AUGUST 12

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

Isaiah 40:9

“Get  up into the high mountain”

CHARLES SPURGEON:

Our knowledge of Christ is somewhat like climbing a mountain.  When you are at the base you see very little.  The mountain itself appears to be half as high as it really is.  Confined in a little valley, you discover scarcely anything but the rippling brooks as they descend into the stream at the foot of the mountain.  Climb the first rising knoll and the valley lengthens and widens beneath your feet.  Go higher, and you see the country for four or five miles round and are delighted with the widening prospect.  Mount still, and the scene enlarges; until at last, you are on the summit.

  Paul, when grown old, sitting gray-haired, shivering in a dungeon in Rome, could say with greater emphasis than we can, I know whom I have believed.”  Each experience had been like the climbing of a hill, each trial had been like ascending another summit, and his death seemed like gaining the top of the mountain.  From there he could see the faithfulness and the love of Him to whom he had committed his soul.  Get up, dear friend, to the high mountain.

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This month we will continue the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

Philippians 4:1

“Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast (firm) in the Lord, beloved.”

WHATEVER HAPPENS………..STAND FIRM

STAND FIRM IN SCRIPTURES

Paul told the Thessalonians to stand firm in their doctrines, to the Scriptures, to the truths of God.  He said, “So then, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

This makes a titanic difference in our lives.

The American Bible Society released a report in 2023 based on data from nearly three thousand responses from adults in the United States.  The study said, “Our research confirms something millions of Christians know through personal experience – that the Bible has the power to transform our lives and make us happier, healthier, and whole.  We find that Christians who are committed to their faith, fully engaged in the Bible, and transformed by its message, flourish in every domain of human experience.”

The report continued, “while these Scripture-engaged Christians go through the same hardships as everyone else. The difference is they experience life’s ups and downs through a worldview shaped by the Bible’s message of hope.  No matter the circumstances, those who trust in God and connect with Him through Scripture are happier than those who haven’t yet sought God in His Word.

STAND FIRM IN A HOSTILE WORLD.

All of this allows us to stand firm in a world that harbors an innate hostility toward Christianity.  Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”

Consider Lindsey Barr, for example.  She was an assistant teacher with the Bryan County school system in Georgia.  One day she learned that an inappropriate and sexually explicit book was going to be read to her three children in the library at McAlister School.  This book also contained inappropriate drawings.

Lindsey asked the school principal to excuse her children from the reading program.  In response the school fired her as a substitute teacher.  Lindsey stood firm.  Utilizing one of the many groups that assist Christians who are being discriminated against, she protested her firing.  The Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to the school district asserting that her firing had violated her constitutional rights.

The school district has no choice but to agree. The school superintendent sent her a letter saying, “Upon returning, we encourage you as a parent to raise concerns about material being taught to your children.  Raising such concerns does not preclude employment in our district.  For the future, we are focused on the value you add for children across the district as a substitute teacher.  We sincerely regret that your separation from the school district caused any distress.

This kind of thing is being repeated again and again in our American story.  We cannot always win, and we may face persecution and even martyrdom.  But whatever happens, we can stand firm.

In the village of Ano Vouves on the island of Crete is the oldest olive tree in the world.  It’s at least 2,000 years old based on analysis, but it’s likely much older.  Scientists at the University of Crete believe it dates to the days of Abraham – 4,000 years ago.  It has withstood droughts and floods, storms, frost, bugs and blights.  Its roots are firmly planted, and it still thrives.  It still produces olives, and you can buy a bottle of its olive oil at a nearby gift shop.

Psalm 92 says that those who stand firm in their righteousness are like trees planted in the courtyards of the Lord.  “they will still bear fruit in old age, they will  stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no wickedness in Him”  (Verses 14-15)

Notice the twin metaphors – tree and rock.  When our roots infiltrate the deep, dark soil of Scripture, they embrace and interlace around a deeply buried unshakable rock, and the reason we don’t blow over in the storms, the reason we can stand firm in all seasons is simple.  Our roots are gripping the solid Rock. 

If you ever worry whether God can be pried loose from omnipotence, He cannot.  If you’re concerned He might forget even a preposition or period of one of His promises, He will not.   When you think the storms are greater than the Stone to which you’re anchored, they are not.  Christ is greater than Gibraltar, greater than anything!

With the writer of Psalm 61:2, you can say:

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You.  When my heart is over-whelmed;  Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”

“You will be hated by everyone because of Me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 10:22

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.”  2 Corinthians 1:21

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