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Overcoming the World: Part 6–Internal to Eternal

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:7, 16-18 NIV)

Life can really wear you out sometimes, can’t it? We work so hard to try to better ourselves and to make the world a better place for our families, but some days, it just looks like we aren’t making a difference at all. It’s enough to make you wonder if it’s really worth the effort.

What is it that wears us out when the problems of the world overwhelm us? Everyone’s situation is different, of course. It seems to me, though, that the things that often trouble us the most usually aren’t even happening to us directly. The problems that are too much for us to bear weren’t even supposed to be our own personal burdens. We barely have enough strength to get through the trials that life hands us, but we can’t seem to keep from taking on extra baggage as well. Why do we do this?

Can we just call this what it is? It’s fear.

It’s fear that gives birth to worry. You worry when you seeing angry mobs rioting on the news, but is there an angry mob outside your house right now? (Of course, if there IS an angry mob outside your house, you have an actual problem, and should stop reading this blog and go take care of yourself.)

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My point is that we worry ourselves into exhaustion and despondency about things that aren’t even happening where we are. Yes, they are happening in the world, and they are real, but if we’re not in a position to directly solve the problem, it’s not our problem.

Now please don’t misunderstand what I mean by “not our problem.” I am not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about things in the world that are wrong and need fixing. What I am saying is that 99.99% of the time, it’s not up to us to fix it, either because we lack the resources, the ability, or we are simply too far away to have a direct and immediate impact on the situation.

So what can we do? We can give the situation over to the One who can do something about it. And while we’re at it, we can give Him our anxieties as well.

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Yes, the world is a mess. It’s a mess because it has people in it, and people are a mess. And yes, you and I are people, so guess what? We’re a mess too! But we can be less messy.

A good way to start that process is to examine what you expose your mind to. How do you start your day? If you’re turning on the TV or rushing to social media, that’s what’s going to set your tone for the rest of the day. Is that the tone you want? In the same amount of time, you could meditate on a Bible verse or an inspirational quote of some sort. You can’t control what happens out in the world, but you can control what goes into your head, which is what feeds your attitude.

Once you have developed the habit of being intentional about this, it will become easier for you to shift your perspective from the now to the not yet. When things are going badly, it is easy for fear to rob us of hope, but remember this. EVERYTHING we fear, or could possibly fear, has an ending. We may not be able to see it from where we’re sitting, but all the troublesome things of this world will pass.

Instead, what we can learn to do in ALL situations is to focus on the things that won’t pass away. Truth. Love. The Word of God. Best of all, the eternal life that is given as a free gift to all those who put aside their fears, worries and the troubles of this world and trust in Jesus, who by His death and resurrection, has overcome all of them.

Now of course, we can’t see any of this. We can’t see our fear, the Lord’s Spirit, the actual physical Kingdom of Heaven. We only see this world, its problems, and our own aging faces in the mirror.

But as the risen Christ told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

(Come Back for Part 7: Up There)

Overcoming the World: Part 2–Calling for Backup

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)

Everyone has up days and down days. Christians are no exception. When we are in a desert faith-wise, as I have been for a while, it is so important to have people around us that can build us back up. Also, we should remember the example that these people set for us, so that when we’re back on the mountaintop, we can lift somebody else up who needs it.

Unfortunately, the tendency in these dry seasons of the soul (especially for a cave-dwelling introvert like me) is to pull away from people. We get used to our misery, and it seems that we would rather prolong it than to have someone tell us what we need to hear.

The problem with that is that when we pull away from people, we pull even further away from God than we were already feeling. That’s when the old bad habits start rearing their ugly heads again. One of my biggest fears since accepting Christ is that someone is going to encounter me during one of these bad times and associate what they see in me with Christianity in general. What if I’m standing at the throne at the End of Days giving an account of my life, and I find out that someone missed out on the Kingdom because of something I said or did that turned him or her away?

But fears like this can actually accelerate the downward spiral. We might figure, “If I avoid people entirely, then I won’t run the risk of blowing my witness and staining the name of Jesus.” So we pull even further away, not just from society, but even from the hand that feeds us.

Girl sitting alone on bed, apparently isolated in her apartment — COVID has made a bad situation much worse with people isolating that don’t even want to.

Another manifestation of getting into a spiritual funk like this is that we stop reading the Bible. Everything we need to adjust our attitudes is right there, and the Holy Spirit is only too willing to illuminate the verses that we need to hear, but again, we are too comfortable in our misery to put forth the effort of opening a book. I am so grateful to have a wife that will put scriptures in front of me when I am not going to them myself.

Do you have someone in your life that cares enough about you to give you a lift like this whether you want it or not? If you don’t, then find one. The best place that I have found for this type of community is in a small group (sometimes called “life groups” or “cell groups”) in a church. If you are not familiar with this concept, it’s a group usually of 8-15 people that meet regularly to go deeper together in their faith than they would get by only going to church on Sunday morning.

What we need to remember is that we were set apart from the world to be WITH God and His people, not to be hermits in a cabin in the mountains (not that there’s anything wrong with mountains!).

As I mentioned in Part 1, a normal life involves difficulties. For a Christian, those difficulties include enduring people who mock the Name of Jesus. Sometimes it seems that life would be easier if we didn’t have to put up with that, but we have to remember that this life is not all there is. The next one is a lot longer.

God’s joy and peace are there for the having. You just have to want it. But sometimes, you need somebody to remind you that you want it. So don’t ever be afraid to call for backup.

(For the next step, please join us for Part 3–Living
by the Spirit)

Fishers of Men: Part 2–Track Record

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.”

Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.”

His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby were six stone water jars used for the Jewish cleansing ritual, each able to hold about twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim.Then he told them, “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did. The headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

The headwaiter called the groom and said, “Everyone serves the good wine first. They bring out the second-rate wine only when the guests are drinking freely. You kept the good wine until now.” This was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11 CEB)

Jesus hasn’t even had a chance to start teaching or building into these guys who are following Him. His disciples have only just met Him and have literally not had time to do anything but get to this wedding, perhaps chatting a bit on the way. They really didn’t have any way of knowing for sure at this point what they were getting into.

But then, Jesus reveals His glory to His new disciples by changing the water into wine. From that point on, the fishermen were themselves hooked.

Now go back to the passage at the beginning of Part 1, where Simon (now called Peter) and Andrew drop their nets to follow Jesus full-time. This event takes place A YEAR after the wedding at Cana.

So Jesus wasn’t just walking along the beach casting hypnotic spells on ignorant and gullible people. First, they knew their scriptures well enough to know that a Messiah was coming. Second, John the Baptist had pointed them directly to Him. Third, they had seen Him perform a miracle firsthand.

So by this time, Jesus had an established track record with these guys.

Luke 5 goes into much more detail than Mark 1 about what Jesus was doing at the lake that day. He wasn’t just walking along; He was teaching people at the water’s edge. Then He gets into Simon’s boat, and has him take it out into the lake a bit, so He is better situated to teach the crowd.

Afterward, He has Simon go out deeper into the lake and let down his nets. This doesn’t make sense to Simon, because they hadn’t caught anything all night. Nevertheless, Jesus already has enough of a track record with Simon that he does it anyway. This is what happens:

They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t come near me! I am a sinner.” Peter and everyone with him were completely surprised at all the fish they had caught. His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised too.

Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you will bring in people instead of fish.” The men pulled their boats up on the shore. Then they left everything and went with Jesus. (Luke 5:6-11 CEV)

They left everything. Think about that for a minute. Think of your job, your family, your house, your friends, your community—everything that makes your life what it is. Is there anything, or anyone, that could make you leave all of that behind you?

If you said no, then consider these words of Jesus:

Those who love their father or mother more than they love me are not worthy to be my followers. Those who love their son or daughter more than they love me are not worthy to be my followers. Whoever is not willing to carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life. (Matthew 10:37-39 NCV)

These fishermen were ready to become man-fishers. They were expectant, they were vigilant, and they were patient. And because of this, we are still talking about them 2,000 years later.

So what about us? Are we ready? Are we willing to drop it all and go fishing? Does Jesus have enough of a track record with us that we would follow Him wherever He would have us go?

If your answer is yes, then it’s time to go fish.