Category Archives: Christian Life

WHEN THE CRUNCH COMES – ABRAHAM’S FINAL TEST

Christian Life, ,

WHEN THE CRUNCH COMES – ABRAHAM’S FINAL TEST

I often reflect on Abraham’s journey of faith because he has many lessons to teach us from his responses to God’s interaction with him.

If God had given up on Abraham after his many failures, there would be no history of Israel and no Messiah to take away our sins and restore us to fellowship with God as children in His family.

Fortunately for Abraham, God knew the course of his journey from beginning to end. When Abraham’s doubts and even unbelief led him into detours in God’s plans, God patiently put up with him and took him back to His promises, even if the consequences of Abraham’s failures caused him trouble and pain.

After the slow process of growing trust in God through trials and experience, Abraham’s most crucial test came when God said, “Abraham, go kill the very son through whom all the promises I made to you will come about. Yes, Abraham, give me the one and only son who was born to you through a miracle and whom you love more than anything in the world, and watch what I will do.”

Did Abraham trust God enough to obey the Lord without question? Let’s see what happened.

Did you notice something in the story? Abraham was silent! No questions; no resistance; no bargaining. He was also obedient! No hesitation; no dragging his feet; no conversation with Sarah; no plan B, just in case… This was HIS test, and he acted promptly. They, Abraham, Isaac and the servants, left after careful preparation, early in the morning, while Sarah was still asleep.

Abraham was so confident in God’s promise, and His power and wisdom to fulfil it that he… assured the servants that THEY would be back and… he assured Isaac that GOD would provide the lamb for the sacrifice!

“It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”  Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

Hebrews 11:17-19 NLT

This was to be the TEST of all tests. God’s tests all eventually reach the same point, “Abraham, do you love me more than your greatest treasure?”

After Peter’s failure, Jesus asked him the same question, not “Simon, are you sorry for what you did?” but “Simon, do you love me more than these…?”

This is the essence of true faith. “Do you love me more than…” If we can honestly answer, “Yes Lord, I love you enough to give you or do for you anything you ask of me,” then, like Abraham, we have passed the greatest test we will ever be put through.

This kind of test rests on our utmost confidence in God’s love for us, that He will never do or ask us to give or do anything that will contradict His promise that He works in all things for our good.

Faith in the faithfulness of God puts God’s promises in the category of “non-negotiable”, based on God’s character that He cannot lie. Therefore, to love God is to stand squarely and unwaveringly on His promises in the face of apparent contradictions and never to give up until His promises are fulfilled.

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.”

Romans 4:20-21 NLT

So, God’s Word encourages us…

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

Hebrews 6:12 NIV

This love for God in response to His love for us is what John meant when he wrote:

“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

1 John 4:17-18 NLT

If we cling to our dearest treasure, afraid that God will take it away to punish us for some infringement of His holiness, God will wait until we trust His love enough to relinquish that treasure to Him.

Imagine how light-hearted Abraham must have felt on his way home with Isaac. Isaac was still his beloved son but no longer his concern because God had shown him that He had no intention of depriving him of his son. His promise still stood that through Isaac all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Have you noticed something else about Abraham’s journey of faith? After Genesis 22, no more record of tests, only blessing; a second wife after Sarah’s death; more sons and great wealth; a worthy wife for Isaac, his miracle son of promise, and descendants through Isaac. Life went on on the blessing and favour of God.

Jesus promised us an abundant life if we follow Him. This abundant life is not about health, wealth, and happiness. This life is about love, joy and peace which are the fruit of unwavering faith in God’s love for us.

No storm, however severe, will shake us from our confidence in that love when no other love stands between us and the Father.

Jesus had an issue with the church at Ephesus. “You have left your first love, not the love you had for me when you first believed, but your love for me in response to my love for you because I loved you first before you ever loved me.”

“We love because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:19 NIV

It’s His “first love” that steadies us in every storm and cautions us when the tempter comes to lure us from the path of perfect trust. It’s the power of this great love that strengthens us to say “No!“ to the flesh, and “Yes!” to the Spirit as we constantly engage in the battle to be holy.

“So, I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”

Galatians 5:16-18 NLT

God the Father gave us His dearest treasure, His one and only Son, not to be saved from death as Isaac was, but to be savagely beaten and crucified for us, only to defeat death forever and to offer us ETERNAL LIFE, if we believe in Him.

In conclusion, let’s go back to Abraham for a minute. What was God’s verdict on Abraham’s act of faith and obedience?

“… Now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

Genesis 22:12 NLT

Love… Trust… Fear… These are so closely intertwined in our relationship with God that we can use them interchangeably.

To fear God, then, is to love and trust Him so implicitly and to hold Him in such awe, honour and reverence that we dread even a nano-second of disconnection from Him through sin or unbelief.

Our love for Him grows, as, we remain rooted in His love for us.

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”

Jude 1:20-21 NLT

UNDERWRITTEN BY LOVE

Christian Life, ,

UNDERWRITTEN BY LOVE

A thought came to me that I must pass on.

I am a member of an insurance company that promises to pay for any damage or loss to my property when I lay a claim. Some years ago, I would not have been able to have my car repaired after an accident had my vehicle not been insured.

The most important part of personal, property or medical insurance is that the company is underwritten by enough money to pay out the claims made against it. Insuring one’s possession with a company that has limited funds would be a huge risk.

Now let’s translate this thought into God’s “insurance company”. God has made hundreds of promises to those of us who have been born into His kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have citizenship in a realm that is outside and above the kingdoms of this world.

“4. God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:4-v6 NLT

This heavenly citizenship elevates us above the world and its evil systems and puts us under God’s personal supervision and control. We have direct access to the Father through Jesus, and all God’s promises are available to us as we ask in faith.  We are members of God’s “insurance company” that has limitless resources to meet our “claims”, no matter how big they are.

However, for us to have confidence that God will honour His promises, we need to know that His resources are sufficient to underwrite His promises.

God’s promises are contained in a legal contract with Jesus, His Son, signed in the blood of Jesus, in which we participate because we are “in Christ” through faith in Him. However, these promises would mean nothing unless they are underwritten by the One who has the resources to fulfil them.

What are the resources that underwrite God’s reliability and faithfulness to make good on all His promises? His character! What is the essence of His character?

Amazingly, I found this Scripture that perfectly captures this very concept.

“I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”

Psalms 138:2 NLT

God’s name enshrines all that He is, expressed in the word “hesed”.

God’s character (name) is summed up in two words…

“… God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”

1 John 1:5 NLT

“… God is love…”

1 John 4:16 NLT

These two words, holy/love, describe the essence of who God is. God has made many promises in His covenant and He will do what He has promised because He cannot lie. His holiness guarantees that He will always be reliable and faithful to honour His Word and His love guarantees that His promises are always for our good and for His glory.

The Bible often uses the Hebrew word “hesed” for God’s love, translated as “loving-kindness”. This is a covenant word, a love which is infallible and indestructible in the context of a legally-binding covenant made with His Son, which God cannot break.

Since we are “in Christ”, we also benefit from God’s promises in this covenant. Jesus guarantees that all God’s promises are “yes” in Him.

“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.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT

All God’s promises are a declaration of what He intends to do in response to our faith. When we embrace His promises and say the “amen”, standing with Him in what He plans to do, we can rest on His pledge because He is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.

There can, therefore, never be a greater guarantee that God underwrites His promises with His own character because He is holy/love.

THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH

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THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH

“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

1 Peter 1:5-7 NLT

Have you wondered, as I have often done, why life is so full of hardships? We no sooner get through one struggle than we are into another. Why can’t we just get on with the business of living instead of having to navigate one difficulty after another?

When we left our old life of selfishness and sin behind and experienced the wonder of God’s grace and forgiveness, we thought that life would be plain sailing. Why has it become tougher and more complicated than ever?

The more I think about it, the more I realise that God has introduced something into our lives that is more precious than gold… faith. He gave us faith in Him by His grace when we heard about His gift of salvation through Jesus.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

This gift of faith came to us in seed form. It was enough to believe in Jesus, but it needs cultivation to grow into fully-formed faith that sustains us through life’s hardships.

So, we ask the question, “How do we grow our faith?” The answer is simple… by trusting God in tough times!

My journey with Jesus over many years has taught me that God values our faith in Him above everything. He is constantly testing us through hardships of one kind or another to see whether we will trust Him in our darkest days. Every difficulty we face is a test. If we believe in God’s sovereignty, then we must acknowledge that God either sets up or permits these challenges to test our trust in Him. Nothing happens by chance.

Peter realised this fact and summed it up in our opening quote. Our faith is of greater value than gold. If gold must be purified by melting it in the furnace to release impurities, how much more must our faith be put through fiery testing. Gold will perish with the old-world system when Jesus returns but not our faith. Our faith in God’s promises is the only guarantee that we will endure until Jesus comes.

… “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Luke 18:8 NLT

Faith is the golden thread that connects us earthly beings to the unseen realm where God lives and reigns. To believe in and trust God through thick and thin releases God’s power to intervene in our circumstances. We receive grace to overcome fear and anxiety and God’s mercy to help us when we call on His name.

‘So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Hebrews 4:16 NLT

The more often we experience God’s gracious intervention when we call on His name, the more convinced we become that He is always reliable, trustworthy, and faithful to His promises. The more we trust Him in the dark, the more we experience His supernatural peace that has no explanation in the natural.

This peace, Jesus said, is His peace which has a powerful role to play in our troubled lives. Paul called God’s peace “a referee” which acts in our lives like a referee in a sports game. The referee stops the game to correct an error so that the game can continue according to the rules.

When we fail to believe God’s promises in any situation in the game of life, we lose God’s peace and feel a disturbance in our hearts. We have exchanged the truth for a lie by believing our fears instead of His Word. Our “referee” has stopped the game to correct the error. When we return to the truth of God’s Word, our peace is restored, and we can continue by trusting in God’s faithfulness in every situation.

We grow our faith until we are no longer troubled by trials and hardships because we are learning, by trusting God in any and every difficulty, to stay in the Word. We sail the tempestuous sea of life with Jesus at the helm.

Is there any point on this journey when God no longer needs to apply this rigorous training? When I look at the lives of some of God’s great saints in the Bible, I am inclined to believe that it is true. God eases off the pressure because it is no longer necessary.

Two characters among many, come to mind, one from the Old and one from the New Testament.

Abraham’s life was a journey into faith. He began as a wobbly pagan with many doubts and failures. He grew in faith until he reached the final test, to offer his son as a sacrifice in obedience to God’s instruction. Abraham obeyed without question, a powerful demonstration of his implicit trust in God.

“It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

Hebrews 11:17-19 NLT

God’s word to him when he was about to plunge the knife into the heart of his son was, “Now I know that you fear God…” He passed the final test with flying colours. How do we know that?

In the chapters after this test until his death, there is no record of God testing Abraham again. He remarried and had more children but… nothing seemed to go wrong.

And what of the Apostle Paul? In his writings, Paul hints at his state of mind in his journey of faith. Yes, God called him to suffer and suffer he did. He records some of the many hardships he endured as the greatest of all the Apostles, but he also wrote things like… “I have learned…”, “I am persuaded…”, “And we know…” These all point to one thing. Paul trusted God implicitly in every situation.

As tough as the hardships were that he was called to endure, his faith was rock-solid. He could encourage others because his faith had been tested and brought out of the fire as pure as molten gold.

So, what do we conclude, then?

1. Your faith will be tested and retested until God can say of you, “Now I know that you fear God…”

2. Tests come in many forms and disguises. We will continue to fail until we recognise the source as God, not the devil, and learn to submit and obey without question.

3. When the calm finally comes, don’t be suspicious of God or anticipate an impending disaster. Live in the moment and celebrate God’s goodness in bringing you through the storms to a haven in Him.

4. Keep resting on that promise that brought you through to a place of security and peace and trust your peace to keep you travelling with Jesus to your destination in the Father’s house.

THE THINGS GOD HAS PREPARED

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THE THINGS GOD HAS PREPARED

“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”

Isaiah 64:4 NLT

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NLT

A few weeks ago, I was meditating on 1 Cor 2:9, when something caught my attention. I recognised something familiar about the words, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard…” Where have I read those words elsewhere in the Bible?

Then it came to me. It was a verse I had recently sent to a friend…  “For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you…” Isaiah 64:4

When I reread those two verses side by side, I discovered something amazing. Paul was quoting Isaiah 64:4! That sent me on a search for the meaning behind those words.

If these two Scriptures are pointing towards the same thing, what are they saying?

The word in Hebrew for “wait” in Is. 64 can have the meaning “to pierce”. Where does the idea of “pierce” appear in Scripture?

“But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you. In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.”

Deuteronomy 15:16-17 NLT

A pierced earlobe was a sign of belonging. Although still a slave, the person with a pierced ear could not be bought or sold because, by having his ear pierced, he was forever the possession of the master he loved.

So, Is. 64:4 might be saying that God works for those who belong to Him by virtue of a pierced ear.

Where else does the idea of piercing appear in Scripture?

“But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.”

John 19:33-34 NLT

Can there be a connection between the pierced earlobe of the slave and the pierced side of Jesus?

As we have said, piercing the ear of a slave completed the slave’s belongingness. No matter what he did, he could never be sold to another slave-owner.

Isaiah tells us that…

“… He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NLT

Jesus was pierced for us that we might belong to Him forever.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9 NLT

In what way was Jesus pierced for us? Just as the slave, under the old covenant, submitted to being pierced because of his love for his master, so Jesus, for His love for the Father, submitted to being pierced in obedience to Him.

Likewise, we, who are united to Jesus by faith in His finished work, share in His piercing and, therefore, become eligible for all the benefits of belonging to our Master.

Notice that Paul did not say, “…those that He loves…” but “… those who love Him.” Just as the slave’s love for his master was a response to the master’s goodness to him, so “we love Him because He first loved us.” Loving Him prompts our obedience which is our response to His goodness towards us.

Having established our “forever belonging-ness” to Jesus because He was pierced for us, both Isaiah and Paul assert that the God who works for those who belong to Him is unique and different from any other god since He is the only true God.

Now let’s examine what these writers mean by “work” and “the things God has prepared” for those who have been pierced to secure their belongingness.

“Work” in Hebrew can also mean “accomplish” or “bring forth…” What did God accomplish or bring forth? In Isaiah’s writings, the Messianic expectation is fleshed out by many prophecies describing His person, His life, and His work.

What was God going to accomplish through the Messiah? God promised a package of blessings which Jesus would bring forth when He came to do the Father’s will.

So, Isaiah looks forward to what God’s Messiah would do for His people when He came to earth. He would do away with sin and open the way for His people to have a new status and standing before the Father.

He would declare the old system of rituals and sacrifices obsolete by perfectly fulfilling every facet of “the Law” and by giving Himself, once-for-all, as the perfect sacrifice for sin. He would open the way to eternal life for all those who believe in His finished work.

Paul takes up Isaiah’s theme by completing the expectation of what God has prepared for those who belong to Him through Jesus’ piercing. Where Isaiah’s expectation relates to what the Messiah would do to reconcile people to Himself in this life, Paul also looks beyond to the life to come.

Since we have no experience of eternal life in the presence of God on the other side of the grave, our imagination has nothing to connect us to that inexpressibly glorious hope. No matter how far we allow our imagination to run, we will never know what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Therefore, although we cannot conjure up pictures of what it will be, the reliability of God’s promises encourages us to let our future, although indescribably greater than we can imagine, pull us towards its fulfilment.

“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT

Where God’s blessings in the Old Covenant were largely physical and material, the New Covenant opens the way for us to participate in spiritual blessings which the Holy Spirit reveals to us as we live in the faith dimension of union with Jesus.

“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.”

1 Corinthians 2:10 NLT

God promised the Israelites their own land and the blessings of prosperity and fruitfulness if they obeyed the terms of His covenant. Since they were incapable of obeying Him fully because of Adam’s nature, rebellion, in them, God promised that He would forgive their sin and change their hearts through His Messiah who would come.

That promise came into effect through Jesus and the New Covenant when He became God’s perfect sacrifice for sin. His death opened the way for believers to enter the spiritual dimension of the New Covenant.

God made these spiritual blessings available to us through His promises.

To us who believe in Jesus, God has given the promise of participating in the divine nature. In other words, He is restoring His image in us by conforming us to the image of Jesus.

The process of restoration is a partnership between God, the Holy Spirit, and us as we learn to live our ordinary lives in the awareness of Jesus’ presence as He promised.

THE PURPOSE OF THE SEASONS

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THE PURPOSE OF THE SEASONS

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

Here in South Africa, we are entering a new season, spring! All the evidences of winter are passing away. Trees and plants, that appeared lifeless during the winter months, are now showing the signs of the life that has been in them all the while.

Spring is the season for planting. The environment is preparing the soil for seeds to grow and flourish – warm sunshine and spring rains are an invitation to beautify our gardens again.

We love the spring. The dark days of winter are slowly giving way to longer days, shorter nights, and the anticipation of new and better things to come. There is a buoyancy in the human spirit that always hopes that winter will give way to spring, in our hearts and in our circumstances.

Spring brings vigorous growth and preparation for fruitfulness. Summer is the pinnacle of the seasons, the slow ripening of the fruit that continues to nourish us for life. Autumn begins the new cycle by draining the strength of the plants and trees from their leaves, dropping the leaves and settling down for the winter rest.

Why the seasons? Imagine if we lived in perpetual summer or never-ending winter!  The purpose of the seasons is to produce the fruit of the soil that nourishes our bodies and keeps us alive.

We need the ever-changing seasons, not only in nature but also in our spiritual lives, to keep us moving on, through times of rest and times of growth, towards our purpose in God to be ever more conformed to the likeness of Jesus. 

God uses every circumstance in our lives as part of the process of transforming us into the image of Jesus. How can we fall in line with what God is doing within us?

Jesus gives us the way to becoming like Him, bearing the fruit of the Spirit which is the replica of His character.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NLT

The purpose of the vine is to bear fruit. It has no other function. The branches are the extensions of the vine that carry the fruit. There is no separation or differentiation between the vine and its branches. When they are one, the sap of the vine flows freely to the branches, nourishing the sweet grapes that are the product of the cycle of that season.

Within the fruit are the seeds that perpetuate the life of the vine to infinity. If the fruit did not cradle seeds, the blueprint for perpetuating the life of the vine, that vine would die in the first generation.

So it is with the believers in Jesus. He is the Vine; we are the branches. So intimate is our union with Him that, as we remain in communion with Him, the Holy Spirit, Christ in us, His life flowing into us, produces the fruit that replicates His character in us and the seeds that perpetuate its life in others.

The seeds of His fruit are in us to continue His life in others, as we witness to Jesus by our lives and words.

What is the spiritual seed that we sow into others?

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…. And this is the word that was preached to you.”

1 Peter 1:23, 25 NIV

As we feed on the Vine and nourish our spirits with its sap, the seeds of God’s word take root in us in readiness to speak the truth into the lives of others. Not only does the sap of the Vine produce fruit in us but it also produces fruit in the lives of others as the seed of God’s word begins to grow in them.

Our seasons in life may not follow in sequence as do the seasons of the natural world. They may not follow our chronological age or be as long or short as the geographical position of each region. Our seasons are determined by our responsiveness to the work of the divine Gardener who knows what we need to become increasingly fruitful.

As I meditate on this Word, it seems to me that it is possible to have all four seasons at work in our lives at the same time. What if this is God’s intention? What if His work in our lives is so vigorous and our response to Him so spontaneous that He is able, simultaneously, to grow us in grace and the knowledge of Jesus and, at the same time, to produce the fruit of the Spirit and give us rest in preparation for the new season by drawing strength from what we have learned and experienced?

We need to discern the season we are in to gain the most benefit from its time. Instead of fighting against what may be unpleasant or uncertain, the autumn of pruning or the winter of rest, God wants us to embrace our season. We gain from its work in us and move on to the spring of new life and the summer of greater fruitfulness.

“So, you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son, and with the Father. And, in this fellowship, we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.”

1 John 2:24-25 NLT