Shoulder To Shoulder #1346 -- 11/20/23 ---- Unwavering Assurance For Uncertain Days” (part 3) -- God's Sufficiency In Our 'Suddenlies'"
"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1346 -- 11/20/23
Title: Unwavering Assurance For Uncertain Days” (part 3) -- God's Sufficiency In Our 'Suddenlies'"
My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Seeker:
Yes, indeed! It has been a long time since my last letter on October 3rd. When I indicated a few months ago that I wasn't planning to write on a regular weekly basis, I wasn't thinking in terms of months between letters, but rather just a week or two. But, such has not been the case. Hopefully I will return soon to a more regimented plan of writing. And, yet again, here I am finally finishing my letter two weeks after I first began writing it.
There are several reasons for such a change in my writing discipline after some twenty-six (26) years of weekly letters. First, I am obviously 26 years older than when I first began writing in February of 1998. I was 59 years old back then; now I'm not. Also, at this age I move more slowly and tire more quickly than I did back then. Sometimes I just don't have the "where-with-all" to spend eight to twelve hours every week writing to you. Then, there's the mental weariness I sometimes feel, and just don't have the mindset and concentration needed for rational writing. Finally, the writing and preaching workload of pastoring two seasonal chapels has its own demands of time and effort. Preparing my sermons (I'm preaching fresh and new ones almost all of the time.), the handout study notes, and editing the video after each sermon consumes so much more time than the simple preaching outline I used to prepare just for myself.
So, thank you for being so understanding. I hope to do better in writing more systematically. I dearly love writing -- the thoughts come quickly and fresh, but taking the time and energy to actually do it doesn't come as easily.
I have wanted to share the following thoughts with you since last July, adapted from the sermon series I preached this past Summer in Greer Chapel -- “Unwavering Assurance in Uncertain Days”. Today I write about "God’s Sufficiency in our ‘Suddenlies’".
Most of the time I've been able to handle unexpected things in my life -- like a water line bursting, a car breaking down, or the sudden death of a chapel member. However three "suddenlies" have transpired in the past few months, none of which was I prepared -- my own health crisis last July that put me in the hospital five days and out of commission six weeks, the catastrophic fire that hit the island of Maui, maintaining communication with our many friends in and around Ukraine, and the recent heinous attack by HAMAS on the people of Israel. And now, add to the list the countless earthquakes and volcanic danger in Iceland, the anti-Israeli demonstrations, and the stunning and impressive pro-Israel rally with almost 300,000 attendees, -- and with them all, the "suddenlies" plates has become exceptionally fully.
All but the Ukraine ministry were totally unexpected, and I was not prepared to face them. As I weighed those events, it occurred to me that many of us are actually not all that prepared for the unexpected -- but we must be. Almost immediately an account in the Old Testament came to mind -- Job 1:13-22. I can't think of anyone in the Bible who was hit with so many catastrophic events in a single day than did the ancient patriarch, Job. Here's what happened.
"Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.'
"While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.'
"While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.'
"While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.'
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.'
"Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." (Job 1:13-22)
Try to put yourself in Job's shoes. In no more than a 24 hour period, you lose almost all possessions, all your livelihood, and all your children. Your past, your present, and your future are obliterated and it all happened in the middle of "normal". How do you handle that? How do you grapple with the "suddenlies" in your life?
THE INEVITABILITY OF "SUDDENLIES": --
Life has a habit of taking us by surprise. Events catch us off guard and sometimes send us reeling. Accident, injury, family stress, divorce, job transfer, layoff — these are some of the high-stress events that can cause alarm in our lives. Sometimes these things can be so unexpected that they even send us into panic or terror mode.
But, have you ever thought about things that happened to you suddenly and unexpectedly and the divine possibility of what God might actually want to accomplish through them? After all, none of them caught Him off guard, did they. Whether good or bad, they may have caught us off guard, but not Him.
When your latest "suddenly" happened to you, how did you react? Did you shout, "Why is this happening to me???", or did you ask, “What is God saying to me in this?” Probably one of the two, but not likely both. What usually happens when you are faced with a “Suddenly” in your life – something totally unplanned and unexpected? I don't know if you've thought about it or not, but our generation has faced many "suddenlies" – and we never imagined such things would happen. For example, just in my lifetime . . .
+ On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the U.S. entered WW II.
+ On May 14, 1948 Israel became "a nation in a day" (Isa 66:8).
+ On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
+ On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated.
+ On June 5, 1968, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.
+ On June 7, 1967, Israeli took Jerusalem and Golan, ending the stunning Six Day War.
+ On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall collapsed.
+ On December 26, 1991, the USSR was dissolved.
+ On July 26th, 2000, my Mother went home to be with the Lord after having served Him with my father for over 70 years.
+ On , 2003, Fathers' Day, my father went home to be with the Lord He had served for over 70 years.
+ On September 11, 2001, both towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked.
+ In June, 2004 our 12th grandchild was born with Mosaic Trisomy 18.
+ In November, 2004, our 12th grandchild, Nicole Grace, went to heaven to be with Jesus.
+ On June 11, 2023, I-95 collapsed in Philadelphia.
These were all "suddenlies" for me. I won't belabor the point with an unnecessarily long list, but as far as I know, not a single one of these events was anticipated by either you or me. They clearly were "suddenlies" in our lives. Nobody expected any of this to happen at the time it did – but it did. Reactions were shocking and varied.
Good “suddenlies” thrill us. Bad ones alarm us – sometimes frighten us. These were all bad ones.
Life is filled with sudden things. Many are significant. But, how do we respond to them? How they affect us – physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and especially spiritually. The word, “Suddenly”, appears a total of 42 times, and in every situation, it means “instantly”. The word, “Sudden”, is found another five times. Almost always, alarm, fear, or being troubled are incorporated within their settings.
In that "suddenlies" are inevitable in our lives, there are four fundamental principles that would be good for us to know. First, consider the . . .
TYPES OF "SUDDENLIES":
I won't try to overemphasize this point because we already know there are the "Suddenlies" of joy, such as when that $million check showed up in your mail -- or you found out you were going to be a grandparent (or parent) again.
There are also those "Suddenlies" of fear/terror such as when a car pulls out in front of you or when your house catches fire. Akin to fear, there are the "Suddenlies of alarm" when you hear the news of another riot or war that has sprung up.
We also experience more familiar ones such as the "Suddenlies" of sadness or grief when we discover that someone we love most is terminally ill or has died.
Perhaps one of the most debilitating, though, are the "Suddenlies" of finality when we are told there is no answer -- no hope --no alternative. It's going to happen, regardless.
Chances are you have experienced at least one such "Suddenly" in your lifetime, and you reacted in fear, alarm, sadness, grief, or a sense of helpless and hopeless finality. It's in those times when we need to take perhaps a different look at our "Suddenlies" and consider . . .
OPPORTUNITIES THAT "SUDDENLIES" BRING:
We see this in Job's life as recorded in Job 1:20-22.
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.' Thru all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God."
When I read Job's reaction, I find it difficult that his three fickle friends had the gall to reprimand and rebuke him as they did. Their logic was totally irrational, unrealistic, and certainly ill fitted for Job's personal process of the situation. Read again the account. Rather, no matter what else may have been going through his unsettled mind that gut-wrenching day when he lost everything, somehow he managed to see things differently from his friends. He saw it all as an opportunity.
In his losses, he was given the opportunity to grieve but not become angry. He had the opportunity to evaluate instead of judge. He also had the opportunity for introspection and self evaluation instead of becoming bitter.
Perhaps more importantly, though, his day of heartbreak and loss gave him an opportunity to trust God instead of blaming Him -- and an opportunity to thank and worship Him.
If we read the entire story, we will discover certain . . .
THINGS THAT "SUDDENLIES" NEVER ALTER:
Whenever you and I face our own "Suddenlies", there is usually something that changes -- our mood, our circumstances, our plans, . . .
I remember still the day I got a formal letter from the Draft Board instructing me to appear at 4:00 AM at the train station in Springfield, IL. I was completely caught off guard. The Korean War had been "over" for ten years, we were at peace, and the Vietnam War wasn't even a forethought. And, I was married with two children and the third on the way -- AND I was a seminary student!
Needless to say, my mood changed, my circumstances shifted, and our plans were in danger of changing. Few experiences have caught me up short like that one letter from the Draft Board.
It turned out that they had been trying to contact me to get an update on my eligibility status and somehow had not received my notice to them that I was enrolled in seminary. (I've always wondered how they found me way back then -- but these days, I think I have a better understanding of how easily they can get it done.) Once I let them know via phone call that I was married with children and a full time student in seminary, they were satisfied.
But that "Suddenly" stuck with me for quite some time. (Apparently, it still has.)
So, what about some things that are never impacted by "Suddenlies"? Are there some assurances you and I can grasp when those "Suddenlies" hit us head on? I believe there are. While they are not specifically spelled out in Job's story, I do believe we can see the evidences of at least seven things that "Suddenlies" never -- not even once -- affect. For example, . . .
1. The Sovereignty of God – He is God over all gods, Creator of all things, Ruler over all kingdoms. The fact of the matter is that if "Suddenlies" affect God in even the most minuscule way, then God is not sovereign. To be sovereign explicitly indicates that God is in full and complete control of the situation, is not surprised in the slightest, and has the capacity to handle absolutely everything before Him. Jeremiah understood that in the most dire circumstances of his nation.
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” – Jer 32:17
Paul reassured the believers in Colossae of God's sovereignty, stating, . . .
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” – Col 1:16
And certainly the great wise man, King Solomon, knew it for he wrote, . . .
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov 19:21)
The Psalmist also left do doubt as the absolute sovereignty of God, stating, . . .
"The counsel of the Lord stands forever. The plans of His heart from generation to generation." (Ps 33:11)
We also know that the "Suddenlies" in our lives never supersede . . .
2. The Truth of the Bible – Never changes, never wrong. You can count on it for every situation you may face. Never question it, and never doubt it. To do so is to question and doubt its Author.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mt 24:35)
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." (Isa 40:8)
"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Ps 119:87)
"But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you." (I Pet 1:25)
Also, our confidence during our "suddenlies" is because . . .
3. The Message of the Gospel – it is always the same, and is eternal.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom 1:16)
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." (I Cor 4:20)
"The Word of God endures forever, and this is the word that was preached to you." (I Pet 1:25)
One great truth that sustains us during our "suddenlies" is the . . .
4. Security of your Salvation – it can’t be lost or severed.
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . . For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:35, 38-39)
"I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand." (Jn 10:28-29)
Also, and especially during those "suddenlies" that hit us, we can have confidence in the . . .
5. Sufficiency of the Holy Spirit – He provides all you need.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you for-ever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you." (Jn 14:16-18)
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful." (Jn 14:26-27)
6. Promise of Heaven – Our final destination.
"Do not let your heart be troubled; . . . for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (Jn 14:1-3)
"But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him'.” (I Cor 2:9)
Finally, we find that some of our "suddenlies" may actually have a connection to the wonderful promised . . .
7. Return of Jesus Christ.
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, & with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." (I Thes 4:16-17)
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. . . . When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. . . . Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Cor 15:52-54, 58)
HOW TO DEAL WITH OUR "SUDDENLIES":
My friend, I want you to think about this! These seven things are in no possible way impacted by those "suddenlies" that abruptly show up unannounced in your life on any given day. There's one thing about "suddenlies" -- they may impact your thinking, explode your emotions, drain your bank account, shatter a relationship, or try to destroy your body; but they absolutely cannot control, eliminate, or alter those seven things.
Just think about how assuring, confident, and solidifying that makes your life -- right in the middle of the "suddenlies", no less! So, from the "git-go", you have a solid foundation upon which to operate as you then find the proper ways to address them. Here are five ideas or suggestions that come to mind as I try to conclude my thoughts. I pray they will encourage you as they have me.
1. Don’t ask, “why is this happening to me?”. Rather, ask, “Father, what do You have to say to me?” If we are truly convinced that those seven things I mentioned are never impacted, then we can fully join in Paul's declaration, . . .
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, . . ." (Rom 8:28-29)
2. Listen to the right voices. Job’s three friends did more harm than good, and didn’t have a clue. (chpts 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25. Compare to Elihu, chpts 32-37). Whenever I read what these three "best friends" had to say, I have to wonder if they truly know Job at all. Their counsel may have been good under certain conditions or for certain people, but they were totally off base when it came to him. Nonetheless, the Bible is clear that one of the ways God directs us is through wise counsel. For example, . . .
"Listen to counsel and accept discipline,that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand." (Prov 19:20-21)
"Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory." (Prov 11:14)
"Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance." (Prov 20:18)
3. Don’t make snap decisions. The well-worn admonition, "Sleep on it." is often the best thing to do -- that along with "Don't make major decisions while under duress."
"Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position." (II Pet 3:17)
"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." (Prov 18:15)
". . . those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." (Isa 40:31)
4. Spend extra time with God – in prayer and the Word. As a "map", a "path", a "marker", a "plumb line" or a hundred other ways in which the Bible is described, there is no greater resource for both your "suddenlies" and your "not-so-suddenlies" than prayerful time in God's presence.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." (Ps 119:105)
"Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Ps 86:11)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7)
5. Fully live a lifestyle of thanksgiving and praise. I think there is no greater expression of one's faith in God than that of thanksgiving and praise. Thanksgiving is expressing gratitude and honor for what God has done. Praise is giving him homage and worship for Who He is. In fact Paul, who probably experienced more "suddenlies" in the last twenty years of his life than you or I will ever spend in our entire lifetimes. The words, "thanks", "thankful", "thanksgiving", "thankfulness", "praise", "worship", "worshiped", appear more than 60 times in nine of his thirteen letters found in the Bible. When you consider all the hardship and suffering he endured, we are obligated to take his admonitions seriously. For example, . . .
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." (Rom 12:1)
"For it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and ever tongue shall give praise to God'." (Rom 14:11)
". . . Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise Him." (Rom 15:11)
". . . but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor 15:57)
". . . but thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." (II Cor 2:14)
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (II Cor 9:15)
". . . and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." (Eph 5:4)
". . . always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; . ." (Eph 5:20)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Phil 4:6)
FINALLY:
How "coincidental" it is that just as I was beginning this letter to you, a longtime acquaintance, Bill Elliff, wrote about Job and his trials. He emphasized the point that God actually "book-ended" the patriarch's trials -- lasting only for a season -- with blessings. He blessed Job before his "suddenlies", and then He blessed Job after all those "suddenlies". Bill wrote, . . .
"BOOKENDS OF BLESSINGS, or, THE SMALLNESS OF OUR TRIALS IN LIGHT OF THE GREATNESS OF OUR BLESSINGS. By Bill Elliff on Nov 07, 2023 06:03 am
"When we are in a trial, it seems eternal. Days and nights can be filled with anxiety and fear and endless speculations about where the trial will end and IF it will end. But, in reality, most problems are short-lived. God has made promises about this. Paul records one of those promises.
"No temptation (trial) has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted (tried) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"EXHIBIT A
"In the oldest book of the Bible, we read the story of Job, the most righteous man on the face of the earth. God had blessed him with incredible wealth, wonderful children, and an extraordinary life.
"But then the trials came, which were intense, beyond what most of us will ever experience. It didn’t help that his wife and even his close friends gave him bad counsel and misrepresented God. But these trials were for a season and a reason. The last chapter records the return of God’s blessings upon Job.
"The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold … the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning ... After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. And Job died, an old man and full of days. (Job 42:10-17)
"Job lived an incredible life. He was highly blessed. Then, there was a trial that came upon him for several years. But after the trial, he was even more blessed for a final period of 140 years--bookends of blessings around an intense experience designed by God to be recorded in a way that would help and bless the world till the end of time.
"At the end of this trial, he was received into heaven—a place of unending blessing. We can be assured that his “momentary light afflictions” became small in the light of eternity.
"Are you in a time of trial? It has a beginning, and it will have an end. But don’t forget the bookends of blessings that God has given … and give Him praise. God knows what He’s about."
I might add that God also blessed Job in the middle of his "suddenlies". We know this to be true because through it all, Job continued to worship God instead of taking Him hostage to his own feelings, attitudes, and temptations to accuse Him (1:21). We also know this to be true because, "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God" (1:22).
How, then, will you and I face our own set of "suddenlies"? Hopefully, like Job did. But, that is our choice to make. In the meantime, . . .
If you and I were able to look into heaven at those suddenly junctures of life, our hearts would certainly be reassured. Looking into God's face, we would discover there is no sweat on His upper lip. He definitely, unlike the two of us, was not caught off guard by what happened. Even if we are shocked and disoriented, He is not. Oh, His lip might be quivering with compassion for our pain, but He is still sovereign over his universe. Nothing catches him by surprise. He knows precisely how to get his wounded children through their most harrowing life crises.
So, when you feel you are about to lose it, visualize God's upper lip. Trust his promises. Know you are not alone. Wait patiently for the victory. God specializes in both sending, solving, and concluding all our “Suddenlies”, and He assures us the end result will again be extraordinary blessing.
• Joel 9:13-15 (The Message Translation): “Yes indeed, it won’t be long now. Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once -- and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel: They’ll rebuild their ruined cities. They’ll plant vineyards and drink good wine.They’ll work their gardens and eat fresh vegetables. And I’ll plant them, plant them on their own land. They’ll never again be uprooted from the land I’ve given them. God, your God, says so.”
So it is . . .
"On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand! All other ground is sinking sand.”
If you care to watch the video of the sermon I preached last July at Greer Chapel -- just before my own health "Suddenly", you can find it at . . .
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1na8ZnwXirTJA5Ji92E4dgpKDKJSvwWym/view?usp=drive_link.
Little did I know that just days later I would wake up with such severe pain in my chest that I would spend the next five days in the hospital, and then an additional five weeks going through numerous batteries of tests. In preaching that sermon, God reminded me of His sufficiency in my "Suddenlies".
So, when your "suddenly" happens, go back to those seven things "suddenlies" never affect -- 1) God's sovereignty, 2) The Truth of the Bible, 3) the eternal message of salvation, 4) the assured security of your salvation relationship with God, 5) the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit and His work, 6) The promise of eternity in the presence of Christ in heaven, and 7) His unbreakable promise to return for us.
That being the case, here is a final word of encouragement for you in your "suddenlies" of life:
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:28-39)
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
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Copyright November, 2023
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it or copy from it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.