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Solid Rock Christian Church Newsletter Winning to Jesus - Growing in Jesus
Craig Rippy
Office Telephone 573-265-5003 E-Mail Address, srcc@tigernet.missouri.org Gene Scantlin and Alan Wynn, Elders. Diane Daniel, Preschool Director.
"2004 – What if?" By: Craig Rippy What if? No one knows the events which face us in 2004. Will this be a year of peace, festivities, financial success, of greater love in the family? Will this year be covered in a blanket of grief, depression, greater debt, or family turmoil? None of us know what the future holds. Yet, the future holds either blessing or sorrow, and most of the time, both. We speak of the future as the culprit when things seem to be headed for a catastrophe. In reality it isn't the benign future that does it. It's the occurrences that lead to the future events. The occurrences are the making of man, primarily. Although God is the ultimate Person Who controls the events of time, He works very much in the affairs of mankind to bring things to a reality. Maybe an illustration is in order. The Israelites were to cross the desert in a short amount of time and enter the land of Canaan. The Israelites chose to be faithless, and were not willing to trust that God was able to give them the promised land. The Canaanites seemed to be an obstacle which couldn't be removed by the Israelites. Yet, God would have given the Israelites the land by leading the people in victory over the Canaanites. The future of the Israelites depended upon their trust in God. If they trusted God's leading they could enjoy the prosperity of a good land, which would be called their home. If they failed to trust in God their future course would be one of wandering in a desolate waste land for forty years. Of course, we know the choice they made. God allowed faithless Israelites to encounter the disparities of their choices. He remained with them, but allowed them to traverse the road of difficulty so as to teach them that they should have followed the path of obedience. Two faithful men had to suffer the fate of the whole community. Joshua and Caleb obeyed God and encouraged the rest of Israel to enter the land to take it as God wanted them to. The rest rebelled and Joshua and Caleb endured the wilderness trial with the whole community. The end result was that God allowed Joshua and Caleb to enter, even after the rest had died in the desert. The future may have difficulties due to our lack of faith. It may have difficulties due to the lack of faith of those close to us. Either way, God is faithful. Joshua and Caleb encouraged their people to trust God. Our assignment is to do the same. We may find obstinance and rebellion to God's will by those we encourage. We also may find disappointment and worse, because of their faithlessness. Whatever the case, personal trust in God is the better course. Why you may ask? "If I must face a future of disappointment whether I choose poorly or a person close to me does, it seems either way I lose." I have a phrase I say sometimes to those that seem to be in this quandary. "Life's tough and then you die and go see Jesus, unless you aren't in Jesus." Then things get tough forever. The Apostle Paul says it much better, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21-NIV). 2004 may be a tough year. Yet, the future looks great. The future of Joshua and Caleb was to guide a new generation into the promised land. The future for the faithful Christian is to be led into the gates of Heaven by the Lord Jesus. The future of this time is filled with disappointments, but the future of eternity is filled with fulfilled hopes, and eternal joy. You can face 2004 and all the difficulties within it alone, without God's blessing. In the end, you have no hope of an eternity filled with blessed peace. Or, you can walk through this year guided by the Lord, trusting in Him as you face various troubles. He will lead you through safely even into the gates of heaven on the day of His return. Your choice. My encouragement is: "Trust God in 2004 and beyond, and live with Him in eternity."
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