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December 21 - December 29, 2020
Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
Romans 12:4 says that each member of the body of Christ belongs to the other.
Because God tells me in His Word that I am intimately connected with that man in pain. He belongs to me, and I belong to him. My victory in pain—somehow, some way—helps him. And it’s why I keep his photograph above my desk. His battle is my battle, and my battle is also his.
Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. (1 Peter 5:9 NLT)
It’s always hard to let go when your child goes to be with the Lord. After all, it’s not supposed to be that way; children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around.
To me, it’s such a wonderful illustration of that beautiful verse in Galatians where we are told to bear one another’s burdens. Yes, we have our aches and pains. Yes, we have our sorrows and disappointments. I have my quadriplegia and chronic pain, and you have your own set of difficulties and challenges. But always and always, Scripture forces us to keep considering the needs of others, no matter how little you have, or how difficult your experiences.
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. —Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. (Isa. 25:1)
Lord, he said, no matter what happens, I claim You as my one-and-only God. You’re mine! No matter what anyone else chooses to say or do all around me, I’m going to lift up Your name as high as I can for as long as I live, and place my full confidence in Your plans. Lord, You are the Faithful One. Long ago, You looked forward to this very day, and You have planned all of it—marvelous things! Thank You, God, for this ministry You have given me.
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples…. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. (25:6–8)
Contentment is realizing that God has already given her everything she needs for her present happiness. It is the wise person who doesn’t grieve for the things he doesn’t have, but rejoices over the things he does have.
Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.”4
Now when people see me in my wheelchair bound, no one knows (though I am still) the joy that I have found. My arms they will not move again, my legs they do not walk, without my special speaking valve, I cannot even talk. These simple facts mean nothing, these things that you can see, it’s the unseen changes made inside, by Him who lives in me. No person knows contentment such as He has given me, unless they gave their heart to Him, then waited patiently, for Him to do the shaping part, the way He did for me.
Acts 20:24, and I invite you to do the same. I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me— the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
