Be Full of Cheer!

I hope that everyone had a safe and fun Fourth of July celebration this last weekend.  I spent the majority of the day yesterday with our two younger kids and their fledgling families.  I don’t get to see our younger son and his wife and our newest granddaughter as much as I like since they live a few hours away in Oklahoma City.  So, it was great to be with them and watch all three of our younger grandkids play together!  With our oldest son and his family living in Tennessee, we are all looking forward to when we can get all five of the grandkids in one place at the same time!

I had made a point to come home before it got dark so that I could be with Fiver when the fireworks started going off and pulled into my driveway just as my neighbor was getting ready to fire off some rockets in the cul-de-sac in front of my home!  But Fiver did relatively well, although he did spend a few hours in the walk-in-closet off our master bath.  The fireworks don’t seem to affect him as much as the rolling, deep roar or sudden house shaking claps of thunder does.

When things finally started to quiet down for the night, I picked up a Christian teaching book that I had been reading and came to a paragraph where the author was quoting from a portion of the scriptures that immediately brought up some difficult memories from the initial years of when Piper was sick.  In His teaching on the Beatitudes, Jesus declared,

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven…” (KJV)

I don’t think that most people really have a full grasp of the understanding of the powerful connotations and or feelings that are involved with the word “hate.”  Dictionary.com defines it as “to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest:”  I’ve noticed in the news, how some individuals who lean to the left in their political beliefs, tend to throw the word around when describing another individual who may not believe the same as they do.  It seems to me, that in most instances, they are making assumptions about their opposition that are not factually true concerning the circumstances or belief system from which they disagree. 

The scripture from last night made me recall a time when some incorrect assumptions were made about me to my children that concerned the way I had lived my life and was currently caring for my wife.  The repetitive nature of the false commentary and the anger projected by the way in which it was spoken, was very hard on me.  It eventually brought me to the place when I literally found myself in tears asking my wife (who couldn’t reply back at the time) if the people spewing the conversation actually “hated” me as much as it sounded that they did!

It is difficult to explain the depth of confusion, pain and ostracization that I felt when the realization hit me that people, I had always thought to be close to me, could actually have that level of animosity and contempt toward me.  I’ve since come to learn through my continued study of the scriptures, that much of the words that were said and the actions taken by these individuals were reactions of their fears of the sudden changes and severity of Piper’s declining health.  But the strong remembrances of the feelings that I personally encountered still bring up very sensitive memories that I never want me nor anyone else in my family to ever encounter again!

But alas… on the positive side, in verse 23 of our scripture, Jesus made it clear that there is a place in our Christian response to any negative and our hateful words that are spoken against us, where we can “REJOICE” or “Be full of CHEER” as Thayer’s defines the word “REJOICE.”  According to Jesus, in another teaching found in Mark 4:17, we can REJOICE in these times by knowing that “persecution ariseth for the word's sake…” (KJV)

In other words, we can have the ability to REJOICE or be FULL of CHEER in the midst of these attacks in knowing that in reality, it was the Word of God, in which we had set our faith, that was actually being attacked and not us personally.  In God’s view… and as well as it should be in ours… that is a good thing!  For it shows that no matter what some people may think or say… we are actually doing what is RIGHT in God’s eyes… and the persecution can and should act as a catalyst for us to REJOICE and at the same time, continue to strengthen our faith in the truth of His Word!

James agreed with Jesus when he taught the members of his church saying to:

“Count it all joy, my brothers (and sisters), when you fall into various trials, for you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” (James 1:2-3 EMTV/MSG) 

I didn’t have this understanding at that time about ten years ago, but I am thankful for the grace of God and His patient instruction of me from the principles of His Word through personal study and under the teaching of anointed pastor’s and evangelists that I have sat under.  And now… if you didn’t already know… well… you know now!

So, REJOICE and be FULL of CHEER when the various trials of life come upon you.  Choose to see these situations as an opportunity to have your strong and positive stand of faith in the truth of God’s Word, to be forced into the open where it gets to show its true colors for the world to see… and take note of!  Then when people come up to you and ask you how you went through that tough situation with such good CHEER and grace… you’ll have quite the story to tell and another opportunity to share your personal faith with them! 

Have a great week as we begin a new month, and as you do… keep EXPECTING and SHARING God’s best for you and those around you!