Joy In Suffering

"Joy" and "Suffering" are not words that most of us would group together. In fact, with the state of the world around us, joy would seem to be in short supply. But just like most things in this life, the Bible teaches us a different truth.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1: 2-4)

James is telling us that apart from trials, our faith and character will never achieve their full potential. In fact, he is promising us that our suffering will result in our characters being perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. God is promising us perfection through His glorification which can only be brought about through the testing of our faith. But this is not the only verse discussing the binding of suffering and the deepening of our faith . . .

Missed It By That Much . . .

One of my favorite television shows growing up was "Get Smart". The hero in this show, Max, stumbled into victory despite his best efforts, and uttered these words several times due to his propensity for clumsiness, "Missed it by that much!".

I wanted to start with this humorous anecdote because the rest of this blog addresses a more serious topic. It is of little surprise to anyone who is paying attention to world affairs that this world is more divided than ever before. I'm not talking about politically, socially or even economically. I'm talking about the great divide, between those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and those who do not. There appears to be three cultural camps holding sway in the world, two of which are opposed to the truth of Jesus Christ. This puts most of the world in direct conflict with everything I believe.

He Who Will Emerge From The Sea

The number 13 is a number that usually brings forth feelings of trepidation, certainly not feelings of comfort and protection. Chapter 13 in The Book of Revelation is no exception. This chapter describes the height of Satan's rebellion against God, a rebellion that begin before the dawn of time. Imagine, in all of history there has never been an influence of evil such as the world will experience in the Great Tribulation.

Chapter 13 begins with the rise of the Antichrist, the beast who will emerge from the sea. (The sea refers to the Gentile nation - Revelation 17:15) The ten horns that the beast has are affixed to a composite body which combines the appearance of a leopard, bear, and lion. In military terms, this suggests that the Antichrist will have the staggering speed of an leopard, the overwhelming power of a bear, and the ferociousness of a lion. And the ten horns represent power and kingdoms, and the Antichrist will exert his power like no other ruler in history. He will wield absolute power over ten nations and kings who will exist to do his bidding. The False Prophet, (who will emerge from land - referring to the Jewish nation) only has two horns. But make no mistake, that is an strategic deception. His power exists in a different realm. Where the Antichrist will utilize his power with a sword, the False Prophet will accomplish his means using his amazing charisma and persuasion. He will speak like a dragon, using lies, threats, deceptions and coercion. His appearance as a lamb will disguise his true intentions. Great miracles will accompany the False Prophet as he works in conjunction with the Antichrist to deceive and command the world.

A Perfect Poem

"Casey At The Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They though, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.