Coping – Meritt Musings

Like a Tree Planted

I am sorry I haven’t posted for a few days. We’ve been on vacation to Williamsburg, VA, and experienced there where we experienced everywhere, the CORONA! But I did get to do one thing that I won’t soon forget, standing the waves at the seashore at Virginia Beach.

We got there early enough on Saturday to get a good spot on the shore line, before a lot of people had arrived. The sun was up and the temperature was still pretty decent. Even my son who spends his days on his computer enjoyed getting into the water and lazying around in the waves. My wife and daughter also enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed getting down into the waves and just feeling the movement of the waves rolling in. The sound of the waves was enchanting, and had I a place to lay down, I probably would have, fallen asleep, and gotten a worse sunburn than I already have.

But this text above reminds of that day. A tree planted by the waters experiences those same waves (or current). But unlike me, who had to constant adjust my position to stay upright, a tree digs into the shore and is steady and steadfast. That’s really the difference between those who follow current trends and those who stay rooted in God’s word, isn’t it?

“Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.”
(Eph 4:14)

I don’t know what you choose to govern the affairs of your life, whether you choose to follow the latest popular wisdom coming from CNN or TMZ, or if like me you anchor yourself in God’s Word. I suspect if you are reading this blog, it’s probably the latter. But in this age where “truth” changes from hour to hour, I would rather keep my truth well anchored in the shoreline of God’s word.

I have felt the waves, and I enjoyed feeling the waves bob me up and down, but I wouldn’t want to live like that. I need something solid to rest my feet upon. I know of no surer place that the Word of God, an unchanging, immutable Father who never changes, who is the Rock and the shelter of my soul. In Him I rest.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Rock, my anchor, and my hope. More than ever, I need You as my support and foundation of a life constantly bombarded with tossing waves and stormy seas. I have no surer Rock than You. In You Name I pray, Amen.

Whence Comfort?

www.bible.com/1713/2co.1.3-4.csb

Where does your comfort come from? A soft, fuzzy pillow? A teddy bear who is always ready to listen to your troubles? A shoulder you know you can’t count on to cry on from time to time? A familiar listening ear? Or even from God Himself?

He is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.” That’s a tall order, but a necessary one. We are in need of a Comforter, and weal in our time of affliction. And who else is there? Who else can comfort us?

When I was a child, I needed someone who was stronger than I was, like my parents, who would be comforters. I could run to my mother or my father in the middle of a thunderstorm and weep in their arms, knowing there I would be safe.

As adults, we find we have the same needs for such comfort when the storms of life are too big for us. But to whom shall we turn? Whose arms do we run to when we are the ones who are supposed to have it all together? May I suggest the Comforter, the One who made us, Who calls us His own. His arms, though we often can’t see them, call upon our eyes of faith to feel. Do you trust in the Lord God to help you through and comfort you when you scared?

As an adult, we are not so much scared of the storms, but the catastrophes, both personal and public. We are scared of the hurricanes and tornadoes, the wildfires and the pandemics. We ought to have some fear of them, as such fear inspires caution and taking measures to protect ourselves. But what about personal illnesses, creeping cancers and major organ failure, when you can see the monster coming for you with the face of tumors and anuerysms? We still need a Comforter, and arms that can enfold us, and tell us its going to be okay. I still need that. I still cling in faith to the God who raised His Son from the dead. I still trust in His promises He made for me. But I fear those times especially when my faith will be tested. I know times will come when I question God and ask why He would put me through such things. I’ve done it before. And when the test was over was when I realized with relief that it was all done to strengthen me, improve my faith, and help me forward to the next test.

When I am confronted by someone who questions God, all I do is ask if God has been faithful before. Has God answered your prayers in the past? Has He blessed me when you weren’t looking? Inevitably, the answer is yes. Even in the darkest times and hardest situations, God’s light has always found a way to shine through. Then I ask if God has stopped being faithful, stopped loving, stopped hearing prayer. So too here the answer must give way to grudging acknowledgment. Even in my dark times, God has been working behind the scenes to bring about His glory and show His love to me.

So today, as you are going through the test, remember what God has done for you. It was not accidentally that when Israel was going through hard times, God reminded them of the Exodus, of bringing them through the Red Sea and their time at the Mountain, or the bread in the desert. He reminds them of their past for the sake of their present. He will remind you too.

God, You have been so kind to me, especially when I didn’t deserve it. I called on You and I thought You weren’t listening. I called to You and You didn’t seem to answer. I was angry at You. I hated You because I thought You loved me and You turned Your back to me. I thought I was Your child, and You were silent. Thank You for being so patient with me, because I discovered at the end of my trial, You were right there all along. I cannot know all the things You shielded me from, and the disaster I could experienced, because You do love me. I repent and apologize for all the mean things I said and did, because in my human frailty, I couldn’t see the light, the care and compassion You have for me. I twisted and fought at the end of my rope because I could see the One who was pulling me in. Thank You God for loving me and granting me peace. In You Name I pray, Amen.

In the Hood

www.bible.com/1713/col.4.2.csb

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that 2020 has not gone as planned. It seems everyday has become a feature news story. My only explanation that ties all of these various events together is that it is an election year, and every possible weapon (short of nuclear) has been expended to change the political landscape of America. However, if you’ve seen 24 (the TV show), nuclear weapons may still be on the table if America’s enemies figure it out.

I titled this blog specifically because of the image from the Youversion app. But I think it also speaks to where our attention is diverted today. We’re no longer concerned about social distancing in Minneapolis or in many other cities across the nation. So it will be interesting to see if COVID-19 is still a potent threat, or just a fear created by the media. I think at some point the media will have to start manufacturing stories about how protesters are testing positive for the virus and overloading the hospitals if they are to maintain their credibility.

But wearing a “hoodie” as this gentleman is in the picture doesn’t not constitute in and of itself an issue. I think many people could look at this picture and see someone who is engaged in serious Bible study. Others can look at it and see a criminal planning his next big score. It’s not what’s on the hood but under it.

The average person’s ability to make snap judgments these days is impressive. The ability to do a “hot take” on a single image I believe is what has driven most people’s understanding of George Floyd’s death based on a single image of a police officer holding Mr. Floyd down with his knee. Just like the image above, I don’t have context for it. I don’t know everything that officer and Mr. Lloyd did up to that point. I don’t know what context the officer had for holding Mr. Lloyd down. I don’t know what context Mr. Lloyd had for being held down in such a fashion. Do you? Can you confidently assert that you know everything about that situation? Do you know the course of events which led to each man meeting in such a way? I don’t, and I consider myself an intelligent person.

The Bible is wise in its advice. Be slow to speak. Be quick to hear. Be slow to anger. Be quick to listen. Two (independent) witnesses are required to verify testimony and they must agree. Don’t make judgment until you have enough information to do so.

Oh but the injustice! Oh but the racism! Really? Is that what this is about? Give me a definition of justice where the punishment far outweighs the crime. Oh but you don’t understand. This has been building for decades. They had it coming. Who had it coming? The shop owners whose businesses have now been destroyed twice, once by COVID and now by protesters? The “white folk”? There are WHITE people in the protests! The cops? All cops everywhere ought to be punished because some committed crimes? That’s like saying all blacks need to be punished because some committed crimes.

Something we need to remember is that all of us, all of us live in the ‘hood. Someone once asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” I might ask the same, “Who lives in my neighborHOOD? Everyone does. There is no “us vs. them”, because it is all US.

Something to chew on on this Monday.

God, please forgive my neighbors who do not know what they are doing. Please forgive my nation because we have lost our way. Help me and my neighbors find the light again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessed by Trial

www.bible.com/1713/jas.1.12.csb

Is that not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard? Who is blessed by a trial? A trial is a challenging, faith-inducing affair with anguish of heart and soul. How could such a thing be a blessing? Yet the circumstances are not the blessing itself. The blessing comes in the perseverance that blooms because of the trial. Trial is merely fertilizer to the growth of the Christian. This was not in the brochure.

This is what Christianity such a hard sell. Yes you get eternal life and joy in Christ and love to the bottom of your soul, but, you will also have trouble in this world. Your whole life will be filled with trials that are designed to strengthen your faith. If I was an immature believer, I would be tempted to give up, tempted to throw it all away because I did not sign up for the crucible. I signed up for paradise. But a sword sheathed never knows it’s worth.

Christian, in this world you will have trouble. Do not marvel that the world hates you, because it hated Jesus before you. If you would turn to follow him, be prepared to suffer the insults of the unsaved. Prepare yourself for temptation to prompt you to lose your way or your love. Your chief enemy will not be the unsaved, but the unsaveable, the demons who prowl the earth seeking whom they may destroy. Satan himself prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You must always be on your guard, always prepared to defend your faith, before others and even before the judgment seat of your own heart.

The blessing doesn’t come from the trial, but from the perseverance you develop through it. God is seeking the tested and tried. He is seeking to test you and try you, so that you are a well-seasoned believer. God is glorified through our weakness, because by our weakness His strength is exalted. Does that sound weird? When we are weak, He is strong, because the mark of God’s power is most evident when it has nothing to do with us. This we glory in our weakness, our powerlessness, because He is able! We worship and glorify the One who saves. Despite our frailty, our seasoned spirit is what endures, and what God brings to Himself. Our flesh is as grass, here today and gone tomorrow. But our tested spirit, our blessed spirit is the precious pearl God seeks.

So when you are tested today, consider it all joy my brothers. God has counted you worthy of trial. The joy is in the testimony of a life saved by grace through all. May we praise and bless Him today!

Blessed Father, thank you for considering me worthy today to bear the name of Jesus into the dark places my trial takes me. Though my flesh and my mind are weary, I know that my strength comes from the Lord. He alone saves. And nothing in this world is so valuable as to make me want to cling to it more than You. May your grace and peace be with all who suffer today, for there is great suffering in this world. Help me to see them and encourage them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Holiday Depression

www.bible.com/1713/psa.42.11.csb

Like a tropical depression, holiday depression brings you down when you should be up, low when you should be enjoying the climate. Well, maybe it’s not an exact comparison.

But holiday depression is a real thing. I think everyone gets it. It’s when you don’t get that same holiday feeing you used to, especially when you were a child. It’s that feeling you get when someone you love isn’t going to be here this year. The holidays are supposed to be times of cheer and joy, a relief from the everyday stresses. But oftentimes, they are more stressful, dealing with families and parties and social get togethers.

But let’s put that behind us for a moment. What makes the holidays holy days? Why do we celebrate to begin with? Because we are celebrating the birth of Christ into this world. We are celebrating the moment when God took on human flesh to live as one of us. Technically we call this the Incarnation, but most of us think of it as God with skin on. It is a mystery. But that I God for this mystery, do God loved us so much He sent His Son, God in flesh, to live as one of us. Isn’t that profound? The God who created us, who is so far above us and to be beyond our understanding, became as one of us. That is the Reason for this Season.

Why is my soul dejected? Why am I down? Jesus is here. He rose from the grave so that we would not be separated from Him. He exists today. The baby from the manger is the one who rose from death on a cross so that we can always be with Him. Whether in life or death. It’s ok to be down sometimes. David taught us that. But never lose hope. Hope is that Jesus still loves us and will not let us go. Thank God for this holiday season.

May God bless you today with this hope.

Impurity Kills the Soul

So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

https://my.bible.com/bible/1713/2CO.7.1.CSB

When Christianity was still new, an idea emerged among some that our bodies and our souls are distinct and separate. The new idea was not actually new, but integrated into Christian thought, and basically taught that whatever you do with your body doesn’t matter. Your body is evil and will eventually die. What really matters is what you believe, and how you culture your soul with God’s word (and how well you learn a host of secret passphrases to advance through the levels of spirit beings, kind of like a Mario game for the afterlife. This system was called Gnosticism and became prevalent in the early church as the early apostles were sliding off into eternity.

You would think such would not be the case, as the Scriptures clearly teach, as here, that moral impurity affects your eternity. Can you tell the difference between an impurity that defiles your flesh and an impurity that defiles your spirit? I would argue that they overlap. For an impurity of the spirit, such a wrong belief, will lead to wrong action. For example, if you believe that your spirit is good and cannot be affected by what you do with your body, like fornication or drugs, then you will practice those things without fear of eternal consequences. But when you practice fornication on a regular basis, you feel more and more unworthy to enter God’s presence, and your spirit suffers, just as the body does. Wrong beliefs can make wrong actions. Let me give you another example.

You have heard it said that God will not give you more than you can handle. It is a loose translation of 1 Cor 10:13, where the Scripture says that God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to endure, but will always provide a way of escape from the temptation. Those are actually two different things. Temptation is the thought of doing a certain thing that you know is sin. God says He will not allow such thoughts to overwhelm, or give you more of such than you are able to bear. In addition, God will also offer a way out of these thoughts, which could be a Scripture, or a diversion, or something else that will allow you to resist temptation.

What people often apply this to are situations which have already happened, not thoughts about what you might do. People apply this to crises, or events that have overcome them. They cling to this false promise that they will be able to bear this, because God thinks they are strong enough, otherwise they wouldn’t have to endure it. What happens is that they second-guess God, believing that God either has too much faith in them, or God doesn’t know them, and they buckle under the pressure. Because they cling to a false promise (and thus a false god), they have no resource for hard times. What we might rather do is claim another of God’s promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” No matter what life throws at us, God will never leave our side. We know that even in hard times, God is always present, and we know that in His strength, we can bear all things for, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” That verse is often also misapplied, but I will leave it for now.

If you believe that God will not give you more than you can handle, then when He does give you more than you can handle (without Him), then you will lose your faith in Him and fall away. False belief will lead to faithless action. A spirit defiled will lead to flesh defiled. Such a person will walk away, go their own path, and fall into destruction if they are not corrected. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who have left the church for this very reason.

Rather, we believe that both actions of our flesh and of our spirit have consequences for eternity. We cannot isolate one from the other. We must be Christian in our faith and in our behavior. We cannot take one or the other in isolation. So if you think you can go to Church on Sunday and act like a pagan on Monday, then you don’t understand what this Christianity thing is all about. Time to go back to the Word.

Well, I hope this helps you on your journey. God bless and never stray far from His leading hand.

Grace and Peace to You

www.bible.com/1713/num.6.24-26.csb

One of Paul’s favorite greetings to the young churches was this familiar line offering grace and peace. We have grace through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us at the cross, but peace also from the blood which satisfies the penalty of our sins.

So when we look back at this verse from Numbers, we ought to be surprised at what we find here. Before Jesus’s sacrifice at the cross, we see both grace and peace being offered as blessing in the form of hope. The blessing was offered and received by those in Israel long before Jesus came. But the reality of both are there. These things can only truly come from the God who offers both from within himself. For eternity, the grace and peace that matters most comes from God.

But to a lesser degree, it is important to remember that we have a role in this too. Just as Paul extended both to his readers, the Israelites were expected to extend this to one another. They were expended to be conduits of God’s grace and peace to one another.

So the question laid upon you this morning. Just as God have you grace and peace through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will you extend that same grace and peace to others you meet in your travels? Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are expected to forgive others their sins against you.

That unkind word someone said to you. That offense that you took when they cut you off in traffic or stole that cashier from you at the store. That person that hurt you when you were down, or that parent who was drunk. That child that stole from you. That spouse or child that came out to you. That church that broke you. That wife that cursed you and took the kids, or that husband that hit you.

It doesn’t take much to find someone who sinned against us. Do you have grace and peace for them? Jesus warns us that if we cannot forgive, He will not forgive us either. Those are hard words. Honestly there are some people that if I meet them in heaven I may just punch them in the mouth.

We have the right to be angry when we feel wronged. But we don’t have the right to hold on to it. Be angry, but do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Breathe. Remember who you are in Christ. Remember the cost to forgive you.

Something to think about as we rise for worship this morning. God bless you and share a prayer below if you are dealing with something today.

Isn’t it?

www.bible.com/1713/mat.6.25.csb

Is life more than food? You are reading the words of someone for whom food is life. I am not a foodie, per se, but I like me some good grub. And I struggle with eating no more than I need, have since I was a kid. Call it insecurity or an unhealthy lifestyle, but I eat too much and it shows. So this question is prime for self-reflection.

Back when Jesus said this, the daily acquisition of food was never a done deal. People always worried living day to day, especially the people he was talking to, the downtrodden, the poor, the ordinary folks who worked for a living. They probably made enough day to day to satisfy their most basic needs, but they also had to pay taxes, and pay debts and so on. Getting their daily bread wasn’t certain, and their anxiety often settled there.

Jesus asks them about the flowers and the birds, who seem to love carelessly, but the Father feeds them daily. He asks his audience if they are worth more than birds. Surely the Father cares for them more than birds.

My problem isn’t having enough food. It’s making food my source of comfort instead of God. I know that’s what it’s about. That feeling of fullness and satiety feels good, and for some reason my brain is wired to want that in order to feel good. Now I resist getting that second helping. Because life is more than food. I resist that feeling of anxiety I get when I’m hungry, and try to eat only enough to satisfy the need. I’m not there yet, but weight loss is a goal.

I don’t know what you are struggling with today, but anxiety is not worth it. You have a loving Savior and an Infinite God who provides everything you really need. I am sure you’ve been praying about. You also need to let it go. You have to actually give it God and do the things you can do, not worry about the things you can’t. God loves you and He sees the big picture. He knows what will truly bless you and build you up. So if you’ve been praying for a better job, or a better family, or someone really bothers you, God knows it. He is already working behind the scenes to make it better. It may not be what you want, but it will be good. For God works all things out for the the good of those who love Him and obey His commandments. Don’t expect God to change your circumstances if you aren’t willing to change for Him.

I hope these blog posts are blessing you and helping you in your walk. If so, that makes me happy. I hope you have an excellent day and God bless!

Conflict Resolution

www.bible.com/1713/col.3.13.csb

When I come into a conflict, my sense get really hyped up and I have a significant stress response. I hate conflict. I get really nervous and anxious and it just messes me up. I’ve tried to get better at as I’ve gotten older, but conflict resolution is still challenging for me.

So this verse shows up in the feed this morning forcing me to address my fears. Conflict is the result of people in conflict. Often that conflict isn’t solved right away. The trap is to carry it with you as resentment or as a grudge. You may be carrying one right now against someone who offended you or wronged you years ago. STOP!

Don’t waste years of your life on someone who wronged you. Even if they never ask for forgiveness, never let that stuff poison your soul. But especially, as this verse instructs, never let that stuff happen in the body of Christ. Jesus died and forgave you both for far worse sins that what you’ve done to each other. You have no right to hold a grudge against a fellow believer, because if Jesus forgave them of their sins, you must.

Now I get it. There are some people you don’t like. There are some people you would just as soon not spend time with. That’s fine. But eternity is a long time. If you can’t get along now, heaven may not be so heavenly. Do yourself a favor and let go of the right to be upset at someone.

I relapse as I write this that there are some pretty awful things people can do to one another, especially in the church. I’ve had awful things done to me. And I cannot sit here and tel you I am completely over them. But with age I have perspective and understanding of why people do what they do. I still have scars, but they are healing. I hope and pray your scars are healing too. I think they make you wiser and more cautious, but don’t let them get in the way of true friendships.

God bless you today.

Be a Do-Gooder

www.bible.com/72/1th.5.15.hcsb

Ugh. I really don’t like that word. A “Do-Gooder” just seems bland and cliched. In he same vein, a “goody two-shoes” comes to mind, which I found out last week was an actual person, and now used as a paragon of virtue, an example for others to emulate and point to. Be again, it smacks of cliche and unreality. Real people have bad days, difficult times where they slip. A real human being has real human problems, which seem so unlike the stellar phrases above.

And yet here is this text stating back at us. Do good. Always seek to do good, and do not repay evil for evil. If I may, I understand this to be an instruction to us, do good rather then evil, especially when evil is expected. I am human. Because I am human, I more often am prone to react in anger when threatened or wronged. This comes with a choice. I can choose to react violently and “fly off the handle” or I can choose not to, and do something else. I used to not have that choice. Because before I started to follow Christ and received His Spirit into my life, I didn’t have that check on my temper. But now, however brief a time I experience it, it is there, and my renewed conscience comes back into play, so that I am now conflicted. I want to react in evil, hurting the one who hurt me. I know better. And that has made all the difference. This verse reinforces that which I know to be true, but I still need to hear it. I hope it has helped you today too.

God bless!