History – What We Learn From Our Past

History

By Steve Crowley

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭(ESV)

While growing up attending high school and even in college I often heard adults say “history repeats its self so we should study the past so we don’t make the same mistakes.”

Lately I’ve been asking myself the question “Why is it that generations seem to ignore the past and the life lesson of former generations?

“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:7‬ ‭(ESV)

God has given us His Word to teach us so we don’t fall prey to the mistakes of our ancestors.  But just like every generation before us we seem to ignore the lessons of the past and foolishly repeat the same mistakes with the same consequences.

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” Acts‬ ‭7:51‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

If we are to ever learn and progress, we have to take heed to the mistakes of the past and be open to the urging of the Holy Spirit so we don’t repeat history. Yet it seems we are bent on falling into the same pitfalls of previous generations. When we as a country turn our backs on God by ignoring His Written Word and doing what seems right in our own eyes we will suffer the consequences that so many before have experienced.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs‬ ‭14:12‬ ‭(ESV)

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

God gave us the Bible not only for us to know Him but also to teach us that He is an unchanging God and His Word is as true today as it was thousands of years ago. But God is also a loving and forgiving God so we should turn to God in prayer asking for forgiveness.

“The God of yesterday is the God of both today and tomorrow.” – Greg Laurie

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ (NLT)

Merciful and gracious Father, hallowed be Your Holy Name. Father, forgive us for not only our sins but the sins of our nation. Lord, may You draw us closer to You so we may know You are God and there is no other.

Father, we love You and thank You for giving us Your Holy Word that we may come to know You as well as the lessons of previous generations.

Lord, we humbly seek You in prayer asking You to heal this nation and rekindle the love of the church so that Your light may shine in darkness.

For it is in the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior that we pray.

Amen

 

 

 

 

The Unexpected Blessings

Unexpected Blessings

By Steve Crowley

“And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” 2 Kings 5:10-12 (ESV)

There are countless times in my life, and I suspect others, where we go to God in prayer asking Him to do something in our lives or in the lives of others. For me, I’ve prayed asking God to place His healing hands upon my back and heal and alleviate the pain. I’ve had surgery. I’ve done physical therapy and I’ve even been a regular patient of pain management doctors. I’ve prayed for God to do a great thing and honestly I have found myself doing the same thing Naaman did. Many times we look for the mountain top experience where God performs a miracle in a theatrical manner and miss the blessing of His actual miracle.

“He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.” Job 36:15 (ESV)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

During the months of seeking God in prayer asking Him to do things the way I perceive them to be done, the big theatrical aha moment, I’ve come to see the actual miracle God has performed through my back issue. Through the physical therapy and the pain management I’ve actually become healthier. I’ve lost weight and strengthen my body and have been able to share the love of Christ with therapist, nurses and doctors. I’ve been able to have empathy for others who are dealing with their own health issues and share my faith with many of them. So while I may not have received the healing the way I perceived it would be I have received a far greater healing. I’ve grown closer to my Lord and Savior.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

I have been blessed beyond measure by the grace and love of Christ. I thank the good Lord and know that while I may not receive answers to prayer the way I want, God’s way is the way to blessings beyond our comprehension yet perfect in every way.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Gracious and merciful Father, creator of the heavens and the earth and giver of life. Blessed be Your Holy name. Lord, Your Word tells us “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Father, we acknowledge Your sovereignty and humbly look to You for all our needs.

Lord, we also admit there are times when we misinterpret answers to prayers and even hold pity parties because Your answer wasn’t the answer we expected. Yet, in looking through the eyes of our hearts we see the many blessings You have surrounded us with. Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself to us as we seek You through our affliction and open our ears through adversity for Your love, comfort, peace and eternal glory truly turns our weakness to strength.

Father, it is in our love and humble prayers through the sacrifice of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior that we pray.

Amen

 

 

Forgiving Ourselves

Forgiving Ourselves

By Steve Crowley

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 (ESV)

“The desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” has been the down fall of mankind since creation.

Having grown up in the fifties and sixties, television and movies had morality censors that determined what was appropriate and what was not. Today it seems there are no boundaries to what can appear on our televisions. But there is one certainty, advertisers and producers of news and shows have figured out the key to viewership “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” sells.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” Matthew 26:41 (ESV)

There’s not a person alive that hasn’t been tempted by sin. In fact the Bible even states that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) So in this age of in your face temptation at every turn what are we to do?

On the Road to Damascus when Jesus spoke to Saul (renamed Paul) He said something that really resonates with me.

“I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’” Acts 26:17-18 (NLT)

Then when we read Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi we see the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

The question so many of us who look to Jesus is how do we forgets our past. How do we find strength in the upward call of Christ when we know how many skeletons we’ve hidden in our closet and live with the guilt, regret and remorse we have?

I don’t know about you but it seems I’m hampered by my mistakes and there are times when I feel so unworthy of the grace that God has shown us by His sending Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins so we can be made new and know our sins have been forgiven.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)

The forgiveness of our sins, past, present and future, gives us the assurance of God’s love through the grace of Jesus Christ!

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (ESV)

Gracious and merciful Father, hallowed be Your Holy Name. Lord, we are incredibly humbled by Your marvelous grace You have extended to us calling us out of darkness into Your forgiving light. Father, we have no words to express our gratitude for Your saving grace so we humbly look to You to lead us as You conform us into being the person You will us to be.

Father, we seek You asking You to heal our hearts as we look and submit to You. Father, it is in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and the power of His love that we pray.

Amen

God’s Sovereign Plan

God’s Sovereign Plan

By Steve Crowley

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah ‭29:11‬ ‭(ESV)

Recently my wife decided to de-clutter and began to go through closets, drawers and the dreaded basement. She placed things in three piles, the keep, the throw away and the hey, look at this, it was in the hey look at this stack where she placed a group picture of my 1977 New York training class. Some forty-three years ago I began a career in the financial services industry as a stockbroker. Also in the stack of hey look at this was my resignation letter from the company who gave me my job as a stockbroker, it was dated 1980.

In 2006 I retired from my career in the financial services having worked for three different companies and having served in many different roles. But through it all, I became the person God was molding to be.

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:29‬ ‭(ESV‬)

In looking at the 1977 picture and in looking in the mirror today I see what was and what is and what will be. One was brash, confident and ready to climb any mountain and the other is grateful. Grateful in looking back on God’s sovereign plan to bring a self reliant and self confident young man through many hardships, failures as well as successes to become the man I am today and will be tomorrow.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭(ESV)

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭(ESV)

God is not through with me and God is not through with you. Everything we do and everything placed in our path is either God’s permissive will or His sovereign will to mold and shape us to be the person He wants us to be.

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah‬‭64:8‬ ‭(ESV)

God is always at work to accomplish His will. I believe that is why Philippians 2:13 offers so much relief and hope for we know that regardless of what is going on in our lives God is at work for His good purpose to accomplish His will.

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans‬ ‭8:29-30‬ (‭ESV)

O gracious Father, thank You for the work of Your sovereign plan for our lives, having chosen us before we were formed. Lord God, while there are many things in our lives we do not understand we acknowledge You are at work in us to conform us into the person You desire us to be.

Father, we are truly humbled by the sovereign grace You have shown us by sending Your Son, Jesus Christ to deliver us from the dominion of darkness into Your light. Lord, may Your Word be the lamp to our feet and the light to our path as we bow before Your throne of grace.

Lord, thank You and May we continue to submit to Your will knowing from where we came and where we are to be. For it is in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior that we pray.

Amen