Category: General

by Theresa Goyette

The other day I told my adult son, “We are living in an unprecedented time in history. Nothing like this has happened before in my life. Someday your kids may ask you what it was like to live during this time.” People have lived through many hard times in our nation’s history. They didn’t choose the circumstances they were born into, just as we would never choose this COVID-19 crisis. But this time and these circumstances are no surprise to God.

This week, I was reading a passage in Isaiah that is a favorite of mine:

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. ⁷ Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. ⁸ ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.”

ISAIAH 44:6-8

In saying that He is first and last, God is establishing that He has always been and always will be. God alone understands the totality of history from the beginning and the events that will occur in the future. I love the way God challenges anyone to come up with a God that is anything like Him in power and strength, almost with a bit of attitude as He dares us to name anyone like Him. In saying that He is our Rock, God is reminding us of His protection, and that He is unchanging and strong.

J. Alec Motyer says that the point of this passage, “is not so much the exposure of false gods as the demonstration of the glory of the true God and therefore the security of His people.”

In my fears and struggles, I sometimes turn to other people or things first before going to Him. These words remind me of how futile and foolish it is to try to find my security in anything other than Him.

To help deepen my understanding of God’s Word, I like to write out passages of Scripture in my own words and in ways that have meaning to me. I encourage you to try doing that sometime. You can do that with this passage or another one that is a favorite of yours. Here is how I captured this passage in my own words. I hope it inspires you to try something similar.

I Know of None
Is there any other god who was present before time began and who will be present at the end of time?
Is there any other god who can call all things into existence and then cause them to cease to exist? Is there any other god?
I know of none.

Is there any other who has authored the past and can recite every detail of history in order and to whom I can trust every detail of the future?
I know of none.

Is there any other I can turn to with my fears and thoughts?
Who else forgives me over and over again and gives me rest?
Who turns my doubts and my questions into peace?
Is there anyone else who can? Well, is there?
I know of none.

Is there any other Rock- immoveable, unchanging, ever-faithful protector, provider and friend?
I know of none.
Because there is none.
You alone, are God.

Prayer: LORD, we are thankful that you have been ever-present throughout history and you are present in our circumstances today. We can trust you with the future. Help us to turn to You for our security and to bring You our fears. You are our protector, provider and friend. In Jesus Name, Amen.

by Pastor Joe Pullen

Updated Easter Sunday: Praise God! The young man I mentioned in this devotional WOKE UP today and spoke with his Dad. It is truly a miraculous outcome after days of unresponsiveness. Thank you for praying for him! 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 PETER 1:3, ESV

Yesterday I listened to Pastor Steven reflect on Good Friday, contemplating how the torturous death of Jesus could be called “good.” His disciples didn’t think it was good. For them, the crucifixion of Jesus evoked fear and panic. Peter denied being a disciple of Jesus. John was left holding a grieving mother. Judas had killed himself. All of them left Jesus and fled for fear of the people who put Jesus to death. That was their Good Friday.

Even after hearing Jesus tell them of His coming death and resurrection, the disciples were still in hiding. That’s where we find them on Saturday. Some religious traditions call it Holy Saturday, but I am prone to call it Questionable Saturday.

For the disciples of Jesus, Saturday was the space in between the crucifixion and the resurrection. It was the day between despair and joy, the day between defeat and triumph. It was the day before the miracle, the time when they were forced to wait and wonder. They’d been with Jesus daily for three years, but now were separated by His grave. They feared for their lives and questioned if the story of King Jesus had come to an abrupt, humiliating end.

Like the disciples, I can recount many times in my life when I’ve walked with Jesus, but then got to a place in my story where everything seemed to come off the rails. I recall them vividly — wrestling with my addiction, being unemployed for more than a year after I left the Army, and difficult seasons of work, marriage and parenting. In each case, my circumstances drew me to a place of despondency, wondering if God had left me and if hope could be trusted. Those Questionable Saturdays were the worst.

This past Thursday, the same day we celebrate Maundy Thursday commemorating the day Jesus had the Last Supper with His disciples, one of my best friends got a phone call that thrust his family into crisis. His son had fallen off a ladder at work, sustaining a severe injury that left him with a broken skull bone, bleeding on the brain, and brain trauma. He and his family are devout followers of Jesus but simultaneously find themselves waiting for a resurrection of sorts for their son to regain consciousness. As I write this, their son is still unresponsive and their hearts are broken. (Update: On Easter Sunday, he woke up after days of unconsciousness! Praise God!)

They’ve given me permission to share their story and I ask you to pray diligently for them. Like the disciples did then, they are currently facing their fears, uncertainty, and grief while waiting for answers only God can provide. At the same time, they fully believe in God’s ability to heal their son and rescue them from their pain. Just like the disciples, they’ve been eye-witnesses to many miracles that Christ has done for them, but they don’t know for sure what will happen or when it will transpire. Today is their Questionable Saturday.

What’s yours? Maybe you’re estranged from a spouse or child and longing for the relationship to be saved, between jobs, or wondering if Jesus will ever help you get victory in a particular battle in your life. Maybe you’re questioning your purpose or asking if you’ll ever get married. Or like the disciples, you may be consumed by fear and anxiety. Whatever the case, there’s hope for you on your Questionable Saturdays.

Outside Jesus’ grave, the work of Jesus seemed for naught. But inside the grave, Jesus rested from the finished work on the cross. Outside the grave, the promises seemed broken, but inside the grave the broken were healed. Outside the grave, the disciples were breaking down, but inside the grave, victory was on the cusp of breaking out. These darkest moments of life magnify the glory of the resurrection when it comes for you.

May I encourage all of us to persevere? For the disciples on Questionable Saturday, all seemed lost. Unbeknownst to them, God was working behind the scenes in their lives and in less than 24 hours their crucified Savior would become their resurrected King. On our difficult days, let’s all remember that in the places we cannot see, our resurrected King is working on our behalf, and in time, all our cares and concerns will be fulfilled in the kept promises of Jesus.
Until then . . .

May the God of hope fill you with all joy in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

ROMANS 15:13, ESV

by Nancy Leschke

From Pastor Joe: I’ve known Nancy as a CTR Lay Counselor, a ministry leader for this One’s for the Girls, and a co-worker for the past three years in her part-time work in communications for Christ The Rock. She’s a deep thinker, a welcoming person, and cares deeply for people who are forgotten or marginalized. I’m thankful she agreed to share some thoughts with us as we look forward to celebrating Easter together. 

In this week leading up to the celebration of Easter, I find myself wondering about what Jesus’ followers were thinking in the weeks and days before He was crucified. Like us, in this time of a living with the threat of coronavirus, they found themselves living in uncertain times. In their case, living under the oppressive rule of the Romans made life unpredictable and perilous. Perhaps they were excited about Jesus’ growing notoriety, eager to remember God’s deliverance at Passover, or even hoping Jesus would deliver them from the Romans. Certainly none of them understood that Jesus was about to be part of a new and final divine deliverance.

But there was one follower who was listening carefully to Jesus’ words – and who challenges me to be better at listening to His voice, and loving Him with abandon. All the Gospel writers share an account of this particular follower: she is noteworthy because she seems to be the only one of Jesus’ followers who understood that He was about to die.

After several chapters that record Jesus’ teachings in the temple and on the Mount of Olives, Matthew tells his account of an unnamed woman in chapter 26, verses 6-13. She interrupts a dinner Jesus is attending in Bethany to anoint His head with an expensive jar of perfume (vs. 7). The disciples are appalled at the waste of money – but Jesus honors her gesture. He gives her credit for being a student of His teachings; for listening and believing what He said about His impending death. He says:

When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

MATTHEW 26:12

She had been listening — really paying attention — to His teachings. Just five verses before this woman enters the story, in Matthew 26:2, Jesus had directly told his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Yet they didn’t recognize her gesture of love as honoring Jesus before His death, and preparing Him for burial.

Her attentive listening makes me ask: What I am missing from Jesus’ teachings? How can I be a better student of my Savior, as this woman was?

I am also convicted by the sheer extravagance of her love. Matthew recorded that it was “an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume.” She gave the very best – something costly and precious – and gave it totally wholeheartedly. And she felt a sense of urgency, busting into a dinner where she was not invited, and disrupting the meal with a scandalous gesture (touching a man who wasn’t a relative).

Her extravagance and boldness makes me ask: Am I willing to give when it comes with a high cost? Am I unashamed and extravagant in my love for Jesus like she was?

As we prepare our hearts to remember Jesus’ crucifixion and celebrate His resurrection, I want to be more like this unnamed woman. The twelve disciples didn’t understand that Jesus was about to change history forever — and we are also living in a time when no one can predict how our next weeks and months will unfold. But she was focused on His teaching, believed what He said, and poured out her love for Jesus in a way that was arresting and memorable to all who saw it. Jesus says about her:

I tell you the truth, whenever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

MATTHEW 26:13

I pray that all of us at Christ The Rock will be remembered for those things too — for listening and believing Jesus’ teachings, and for pouring out our love for Jesus unashamedly so the world notices.

(The other Gospel writers’ account’s of this woman’s interaction with Jesus are found in Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, and John 12:1-8. John names her as Mary, the sister of Lazarus.)

by Angie Bruce

A note from Pastor Joe Pullen: My wife and I have been blessed to be in relationship with Steven and Angie Bruce since their moving truck pulled into town when they arrived. We connected instantly, and it was their family that witnessed the Great Fire of 2019 at the Pullen house when our grill burst into flames. Oh, the memories. Before Coronavirus, our families would get together nearly every Sunday night to talk, play games, eat, and ummmm, well, watch The Walking Dead together. To say we miss hanging out with them would be an understatement.

Angie has been in ministry for 22 years, has completed Master’s work in Pastoral Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy, and makes a fantastic iced mocha when volunteering at the Fireside Café. I’m grateful for her willingness to share her thoughts about how God is ministering to her heart right now: 

Since we have been holed up in our homes, waiting for this virus storm to subside, this section of the song “Always” by Kristian Stanfill has been running through my head almost non-stop:

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way
Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord

As we watch the events unfolding around us, hear the daily changing recommendations, see the conflicting reports, the fear, the panic, and the chaos beginning to unfold in some of the bigger cities, it is easy to fixate on the horizontal perspectives of life. We wake up, we check the news, we check social media, we listen to medical and political briefs, and we make efforts to connect with our friends and family that we are currently separated from and missing. And while those things can be good, they can become all-consuming if we don’t take great care to keep our perspective where it needs to be.
At the beginning of Psalm 121, in verses 1 & 2, it says:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

PSALM 121:1-2

The repeated bridge of the song “Always” is lifted straight out of this scripture and is filled with so much comfort. I can, we can, make the choice each day to simply look up. It’s almost a gravitational pull to keep our gaze horizontal, to check in every day to see what everyone else around us is saying, from the experts to the keyboard warriors online. But are we lifting our eyes to check in every day with the only One who actually has any control over our current situation? What does He have to say about all of this?

In Isaiah 41:10, we read:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

ISAIAH 41:10

He is with us. He gives us strength. He upholds us. What do we as believers have to fear, when we have the creator of the universe by our side?
When we lift our gaze, He changes our perspective. When we see through different eyes, we will see God’s hand at work all around us, through people finding creative ways to love their neighbors, through connections with others sought after in new ways, and through the selfless acts of people we’ve never met who choose to serve in a time of danger, from grocery store stockers, to restaurant staff, to police officers and healthcare workers putting themselves directly in harm’s way. And we can rest in the comfort that God is still on His throne, He is giving us strength, He is guiding us, and He holds us in His hand. We just have to look up.

by Rebecca Menning

Pastor Joe here. I’ve asked my good friend Rebecca Menning to share some thoughts with us about how she and her family are navigating these times. Rebecca is a passionate follower of Jesus, one of our lay counselors, a Pastoral Development graduate, a volunteer in the community and in ministry, and a disciple-maker. I’m excited for you to hear her thoughts. She writes:

We are a few weeks into lockdown mode in Wisconsin, and it still seems so surreal to my husband Tony, our small children and me. This pandemic is affecting each of us a little differently, but we are all touched by it somehow. It leaves me asking, “How can I cultivate peace in our home right now? How can we survive and even thrive together under such difficult circumstances? How can we nurture and nourish our marriage and relationship?” I’ve been praying about this a lot recently and asking the Lord for wisdom to know what our home and family life should look like right now. I encourage you to do the same, according to this encouraging promise from the book of James:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

JAMES 1:5, ESV

Here are some reminders that are helping our family right now.  I hope they bless yours too:

1. Remember Who you serve

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we serve the living God. We belong to Him, we are known by Him, we are loved by Him. He has made us into new creations, adopted us as sons and daughters, invited us into His kingdom. Saturating yourself in scriptures describing who God is and what He’s like gives much needed perspective in the midst of the storm.

2. Make space for each other’s emotions

We all have different ways of processing what’s going on, and there’s no right or wrong way to feel. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 reminds us that ‘For everything there is a season…. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.’ Romans 12:15 speaks of true empathy as part of living peaceably with one another, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Don’t judge others for how they are coping in the moment; but seek to be there for each other in the way that each person needs.

3. Communicate clearly

My husband and I have developed a ritual of asking each other every morning, “What are you hoping for today?” This is incredibly helpful so we can start the day with the other person’s needs in mind. Maybe he has a scheduled conference call, or I have a time-sensitive email to send, or a phone call that needs to be made. Stating needs and expectations early on helps us care for each other well and eliminate miscommunication. Are you being vulnerable and sharing your needs with your spouse? Are you committed to helping them achieve their goals for the day? Our marriages can really get stronger during this time if we make that a priority.

4. Make the most of the time

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

EPHESIANS 5:15-17 ESV

There has never been a time in history quite like this. How can we make the best use of this time? If you are home with your family, now is the time to be intentional. What kind of memories are you making with your kids? How are you pursuing and wooing your spouse? How are you reaching out to those who do not know the hope of Jesus?

Now is the time to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV) and create a culture of service in your home. This involves creativity during this time, and you’ll find your kids are full of good ideas! By following God’s Word and living it out in our homes during this time, we can experience peace in our homes, strengthen our marriages, and shepherd our kids well. I’m so thankful God has instructed us with His living Word so we know how to live in every challenge life presents.

by Pastor Joe Pullen

During this time away from friends and (for many of us) our workplace, God has given us unique opportunities that I hope we all embrace, because such opportunity may not come around again in our lifetime. Specifically, He’s given us the opportunity to slow down and be with Him and those He’s given us.
In my life, perhaps yours too, slowing down comes with feelings of laziness; it almost feels wrong. I usually feel guilty whenever I lessen my pace. For too much of my life, I found my value in what I did, my job title or rank in the military, and the badge of working longer hours than most. I did it to cover my insecurities and the trauma of my past. My reward? Disconnection from God and others, mild depression, difficulty relaxing, and chronic insomnia. It’s not a lifestyle I’d recommend, and God has so much better for us.

In my training to become a counselor, I studied anxiety extensively. One of the manifestations of anxiety, especially in men, is speeding up – doing more, going faster, and trying to be on top of everything to gain an artificial sense of control. This is a natural, but not always beneficial, response to trauma – to try to protect ourselves from the uncertain by exerting control over all that we can. It seems to work temporarily, but eventually the body pays the bill through physical pain, emotional irritability, or difficulties with restlessness, sleep, appetite, guilt, or fluctuating energy levels. God so wants us to avoid this cycle of speeding up, feeling in control, crashing, and then depression when we realize we’re not in control of anything.

When Pastor Ben Korinek was interviewing for his current teaching pastor role at CTR, he was asked to lead the CTR staff in a devotional. He taught us on the scripture below, and it so impacted me that I journaled for weeks about everything that God showed me through that one verse about my busy life, and where I found my security:

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
In quietness and trust is your strength,
But you would have none of it.”

ISAIAH 30:15, NIV

I love that God refers to Himself as the Sovereign Lord here. The sovereign is the one from whom all other power and authority is derived. God is reminding us that every created being gets their ability to exist and function from Him. Without Him, nothing exists or continues to function. And none of us can add to His sovereign control over the world or our lives. Anytime we speed up or add more to our plate, attempting to reshape our world the way we want it, we forget that it is God who has already provided all that we need.

Instead, God is reminding us that our salvation was obtained through repentance of sin and resting in the finished work of the cross where Christ gave forgiveness. But that isn’t the only saving work of the cross. Through the cross we are saved from striving to earn favor with Him or to earn good standing among other men. Through the cross we can rest, knowing that our present, future, and eternity are secure.

Jonathan Edwards said, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin which made it necessary.” God is calling us to rest in that truth – to slow down and let it permeate how we see ourselves and the world around us. God is sovereign and He has given us all that we need for life and godliness. Let’s just accept that more deeply and watch as He does the rest.

God creates a quiet heart within us when we slow down, surrender control, and trust in His loving provision. We become stronger and more resilient when we know the all-powerful Sovereign is in full control, and it’s so much better than what our striving gets us.

To what degree do you find yourself speeding up these days? Wouldn’t our lives be much richer if we lived them at a more manageable pace, with less striving, with less worry and fear? Would you be willing to share in the comments what a step of repentance, rest, quietness or trust looks like for you?
Let’s keep growing together and showing the world around us how believers endure times of apparent uncertainty.

Blessings,
Pastor Joe

by Pastor Joe Pullen

God has blessed the world with brilliant people who understand how diseases spread and can be contained. We can all recite by heart the disease prevention protocols they’ve taught us lately – wash your hands thoroughly, cough and sneeze into your elbow, and avoid touching your face. We’re also becoming fluent at new phrases that weren’t in our vocabulary just a few weeks ago, like social distancing and the creepier one, virus shedding.

Physicians have passed these procedures along and taught us this vocabulary to help our country limit the spread of coronavirus, but have you ever wondered what protocols God has in place for times like these? What’s the spiritual equivalent of washing your hands? A passage in 2 Chronicles lays it out for us:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 CHRONICLES 7:13-14, NIV

Now I’m not pretending to know that coronavirus was sent by God, but I am certain that our land needs healing. I also know our anxieties can make us focus excessively on disease prevention or trick us into denying its reality – or our addictions tempt us to just escape the whole thing. None of these coping mechanisms provide any curative impact, but we freely engage in them nonetheless.

The Lord says in this passage that our responses should include turning to Him and turning away from sin. God calls us in these times to pause and think about what’s happening. He wants us to humble ourselves by surrendering our pride and acknowledging our need for Him. Having enough food and toilet paper won’t stop a pandemic. Having a huge emergency savings account won’t protect me from long-term harm, and it’s foolish when I think that if my pantry is full, I’m safe from the microscopic enemy that stalks us. Humility is kneeling before the Lord in a desperate posture and saying, “God, I am completely dependent on You to protect me and my family. Unless You stop the spread and heal the sick, no one is safe. This is a problem too large for people to solve and Your power is the only solution. I recognize that I need to be right with you – show me me my sin and help me turn from it.” That’s humility and seeking His face. When was the last time you had a kneeling conversation with God like that? It’s time.

He also calls us to turn from wicked ways. That brings us back to humility too. It’s fairly easy for me to tell someone that I made a mistake or I harmed them. It’s a whole different thing to kneel before God and say, “God, I have wickedness in me that I need You to help me turn away from.”

With this time at home and limited opportunities to leave the house, would you be willing to ask God to reveal your wickedness and agree to turn away from it with His help? Maybe it’s time to admit a secret addiction, or time to get your emotions under control. Maybe your isolation at home is exposing the cracks in your marriage and it’s time to get counseling. Maybe it’s time to surrender your entrenched position towards a family member and time to reach out and say “Let’s heal this.” Whatever it is, God stands ready to help you, and your pastors stand ready to guide you through it.

What if God’s people at Christ The Rock led the way in this? What if ,when we emerge from isolation, we return with nothing hindering our relationships with God and others? What if our humility before God leads us to be humble enough to love our neighbor and offer love to those we’ve never bothered to get to know? What if? The promise of our faithful God is that, when we follow His protocols to spiritually distance ourselves from sin and shed the evil within us, that He will forgive us and heal our land. God, make it so.

by Pastor Joe Pullen

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

COLOSSIANS 3:12-17, NIV

Crisis has a way of helping us quickly decide what’s most important in life. Last summer, our friends came over to grill and hang out. Everyone was just relaxing outside watching me grill burgers, when all of a sudden, a grease fire started that quickly engulfed the whole grill. It was pretty embarrassing to have our friends and family watching as two-foot tall flames leapt off the burgers I was making for them. I was calm but afraid the fire might leap to our siding and melt the side of our house. My immediate need was for baking soda and fast. Suddenly I didn’t care about looking cool, retirement, or my long to-do list. The crisis of the moment helped me quickly name what was most important.

When Paul wrote the above passage, he was imprisoned. He was isolated, like many of us are right now. God used Paul’s crisis to name what those in the churches he oversaw needed most – to know the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, no matter their circumstances.

Paul reminds us, that even in crisis, we are God’s chosen people who are dearly loved. God hasn’t forgotten you or ceased to love the world. Quite the opposite, because God says we are holy, which means we are set apart for a divine purpose. God allows His people to be in crisis with everyone else so the world can see how a person that is secure in Christ faces it differently. He wants the world to see how a believer is generous when others hoard, how a believer prays when others panic, how we reach out when others withdraw. This is being the light to the world that Jesus referenced in Matthew 5:14-16. It’s not easy to do, though, when we’re being squeezed by what’s happening around us. So how do we display this light?

Paul tells us to clothe ourselves, to put these things over our human nature: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience — all traits that tend to be most lacking when people are afraid or just trying to survive. He’s telling us to drape these character traits over what we might be tempted to do without God’s prompting. He tells us to exhibit His character with others by bearing with people and quickly forgiving with the same extravagant mercy Christ uses when He forgives us.

As we face uncertainty, concern for loved ones, and even fear, the instruction from God through Paul is to let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Will you allow the peace of Christ to rule your heart? We do that by choosing to filter what we see and hear through the lens of Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency. Paul tells us to do this by being thankful. In practice, that looks like recognizing that what’s happening in the world is under the control of a merciful and loving God who has a divine purpose behind what He allows to occur.

I am thankful that no matter what happens to my body, my soul is destined for an eternity in the presence of Jesus, whom I love. I’m thankful that so many of you in our church are donating food, babysitting kids of healthcare workers, dropping off meals, checking on senior citizens, and much more. We can be thankful that spiritual conversations are happening with extended family members, co-workers, and friends. We can be thankful that even when we can’t gather as a church in the building, the Coronavirus pandemic has launched all of us to the frontlines to be the church.

During this time, it’s so tempting to allow fear, anxiety and escapism to rule in our hearts, instead of the peace Jesus offers. Instead, try taking time to intentionally be thankful. Be detailed and thorough. If we make intentional thankfulness a daily practice, we will see time and again that Christ is faithful, and His faithfulness gives us peace.

by Pastor Joe Pullen

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

JAMES 1:2-4, NIV

Are you joyful today? You may be facing fear or anxiety, reduced income from being returned home, wondering about friends and family scattered around the country, or just counting the rolls of toilet paper you have. I admit that joy isn’t the first emotion I’m experiencing when I check the news or look for the latest update on what’s happening around the world. But this Scripture reminds me that God intends to develop me through this crisis we are facing together.

Regarding the trial we’re facing, we are first instructed “to consider it pure joy”. God is asking us to choose to use our thoughts to look at what’s happening differently than the rest of the world sees it. He’s not asking us to be Pollyannaish or ignore reality, rather He’s asking us to see reality through a different lens – the lens of joy. The Chinese word for crisis is a combination of two characters – “danger” and “opportunity”. As we look at the disease outbreak around us, we have the choice to use our mental energy to focus on opportunity as much as we focus on the danger. I can focus on the personal danger I face, whether my family is prepared, or will I still have a job when this is all over. Or I can use the same mind to focus on the opportunity that God is giving me – time with my children who are growing up way too fast, time with my wife that allows us to grow even more in love, and time to lean into God in ways I’ve never needed to until now.

We can focus on the things we can’t do or the things we get to do; that we might get sick or that we’re healthy right now; that the future is uncertain or that a believer’s future in Christ is unbreakably sealed. The choice to count it all joy is ours.

When we begin to look at situations the way God sees them – that they are full of His presence, and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) – then our anxieties lessen, our resilience increases, and fear gets replaced with gratitude and joy. Now that’s the kind of mental stamina needed to endure – that’s perseverance.

Why is perseverance so important to James? The entire book of James focuses on putting our faith into action. James conveys to us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance, and perseverance makes us mature and complete, lacking nothing. When we become mature as believers and secure in our identity in Christ, we no longer focus on ourselves — because we will have grown to a point where we look beyond ourselves, put our faith into action, and love others through the same trials we’re facing . . . with the love of Christ compelling us forward.

Will you, as James put it, “let perseverance finish its work”? Will you look at your personal situation through the lens of joy, and put your faith into practice in the weeks ahead? Will you look beyond yourself and meet the needs of others around you and experience joy as you do?

I’m in it with you. In the days ahead, I and other pastors, staff members and volunteer leaders will post devotions three days each week to help us all mature as we go through this time together. I encourage you to share this if you find it helpful, and I’d love to engage with you in the comment section about how God uses His Word in your life. Let’s choose to tell the stories of how God is using you to meet the needs and speak to the anxieties of the world around us as we bring His joy to them.

Blessings,
Pastor Joe