Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 4:7-10
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34
God, the Creator of the Universe, sent His son in the form of a baby through a virgin birth. He watched His son’s life and He watched His death. He put His plan into place and watched it all unfold. He watched as His son took on the sins of the world. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the World that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not parish but have everlasting life.” Could you imagine watching your child suffer the way God watched Jesus?
Jesus was broken. He went through so much suffering and was hurt by so many that in some of His last words before His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus had to forgive everyone and He had to ask His Father, God, to do the same.
There’s nothing more beautiful than the brokenness of a savior who gave up everything to give me everlasting life. There’s nothing more beautiful than the brokenness of my savior who showed me what it’s like to be completely broken and still overcome. There’s nothing more beautiful than my Savior who is willing to forgive and ask His father to forgive so He could be an over comer.
There’s beauty in the broken. Jesus is the prime example. He was broken, yet because He overcame, we can overcome. It’s important to recognize Jesus didn’t stay broken and we don’t have to either. We don’t have to live in our past situation. We don’t have to stay hurt. We don’t have live with everything rejection brings.
We’ll never find the beauty if we keep living in the broken. The beauty can be found in a savior who died to set you and me free. There’s nothing more beautiful than that.
But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12
Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
It’s been over 22 years since I interviewed for a job I wasn’t sure I wanted and never expected to have more than a couple years. In my professional life, I wasn’t one to be in a job for more than 3-4 years. Early in my career I was in radio and I wanted to advance. Advancement often meant moving to bigger and better. Plus, I embraced change and tend to get bored with status quo. The last job I had in radio left me disheartened and unwilling to explore other radio jobs. It certainly wasn’t in my life plan to work in an assisted living, so I assumed it would give me experience and the change I needed for the time being. Honestly, I really didn’t have any long-term plans. Having gone through a divorce and finding myself out of the career path I had originally chosen, my plans went out the window. I guess you could say I had to be broken to be willing to be open to new plans.
Looking back, I see God’s hand in everything. Not the part where I was broken. It’s not His fault nor His desire for me to have been divorced and hating my job. He was the Rock who helped me pick up the pieces. I had been out of radio for a year and divorced for around 4 years, so I was earnestly praying for the right job and for a man to love. I had already applied at several places that didn’t pan out. I was truly at the end of my rope when my mom saw the ad in the Mansfield News Journal help wanted for this job.
I would never have applied for Wedgewood had my situation been even just the slightest bit more promising. Please understand, that is not a slam to Wedgewood. It’s just a totally different career path. The man who is now my husband didn’t even want to hire me. I didn’t have any experience in senior healthcare. His dad (Who I now call father-in-law) made the decision to give me the opportunity.
Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I had been praying for the right job and man and God was clearing the path to answer my prayer. Everything that had happened… me losing my radio job, my divorce, and the boredom I felt at my current job, caused me to seek Him with diligence, like Jeremiah 29:12-13.
“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart”
His answer was in no way what I envisioned…not even close. It’s important to note, Jeremiah 29:11 says He knows HIS plans He has for me, not MY plans I have for me. I’m glad I was forced to search for HIS plan. I’m glad I was forced to seek Him harder than I ever had before.
I’m thankful He knows what’s best for me. I’ve learned sometimes what I think is best is not at all what He KNOWS is best. I am thankful He knew what was best for me. His best is WAY better than I could ever have hoped or imagined. Everything lost through my divorce was gained back 100-fold when I answered an ad for a job I wasn’t even sure I wanted.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
When Jesus called Peter to be His disciple, He knew Peter was going to deny Him. It didn’t stop Him, though. Jesus knew Peter could be used for the Glory of God and build His kingdom. He knew Peter could use what he’d been through as an effective tool in his ministry to bring others to the cross.
When He gave us the great commission, He knew who He was giving it to. He gave it to the addict who everyone has given up on. He gave it to the lonely mom with no husband. He gave it to the broken and abused. He gave it to the crushed in spirit. He gave it to those who mourn. He gave it to all of us. He gave it to a bunch of broken people who can overcome through His blood.
Jesus knew He was giving a bunch of broken people authority through the power of The Holy Spirit to build His kingdom. Jesus had just experienced the ultimate brokenness. He knew what it was like. He’s ready to use a bunch of broken people any way we are willing to be used. In fact, He can use our brokenness more than before brokenness occurred.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Life is full of “I never thought” moments. When I think back on my 18-year-old, idealistic and hopeful self, there are so many things from then ‘til now I never thought would happen.
I never thought I’d find myself in a position of starting over with my 18-month-old son after a divorce. I never thought my dad would die in 2019, then 8 months later we would be locking the doors of our assisted living facility, telling people they couldn’t see their loved ones. I never thought my father-in-law would die of covid 9 months later. I also never thought I’d feel responsible for other people’s lives or feel blamed for people dying. I never thought I’d feel demonized by the news media because we own a senior healthcare facility during covid. I never thought I would experience such loneliness.
I never thought
I never dreamed
I never hoped
I never planned
I bet as you read this, you can think of your own “I never thought” moments.
God never had any “I never thought” moments. In fact, He said in Jeremiah 29:11…
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV) Another version of Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)
Wow. My 18-year-old self looks at this scripture with hopeful anticipation of peace and prosperity ahead. My 53-year-old self sees what God says 3 verses later… “and I will bring you back from captivity.”
He would never say he was going to bring us back from captivity if we were never going to be in captivity (captured against our will or held in confinement) Imprisoned, jailed, arrested, trapped like there’s no way out
Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but He goes on to say… “But take heart, I have overcome the world.”
This scripture is such a great reminder as I think about what exactly Jesus overcame. He overcame the loneliness of Gethsemane as he continued to remind Peter, James, and John to remain awake and stand guard as He was praying in agony over what was ahead.
I don’t know about you, but the loneliness Jesus must have felt in the garden may have been worse than everything that happened next.
He was betrayed Judas, denied by Peter, rejected, bruised, beaten, laughed at, and humiliated. He carried the weight of the cross, nails pierced His hands and He wore a crown of thorns.
Before Jesus breathed His last breath, I’m reminded of a few words He said just before His death. These words are found in only one of 4 gospels, yet they may be the most important words He ever spoke. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Forgive everyone who had anything to do with me ending up on a cross. Forgive Peter, forgive Judas, forgive everyone who whipped me. Forgive those who “slept” while I suffered alone. Forgive them all.
Everything was accomplished with those words… “Father, forgive them.”
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. 16:33a But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34a
Jeremiah 29:11 says
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)
Psalm 139:1-10
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
Another version of Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)
12-14 of Jeremiah 29:11
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”
When (Not if) you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When (Not if) you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. John 16:33a
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken (abandoned, deserted, left stranded) those who seek You. Psalm 9:10
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. 16:33a But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Matthew 26:36-46
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. So he prayed very hard in anguish. His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:43
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity;
Jeremiah 29:11-14
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians 1:17-23 NIV
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he (Jesus) is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:17-23 NLT
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Reconciled in Christ
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Colossians 1:17-23 NKJV