My Dear Friend,
It is my prayer that today’s word of encouragement will help to assure you that when all is said and done, God will have the last Word, and everything will be alright. As always, you are love and you are missed! Until we see each other, please feel free to let me know how you are doing.
Love in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Mark
“The Lord knows the thoughts of humans, that they are futile.” Psalm 94:11
“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of humans as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25
All Those Opinions or God’s Word? It’s Time to Choose
The newscaster is increasingly more commentator than transmitter of facts. The news is more “fair and balanced” if it includes a “Hollywood Squares” type grid with at least six opinions from both the “experts” and those “on the ground.” Even in the “reputable,” major newspapers, one often finds that only a minimal quantity of ink is used to print what actually happened, followed by a myriad of views on how to keep it from ever happening again. And with the advent of social media, anyone and everyone can be a trusted authority on any subject. But all this ubiquitous blather amounts to opinion – and the sheer volume of it is simply mind-boggling!
Presented as solutions, people are looking to these opinions for answers, and with each succeeding day, human existence is becoming more and more confused and discouraging. That is why the Word of God tells us that, “The Lord knows the thoughts of humans, that they are futile,” “but the Word of the Lord endures forever.”
The Apostle Peter has been referred to as the “apostle of hope,” because his primary message was to encourage believers who were bewildered and downcast by persecution. He encouraged them to trust and obey the Lord – no matter what their situation – and to keep their hope set on God’s promise of ultimate deliverance and victory.
Peter reminds us that we have a “living hope” because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything on earth (including human opinion!) will eventually fade away, or “perish.” But Jesus promised us an imperishable inheritance that awaits us in Heaven. In the meantime, we are being guarded by God’s power for a salvation that will be revealed to us. And lest we become impatient, “In this you should be rejoicing, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6).
Like gold that is only genuine after it has passed through the refining fire to be rid of impurities, our faith will come out the other end quite pure, resulting in “praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).
Now here is an amazing thing! This verse seems to imply that this particular “praise, glory, and honor” will be ours! In Romans 2:7-10, it is also implied that such glory and honor will be part of God’s reward given back to us. Just like the crowns of reward cast back at the Lord’s feet in Revelation 4:9-11, such “praise, glory, and honor” will be conferred upon us, in order that we may give it all back to the Lord who saved us!
Finally, in 1 Peter 1:7-9, we are assured that if we endured earth’s trials, without giving up on our faith, then God, who saw that we loved and believed in Jesus – even though we had never yet seen Him – will give honor and glory to us, His saints, who persevered! That is an amazing thought!
When you look at the world and the mess that it has become, the solutions being offered by the “experts” and the populace are proving to be increasingly futile. But in the midst of all this chaos, God’s Word will endure forever. God will have the final say.
Standing on that promise, you are encouraged to:
Rejoice – even if for a while you must undergo trials that test the genuineness of your faith. (1 Peter 1:6)
Believe in – and love – Jesus, even though you have not yet seen Him. (1:8)
Rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and full of glory, even though, right now, times are uncertain and confusing.
It behooves us to shut out most, if not all, of the opinions out there, and to put our ultimate trust in God’s Word. And in this present world chaos, we can stand on the promise of Jesus that, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35