Category Archives: Encouragement

Encouragement

A Message for Rock-Bottom Disciples

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Ever wonder why God lets us struggle? I certainly do. Maybe you think God has nothing to do with the struggle you’re in. Think again.

 

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

 

Yep, there it is—it is God’s doing. He lets us suffer or struggle on purpose. Why, sometimes He even lets us go all the way to the bottom. Yet, I believe He is up to something when He allows sharpening circumstances to impact our lives. Iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17) When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Isn’t that always the case? When life gets hard, we gain strength and resilience, and what once seemed hard no longer is. What is it about hitting bottom that does something in us?

 

The bottom—what does that mean in spiritual terms? Does it mean: we’ve tried all efforts and nothing has worked? We’ve exhausted all resources, and the problem remains unfixed? We’ve turned to every expert we know, yet we’re more perplexed than ever? How about—we’ve tried to find God, but He hasn’t shown up?

 

You might have said “yes” to all of those. I want to point you to a story in Luke Chapter 24 about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Perhaps they had tried all efforts to understand the crucifixion of Jesus. They had exhausted everything they had learned in the past three years. They had looked to others for answers, and I’m sure they had tried to get God’s attention. Yet, they remained perplexed, confused, and afraid. We might say they were at the bottom.

 

Then a stranger came along beside them as they traveled, and they poured out their sad story to him. “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Does that mean they had lost their hope? All hope? They continued with a hear-say story of some out-of-this-world notion that included visions and angels, but there was no proof for any of it. After all, they had watched Jesus die with their own eyes.

 

I can only imagine our Savior as he listened to their bewildering story. I can see a slight grin on Jesus’ face as He held His composure. Can’t you just hear Jesus ask, “Really?” And then He says to those two rock-bottom disciples: “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

 

Can you see what they were missing? Can you feel their grief and at the same time sense Jesus’ excitement knowing He would soon open their eyes to who He is? Why, He isn’t in the grave—He is right here talking to them!

 

This amazing story brightens my day today, as I think about all the times I have been a rock- bottom disciple. All the times I’ve looked, and longed, and searched for real answers, the right outcome, and the victory message behind my struggles. I think of all the years I have searched for the mysteries of God in His Word, the keys to the kingdom to unlock what I don’t understand. And all the while Jesus has been right here in my company, with the slight grin on His face, thinking “If only she knew what I know. If only she could see what I see. If only!”

 

Have you and I suffered a little while in our darkness, our perplexity, our out-of-this world stories that we can’t understand? Are we wondering when Jesus Himself is going to show up like He promised, to restore us, make us strong, firm and steadfast?

 

Just when is that going to happen? When we get to the bottom of our resources, our efforts, our attempts—that’s the very time Jesus has been waiting for! That’s the very position He longs for us to reach so He can tell us what was best described by Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story!”

 

“Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” Are we ready for Jesus, who is right here with us in our perplexing situations, to open our eyes and let us see Him? Are we ready to have Jesus explain from the beginning what’s been happening just as he did to those disciples who had reached the bottom of human explanation and human hope.

 

That’s what Jesus wants to do for us today. He wants to show us the meaning behind the struggle—the waiting before the Lord, the purpose of it all. He has some BIG NEWS for you and me. Are we ready to trust Him and believe His explanation? Are our hearts burning within us while He’s speaking and opening our eyes even now?

 

Don’t miss next week’s post “Seeing is Everything.” In the meantime, start looking up from your rock-bottom stance. Jesus has been right here all the time. ~ Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

Oh God, I Need Some Rest!

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I’ve read it a thousand times—Hebrews Chapter 4. I’ve chased its interpretation for more years than I care to count. Still today, verse 11 perplexes me: “Let us therefore labor to enter that rest…” It doesn’t make sense to labor at resting. Why not just lie down and rest? To top that, the word labor in this scripture actually means to “make haste.”  So now I’m supposed to hurry at resting? I want to label this an oxymoron, but I know God doesn’t make mistakes.

 

Oh God, I need some rest! How I long for rest! I can only hope to find it someday!

 

I’m smack-dab in the middle of accounting season, near drowning in sheer circumstances. For an accountant, that means deadline upon deadline to meet with little recourse. Even a good night’s rest for the body is scarce. I told a friend the other day that it felt as if I were submerged in water and all that remained on the surface is one hand slowly sinking down through the bubbles from my last breath of air as I mumbled a final cry for help.

 

While it was intended to be funny, I wonder how many of us feel just like that about life. We’ve tried to keep afloat, made every effort to hold things together, did our best to swim against the current of never-ending demands on our lives, but somehow we feel that we might not make it. Does life grab you that way—hold you under until you’re not sure the next breath will come?

 

And what about our spiritual lives—ever felt that you’re just not getting the hang of it? You do all the right things, you work and give and help and support. You struggle with thoughts like, “Oh God, I’ve given and given and it never seems to work for me like Joel Osteen said it would!” And what about the strength we’ve been promised—you know from lofty verses like, “your strength shall be renewed, mounting up with wings like eagles?”1 Somehow that seems to have slip right past me. Yep, this eagle is merely hopping along on the ground trying to dodge the muck and mire of life.

 

If any of this sounds like you—I have good news. I’m not sure why its meaning has eluded me for so long, but Hebrews Chapter 4 is our answer. It is the very substance of what God knew we would need and what He provided for us in advance. Remember, God doesn’t make mistakes.

 

So what does it mean—this laboring to rest business? Newer translations say, “Let us be diligent to enter that rest.” It means: Let us hurry diligently at finding the rest provided by God and then enter into that rest. I suspect that we don’t hurry diligently because we do not know what that rest is or where it is. If we just knew what it was or where it was, we would!

 

While there are many clues to unfold in this chapter, let’s take a closer look at Verses 9 and 10: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His (God’s) rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

 

Did you see that—ceased from his works? Let that soak in. Amy Carmichael said, “Perhaps what demands most will power is the resolution to cease from our own works, our own busyness, and to stay our minds upon our God.”

 

We know that earning salvation by good works is included here, for only the works of Christ at Calvary can save us. But don’t stop there. Look for more. Could this also be the key to living the Spirit-empowered life?

 

God has plan and a place for us to rest. God wants us to find and enter into it. Moses’ generation didn’t enter in because of unbelief. In other words, they heard about it, “but the word which they heard did not benefit them because it was not mixed with faith.”

 

We must first believe this rest of God is available to us. Once we believe it is there, we must hurry diligently to find it. Look up and look forward as we unpack the secrets to finding and entering that rest! ~ Janie Kellogg

 

1Isaiah 40:31; All other scriptures Hebrews Chapter 4.

 

 

Encouragement

Breathing in Grace

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The words of Matt Redman’s song “Your Grace Finds Me” are stuck on replay in my head: “I’ll be breathing in Your grace | and breathing out Your praise | breathing in Your grace | forever.”

 

For the past week, I have been breathing in God’s grace. Life has been difficult to say the least. There are some circumstances that scream for grace—divine influence upon the heart. I am so grateful it is available, abundant and free. It is mine for the asking.

 

Just this week my six-year-old granddaughter, Kalei, told me that she had found her name in her new Bible. “I found it three times,” she declared as if I didn’t believe her. I was a bit leery not recalling K-A-L-E-I in the Bible, but then I remembered that her middle name is “GRACE.” I assured her that her name is indeed found many times in the Bible.

 

And it is! Noah found grace. He gives us more grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. He who came from the Father was full of grace. Great grace was upon them all. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. By grace you are saved.1 Need I go on?

 

God’s Word is full of grace—and so is God!

 

Grace has been described as God’s unmerited favor—that which I don’t deserve. And that is what I have been breathing in all week.

 

I don’t deserve that He would rescue me from myself. (I take in a breath of grace.)

I don’t deserve to be called His child when I don’t act like one. (Another breath of grace required.)

I don’t deserve that He would be patient with me who is so impatient. (Yet more grace needed.)

I don’t deserve to feel His love when I have been unlovable. (Breathing deeper for still more grace.)

I don’t deserve to be pardoned when I have judged another. (Now I’m gasping for grace.)

I truly don’t deserve His grace, but I have it anyway. (How can this be: grace upon grace!)

 

As one who knows and recognizes her neediness before God, I gladly breathe in His grace.

 

It soothes a weary soul with His presence.

It calms nerves stretched to breaking.

It cradles faith that buckled underneath the load.

It sets feet upright that didn’t stay on top of the water.

It refocuses eyes on Him that were fixed on circumstances.

It strengthens weak knees and hands that hung down.

It renews a mind that is drained from the ongoing attacks.

It refreshes a heart that fainted instead of praying.

It rekindles love for the One who never quits loving.

 

That, my friend, is breathing in grace. With every breath, grace fills the emptiness of this clay pot with God Himself. God and grace go together. When we find we have grace, we find we have God.

 

Breathing is a two-fold process—it takes in and it expels out. Grace in, praise out is what the song says. There are so many reasons to praise the Supplier of grace. What could be as natural as praising on the flip side of inhaling? Inhale a breath of grace—and exhale a breath of praise. It makes perfect sense!

 

So now we know—a natural breathing exercise for the child of God: grace in—praise out; grace in—praise out; grace in—praise out.

 

We must not forget the word: forever. Not just this week when I so desperately needed it, but next week too, and the next. And next month. And next year. And forever, “I’ll be breathing in Your grace, and breathing out Your praise, breathing in Your grace, forever, forever!”

 

Need some grace today? Why not give it a try and then just keep breathing! ~ Janie Kellogg

 

 

1Genesis 6:8; James 4:7; I Cor. 15:10; John 1:16; John 1:14; Acts 4:33; Romans 5:20; Ephesians 2:8

Encouragement

I’m no Elijah ~ or am I?

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What Christian wouldn’t like to be another Elijah—you know, the prophet who had a showdown with the false gods of his day? Remember that famous Bible story where Elijah set up a huge demonstration on Mount Carmel and called down fire from heaven onto altars that had been doused with barrels of water. When Elijah loudly proclaimed, “Will the real God please show up,” He did. God had orchestrated the entire event to prove to the wayward children of Israel that He alone is the one true God.1

 

Don’t you wish an Elijah would show up today? I suspect some of us might have opportunities for an Elijah-size showdown with the false gods in our culture—if we were to look for them. But I think that many of us (me included) don’t look for those opportunities since the gods of our day are just too intimidating. Certainly a challenge against any one of them would be considered “politically incorrect.”

 

Personally, I am happier minding my own business. That kind of courage just isn’t my cup of tea. Such bold faith is surely reserved for the special servants of God. Actually, I am more like Elijah on the next day when he ran for his life, hid under a tree, and had a pity party praying that he could die.2

 

So what is the difference in the Elijah on Mount Carmel and the Elijah under the tree? I don’t know for sure, but it probably had something to do with his level of faith on those two separate days. On day 1 Elijah had been a man of courage. He clearly heard and obeyed the voice of the Lord. He boldly took a stand even though he was outnumbered 450 to 1. Elijah trusted that if he did his part, God would show up. I’ve had some days like that—well, maybe not exactly like that.

 

On day 2 Elijah must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed (or maybe he didn’t get up at all). He didn’t have clear direction about what the Lord wanted him to do like he did on day 1. He was on the defense running for his life, not on the offense and calling the shots like he was on day 1. Nor was he sure of the outcome of his circumstances as he had been on day 1. Elijah simply didn’t have the strength to be anything different than just who he was—on day 2. Now I’ve definitely had some days like that.

 

Come to think of it, I may be an Elijah after all. You see, God met Elijah wherever he was—on day 1 and on day 2. He was with Elijah when he had the faith to call down fire from heaven, and He was with Elijah when he felt “winky-wonky” and ran for his life. Winky-wonky was a term used by Grandmother Grace Kellogg when she didn’t feel quite up to par.

 

The fact is: God never changes!3 He is faithful and strong and loving and caring, and He meets me in my place of need wherever I find myself—on my own Mount Carmel standing up against false gods or hiding in the bushes until the threat against my life passes.

 

Do you feel bold today, perhaps able to tackle one of the many false gods in our culture? Or do you feel like staying in bed and pulling the covers over your head? Either way, our faithful God is with you and He will be with you tomorrow too.  Bold or winky-wonky—God is with us for the long-haul. Jesus said it like this—I am with you always, even to the very end! 4 ~ Janie Kellogg

 

11 Kings 18; 21 Kings 19; 3James 1:17 (NLT); 4Matthew 28:20

Encouragement

Choose Joy

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[This week I am publishing a devotional written by my son, Brent. He is the Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Thanks, Brent, for sharing this great word with us.]

It is almost a guarantee—put me in rush hour traffic and I will lose my cool, my patience and my joy! While standing in line three deep at the local supermarket, I tend to lose my joy there too.  The more I think about it—I seem to be living in a “joy-less” society.

People are grumpy.  We make lousy neighbors. We come home, close the garage door, and retreat into our own lives.  We look to medications, doctors and therapists to help us discover happiness.  We think buying that one more big toy will make us content.  Somewhere as a nation we have bought into the lie “more is better.”   Thus we have become “joy-less.”

I love how the Bible is full of hidden treasures.  Psalm 16 is a powerful chapter that unlocks the secret to “joy-full” living.  It is so powerful that it can change the course of a person’s life; yet it is almost a whisper in scripture.  If you find yourself reading for quantity – you might just miss it.  Personally, I think our culture as a whole has missed it. Because we live for quantity of life, we have missed the whispers of God’s still small voice.

We may find a clue to our dilemma in verse 11:  “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  This verse lends to beautiful worship songs and inspiring art work; but as far as practical theology—let’s face it, we don’t practice it very much.  Could the reason we have so much road rage and too many impatient shoppers is because we have no joy?

Statistics tell us that the number of people attending church each year is decreasing.  Alarming news headlines certainly reveal that fewer people are living out their faith.  If Psalm 16:11 is true, and we know it is, then it makes perfect sense that our culture is angry and empty. Simply put: If time in God’s presence equals joy, then no time in God’s presence equals no joy!

This may be overstated, but I believe we lack joy because we fail to spend time in the presence of God.  Something happens when we start the day with God.  It puts the rest of the day in proper perspective.  It places the circumstances in His control and the stress in His hands. Yet, many of us are far too busy to stop and enjoy our Creator.

Instead of talking about the grumpy drivers on the highway and angry shoppers at the supermarket – let’s talk for a second about you.  Do you have joy in your life? Do you see the world as a heavy place, full of things that press your buttons; or do you see the world as God’s creation and His masterpiece to be celebrated and enjoyed?  The difference in how you see the world may be in how you spend your time.

As followers of Christ, we should choose joy!  Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”   I encourage you to choose to spend time in God’s presence this week—it has the potential to change your outlook on life.  ~Brent Kellogg

Encouragement

Love Never Fails Who?

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It had been a troubling morning. I was in a hotel room in Juneau, Alaska, waiting for luggage to arrive. My husband left for his early morning conference in the same clothes he had put on twenty-four hours earlier. Turbulent weather had caused our flights to be cancelled, routes to change, and nerves to fray. But none of that compared to the unsettling phone call I received shortly after arriving there.

Life had taken a painful turn for a family member. It seemed preventable, if only people had done what they were supposed to do—you know what I mean—Christians acting like Christians. Lives were unraveling; careers in jeopardy; reputations on the line. The stinging words of accusations burned within my heart as the story replayed over and over in my head. How could God let this happen?

Thankfully, I had packed my Bible in my carry-on bag. I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to Galatians 5:22. This familiar verse of scripture listing the fruits of the Spirit brought me to a dead stop: “Now the fruit of the Spirit is love….” This word love is so powerful, so all-encompassing, so compelling. Of course, being one who prided myself in being filled with the Spirit, I knew this fruit wasn’t optional. The verse plainly states that the fruit—the growing, yielding, obvious evidence—of the Spirit is love.

The next stop on the journey to find peace for my aching heart was the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. I knew it well. The words flowed from memory as my eyes followed the print. All of the characteristics of love listed in verses 4 through 7 could in no way be akin to the flesh. They clearly spoke of life in the Spirit, the high road, the selfless life, the yielding of one’s own rights.

As my eyes scanned verse 8—“love never fails”—I quickly thought, “I know what that means. Or do I?” I had always believed that if I loved, truly loved with God’s love, the other person(s) with whom I had a conflict would eventually change their mind and come around to seeing things my way. Wrong.

In the case at hand, I was confident that such a happy and blissful ending just wasn’t going to be the outcome. I also knew that for me to love meant to relinquish my right to be right, and the people involved would simply walk away thinking they had won.

It was in that moment that the Heavenly Father gently spoke a new revelation to my heart. For the first time, I saw these ever-so-familiar-words with new eyes, and thus, with new meaning. I read them again slowly, adding the freshly Spirit-inspired revelation—Love never fails me!

Today, some fifteen years later, this age-old truth proves once again to be the medicine I need. If I choose to love in every situation—regardless of the outcome—I will have the peace of God. Love will never fail to produce the joy and contentment within my spirit that only God can give. I will have grace to bear all things (including the ones I think unfair), believe all things (seeing God’s hand at work in every circumstance), hope all things (knowing all things work together for good to them who love God), and endure all things (even the things I don’t like).

It is so true—love never fails me! ~ Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

Out of the Wreck I Rise

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It has been a painful week in Oklahoma—loss of life, property, and peace of mind. News reporters search for words to describe the devastation wreaked by tornados across our State. We all seek to get our hearts and minds around what it might feel like to be personally affected by such a disaster.

Clearly, it is larger than any of us can individually cope with, but not larger than what we can face together. Relief organizations, churches, sister cities, governments and individuals move in to help. As I drove through several towns in Oklahoma yesterday, I saw signs along the way “Drop off relief supplies here.” That is what neighbors do—fellow Oklahomans and fellow Americans—when tragedy strikes.

A famous quote by Robert Browning caught my attention this morning—“Out of the wreck I rise.” It is a fact that there are times when life’s circumstances feel as if a train wreck, a ship wreck, and yes, even a tornado, has just occurred smack-dab in the middle of our lives. Have you ever felt that you were at the bottom of the wreckage, trying to peek out and catch a glimpse of light? I know that I have.

What is it about out-of-control circumstances that leave us feeling wrecked? You know what I mean: It is too painful to look back; the monotonous why questions race through our minds; and those pesky “if only” thoughts taunt us as though we might have prevented the crash.

But we can’t live that way. Even if we wallow in the wreckage for weeks, months or years, our sheer endurance there won’t change anything. We can ask questions until we are blue in the face, but we probably won’t find an answer. We can “what if” for the rest our lives, but we’ll never actually know if any one of them would have yielded a different result.

So, what are we to do with our wrecks? How do we find the positive amongst the rubble, pull ourselves together, and start again? As I watched the TV coverage of the tornado damage, I prayed for those who even now must find that starting place.

Oswald Chambers made a good addition to Browning’s quote when he wrote: “Out of the wreck I rise, every time.” 1

We may not ever be able to prevent wrecks—this wreck, the next wreck, or any wreck for that matter—but as children of the Most High God, we not only can, but we must rise up out of it every time.

How? We focus on the important, not the trivial. We focus on the positive, not the negative. We focus on what we have been given, not on what has been lost. We focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have. We focus on the eternal, not the temporal.

We are intended to be overcomers—overcomers of wrecks—if you will. Life is full of wrecks, both large and small, and the world is watching to see how we face them, and how we rise up out of the ruins and recover from them.

Philippians 2:14-16 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life….” (NIV)

Instead of smothering beneath our wreckage, we must dig out from under it. If need be, we embrace the help of others, as is the case in Moore, Oklahoma. We all have our own personal wrecks to deal with. How we handle them matters. We must latch hold of a positive word of God, a promise that will help us get a firm grip, and start shining like stars. You see, the world is watching.

My prayers and thoughts to the many precious and resilient people in Oklahoma who are suffering even now ~ Janie Kellogg

1 Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, May 19

Encouragement

The Biggest Winner!

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I can think of no better title to follow last week’s blog “The Biggest Loser” than “The Biggest Winner!” All of us like to be a winner—some more than others—but the truth is that we all want to WIN. From Super bowls to spelling bees, there is something in our DNA that causes our blood to pump a little faster when faced with the challenge to win.

 

Could it be that the DNA to win is passed to us from our Heavenly Father? After all, God is a winner and we are made in His image. In our natural life we will “win some—lose some.” But in the game that matters most—our spiritual life—all who follow after God can be winners. He intended for it to be so.

 

The Apostle Paul couldn’t have made this point any plainer than he did in Romans Chapter 8. Right there in the same chapter where we are unlocking the mystery of walking in the Spirit to defeat our flesh, we will also find God’s clearly laid out plan to make us winners.

 

Read the list of winning phrases below that Paul made about those who choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. These verses are bursting with life, hope, and victory! Read them slowly, letting each one soak into your spirit. These words have the potential to set God’s children free from the voices of the enemy that enslave us. Don’t brush over them as if they are old words. Let them become new words filled with power and life. As if you are reading them for the very first time, hear the Spirit whisper “Winner! Winner! Winner!”

Verse  1  ~ there is no condemnation

Verse  2  ~ has made me free

Verse 11 ~ will also give life

Verse 14 ~ are the sons of God

Verse 15 ~ received the Spirit of adoption

Verse 16 ~ are the children of God

Verse 17 ~ heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ

Verse 17 ~ may share in His glory

Verse 19 ~ the glory which shall be revealed in us

Verse 21 ~ the glorious liberty of the children of God

Verse 23 ~ the redemption of the body

Verse 24 ~ were saved in this hope

Verse 26 ~ helps in our weaknesses

Verse 27 ~ makes intercession for us

Verse 28 ~ all things work together for good

Verse 29 ~ predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son

Verse 30 ~ called; justified; and glorified

Verse 32 ~ freely gives us all things

Verse 37 ~ are more than conquerors

Verse 39 ~ [nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God!

 

What a list! It cannot be stated any clearer, stronger, or more certain than that. These words—outlining God’s provisions for us—are positive, straight-forward, and power-packed! What else could we possibly want or need? Paul tops off this dissertation of God’s plan with some “go-figure” and “no-nonsense” questions:  Who can be against us?  Who can charge us?  Who can condemn us? Who can separate us from God? Easy answer: NO ONE!

 

To paraphrase in modern day language, this is what I hear Paul saying, “Give me a break! How can any of you be discouraged, defeated, worried, or condemned when you have God on your side? There’s not a chance that your flesh is going to win, not with all that He has provided for you. So take notice as to what you have been given, believe God is able, and declare that you are a Winner! Winner! Winner!”

 

Winning over our flesh is HUGE—it is, in fact, our biggest hurdle. It is the very thing that keeps us blind-sided, side-tracked, and confused. Yet, a HUGE problem requires a HUGE answer. Very soon we are going to unlock another mystery of the gospel that Paul disclosed to his readers. This mystery is for every follower of Jesus to see, grasp, claim, and put into practice in his or her own life. Good things are just ahead. ~ Janie Kellogg

 

Encouragement

My Three New Year’s Wishes

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As the first day of 2013 dawned last Tuesday, I found myself wondering what the year would hold for me and my family, my nation, and my world. At the dismal close of 2012, it seemed as if the whole world were spinning out of control. Even while reading Christmas card wishes for a “Happy and Prosperous New Year,” I doubted that happy and prosperous were likely, in light of such gigantic problems.

 

In my quiet time with God that sun-sprayed morning, I focused on what things could make this a happy and prosperous year. My Holy House Guest led me 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is commonly known as the love chapter, because it defines what love is in real terms, not what Hollywood or country music say it is. We should re-read it often. The writer also speaks of things that will go away after Jesus returns to earth, but what caught my attention were the three things that will remain—faith, hope, and love. As I pondered the uncertainly of the next 365 days, I wrote in my journal that faith, hope, and love were my three New Year’s wishes for both me and my troubled world.

 

My first wish is for faith. Personally, I wish for faith to write God’s message with power and clarity, for faith to win the lost to Christ, and faith to move mountains of fear and unbelief anywhere I encounter them. Within the body of believers, I wish for faith that results in signs and wonders, healings, miracles, and demonstrations of power, as experienced by the 1st Century Christians. I wish for faith that delivers people from the bondage of sin, restores families and marriages, and gives children a safe environment both in and out of the womb. I wish for faith that brings an awakening to righteousness in our country, causing establishments of sin to shut down as they did in days when Charles Finney preached across America. I wish for God’s own people to repent of our sins, our friendship with the world, and our indifference to the things of God. Plainly stated—I wish for REVIVAL in America!

 

With the world crumbling around us as nation after nation falls into turmoil and unrest, my second wish is for hope—hope in the “God of hope” (Romans 15:13). I hope for a cure for cancer, Lou Gerick’s disease, and every other life-sucking disease. I hope for the end of wars, world hunger, and sex-trafficking. I hope for men everywhere to hate what is evil. I hope for world leaders to stop killing their own people and to work together for the good of all. I hope for truth and righteousness to be restored in governments around the world—especially in America. I hope for integrity to trump political parties, denominations, and union affiliation; and for godly character to motivate actions rather than personal gain or ambition. I hope for the Church of Jesus Christ to be clearly recognizable as the people with the answers.

 

Last, but most importantly, I wish for love. I am reminded of the words from a once popular song: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love; that’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…not just for some, but for everyone.” I believe love would solve all of the world’s problems—but only if it is LOVE FOR GOD. If all people loved God and lived to please Him alone—not bowing to other gods, leaders, governments, religion, or people—the problems of the world would disappear. I wish for a world in which love rules over fear, hatred, greed, and selfishness; a world where pride, prejudice, jealousy, unforgiveness, and revenge are dismantled and replaced with love. Oh, how I wish for love, sweet love—not just for some, but for everyone.

 

Is it realistic to wish for such optimism in our world? Of course! Did not Jesus teach us pray to our Heavenly Father, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?” These are the very prayers God will and does answer. The Bible says in Revelation 11:15: “The whole world has now become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (NLT). That, my friend, would make 2013 a very happy and prosperous year! Let us not just wish; let’s start asking. ~Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

The End of the Story

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It is true—I am a sissy when it comes to suspenseful movies. I’m usually sitting on the edge of my seat, my nerves tightening and my heart rate increasing along with the plot. In my younger days I bit my fingernails, and after watching a thrilling movie, there wasn’t anything left to bite. It is a huge relief when I finally know the outcome and that all is well. I fully admit that I enjoy watching stories that I know up front have a good ending. And when it comes to suspenseful books, I’ve been known to turn to the back of the book and take a sneak peek. Seriously.

 

Sometimes I’m the same way with suspenseful circumstances in real life—I’d like to know the outcome up front! I remember some of the big events in my life—a new job, starting a business, or building a new house. They looked huge (and scary) at the time, causing me distress and sleeplessness. Years later, when I knew the outcome, they didn’t look so big after all.

 

Maybe we should look at our troubled world through those lenses. Our world is a scary place to be right now—not that we have any other options. It appears things are quickly escalating toward a time called “the last days.” That term scared me to death when I was a child. Today, we literally see Bible prophecy fulfilled right before our eyes on the nightly news (or worse yet, 24-hour cable news). The reports of natural disasters occurring around the globe, the crises in the Middle East erupting one after another, and the move toward one world government, currency and religion are enough to get my heart rate up. How about yours?

 

Here’s my point. As Christians, we can take a sneak peek at the end of the book. In fact, we are encouraged to do just that and are called blessed if we do (Revelation 1:3). We can open God’s proven and trustworthy Word and read the outcome of this story. In the final book of the Bible, the end of the world as we know it has already been revealed. And guess what? There is a good ending promised to all who trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

 

Why did the Heavenly Father tell us the end of the story? He knew we would be fearful, distressed, sitting on the edge of our seats, and maybe even biting our fingernails. He doesn’t want us to. He wants us to be full of knowledge, full of faith, full of hope and courage so we can tell others about that good ending. Do yourself a favor and go read the end of the Book. See if it doesn’t all come out A-OK for the children of God. Oh, yes it does! Then share that good news with a friend. ~Janie Kellogg