DECEMBER 2015
Per spec tive
In this issue
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6 3
God Had a Plan (and Still Does) charles r. swindoll
6 Rethinking God's Sovereignty robyn roste 8
11 11 30 Days to Handling Your Fears steve johnson 15 In the Foxhole Together charles r. swindoll
What's So Good About Tough Times? steve johnson
Insights is published by Insight for Living Canada, the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll. Chuck is the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Texas. His international radio program Insight for Living has aired for more than 35 years. We hope this publication will instruct, inspire, and encourage you in your walk with Christ. Copyright Š 2015 Insight for Living Canada. All rights reserved. No portion of this monthly publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NLT. Unless otherwise noted, photography and illustration by Laura Vanderwel. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and cover image Š stocksy.com certified member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. Printed in Canada.
by charles r. swindoll
or the longest time, I didn’t understand the new-car industry. I had always thought when a person wanted an automobile, he or she dropped by the local dealership, kicked a few tires, and placed the order with the salesperson. I figured that when headquarters got the specs, they’d scurry around the shop to find the right steering wheel, chrome strips, and navigation system and put it all together. You know, kind of like whipping up a last-minute meal in the kitchen. Simple, right? Wrong. To my amazement, I discovered that once a car is ordered from the dealer, a computer puts into motion dozens of contacts all over the country. One location makes only engines; another provides the glass and plastic parts. Some other outfit does the steering wheels, and yet another manufactures the carpet and leather interior. And—hopefully—at just the right time, everything arrives at the assembly plant. Before long, a shiny new car rolls onto a transport truck and soon arrives at its proper destination. What a remarkable arrangement! It takes a plan. Now then—if people can come up with an organizational plan as complex as all that, imagine how much more efficient God’s arrangement was…more than two thousand years ago. I’m referring to the perfectly synchronized events surrounding our Saviour’s birth. For sure, it was no afterthought. God had a plan. Scripture assures us of that: When the right time came, God sent his Son. (Galatians 4:4) What a statement! At just the right moment, precisely as God had arranged it, and in keeping with a plan that He formed before the foundation of the world, the Messiah entered the scene of humanity (John 17:24; Revelation 13:8; 17:8). Hundreds of years prior, Micah prophesied that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem in Judah. He was. But I thought Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth in Galilee. They did. Aren’t those places miles apart? Yes, in those times, travel between Bethlehem and Nazareth took—literally—days. Then…how? Well, you see, that’s just a small part of the plan—especially when you consider Mary was approaching “term” in her pregnancy. To get Mary and Joseph all the way down to Bethlehem
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in time, the only way that could happen was if they were forced to travel. No problem. A required census from Caesar Augustus required Joseph to register in person in the city of his family roots. What town was that again, Micah? Yes—Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5; Luke 2:1–4). But before a Saviour could be born, there also needed to be some natural means of common communication—a familiar language that could quickly spread the news. Easy enough. Thanks to Alexander the Great’s Hellenization of the world centuries earlier, koine Greek provided a universal language by which the Gospel message could be disseminated rapidly through the pens of the evangelists and apostles. To get that all-important message around the world also required an international highway system through the Roman Empire— unheard of prior to the Roman takeover. Thanks to an inconvenient census, a universal language, and much-improved roads, the Messiah was born at just the right place and time. The world hardly noticed this little baby. After all, the Romans were too busy building and conquering. And Caesar Augustus was occupied counting noses in his census. In reality, these world rulers were
little more than wisps of lint on the prophetic page of history…mere pawns in the arrangement of a sovereign Lord. God had a plan…and He still does. Each December, I ponder the ways God has led our lives over the previous 12 months. With growing excitement, we at Insight for Living Ministries are seeing His sovereign hand guide us in a direction He planned long before 2015! Our vision—to take the Word of God to all 195 countries of the world—is His plan. You are part of that plan, too, I’m convinced. We’re in this together. And by God’s grace, we’ll keep pressing on together. Christmas fascinates me every year. The things God pulled off to get His Son delivered to the right place at just the right time 21 centuries ago would make our modern-day automobile industry appear, by comparison, like a child playing with a box of Legos. Come to think of it, the same sovereign arrangement is true of each of our lives, isn’t it? God had a plan…and He still does. That’s how God works.
Charles R. Swindoll serves as the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.
This Month’s Featured Resource
For ordering information visit insightforliving.ca or view enclosed flyer.
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ears ago I remember sitting in a dimmed sanctuary listening to a musician perform a song written to Romans 8. And I remember thinking it was the most beautiful song I’d ever heard. Whenever I hear a message on this passage the tune comes to mind and I start singing to myself, “Who shall separate us from the love of the Lord…trials, tribulations, perils, famine, or sword?”
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Romans 8 is so refreshing and inspirational. However, a couple years ago my family experienced a tragedy, which caused me to question my beliefs about the promises in Romans 8 and in the sovereignty of God. Did I believe He worked all things for good? Really? Through this experience I learned there are no words that will take away grief, none. Nothing makes you feel better. When bad things happen your world stops making
“We have all experienced the emotional roller coaster—one moment we're on top of the world and the next in a pit of despair.”
sense. If you’re not careful, you spiral into crisis mode. For me, crisis mode meant I stopped any thinking or planning about the future and focused on getting through the day. I accomplished what I needed to and left everything else for…later. For after the storm passed, I guess. In these times it was tough to read the words in Romans 8 and find any sort of hope in them. The words in Romans 8:28 were especially difficult. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. My response to this verse was more along the lines of, “Why would God let this happen?” rather than “This verse gives me refreshment.” We have all experienced the emotional roller coaster—one moment we're on top of the world and the next in a pit of despair. It's actually amazing how fast the transition is. We can go from absolute trust in God to doubting His love at all. I’m thankful for Chuck Swindoll’s words on this subject in his sermon Providence Made Practical. Although tragedy is just one small part of his talk I found it profound. Chuck says it’s normal to ask God why things happen—we can’t help but ask. But what we have to realize is all we’re seeing is a tiny thimble of God’s plan…while God is looking at an ocean. His perspective is
complete, and despite the tragedy and trials in our lives, He is working in our lives and it WILL ultimately work for the good of His children. The key here is perspective. In crisis mode it’s tough to focus on anything but the immediate, but if we can pull ourselves out of the pit and gain some perspective— God hasn’t abandoned us and He is continuing to work in and through us for our good—we will be better equipped to trust Him. Even if we don’t understand why He permitted our situation to happen. In times of great stress we need a solid foundation to fall back upon. It is in those moments of panic and fear our training kicks in and we realize even though we feel lost and alone, it's not truth. God is with us. God cares for us. God will lead us and guide us. A verse I find myself relying on is Joshua 1:5 “I will not fail you or abandon you.” It's such a simple promise and yet if I can manage to remember it in the midst of crisis, it helps me look up. Of course life isn’t so simple, but when our faith is built on a firm foundation we are that much stronger when the storms of life beat against us (Luke 6:46-49). The next time you find yourself doubting God's love and hand on your life, repeat Joshua 1:5 to yourself and know they're God's words for you. “I will not fail you or abandon you.” Robyn Roste is the Media and Marketing manager at Insight for Living Canada.
by steve johnson
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
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think we’ve all been there at one time or another. Perhaps even now you’re facing some harsh difficulty in life. A terminal illness, a dying loved one, a financial setback, job layoff, the list goes on. And everybody's got stuff like that somewhere in life. If you don't now, just wait. As you think about your tough situation there may be nothing good about it as we define good: nothing favourable, agreeable, pleasant, or nice. And then, almost as if to mock us, we have Romans 8:28 suggesting those hard times are somehow good. All things? For our good? How can it be true? I believe reconciling this verse with our tough life experiences comes down to a difference in values. We value different things than God does. I value things like comfort, convenience, ease, and being happy and free from pain. And I value these things for those I love as well. They are good things. We should enjoy them when we have them.
But God has a different value system. He values Christlikeness over comfort, character over convenience, and holiness over happiness. He has a higher good in view. While we might strive for what is good, He is working for that which is best. How do I know this? The next verse (v. 29) gives God's purpose as “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” That's Christlikeness. It doesn't say His purpose for us is to be comfortable in life. His purpose for those He redeems is to be like Jesus Christ. Romans 5:3-4 says God values character over convenience for us, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” God wants us to be people of character—compassionate, self–controlled, and humble to name a few qualities He values. Finally there's Ephesians 1:4: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” That's holiness. It doesn't say He chose us before the creation of the world to be happy and without pain. Does all this mean God doesn't like it when life is going smoothly for us and we are comfortable? No. It's just that because His value system is different He will allow those things we value to be set aside for the highest good.
If this is God's value system, then how do I transform the difficulties I face into the good result God desires?
God has a different value system. He values Christlikeness over comfort, character over convenience, and holiness over happiness. He has a higher good in view. While we might strive for what is good, He is working for that which is best. It all boils down to our response. As Chuck Swindoll says, “The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how we respond to it.”1 When the unhappy, inconvenient, uncomfortable, and painful things come then we must respond correctly and co-operate with Him. Here's how: Look beyond the tough stuff by remembering that God is working in and through all things—everything. He has a higher good in mind than just our temporal good. He has eternal good in view as He is fitting us for heaven.
Accept the difficult things He allows, knowing that He loves us infinitely and His ways are infinitely wise. The path to peace amid hard times is to resign rather than resist. It was Job who said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD,” and “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 1:21; 2:10 NASB) Resignation in this sense does not mean giving up in the face of adversity. It means saying with Jesus, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Thank God for the hard things knowing that He is using them to accomplish His good purposes for you. Ask the Lord daily and humbly for the grace, desire, and power to persevere through your tough times. His assurance for us is the same as it was for Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12). With the right responses, our tough times can be turned into God's good times. 1 Swindoll, Charles R. Strengthening Your Grip: How to Live Confidently in an Aimless World. USA: W Publishing Group, 1998 (194).
Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.
Insight for Living’s Bible-teacher Chuck Swindoll has spent more than 40 years emphasizing God’s grace alongside a commitment to practical application. Learn more about our pastor at insightforliving.ca/chuck-swindoll.
TO HANDLING YOUR FEARS
This article is designed to help you better understand how to handle fear. For the next 30 days read the questions and allow them to spark deeper personal reflection and life change.
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ear is an instinctive and even healthy response to keep you safe, sometimes prompting you to necessary action. In that sense fear is good. But some fears are irrational or unfounded and limit you in your life and walk of faith. Therefore, it’s important to identify and handle your fears.
DAY 1 DAY 2
Becoming aware of your fears is the first step to handling them. What are you afraid of? Death? Disease? People? Failure? Inadequacy? Rejection? How does your fear affect you and others? Anxiety and fear are often related. What makes you anxious? In unguarded moments, what worries does your mind wander to?
DAY 3
Accepting your limitations frees you from the need to control. Read Philippians 4:13. How does this passage relate to your limitations? In regard to your fears, what limitations do you have?
DAY 4
Sometimes fearful childhood experiences can haunt you into adulthood. Read Romans 8:15. How can this passage help you release your fears to your loving heavenly Father?
DAY 5
How you respond to fear determines whether you handle it or it handles you. Read Exodus 3. What were God’s responses to Moses’ fears? Which of these can help you?
DAY 6 DAY 7 DAY 8 DAY 9 DAY 10
Read Psalm 23:4. As a believer, what is your answer to the fear of death? How does this help answer this fear?
Read 2 Chronicles 20:12. Here, King Jehoshaphat admitted his inadequacy. How does shifting your focus away from yourself answer this fear? (Also see Isaiah 26:3.) Read Isaiah 41:13. How does this verse help you overcome your fear of inadequacy?
Read Romans 8:28. Behind fear, anxiety, and worry is an assumption God isn’t working for your good. How does this verse help you understand God is always involved for your good? Philippians 4:6 says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything....” What does verse 7 promise will happen if you do this?
30 Days to Handling Your Fears
DAY 11
Read 1 Peter 5:7. According to this verse, what core truth can help you commit your fears to God? How will acting on this verse answer your fear?
DAY 12
Read Luke 12:4-7. In this passage, what are Jesus’ reasons for not fearing people?
DAY 13
Read Psalm 56:4. What did David do to overcome his fear of people who were against him?
DAY 14
Read Matthew 6:25-34. How does simplifying your life and seeking God answer your fears about provision?
DAY 15
Read Psalm 27. Here, David uses the covenant name “Yahweh” to make his prayer personal. Why is it important to personalize your relationship with God to handle your fear?
DAY 16
Read Psalm 27. In verse 1, David says, “The LORD is my light.” In what sense is God your light and how does this help you handle fear?
DAY 17
Read Psalm 27. The Lord is your salvation according to verse 1. How can you apply this truth to the fears you experience in life?
DAY 18 DAY 19 DAY 20
Read Psalm 27. David says he is not afraid because the Lord is his fortress. How does viewing God as a fortress help you answer your fears? Read Zephaniah 3. How does this passage help you handle fear of Satan’s attacks?
In the familiar Christmas story, the angel said, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:30, 31; 2:10-11; Matthew 1:20-21). How is Christ the answer to all your fears?
TIP: Keep your Bible handy and refer to it as you read the questions
DAY 21
Read Matthew 14:29-31. Peter walked on the water but grew afraid when he looked at the wind and waves. What causes you to doubt Jesus?
DAY 22
Read Mark 4:35-41. Jesus calms the storm when the disciples feared they would drown. How does knowing Jesus is Lord over creation calm your fears?
DAY 23
Read Matthew 28:20. The last words Jesus spoke before leaving earth were “I am with you always.” Why is that truth the ultimate answer to all your fears?
DAY 24
Read Joshua 1:9. As Joshua was about to enter the Promised Land, what did God tell him to take away his fear? How does God’s presence make you bold?
DAY 25
Job 11:18 says, “Having hope will give you courage.” How does hope fuel courage? In what or whom do you place your hope?
DAY 26
In Mark 6:50 Jesus told the terrified disciples, “Don’t be afraid,... Take courage! I am here!” How does knowing Jesus is with you give you courage?
DAY 27
Read Philippians 4:13. How do you find courage by filling your mind with the truth, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”?
DAY 28
Read Acts 1:8; 2:4. Peter transformed from a man who cowered in fear and denied Christ to one who proclaimed Him to a crowd. What made the difference?
DAY 29
Read Acts 4:23-31. What do the disciples do to gain courage? By what means do they become bold? How can this help you be bold in sharing the Gospel?
DAY 30
James 5:8 says, “Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” How does the prospect of the Lord’s soon return give you courage for life?
30 Days to Handling Your Fears
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n part of my training as a Marine, they taught us to dig a foxhole big enough for two to oppose the enemy. When you fight alone, you could get scared and give up. But when you fight alongside another, you do so with great courage and renewed strength. Ecclesiastes 4:12 puts it like this: “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Good words, aren’t they? When I reflect on Insight for Living Ministries’ last 36 years, I thank God for readers and listeners like you who have gotten in the foxhole with us. You are among our friends who’ve made us a braided cord, not easily broken…partners who’ve enabled us to proclaim the Good News to a needy world. I am grateful for each and every one of you! Our objective has always been to communicate the truths of Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practi-
cal manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives. Our objective remains unchanged, and our resolve to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission is stronger than ever. We’re advancing to cover the globe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is opening more doors than ever before. Why? Because He is committed to His plan—to make disciples “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and…the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NASB). In the last 36 years, we have proclaimed God’s Word in house churches, country kitchens, and commuting cars around the world from Beijing, China, to Frisco, Texas. Will you join us as we journey forward? Let us know you’re in the foxhole beside us by sending a generous donation today. Together, we can be an even stronger cord united in advancing God’s command to reach and win a lost and needy world.
Charles R. Swindoll
We need to raise $433,550 by December 31. HELP US END THE YEAR STRONG. insightforliving.ca/donate