One day an old man was casually walking along a country lane with his dog and his mule. Suddenly, a speeding pick-up truck careened around the corner, knocking the man, his mule, and his dog into the ditch.
The old man decided to sue the driver of the truck, seeking to recoup the cost of the damages. While the old man was on the stand, the counsel for the defense cross-examined the man by asking a simple question: “I want you to answer 'yes' or 'no' to the following question: Did you or did you not say at the time of the accident that you were ‘perfectly fine’”?
The man said, “Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road…”
And the counsel for defense said, “Stop, stop, I asked you, tell me 'yes' or 'no', did you say you were 'perfectly fine' at the time of the accident?”
“Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road and…”
The defense attorney appealed to the judge. “Your honor,” he said, “the man is not answering the question. Would you please insist that he answer the question?”
The judge said, “Well, he obviously wants to tell us something. Let him speak.”
So the man said, “Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road and this truck came around the corner far too fast and knocked us into the ditch. The driver stopped, got out of his truck, saw that my dog was badly injured, went back to his truck, got his rifle, and he shot it. Then he saw that my mule had broken his leg, so he shot it. Then he said to me, ‘How are you?’ And I said, ‘I'm perfectly fine.’” (Charles Price, from the sermon “In the Beginning: The Creator at Work,” People's Church Toronto; www.PreachingToday.com)
Perspective is everything! When you get the bigger picture, you get the truth, which can help especially when you’re going through some hard times.
In these last days before Jesus comes, the Bible says, things will get worse before they get better. Jesus warned his followers that at the “end of the age”, “Many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10-12). If that doesn’t describe our day, I don’t know what does.
Paul had a similar warning in 2 Timothy 3: “Understand this,” he said. “In the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
We are in those days, so don’t lose perspective! If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 2, 1 Thessalonians 2, where the Bible gives those who suffer some perspective.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (ESV)
Literally, which energizes you! Paul writes to the suffering believers in Thessalonica, telling them he is grateful, because they heard and accepted God’s Word, which was at work in them. That’s what gave them the perspective in their suffering. So if you want that same perspective...
LOOK WITHIN at the work God’s Word is doing in your life.
Look inside at the Bible’s energizing power in you. Focus on the change God’s Word is making to your own heart.
At the very least, hear God’s Word. Just read the Bible or listen to it.
When Elizabeth Barrett was a child, an accident crippled her for life. Her tyrannical father kept a close eye on her until she married Robert Browning in 1846. He did not approve of the marriage, so Elizabeth and Robert had a secret wedding.
After the wedding, the Brownings sailed to Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Her own parents disowned Elizabeth, but she never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly, she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply. After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened.
Today, those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents read only a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored. (F. Winwar, The Immortal Lovers)
In hard times, at the very least, open the Bible and read it, because it tells you how much God loves you, and it will bring you closer to Him.
Hear God’s Word, and then accept it for what it really is, the Word of God! Welcome it into your own life. Treasure it in your own soul.
Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, enthusiasts have stocked an underground library with volumes rescued from bombed buildings even as users dodge shells and bullets to reach it. The secret library is buried beneath a bomb-damaged building, providing learning, hope, and inspiration to many in the besieged Damascus suburb of Darayya. One user said, “We saw that it was vital to create a new library so that we could continue our education.”
Since the war, volunteers—many of them also former students whose studies were brought to a halt by the war—have collected more than 14,000 books on just about every subject imaginable. “In many cases we get books from… near the front line, so collecting them is very dangerous,” says one of the collectors.
The idea of people risking life and limb to collect books for a library seems bizarre. But volunteers at the hospital use the books to advise them on how to treat patients, untrained teachers use them to help prepare classes, and aspiring dentists raid the shelves for advice on doing fillings and extracting teeth.
You’d think that war-torn people would be more concerned about food than books, but one of the library users said, “In a sense the library gave me back my life. I would say that just like the body needs food, the soul needs books. Books motivate us to keep on going. We want to be a free nation. And hopefully, by reading, we can achieve this.” (Mike Thomson, “Syria's Secret Library,” BBC News, 7-28-16; www.PreachingToday.com)
Those endangered Syrians hunger for books. How much more should we hunger for THE Book, the Bible? In desperate times, it’s food for your soul; it motivates you to keep going; and it will set you free!
So hear God’s Word, accept it, and let it energize you. Let it work in your life to change you from the inside out.
That’s what happened to Sek Saroeun, a former Buddhist and law student. He was working as a DJ at a bar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sek knew liquor was not the only item on the menu. Girls, often young girls, were sold for sex. Disgusted by this evil, Sek began to work as an undercover informant for the International Justice Mission, a Christian human rights group.
While spinning music and scanning the bar for suspects, Sek also skimmed the pages of a Bible someone had loaned him. The words of Scripture brought him comfort and alleviated his mounting fear of being exposed as an informant. Sek found his heart changing as he worked alongside Christians to protect these vulnerable young girls. As he later shared, his “fear led to longing; longing led to transformation that is unimaginable.” Not only did Sek eventually become a Christian, today he is the top lawyer for the International Justice Mission in Cambodia (Paul M. Gould, Cultured Apologetics, Zondervan, 2018, p. 153; www.Preaching Today.com)
That’s the power of God’s Word for those who hear it and accept it.
Please, dear friends, don’t neglect it. Spend regular time in God’s Word. Treasure it in your own heart, especially in these difficult days before Jesus comes. And let it energize you! Let the Bible change you from the inside out.
That’s how you gain perspective in these days. 1st, Look within at the energizing power of God’s Word. 2nd...
LOOK AROUND to see that you’re not alone in your pain.
Look around to see that there are others who suffer just like you. Look around to see that there are people who truly understand your grief. That’s what Paul reminds the suffering believers in Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! (ESV)
You mess with God’s children; it makes Him angry. Certain Jews opposed Paul, persecuted the churches in Judea, and killed their own prophets, including Jesus Himself! So the Thessalonian believers are not alone in their suffering.
In fact, no believer is alone in his or her suffering. Do you hear me? You are NOT alone in your suffering! Many of us have been where you are, and we’re here to help.
Just a few years ago, Gordon MacDonald was meeting with a small Alcoholics Anonymous group, because he has friends who are recovering alcoholics, and he wanted to understand them better.
In one of the meetings, Kathy (about 35 years old) joined them for the first time. One look at her face caused him to conclude that she must have been Hollywood-beautiful at 21. Then, her face was swollen, her eyes red, her teeth rotting. Her hair looked unwashed, uncombed for who knows how long.
“I've been in five states in the past month,” she said. “I've slept under bridges on several nights. Been arrested. Raped. Robbed (now weeping). I don't know what to do. I… don't… want… to… be… homeless… any more. But (sob) I can't stop drinking (sob). I can't stop (sob). I can't … “
Next to Kathy was a rather large woman, Marilyn, sober for more than a dozen years. She reached with both arms toward Kathy and pulled her close, so close that Kathy's face was pressed to Marilyn's ample breast. Marilyn spoke quietly into Kathy's ear, “Honey, you're going to be OK. You're with us now. We can deal with this together. All you have to do is keep coming. Hear me? Keep on coming.” And then Marilyn kissed the top of Kathy's head (Gordon MacDonald, “My Small Group, Anonymous,” Leadership Journal, Winter 2014; www.PreachigToday.com)
No matter what you’ve gone through, there are others here who have been through it too. So don’t isolate yourself. Don’t stay home to soak in your own sorrows. Instead, keep on coming and find the support you need from people who have been where you are.
That’s how you gain perspective in difficult times. 1st, Look within at the energizing power of God’s Word. 2nd, Look around to see that you’re not alone in your pain. And 3rd...
LOOK AHEAD to the joy that’s coming.
Look forward to the glory that will be yours when Jesus comes again. Anticipate the celebration you’ll have at His appearing.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. (ESV)
Satan hindered Paul, who was eager to see the Thessalonian believers again.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. (ESV)
Paul looked forward to the day when those he led to Christ would be with Him in Heaven. They, being there, would be reward enough for him.
Mr. Holland's Opus is a movie about a frustrated composer in Portland, Oregon, who takes a job as a high school band teacher in the 1960s. He desires to achieve fame as a classical musician, so he believes his school job is only temporary.
At first, he is determined to write an opus or a concerto by composing at his piano after putting in a full day with his students. But his family demands increase (including discovery that his infant son is deaf) and the pressures of his job multiply. So Mr. Holland comes to realize that his dream of leaving a lasting musical legacy is merely a dream.
At the end of the movie, an aged Mr. Holland fights in vain to keep his job. The school board has decided to reduce the operating budget by cutting the music and drama program.
After 35 years, Mr. Holland returns to his classroom to retrieve his belongings a few days after school has let out for summer vacation. He has taught his final class. With regret and sorrow, he fills a box with artifacts that represent the tools of his trade and memories of many meaningful classes. His wife and son arrive to give him a hand.
As they leave the room and walk down the hall, Mr. Holland hears some noise in the auditorium. He opens the door and is surprised to see a capacity audience of former students and teaching colleagues and a banner that reads “Goodbye, Mr. Holland.” Those in attendance greet Mr. Holland with a standing ovation while a band (consisting of past and present members) plays songs they learned at his hand.
The governor of Oregon, Gertrude Lang, arrives and addresses the room of well-wishers. She was a student in Mr. Holland’s first year at the school, and she speaks for the hundreds who fill the auditorium. Take a look (show Mr. Holland’s Opus video)
"Mr. Holland had a profound influence in my life (on a lot of lives, I know), and yet I get the feeling that he considers a great part of his life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his, and this was going to make him famous and rich (probably both). But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous. At least not outside our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure, but he'd be wrong. Because I think he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame."
Looking at her former teacher the governor gestures with a sweeping hand and continues, "Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each one of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. And we are the music of your life." (Mr. Holland's Opus, Hollywood Pictures, 1995, written by Patrick Sheane Duncan, directed by Stephen Herek; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s a little of what heaven is going to be like. Those you have influenced to follow Jesus will be there, and they will swell your heart with gratitude and pride. They will be the crown of your life, and it will make all your troubles worth it in the end.
So don’t lose perspective in these difficult days before Jesus comes again. Look within at the energizing power of God’s Word. Look around to see that you’re not alone in your pain, and look ahead to the joy that’s coming. For...
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase.
So bravely run the race 'Til we see Christ.
