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SPEAKING IN THE LIGHT WITH PASTOR RUDY

Anyone can celebrate the good times when everything seems to be going your way. But the test of true character is what happens when nothing seems to be falling into place? I have learned the hard way that just because you do what is right doesn’t guarantee that you still won’t face your fair share of wrong. The greatest lesson that God has taught me is that He is faithful in the midst of any circumstance that may come our way. Just when we think that the Lord has opted out of His promise to be with us always, He shows up in the most miraculous of ways!

Most religions don’t have any purpose for suffering and hard times. The best of belief systems advises its followers to avoid trials and tribulations at any cost. This is not the case with Christianity. Jesus made it clear to His disciples that in this world they would experience their fare share of bumps and bruises but nobody should be shocked by such a rude awakening. Jesus also promised to be with us every step of the way. Hard times didn’t mean lean seasons in the sojourn of any seeker chasing after the Savior.  

The Bible clearly teaches that Christians can celebrate the God times whenever and wherever we may be no matter what the situation. Even in the year of the unpredictable and unthinkable, this is no time for the followers of Jesus to be longing to live in another era. God created us for such a time as this. God provides what we need to succeed where He leads as long as we choose to walk by faith and not by sight. If we stay true to what God says no matter what we see with our eyes or hear from those around us with our ears, we will discover spiritual diamonds amidst the dust of these crazy days! No matter what is thrown at us this side of Heaven, as the recipients of God’s amazing grace and His peace that makes no sense unless we look through an eternal perspective, we really do have all we need to get to where we are going! Grace and peace doesn’t alter our destination. Grace and peace actually accompany us to our destination.

Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset painted the entire sky with glorious and majestic color. But out of the window next to her seat,

all Marge could see was an ominous sky dark and threatening, with no sign of the sunset. As the plane’s engines began to roar, she sensed God spoke to her. “You have noticed the windows,”

she heard beneath the roar and thrust of takeoff. “Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here’s a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to ‘ride with Me’ with continual peace and joy.” “You see, it doesn’t matter which window you look through; because no matter what your view, this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, gloomy situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway. The final destination is not influenced by what you see and hear along the way.”

No matter what happens around us, nothing can rob Christians from the reality that our ticket is punched for Glory! l am going to Heaven! If I catch Covid, I am still going to Heaven. If I have cancer, I am still going to Heaven. If I am broke or persecuted or swinging on a star, I am still going to Heaven. When I land, I am going to be greeted by a welcoming party that will take me into a land where all the pain of the past will not be allowed into the present.  Learn this, act on it and you will be free, able to experience God’s peace that passes understanding and the grace that fuels our engines when this earth forces us to run on empty!

When your faith is anchored by the simple but straight forward truths that God said we should care about, it will be more than enough to keep you clear and focused on the important tasks that He has for all of us ahead. I know that my biggest messes come when I try to do God’s will my way. I know that I only set myself up for failure when I try to control what only God can handle. How many of us are looking to play it safe during a time when we should be looking to walk on water. 

When Jesus met the first disciples fishing, he told them to push out a little deeper. These were lifetime experts who knew the seas inside and out and suddenly, a carpenter was directing them to do what they already knew what to do. They could have said, “If we need any help fixing a chair, we will give you a call but leave the fishing to us.”  They probably thought it was a stupid idea, but do you know what? They did it anyway. Jesus challenged them to push out into deeper waters and they did. Jesus encouraged them to throw their nets on the other side of their boat and they did. Grace and peace flood our hearts when we simply trust and obey the Lord. What is He asking you to do today?

I know life in the middle of 2020 can be very hard. Nobody knows what might be waiting for us in the months to come. God knows! God has even given us a foretaste of what our future holds if we stay connected to Him. God might ask you to do things that are beyond your ability. God might ask you to do things that won’t be popular with the people around you. God might challenge you to do things that don’t make any sense at all. Do it anyway. Keep your eye on the ball. Darkness doesn’t have the capability to destroy us but it sure will try to distract us. Keep the light on. Trust the ultimate Pilot no matter what side of the airplane you may be sitting on. And don’t ever settle to make yourself at home until your plane lands in Heaven! Bon voyage!