Thursday, April 18, 2019

Beloved Congregation of the Lord,                                                             

What a great difference a change of season makes in our lives.  I say this because to me this past winter was especially long, and long winters can have an impact on our well being.  We could ask a physician to confirm this generally, but God’s book already tells us that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (Pro 13:12).  Solomon seems to say that when the grace of hope returns to the heart, it is like spring time in the soul.

In light of this, how is your heart doing?  The heart which the sage of Israel told us to be concerned about when he said, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life”?  This is the heart or inner man where Christ dwells by faith as Paul said, “… that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height– to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:18-19).

Perhaps some of us are looking for relief from some fiery trial or victory over a particular sin, or a the return of wayward friend or family member, but the relief we hoped for is like the long winter that keeps freezing and throwing sleet and ice at all our efforts to thaw out.  When we find ourselves in such a spiritual freeze, look to Christ in fresh faith and you will find, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16)   A Christian’s hope is not deferred forever, God will see to that.  So, let’s trust in God’s provision and have a heart strengthening week in the warm weather of God’s good grace in Christ Jesus our Lord!

 Hope is never ill when faith is well ~ John Bunyan