wide detour around the furniture every time I put her food bowl down on the floor. She will never walk in a straight line to her food…always a detour, for what reason? Only she knows?

Another habit she has developed is to do her business in my bathroom when it rains, but she does it furtively, like she doesn’t want me to know… until I discover the evidence. I don’t mind because it’s easy to clean, and always in the same place…never in my lounge or bedroom.

She started a bad habit which I recognised after a few times, and quickly nipped in the bud. She would wake me in the middle of the night to go outside, and then moon around in the garden for quite a while before coming back inside.

Now I know that she has excellent bladder control, so her little ruse didn’t fool me.

Why do we develop habits, some good, some bad? I guess habits help our thought processes. If we don’t have to think about every routine move we make, it frees our minds to engage in more profitable thinking. I don’t know if habits work for Molly but they work for me

One thing I realise, after observing Molly’s funny little habits, is that I also have habits that influence and direct my behaviour. My best habit, practised over many years, is to rise early and spend time with Lord, engaging with Him, uninterrupted, while it’s dark and quiet, before my daily routine begins.

It wasn’t always like this. When my four children were young, school-going boys, mornings began with a bang and a flurry to get them off to school. Then the day rushed on with hardly time or a thought for the Lord.

Now that I have all day on my hands, my daily habit is deeply entrenched… not that I think my day will go haywire if I don’t have a “quiet time” but because these are treasured moments that I would hate to miss.

I have other, lesser habits that generally keep me on track, and habits that Molly and I have formed together that testify to the bond we enjoy, like holding her close every time I sit down on my chair next to her. She and I cherish those together times which are like the grooming that cements bonds in the animal kingdom.

Since we gather habits that are helpful or harmful, it’s up to us to recognise the difference and to break the habits that irk us or others. The best habit of all is to cutivate a God-awareness so strong that it keeps us connected to Him, His will, and His ways throughout our day, whether we are conscious of His presence or not.

I treasure the Holy Spirit presence because He helps me form the habits that keep me from wandering off into forbidden territory, and keeps my heart warm with joy and longing for more of the interaction with the Lord that keeps my anticipation for heaven alive despite the darkness all around.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
[18] “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.4.18.NLT