On Our Spiritual Journey, We Never ‘Arrive’

Life isn't a destination, but a journey of one stage after another.

Any parent going on a road trip with young children knows this question: “Are we there yet?” Most kids have little appreciation for the journey. All they care about is when they’ll reach the destination. And who can blame them? With all their nervous energy and short attention spans, sitting in a car for hours can’t be their idea of fun. (It’s been a long time since I was a kid, but spending hours in a car isn’t my cup of tea anymore either.) 

However, you don’t have to be a young person to prioritize the arrival point over the time and effort required to get there. The problem is, once we reach the “destination” we usually realize it’s merely the jumping off point for the next stage of the journey.

 

We plod through our elementary, middle and high school years, then the ‘finish line’ finally comes into view – graduation day. Hooray, we’ve arrived! But then there’s college or a trade school or the military, and we realize there’s another part to the journey. When we reach the end of that stage, the supposed ‘destination,’ to our surprise there’s another part to the journey called “career.”

 

The same applies to getting married. We find ‘The One’ and channel our energies toward the wedding day. That’s the destination, right? ‘We’ve arrived!’ But almost as soon as vows are exchanged, the reception is held, and the honeymoon takes place, a new stage in the journey appears. It’s called marriage, where bliss is soon balanced by things like work, bills, children, and everything else that makes up daily life. 

 

Our destination, it seems, no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, turns into a moving target. We never really arrive. The journey continues until we take our final breath.

 

Nowhere is this more evident than in our spiritual journey. I think back to my early days as a follower of Christ. I was studying the Bible, memorizing verses, going to church regularly, reading Christian books, listening to messages by prominent evangelical leaders, attending conferences, and doing whatever else I could think of to grow spiritually. My ‘destination,’ I thought, was to attain spiritual maturity.

 

I remember learning some foundational biblical truth and thinking, ‘That’s it! Now I’ve got it,’ thinking I’d discovered the secret sauce to being a godly person. But soon afterward I’d realize, ‘Nope, not yet.’ There was more to be learned, much more, and a great deal more to be experienced – joys and victories, trials and tribulations. Whenever I asked, “Am I there yet?” the answer was an emphatic, “No!”

 

The same holds true for the so-called ‘heroes’ of the Bible. There are so many examples we could cite, but let’s consider just two. Moses had been used by God to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. God had performed many miracles through him, not the least of which was the parting of the Red Sea so the people of Israel could escape pursuing Egyptians. 

 

Then God entrusted Moses with the Ten Commandments after meeting with him exclusively on Mt. Sinai, and when he came down his face was shining with the “shekinah glory” of God. Certainly this guy could have felt that he had arrived. But aggravated by the impatient Israelites, Moses threw a couple of temper tantrums. The last was particularly problematic.

 

The people had been traveling for a long time and supplies were dwindling. “Now there was no water in the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, ‘…Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place. It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!’….” The ever-complaining Israelites weren’t a happy lot.

 

In response, God instructed the Israelite leader to take his staff and with his brother Aaron, to gather the Israelites together. Then Moses was to speak to a specific rock nearby and it would pour out water for them. But instead, he struck the rock twice with his staff. Water did gush out of it for everyone to drink, but clearly Mr. M had not followed instructions. He definitely had not ‘arrived’ spiritually, despite the great responsibility he had carried.

 

God’s response was immediate. “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:2-12). As the Scriptures later tell us, Moses was permitted to climb a mountain and peer into the Promised Land, but it was his protégé Joshua who would lead the Israelites into it.

 

A second great example is the apostle Paul, who also had been used in wondrous ways by the Lord. But perhaps he was more honest in his self-appraisal. He had been a bold witness for Jesus Christ, had been a part of glorious miracles, and had been delivered from many forms of adversity and strong opposition. Surely he had arrived spiritually, right?

 

And yet, while in prison, he reviewed his life and ministry in a letter to believers in ancient Philippi. He concluded, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14).

 

If this was true for Paul, it’s certainly true for each of us. Our spiritual journey is lifelong. Each morning is a reminder that we’re not “there yet.” Our destination is to be “called heavenward in Christ Jesus,” but until then we’re to persevere with the work has prepared for us to do, recognizing that we haven’t ‘arrived.’

Genuine Faith Should Be Multi-Generational

One of the memories from my days as a community newspaper editor in Tomball, Texas is an interesting fellow I got to know through my participation in the local Rotary Club. His name was Jimmy Tanner, and he regarded himself as the club’s poet laureate.

He’d get up near the start of the meetings and announce, “Gen’men, I’m gonna recite for you a little piece of poemtry.” (That’s correct, Jimmy would say, “poemtry.”) Then he’d repeat the same poem he’d offered to us the preceding week:

“Now a bell isn’t a bell until it’s rung,

And a song isn’t a song until it’s sung.

Now love wasn’t given in our hearts to stay –

For love isn’t love until you give it away.”

 

Simple, yet profound. Because if you don’t want a bell to ring, why make it? If you don’t want a song to be sung, why write it? And most important, love unexpressed isn’t love at all. It needs to be communicated and demonstrated to the object of affection.

In a similar sense, genuine faith in Jesus Christ needs to be shared. Some people might argue, “Faith is a personal matter.” However, if trusting in Christ and committing our lives to Him is as important as we think it is, failure to share our beliefs and what the Bible teaches can be summed up in one word: Unloving.

 

In Evening by Evening, a devotional book by Charles H. Spurgeon, he offers a biblical example of how naturally the sharing our faith should be. Andrew, who was an eager disciple of John the Baptist, had encountered Jesus and decided to follow Him. After spending the day with the Lord, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’…. And he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41-42). Andrew knew the news was too good to keep to himself. (You might recall the impact it had on Simon, whom Jesus later renamed Peter.)

 

One of the wonders of Christianity is its growth from a tiny handful of faithful followers of Jesus into today’s vast global movement. In 2020, the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, estimated more than two billion professing Christians worldwide. One reason is that from the beginning, God intended for faith to be multi-generational.

 

Speaking to Abraham, whom God had chosen to become “the father of many nations,” He said, “I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:4,7). 

 

Later He affirmed this promise: “I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:17-18).

 

This covenant – God’s unilateral commitment – didn’t waver over the passage of time. In one of his psalms, King David wrote, “Descendants will serve Him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness – what He has done” (Psalm 22:30-31).

 

And speaking through the prophet Isaiah, despite His chosen people’s repeated waywardness and rebellion, God offered this reaffirmation: “‘As for Me, this is My covenant with them,’ says the Lord. ‘My Spirit, who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 59:21).

 

In the New Testament we find this divine promise expanding beyond the people of Israel and their direct descendants. “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

 

And Galatians 3:29 declares, “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Can you imagine? As followers of Jesus, we can trace our spiritual lineage back to Abraham, thousands of years ago. But it’s not to stop with us. We have the great privilege of passing our faith along to future generations.

 

Our first “mission field” should be in our own homes – our families. In the same devotional entry, Spurgeon said, “You may or may not be called to evangelize the people in any particular locality. But certainly you are called to look after your own relatives and acquaintances.”

 

Concerning this, the apostle John stated, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). This obviously applies to one’s biological children, but isn’t limited to them. As we read in Acts 2:38-39, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

 

Many other passages address the multi-generational dimension of faith, but the apostle Paul summed it up writing to his protégé, Timothy: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). This single verse presents four generations of believers: “you” (Timothy), “me” (Paul), “reliable men,” and “others.”

A question worth asking is whether we’re actively taking part in God’s multi-generational parade of faith. And if not, why not? To paraphrase Jimmy Tanner’s little poem, “Now faith wasn’t given in our hearts to stay – for faith isn’t faith until you give it away.” 

Nothing Cool About Being Lukewarm

Have you ever experienced trying to eat a bowl of ice cream after it’s been sitting out at room temperature for a while? Who likes soupy ice cream that has lost its “cool refresher” properties? Definitely not the remedy for a hot day.

 

How about going to a restaurant for an eagerly anticipated meal and being disappointed to discover that when the food’s served, it’s barely warm? You’re tempted to spit it out of your mouth. I don’t know about you, but I like my cold food and drinks cold, and hot food and drinks hot. Not lukewarm or barely chilled.

 

'Jesus Knocking on the Door'
by William Holman Hunt

It’s the same with relationships. Ideally the time we spend with our loved ones is characterized by enthusiasm. We enjoy being together. We don’t have to feel excitement all the time – that’s unrealistic – but should look forward to hanging out with one another. It can be disheartening for a parent to return from a long business trip and instead of a warm ’welcome back!’ from spouse and kids, to receive nothing more than a collective shrug. Someone even coined the term, “Meh.”

This can be problematic from a spiritual perspective as well. During my young adult years, I attended church, but it didn’t take a lot of persuasion or rationalizing for me to skip a Sunday. I believed in God, but my religious practices were little more than routines or rituals, hardly devotion. And during the week you would have been hard-pressed to discern any spiritual convictions based on how I conducted my life. My “faith,” if I could have called it that, was lukewarm at best.

 

We find this kind of attitude vividly illustrated in Revelation, the final book of the Bible’s New Testament. The apostle John was instructed to write letters of both commendation and rebuke to major churches in the province of Asia. Among them was the church in the city of Laodicea. 

 

Unlike other assemblies of believers that were commended for their commitment to the Lord, the Laodiceans received no figurative pats on the back. Instead, speaking through John, God chastised them: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

 

These folks were “lukewarm – neither hot nor cold.” They didn’t offer strong opposition, but neither did they exhibit a zealous commitment to the Lord. If charged with being followers of Jesus Christ there probably wouldn’t have been enough evidence to convict them.

 

Sadly, 2,000 years later things haven’t changed much. Many churches are filled with individuals going through the motions, half-hearted in their convictions, impatiently waiting for the worship service to end so they can get on with their lives. Is it any wonder that despite the high percentage of people categorizing themselves as “Christians,” the impact of biblical values and principles in our nation has been low?

 

Reading further in the brief passage directed toward the Laodiceans, there’s some encouraging news. After this stern reproof, the lukewarm believers were given a compassionate admonition: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent” (Revelation 3:19). The love and kindness God extends toward His children – even wayward, complacent ones – are limitless. He longs for us to return to Him, using discipline when needed to correct us and regain our attention. He doesn’t want to spit us out of His mouth.

 

Toward the end of this message, we find words that many of us have heard applied to evangelizing non-believers. However, the context clearly indicates it’s directed primarily toward tepid believers who have closed the Lord off from their lives. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

 

This evokes the image of Jesus Christ standing outside a door waiting to be invited inside. There are even numerous paintings of this scene, some depicting Him rapping on a door having no outside handle. If the door is to open, it will have to be opened from the inside.

 

In my case, the Lord kept knocking on my heart’s door for years before I came to a clear understanding of my sinfulness and need for His forgiveness and redemption. I can’t point to a specific day and hour when I came to saving faith in Christ but can recall a time when I knew that I knew that I knew – no more doubts – that I was a child of God, eternally secure in my relationship with Him. As Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).

 

It's never a bad thing to reassess where we stand with Jesus. Have we invited Him to stay, to have continual fellowship with us, or is He still knocking at the door of our hearts while we settle for a casual, lukewarm existence? 

Are You Suffering from ‘Spiritual Amnesia’?

“What have you done for me lately?” Have you ever thought this about someone or something? More than that, has anyone ever expressed this to you?

 

These words can be devastating. Too often we fail to appreciate, even forget, what was done in the past. ‘That was then – this is now!’ In the eyes of some, the present moment is all that matters.

 

This takes place on many fronts. We’re frustrated with our jobs, but then a nice pay raise or bonus comes and for a while we’re all smiles. Just a few weeks later, however, our doldrums return. Same old, same old. Sports fans feel exhilaration when their teams win the championship. But then next season arrives and if their team stumbles out of the gate, fair-weather fans are ready to fire the coach.

 

Children might get into an emotional snit when they’re not allowed to do something or their request for something at the store is denied. They forget about what mom let them do last week, or what dad brought home for them just days earlier. Forgetfulness can become the bane of contentment.

 

In the Scriptures, unvarnished as they are, we find one instance after another of God’s people developing a kind of “spiritual amnesia” during times of trial and trauma.

 

Take the people of Israel, for example. After suffering under slavery in Egypt for 400 years, God used Moses to extricate them from oppressive captivity. The Lord performed great miracles through Moses. Then there was the first Passover when the angel of death passed over their dwellings as firstborn were slain throughout the land. Alas, their memories were amazingly short.

 

Not long after the Israelites’ departure, Pharaoh smacked himself on the forehead and exclaimed, “What was I thinking?” He ordered his Egyptian army, horses and chariots to go after their departed ‘labor force.’ With the Egyptians in hot pursuit, the Israelites cried out and complained to Moses, “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:12).

 

How did God respond to His petulant, forgetful chosen people? He parted the Red Sea, allowing them to cross it, and then sent the waters crashing back as the astounded Egyptians tried to advance on the seabed. No more Egyptian problem.

 

Just a few days later, Moses was leading the Israelites across a desert when they ran out of water. The only water they could find was bitter and undrinkable. Quickly the complaint department reopened for business. “So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’” (Exodus 15:24). God silenced their complaints by instructing Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water, miraculously turning it into a refreshing fountain.

 

By that time the Israelites should have felt confident God was up to any challenge they might confront. Nope. About a month and a half after their exodus from Egypt, they were passing through another desert with their food supplies dwindling. Instead of being thankful for their new freedom, again they complained:

“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and [his brother] Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this deserve to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exodus 16:2-3). Their spiritual amnesia was intensifying.

 

The Israelites’ complaints didn’t end there, but they weren’t the only ones in the Scriptures who struggled to remember the wonderful things God had done for them in the past. King David, in the midst of intense opposition, wrote these words: “In You our fathers put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried to You and were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed” (Psalm 22:4). 

 

He was telling himself, ‘Hey, don’t forget all that God has already done!', trying to reassure himself that God would again deliver him from his troubles

 

Another time, in the midst of a song of praise David candidly acknowledged, “We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to Your miracles; they did not remember Your many kindnesses…” Psalm 106:6-7).

 

This forgetfulness didn’t stop with the Old Testament. One of Jesus’ most convicting assessments of His disciples came when impetuous Peter asked to step out onto the water after He saw the Lord walking on a stormy sea. When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter boldly stepped out of the boat.

 

Within moments, however, he “saw the wind” – the fierce spray whipping off the waves – and suddenly remembered that normal people don’t walk on water. When Peter began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus extended His hand, caught him and said, “You of little faith…why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:25-30).

 

After all the many miracles they had seen Jesus perform, from feeding multitudes to healing the sick, from casting out demons to raising the dead, the disciples continued in “what have You done for us lately” mode. 

 

“You of little faith – why did you doubt?” Has the Lord ever asked that of you when, after witnessing Him do incredible things in your life, you spiraled into panic and despair as soon as another crisis occurred in your life?

 

We all, to one degree or another, act like spiritual amnesiacs when our goings start getting tough. No matter what God has done for us in the past, we wrestle with unsettling doubts that He’ll come to our aid once more. Even though the Scriptures promise that He will. 

When those moments come, we need to remember God’s words spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). We may struggle with spiritual amnesia, but the Lord never forgets. 

Taking Time to Consider What Love’s Really All About

Every holiday has its characters. Christmas has Santa Claus, Easter has the Easter bunny, Thanksgiving has the turkey, and with Valentine’s Day upon us, we might be struck by one of Cupid’s amorous arrows. It’s the day, we’re told, that’s all about love.

Love, it seems, is music to our ears. “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” the classic ballad told us. “All You Need Is Love,” the Beatles assured us. Songstress Whitney Houston declared, “I Will Always Love You.” The Righteous Brothers sang about love’s downside in “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” And Elvis Presley admitted he, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

But when we cut past the fluff and the mush, what is love really all about?

 

I hate to harp on the Hallmark movie romances, but I’ve seen my share of them (probably more than my share, as a loving husband) and feel like a bit of an expert. Their prevailing message is that love is cultivated in an instant, endures a brief flirtation, survives momentary conflict, and then blossoms into mature, eternal devotion. All within the span of a single week, maybe just a few days. (Actually, less than two hours.)

 

But my experience over decades of marriage has taught me that’s not what true love is about. And it’s certainly not what the Bible says love is about. 

 

Love is hard work, compromise, putting the interests of the other person first when necessary, accepting one another flaws, warts and all. Yes, there are the soaring emotional times, but there are also times of wrestling over bills, cleaning the house, trying to fix stuff that’s broken, and realizing what “in sickness and in health” really means. All in the name of love.

 

The tear-jerker film of the late 1960s, “Love Story,” informed us that “love means never having to say you’re sorry.” However, I’ve learned that the words “I’m sorry” can go a long way in strengthening or repairing marriage relationships.

 

What the Scriptures say about love bears little resemblance to the butterflies-in-the-tummy image we receive from Hollywood. Here’s a sampling:

 

Love comes from God. “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment…. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:16-19).

 

Love is gracious and understanding. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). These words should undergird a marriage, not just serve as a nice-sounding portion of the wedding script.

 

Love is obedient. Explaining what it means to truly love God, Jesus said, “Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them” (John 14:21). How can we love God and refuse to do as He asks?

 

Love doesn’t demand something in return. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them…. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:32-36).

 

Love is a commandment. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

Love is eternal. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God spoke a truth that applies not only to His chosen people, the families of Israel, but also to everyone who is part of His kingdom: “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness'” (Jeremiah 31:3).

 

Love can mean dying to self. Jesus told His disciples, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). Not long after, Jesus did exactly that – laying down His life, dying on the cross as the once and for all atoning sacrifice for all who would receive Him as Savior and Lord.

 

Love means making a choice. Jesus taught that genuine godly love leaves no room for mixed allegiances. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

 

Love uses Jesus as the ultimate example. When a husband wonders, ‘How should I love my wife?’ he can find no better teacher than Jesus Christ. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25). Reading the gospel accounts of Jesus, we find Him continually giving of Himself, not exhibiting a sentimental form of love but one of sacrifice and service.

 

You can find much more about love in the Bible. These only scratch the surface. But grasping and applying these truths alone could revolutionize Valentine’s Day. And “What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love” would never sound the same.

Joy Emerges from the Refinery of Adversity

When I was a boy, we could always find Joy in our home. But I don’t mean the exhilarating human emotion. I’m talking about the liquid dishwashing detergent, the one that promised, “From grease to shine in half the time.”  

We didn’t have a dishwasher back then – hardly anyone did – so I guess people tried to find joy in the task any way they could. Maybe that’s why Proctor & Gamble introduced the product in 1949 – literally to put Joy in dishwashing. But unless going from grease to shine as quickly as possible is your passion, washing dishes isn’t where I’d expect to find much joy.

Curiously, Joy was a major sponsor for soap operas like “Search for Tomorrow.” If you’ve ever watched a soap opera, you know joy doesn’t figure prominently in many of the scripts. Anger, angst, fear, frustration, envy, jealousy, disappointment, and despair? Of course. But joy? Not so much.

 

What exactly is joy? And how do we achieve it? 

 

For starters, joy isn’t synonymous with happiness. I might feel happy when something nice or fun happens to me. Because happiness and happenings are tightly intertwined. Take football games, for example. Fans experience happiness when their team scores. They’re all smiles, high-fiving, clapping and cheering. But that sense of jubilation quickly fades when the opposing team returns the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

 

Joy is different. It’s an inner quality that endures despite external circumstances. In fact, the most difficult situations can result in the greatest joy. This is why the apostle James started his letter with this admonition: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

 

Note that James didn’t direct his readers to be happy. God doesn’t command a happy response when we receive a scary health diagnosis, encounter financial struggles, lose a job, or fail to receive the expected promotion. When a relationship with a beloved family member or close friend is broken, “Don’t Worry. Be Happy” probably isn’t the song that comes to mind.

 

Instead, the apostle exhorts us to regard it as “pure joy” when adversity becomes an ever-present companion. James clearly isn’t talking about happiness.

 

He and another apostle, Paul, concurred. Writing to believers in ancient Rome, Paul offered a similar perspective. He said, “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

We’re to “rejoice,” Paul declared. In other words, to find joy in the midst of suffering. But how?

 

I remember my friend Dave, who early in his walk with Christ would often confide his struggles with his mentor. That mentor, also named Dave, would listen attentively, then smile and respond, “Dave, you’re in a great position.” In view of his challenges, my friend Dave didn’t regard those as being in “a great position.” But over time he came to understand what his mentor meant.

 

There’s a saying that “the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire.” This isn’t a simplistic aphorism. In terms of metallurgy, heating metal up to high temperatures promotes necessary chemical reactions that transform iron into steel. Similarly, the fires of adversity and suffering can prove beneficial by forging resilient spiritual qualities such as perseverance, character, hope, unwavering faith – and joy.

 

We have no greater example of this seeming paradox than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Hebrews 12:2-3 points to Him: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3). This says Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” Wow!

 

The night before, when He would be betrayed, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane, taking with Him the disciples Peter, James and John. We’re told, “He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…” (Matthew 26:37-38). You don’t have to read between the lines to recognize that happiness wasn’t an emotion Jesus was experiencing.

 

Joy, however, prevailed. In spite of false accusations, brutal torture, being forced to Golgotha, and then experiencing the most horrific form of execution, Jesus’ joy was undiminished. Because He was fulfilling His ultimate mission: To become the atoning sacrifice for the sins – yours and mine, and countless others who would place their faith in Him. In ways we can’t humanly comprehend, all that Jesus went through was entirely worth it.

 

Someone reading this might be thinking, ‘I get it. Happiness isn’t the same as joy. But what if I can’t seem to find joy either? I had it once, but seem to have lost it.' In that case I’d recommend adopting the prayer of King David who, devastated by the guilt of his sins with Bathsheba, was desperate to be restored to a right relationship with God.

 

David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12).

 

As we discover in reading the rest of David’s life, God heard and answered his prayer. Spiritually cast in the refining fire, he emerged stronger and more faithful than ever. The Lord will do the same for you and me as well, if we sincerely seek Him.

Addressing Unhealthy Fixation with Self

We’re citizens of a society obsessed with self. Self-esteem. Self-realization. Self-actualization. Self-gratification. Self-determination. Self-awareness. Self-interest. Bookstores report their most popular departments are self-help and self-improvement.

 

Social media are littered with “selfies” people have taken of themselves. Modern-day speech is replete with self-oriented phrases like “It’s all about me,” “Look out for No. 1” and the “Me Generation.” Perhaps more than ever before, ‘self’ holds preeminent status in the lives of many.

 

Someone might say, “What’s wrong with that? If you don’t look after yourself, who will?” It depends on your worldview – how you perceive your world. If you’re firmly planted at the center of your world, focus on self becomes a natural byproduct. To borrow the phrase from the old beer commercial, we’ve got to “grab the gusto” because we can’t expect anyone else to do it for us.

 

This statue in St. Patrick's
Basilica in Vatican City depicts
how Jesus Christ denied
self to die for our sins.

If our conviction is that this life is all there is so it’s incumbent upon ourselves of maximize the experience, self-centeredness seems justifiable. But for those of us who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, we can’t keep self in first place.

Jesus addressed this with His disciples and the crowds gathering around Him in a straight-forward, uncompromising way. “Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23). This statement also appears in Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34. 

 

The gospel of John records a similar declaration, likely expressed in a different setting. “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me” (John 12:25-26).

 

These are heavy words, particularly for our 21^st century ears. Doesn’t sound much like self-realization or self-gratification, does it? To “deny self” conjures up images of refusing to take a second helping at a restaurant buffet or not partaking of the dessert table. But it’s of far greater gravity than that. Because Jesus says we’re to “take up [our] cross daily” and follow Him. 

 

People in Jesus’ time were painfully familiar with the cross, where criminals and enemies of the Roman government were executed. They had no idea Jesus would be experiencing this Himself a short time later, but the sense was clear – following Him required death to self.

 

The apostle Paul, who willingly endured adversity in more ways than most of us could imagine, referred to this when he wrote to the church in Corinth, “I die every day – I mean that, brothers and sisters – just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:31).

 

We might say Paul didn’t have to go through his many hardships, but in his own words, he had no choice: “For Christ’s love controls [compels] us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died” (2 Corinthians 5;14).

 

In Jesus we have the ultimate example of denying self and taking up one’s cross. God incarnate, He came to die for the sins of humankind; to be the once and for all atonement for our redemption. He could have decided, ‘No, I’m not going to do that. Let them die in their sins,’ as did the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the victims of the global flood before that. But that was not His purpose or plan. 

 

Offering to become our Savior and Lord, Jesus’ attitude wasn’t ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ Just the opposite. As the apostle Peter wrote, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Following Christ means bringing the exaltation of self to an end.

 

One of my favorite old hymns, Charles Wesley’s “Rock of Ages,” offers a convicting perspective. The third verse starts, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” Very different from a ‘Look at me. Aren’t I something?’ point of view. The hymn goes on, “naked, come to Thee for dress; helpless, look to Thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”

 

This is recognition that no matter how lofty our view of ourselves might be, there’s nothing we can bring to prove our worth to God. As Jesus said, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). To follow Christ, self must take a backseat. 

 

That doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to care for ourselves – to work, eat, be concerned for our health, get enough sleep, and many other things. The difference is ‘self’ doesn’t belong on a pedestal. As Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We belong to Him, not to ‘self.’

 

Responding Properly to That Big Little Word, ‘If’

Have you ever been around someone who delighted in trying to impress people with his or her vast vocabulary, using multi-syllable words with abandon, as if they just ate a dictionary?

 

That’s not to demean complex-sounding words. ‘Aeronautical,’ for instance, makes more sense than saying, “Stuff that goes up in the air.” On the other hand, saying things are ‘ubiquitous’ might not connect as easily with the hearer as “everywhere.” It largely depends on the intended audience and the context in which words are used.

 

Since words are the tools of my trade, I’ve often found that small, simple words – when they are the right words – can have incredible impact. 

 

I can’t think of a better example than the little word, ‘If.’ Conditional statements – declarative sentences that express relationships between two ideas – often start with or include the word ‘if.’ They inform us that, “If you do this…then that will happen.” 

 

For instance, “If you speed on the interstate, then you are likely to get a traffic ticket.” Or, “if I won the lottery, I’d be able to get out of debt.” Essentially, a cause-and-effect relationship.

 

In God’s Word we read about the Lord’s unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance of His children – His mercy and grace. But even the Scriptures tell us that some benefits of the spiritual life are conditional. This is where that little word ‘if’ comes in. 

 

We find this word being used many times in the Bible. Two passages that immediately come to mind convey that spiritual health and growth aren’t automatic. They require initiative on our part. For example, in Proverbs 2:1-11 we read: 

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding – indeed, if you call out for insights and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God…. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”

 

These verses make clear that if we do certain things, we then can expect certain outcomes. Accepting God’s words, storing His commands in our hearts, pursuing wisdom and understanding, and treasuring them will lead to gaining understanding, wisdom, knowledge and discretion. 

 

Those all are invaluable qualities for godliness and becoming the people the Lord wants us to be. But they’ll come to us only if we ask for them, seek them, and embrace them for the eternal treasures that they are. If…then.

 

Another passage that reinforces this conditional relationship between God’s desires for our lives and our response is Philippians 2:1-2, which exhorts, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

 

This is a strong call to unity of heart and spirit. In our society today, we often hear people speaking about unity but it’s often with the connotation that folks accept or align with a particular position being espoused. These verses in Philippians point to the foundation for unity, especially among followers of Jesus. 

 

Do we find encouragement in our relationship with Him? Can we find comfort in His love? Do we enjoy fellowship with one another through the power of the Holy Spirit? Has He imparted in us tenderness and compassion toward others? If this is the case, then we can become like-minded, experience mutual love, and be united in spirit and God’s purpose for our lives.

 

Do you see the power this little word ‘if’ can wield? I’d be remiss if (there’s that word again) I failed to cite one more passage that underscores what it means to be one of Christ’s followers. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus tells His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

There’s much we could unpack from this single verse, but Jesus speaks directly. To be one of His followers, we need to be willing to deny ourselves, die to our own desires, and follow Him wherever He leads. That may seem like a hard statement – because it is. But as He said, if we desire to be true followers, those are the conditions. We might say, “there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it.”