You Will Get Through This
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
I’ve had anxiety over many hard things in my life. But some of the most difficult situations are the ones where someone I thought I could count on broke my trust and my heart.
You only have to be betrayed one time to start feeling angst and fear over the risks of relationships.
I remember being a young child on the playground at school, and a girl who I thought was my friend started making fun of me in front of the “cool kids.” I’ll never forget the feeling I had when they walked away together, all laughing, and she didn’t look back at me.
I think that was the first time I realized sometimes people just want what they want, and if they hurt me in the process of getting it, they can justify that because they feel it's worth more than their relationship with me.
Maybe you have a story of broken trust like this.
In the Bible, the Hebrew word for “trustworthy” is batah. When that word is directed toward God, it’s always in a positive sense. But when that same word refers to human relationships, it often has a negative connotation, carrying the sense that people will not always be trustworthy.
The trustworthy nature of God is certain. Sometimes the trustworthy nature of others is not. This doesn’t mean trust is impossible with others, but it does mean all relationships will need to be handled with grace, wisdom, forgiveness, healthy boundaries, and an understanding of how trust works.
If you’re walking through trust issues on any level today, consider what my friend Dr. Joel Muddamalle once said in a conversation about getting over heartbreak, hurt and disappointment: “One of the most powerful prepositions in the Bible is the word ‘through.’”
The Israelites had to go through the Red Sea to escape Egypt.
They had to go through the wilderness to the promised land.
Jesus had to go through the suffering of the cross for our redemption.
Isaiah 43:2 also says: “When you pass through the waters, [God] will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (emphases added).
Sometimes we have to walk through something even when we desperately want to get over it quickly. Going through gets us to the other side with a greater understanding that God has always been and will always be with us.
I know it’s tempting to isolate. The story I used to tell myself was that relationships were just a recipe for eventual pain, and I didn’t want to experience that pain again; therefore, the risks of trusting others were too high. If you were to share similar concerns with me today over coffee, I would listen with great understanding and zero judgment. Working through broken trust is hard. But, friend, it is possible to trust God even when we have doubts about what He’s doing.
And I know you will make it to the other side. You didn’t choose what happened when others broke your trust. But you do get to choose how you move forward. You will heal. You will get through this. And you won’t be alone for a single part of it.
Heavenly Father, I give You my anxieties, fears and doubts related to trust. I don’t have to feel ashamed that I have trust issues. I also don’t have to move forward more quickly than I’m ready to. But at the same time, I’m not going to make excuses for not healing. I’m taking one step at a time, moving forward with You on this journey of growing in trust. Give me the courage, wisdom and hope I need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Lysa TerKeurst
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
Greed: Watch Out! It's A Trap!
Scripture:
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. - 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (ESV)
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. - 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (ESV)
Reflect:
What other sins might greed and the love of money lead to? How have you seen
greed destroy lives?
The Reverend Charles
Spurgeon once preached, “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very
satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you
would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” He’s right. I’ve seen it in my own
life. When I finally get whatever, I think will make me happy, I realize that
now I want something else. It’s a vicious cycle.
In today’s verses, the
apostle Paul advised that “godliness with contentment is great gain”. In this
letter to Timothy, Paul had been cautioning him about false teachers. In verse,
he warned that some false teachers are “imagining that godliness is a means to
gain.”
In other words, some
people professing to be Christian teachers won’t be sincere. They’ll start
ministries under the guise of pointing people to Jesus, but they’ll really just
pick people’s pockets and try to get rich quick. We still see this today in certain
celebrity pastors with net worth's in the millions of dollars but with teaching
that is not biblically sound.
Instead of viewing
godliness as a means to monetary gain, Paul told Timothy that godliness with
contentment is in itself a great gain. He reminded Timothy of a truth we so
often conveniently forget - we came into the world without anything, and we
can’t take it with us when we go. So, he concludes, we should be content with
food and clothing, focusing instead on living godly lives.
He described the
desire to be rich as a trap and that’s just what it is. Once we set our hearts
on wealth, we will stop at nothing to get what we want. Once we get what we
want, we realize it’s not enough. Pretty soon, the end (getting rich) justifies
the means. We’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means exploiting and taking
advantage of other people, because ultimately nothing satisfies our desire for
wealth. We always want more!
The online commentary,
Gotquestions.org explained: “It is impossible to be content when our hearts are
set on gaining more. We will not remain godly for long if we are not content
with what God has given us. A desire for godliness is quickly eroded by a greedy,
covetous spirit.”
You see, the sin may
start with loving money and wanting more of it, but it rarely ends there. Time
and again, people get caught in the snare of greed in which one sin leads to
another and another and another until they are left ruined and destroyed.
Is it a sin to be wealthy? Of course not! The issue at hand isn’t how much money you have; the issue is your heart! As Paul continued in his letter to Timothy, he directly mentioned those who are rich. He said, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
The only riches that
are worth anything of eternal value are the riches that we find in Christ.
Let’s love and pursue Almighty God instead of the almighty dollar.
The way we manage our
money can be a testament to what we believe about God. Regardless of whether we
have a lot or only a little, being content with what we have is
counter-cultural and reveals where our true treasure is (Matthew 6:21).
Pray:
Lord, I confess that I have been guilty of greed and discontentment.
Sometimes, I want more than what You’ve given me, and I covet what other people
have. Please forgive me. When I start to struggle with greed, remind me that
the material riches of this temporary world are a poor substitute for the
eternal spiritual riches You have blessed me with in Jesus Christ. Amen.
-
Nat Crawford (Provided by "Back To The Bible")
