TO FILL A LITTLE SPACE

The disappointments of the past and the difficulties of the present, should never negate the possibility of a better future you can still secure! To that end, don’t allow the weight of discouragement to paralyze you and keep you from advancing with zest in pursuit of new and better ideals. Not to be forgotten is also the truth that “what life does ‘to’ us depends on what life finds ‘in’ us,” as somebody affirmed.

It is by the removal of old debris that you can clear a space for a new construction. Out of the ashes of your past or present life, you can still find a live coal to help you ignite new and greater realizations! Doing nothing isn’t the answer; complaining about it won’t do either; despairing will only blind you to new possibilities!

Begin by recognizing that on your own you shall always be prone to falter. But with God “all things are possible,” (Matthew 19:26) for “our sufficiency is from God” (II Corinthians 3:5). Furthermore, the Almighty employs human agents to accomplish many of His purposes, and you should never shun anyone willing to encourage you at any time. God Himself is on your side; don’t choose to run away from Him!

A human begins life in dependence of parents or guardians. Children and youth develop with the additional help of teachers and coaches. And adults fully thrive when they seek wise counsel from those who have already been where they desire to go.

All along, anyone can benefit from the resources God dispenses, which can equip one with the best tools for every good work through the end of one’s earthly trajectory. He Himself is with us! Moreover, “God has a place for each of us to fill and a work for each of us to do. Our times are in His hands,” as Warren W. Wiersbe affirms.

Unfortunately, it is when one seeks to order life without any reference to the Creator, preferring independence from Him, that one easily and unexpectedly loses the grip on things, because of remaining in darkness. In that posture, no one can find any path, much less discover the right direction to pursue.

As the late Norman Cousins reflected, “the tragedy of life is not in the fact of death but in what dies inside us while we live.” This is especially so when meaning is lost, and personal feebleness prevents one from doing what is needed to proceed in the correct way!

“The only price we have to pay for survival is decision,” added Cousins. Yet, the life one has is the primary vehicle for thriving and not merely surviving in the world. At the dawning of any day, a fresh decision is needed on how to face each new challenge, how to surmount real barriers, how to overcome any foe, real or imaginary!

As St. Paul observed, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:7-9). Such portrait of the apostle is duplicated in most humans, further equipping them for life’s raw realities to be pursued not alone, but in the company of Emmanuel - God with us!

It’s unfortunate that many of God’s redeemed don’t fully realize that “becoming a Christian will cost us everything we have. To follow Christ is to give up the right to run our lives” as Philip Graham Ryken so eloquently puts it.

Too many come to Christ for a spiritual palliative only, for the fringe benefits of the faith, or for the possible thrills that Christianity may offer, instead of taking into consideration the true cost of discipleship.

Yet, Jesus Himself had challenged His would-be followers, “if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Self-denial must be a life-long practice for the child of God. Genuine discipleship is not an occasional activity but a day by day engagement!

From the outset of Christendom, God allowed adverse circumstances to arise in the Roman Empire so as to scatter His people into new places where they might make a positive difference through their impact. Christ had already forewarned His earliest followers: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As someone insightfully argued, “God promises a safe landing, not necessarily a tranquil voyage.” This has been the experience of many Christians since the establishment of His Church, and it shall remain so among His redeemed until Christ returns to rescue His bride.

The tribulation that Jesus had announced, manifested itself in manifold forms of real suffering to many in the primitive Church. It has continued eversince, up to this day, even if some are still unprepared to acknowledge this reality and accept it as part of God’s design for Christian living in the world.

God has allowed such chastisements of His saints because He loves each one of them and desires to purify everyone as a unique vessel for His use, and for one’s eternal wellbeing! He tailors the cross that His disciples are to carry, to fit each one individually.

As the late Dietrich Bonhoeffer had taught, suffering and loss are common to all humans in the world. But the “cross” we are called upon to bear is something extra; it is the unique badge of a Christian’s commitment to the Master, Jesus Christ.

Let us never forget that the Christian person is most free only when totally surrendered to the will of God! And His grace shall always be abundant for every need and trial; it is never in short supply to those who truly seek it!

It is sad but true that often the things one assumes to need most in life appear to be in short supply to the one seeking them. Yet, the abundance of certain items in one’s experience may still leave that individual totally devoid of essential, real needs!

One’s struggles to meet those expectations do not always succeed as hoped for and anticipated. That’s when people often settle for anything; many succumb to adopt caricatures, or to accept unworthy substitutes which can only increase their frustrations rather than satisfy completely a unique, legitimate longing.

We all know that a certain medication, as effective as it might be in healing certain ills, will do nothing for other maladies. It can only be used for specific infirmities; sometimes it can even be injurious for one’s total health and wellbeing when utilized indiscriminately. Neither a larger amount of any remedy, or an increase in the frequency of its use, would accelerate the needed cure. In some cases that can actually be lethal!

Likewise, material provisions, exchanged among people, just as duties adequately fulfilled, won’t satisfy any heart longing for true love or, at least, for more human interaction and personal closeness which none of the other things alone can accomplish.

Some parents, and a few spouses, erroneously imagine that an abundance of gifts lavished on a loved-one may suffice, when the obvious need is for presence rather than presents. Being there in person, being readily available, is far more desirable and needful to anyone than just receiving something, no matter how costly or exciting that item might be!

Many persons, also, allow themselves to be short-changed by embracing too quickly what is only provisional instead of striving a bit longer to acquire the permanent, i.e. what truly counts in life. As Thomas Merton reflected, “your life is shaped by the end you live for.” And that should aid one in filling the gaps with the right stuff!

In pursuing all that life can grant you, if you stumble, attempt to get up and do your best to stay there! No defeat should keep you permanently vanquished if you determine to rise up and soar to new heights, with renewed strength and all the abilities God alone can and does provide.

Better yet, “it is not what God can give us, but God that we need,” as writer George MacDonald had so wisely pointed out. Yet, God also offers us choices for effective living, which you can accept and triumph, or ignore and remain in defeat! He alone can meet one’s true longings and genuine needs!

Remember that every new step in life should always represent an advance toward something good, to an ideal as yet unattained, to the fulfillment of a need still unmet! And this can be so when one recognizes personal limitations while being equally aware of the unlimited resources God has at the disposal of His redeemed - those who obediently attempt to embrace and observe His precepts!

Due to advances in medical technology, organ transplants have become a new reality in the world today. Yet, only some individuals may become candidates for that procedure, with all the benefits derived from it.

Although the above happens only to some persons, all humans, unquestionably, shall need revisions in their thinking at various stages of their life, in order to provide them a new outlook and a safe direction. And this is much more easily acquired and achieved.

It’s no virtue, nor anything to boast about, that you’ve been doing things a certain way for the past several years. While some aspects of that practice may be correct and praise-worthy, chances are that you are missing a better and more efficient way to get where you want to go, and accomplish what you desire to achieve.

Many who claim expertise on something, merely on account of having just followed a certain pattern for a long time, may be completely wrong without ever recognizing it. Minds can be made up differently, and repeatedly, in the light of new evidence on various issues. It’s insane to allow one’s brain powers to paralyze or calcify through improper actions or lack thereof.

People who constantly question other persons’ thinking and doings, would provide themselves a greater favor in also doubting some of their own conclusions! Life is always in flux, and no human is perfect!

Ideas need revisions, and certain procedures often must be altered for more efficient results, for the benefit of larger numbers of people. Nothing should ever remain static!

People need to learn to differentiate between what is permanent and what is merely provisional and temporary. The problem is that so often humans attach themselves more readily to what is impermanent, while discarding practices and values that do not pass away.

Holy Scripture offers a safe and sound guideline when it reminds us that “the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:17). And God’s design for anything can be easily ascertained in the pages of His Holy Word!

Life is in constant motion; changes are expected to occur and must take place for it to move on. A new outlook on many aspects of life needs to be developed, embraced, and retained. But such perspective is not to be founded on the shifting sands of any era but, rather, on those things which do not pass away, the eternal values God has established for all ages and all peoples. It’s alright to change your mind about any issue, as long as you hold on to God’s eternal principles which do not decay and are ever up-to-date!

One of the great affirmations of Christian truth relates to one’s personal experience of, and belief in, the forgiveness of sins. It is expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and in many subsequent declarations of Christian faith throughout the ages, based on Holy Scripture.

No other religion in the world has ever offered forgiveness of sins, because none of them can do it. But Christianity can and does it, on the authority of what God Himself has declared on the matter, and assigned to the Church to proclaim and dispense.

As a contemporary churchman declared, “The heart of the good news is the fact of forgiveness - not as a doctrine but as an experience.” Obviously, it remains a significant doctrinal teaching but it has, indeed, a marvellous, practical effect on the life of all who are transformed by Christ as they become the objects of God’s forgiveness.

The word which is most often translated from the Old Testament Hebrew as “forgiveness” connotes the idea of having a weight lifted. It is the very burden of one’s sins which has been removed altogether, bringing complete relief to the one who previously had to carry such a load. All has been placed on Christ Who became sin for us, giving us immediate assurance of divine forgiveness.

The human experience of such reality, however, is not based merely on the historicity of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to bring that about. It becomes real only on the basis of one’s genuine repentance of sins committed. Only those who confess and are prepared to abandon and condemn their sins, are truly and fully forgiven!

Being forgiven does not license anyone to continue in sin, or to practice any act of disobedience to God whenever one is tempted to do so. With God’s initial forgiveness there also comes the indwelling Holy Spirit to restrain us and to remind us of the consequences of any transgression on our part.

Yet, though already forgiven, Christians are called upon to confess any repeated and new sin, knowing that God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

Perhaps no one describes the positive effect of divine forgiveness as graphically as King David, in the words of Psalm 32:1-2: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

Fellow humans may disappoint us in not forgiving us, or in merely expressing it without its reality backing it up. But God, in Christ, has granted us His forgiveness, and that is what ultimately counts for any child of His!

As Holy Scripture declares, from the beginning of the human race and throughout history, God has been fashioning a people He is calling together after Him.

Many of those had to look ahead, in hope, in expectation of a coming Savior, the promised deliverer. A few saw and experienced the arrival of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ Who was their contemporary and compatriot.

Most people, however, just look back in faith to the first advent of the Son of God and all He did to achieve their eternal redemption through His ministry on earth, His death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection!

Such message, as it is faithfully proclaimed everywhere around the globe, continues to draw God’s family members, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, into His Church - the Household of Faith!

Although the sum of His chosen ones is not yet complete, the family of God already registers a great number, spread throughout the entire world - in lands favorable to His Truth, and also in nations that seek to prevent the free course of His Gospel within their borders. Yet, even then, the saving message overcomes untold barriers in order to claim additional lives for Him!

Whenever I travel overseas, I am always impressed by what God consistently does in calling such people unto Himself, using a variety of means and a great assortment of individuals as His agents, in issuing calls to repentance and faith.

In spite of human obstacles and other adverse conditions, His Truth never returns unto Him void, but effectively fulfills that for which it has been sent into the world to accomplish!

One shall never know on earth all those whom God is calling unto Himself. Yet, to the extent we can recognize some, let us use every opportunity to benefit from their counsel and company. Let us further consider what we can also impart to them for their own growth and satisfaction in “the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.” Since we shall spend eternity with them, the sooner we get to know them more and enjoy their company while here, the better!

Even though God’s people are everywhere, we remain responsible to share the good news with others who may be just waiting to hear that saving message in order to believe it and, thus, be incorporated into that forever family! God still surrounds us with such people, and offers us opportunities to witness to them by word and deed, and lead them into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the risen, reigning, and returning Savior!

It is no longer a surprise that Christians are still being persecuted around the world. Quite often, many still think of that phenomenon as something limited to the first three centuries of development of the Christian Church. Some may also associate those occurrences with the reign of some of the many cruel Caesars, in the early Roman Empire.

Yet, one needs to understand that persecutions are still a reality, happening both in east and west, just as much as north and south.

Difficult as this form of suffering is for those undergoing it, in a sense it shouldn’t be totally unexpected for the true disciple of Christ. The Savior Himself forewarned that this would take place, as St. Paul and others also wrote about it. And they did not limit their predictions of those persecutions to any particular era of Christian history, nor to any specific region of the world, neither to only certain forms of trouble that others would inflict on Christ’s followers.

The apostle Paul, especially, in his last piece of writing, alluded to this fact when he reminded young Timothy: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (II Timothy 3:12). In fact, Paul’s own entire ministry as a spokesman for God’s Kingdom, became a vivid illustration of harassment, persecution and, eventually, martyrdom.

Although God has enabled large numbers of His people to remain free from persecution in varied corners of the globe, one notices more and more that the time of great freedom may be coming to an end, in many parts of the world.

Thus, new forms of attack are being inflicted on people never before touched, while an increase of intensity is also being experienced by others already affected by some form of persecution, as freedoms heretofore experienced and enjoyed are now being curtailed or totally removed.

While Christians can and should stand for their rights at all times and places, they must also rely on God’s grace in moments of trial, coupled with the assurance brought out by St. Peter, when he reasoned: “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” (I Peter 3:13).

As Tertullian, an early Father of the Church, observed in the second century, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” And today, as it was also the case in other eras, the persecution of Christ’s followers will simply promote the growth and expansion of the Christian cause, and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom on earth.

You should remember that whatever happens to you of good or of ill, Jesus is Lord! And whether one is persecuted alone or collectively, God’s unlimited resources and all-sufficient grace, remain abundantly available to you for complete victory, along with His own abiding presence to cheer and to guide!

In the eighth chapter of his epistle to the Romans, St. Paul raises the question: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31b). In so saying, he is not in any way doubting that God is always for us. In fact, he is just reaffirming the biblical truth that because God is on the side of His own, no one nor anything can be against His people. The “if” actually means “since.”

Quite often, it is easy for a weak believer to question that. Any feeble, immature follower of the Christian way can readily mount enough evidence to doubt the legitimacy of God’s unfailing care and love.

Yet, such individuals fail to recognize that even the distresses of this life are often a means God uses to bless His people. They may be a refiner’s fire to purify us; they may entail overwhelming floods intended to cleanse us; they may come in the form of deep distress, as means of drawing one much closer to Him.

Whetever it is, God is never against us; He is for us! He is simply against our sins, our rebellion, our disobedience, our lack of faith. And when these are manifested, He is quick to provide corrective measures to realign His children to His glorious plan.

When St. Paul pronounced those words, Christians were being scattered throughout the Roman Empire on account of fierce persecutions mounted against them. Many had already been martyred, while others had their properties confiscated, or were sold into slavery, while still others were falsely accused, leaving yet a great number to be cast into prison.

The picture of the Christian life, drawn in Holy Scripture and, century after century illustrated in Church History, is often one of hardships, though followed by major conquests.

Even when God may choose not to remove the affliction from anyone of His children, He will still provide the necessary resources for triumph, along with the assurance of His abiding presence for needed comfort and strength!

Another picture fully reflected in Holy Scripture, and vastly illustrated in the entire, centuries-old history of God’s people, is one of His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises and in providing for the needs of His redeemed “exceeding abundantly, above all that we may ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

He is with us in the light, He abides with us in the dark, He protects us when we may be distant from Him, He restores us to His favor when we go astray but repentantly return to seek His forgiveness and mercy. TheGod Who loves us, Who saves us, Who is always with us, is and shall always be for us!

Everybody who has traveled any long-distance, whether by train or by bus, knows that en route to one’s destination several stops are often made along the way. Some passengers may disembark at one or another location, while other persons also enter the vehicle at that stop in order to commence their own trip.

Others can start the journey from the same point of departure as well, but later make stops at places altogether different. Something similar also occurs with elevators in high-rise buildings, which only stop at some floors and not at others.

All this is to say that in life’s journeys, each individual will face unique experiences at different times and places, some of which will not be faced by anybody else. Not every person will stop, or pass through, the exact same stations which others may have to experience. Much that is to occur is unique to each individual!

More specifically, the Christian journey has only one final destination, though the stations en route will also vary, on account of several factors. Some of those stations may keep you momentarily stuck for longer than you would desire, others were not part of the itinerary and, thus, shall be a surprise to you since you least expected stopping there.

All these are ways of God dealing with His people in further preparation for the rest of the journey. There may be lessons one may need to learn at a certain station; there may be dangers ahead which necessitate a prolonged stay at another station. There may also be the provision of rest and refreshment needed for the next leg of that venture!

From the perspective of biblical history, we need to remember that just as God accompanied the Israelites throughout their physical wilderness, He shall not abandon us in the emotional and mental deserts we may have to experience while en route to our ultimate terminal. He is with us, and shall never leave us nor forsake us, as He promised.

The problem comes, as psychologist Larry Crabb indicated, when “we forget where we’re going while we try hard to get there.” This is echoed by Eugene H. Peterson’s rendering of Proverbs 2:15 in The Message, where he alludes to “traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends,” which some, in error, choose.

Yet, for the success of any journey, one must retain a clear picture of the direction one is to take in order to reach the desired goal. God enables His people so to do, on the basis of the directives He provided for all generations. There one encounters clear guidelines for one’s personal success! As Dr. Arthur Caliandro commented, “a person goes best and grows most when he finds his right goal!” And the child of God from beginning to the end is led by the Spirit of God in all life passages!

You have to dream if your dreams will ever come true! Some may take a long time to be realized, but the wait will be worthwhile! Others may surprise you by their swiftness in coming to pass. Still others may just linger in your memory, without ever becoming reality, or simply by not unfolding as originally hoped for!

Dreams cannot be bought nor sold. Neither can they be stolen! They are very personal though their fulfillment normally affects not just the dreamer’s life, but a larger company of people. Brazilian psychiatrist and author, Augusto Cury, has written extensively about dreams. In one place he states that “life without dreams is a river without a source, a beach without waves, a morning without dew, a flower without perfume.”

Someone has also commented that “many people know what they want out of life, but few turn their dreams into a carefully planned success map.” But how can that be effectively achieved?

By pondering on each dream, you can gradually discover helpful ways of bringing them to fruition, by making them concrete in your experience. You can release them to God and seek a clear manifestation of His will about them, for any dream out of line with His perfect will is not worth pursuing! In the wise words of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, “if you are yielded to Christ, your life is not a series of accidents; it is a series of appointments.”

Good dreams are born and prosper in a fertile imagination, in a joyous life, in a tranquil mind even if surrounded by external noises and conflicts. They thrive in a life secure in the love of God, assured always that His design and purpose for the life of any of His children shall never be thwarted.

Dr. Maya Angelou acknowledged that reality in her own life when she reflected: “I knew that if God loved me, then I could do wonderful things. I could try great things, learn anything, achieve anything. For what could stand against me, since one person, with God, constitutes a majority?”

By the way you feed your mind, by the nature of your daily thinking, you can actually construct positive dreams and decisively proceed toward its unfolding. Develop solid friendships and acquaintances which can help you cultivate and nurture your dream fields, and contribute to accompany many a sprouting into reality. Acting in a contrary manner will only cause nightmares, some of which may be hard to eradicate.

Biblical narratives are loaded with dreamers who did not limit their dreams; many amplified them and led them into a meaningful conclusion! The centuries of Christian history also saw great causes come to pass as results of the persistent, God-directed dreams of many pioneers. Institutions were established, God’s Kingdom was enlarged, and countless lives acquired a true vision of what it is to live in the world under the Lordship of Christ. Today, new dreamers still live on, positively impacting a large company of persons who benefit from the concrete effects of their dreams!