Hachiko bronze statue at the Shibuya Station

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

A remarkable story of faithfulness

When I think of what it means to watch faithfully and wait, I think of the famous story of Hachico, the Akita breed, dog born on November 10, 1923 in Japan. Hidesaburo Ueno was his master, a professor in the agriculture department at University of Tokyo who took Hachiko as a pet in the year 1924. The dog and his master became good friends and developed an attachment such that Hachiko used to greet his master at the end of each day at the nearby train station. This daily routine continued until May 1925 when the professor died of a cerebral hemorrhage and did not return to the train station where Hachiko was waiting for him. Every day for the next nine years, Hachiko waited for his master at the Train station in the same evening time. People who saw the dog with his master earlier understood the faith of Hachiko for his master and that is how the dog became famous in the country. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya. Hachiko  faithfully waited for his master to return, but sadly, he never did. But, we have the promise that our Master, Jesus, will in fact, return for us someday, in the same way He left. Therefore, we wait faithfully and expectedly, for His return with complete assurance.

“… Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 BASV)

Therefore…

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Man. 3:25 ESV)

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa. 49:31 ESV)

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11 ESV)

The Christmas party

When I was a young Youth For Christ director in our county, I often spoke at youth groups and churches around our community. Money was tight in those days and sometimes they would give me a small offering which I was glad to get. Just before Christmas one year, a local church invited me to speak at their evening service which included a Christmas party afterwards. They asked me to bring my wife and children, which I did. Because it was the Christmas season I decided to speak on the subject of giving with the title of my message, “Why you should give generously.” I remember how enthusiastically they responded when I passionately drove home my points about “how much better it is to give than to receive!” They cheered loudly when I proclaimed passionately, “You must give generously because God loves a cheerful giver!” There were so many “amens” and “hallelujahs” that I concluded I must be giving the best message I’d ever delivered. After I was finished with my message the pastor announced that we were all to go to the church basement for the Christmas party. He then asked us to wait until everyone else had gone down first and we were to go downstairs last with him. We then walked downstairs and when we entered the room, everyone yelled “Surprise!” And the pastor told us that they had planned a huge Christmas surprise party for me and my family. In the corner of the room was a decorated Christmas tree and all around it were boxes and boxes of presents the church members had gotten for us. We were shocked by all this. The entire church watched and applauded as we opened the mountain of gifts. We were completely  overwhelmed by their outpouring of love and generosity. And when I remembered the message about giving that I had delivered earlier that evening, I was very embarrassed. But, the truth is, that group of people obviously loved giving to a young youth worker and his family. And God has most assuredly blessed them for it. That evening of so many years ago remains to this day, a wonderful memory and powerful personal example of how God pours out the kind of blessing which is “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over!” (Luke 6:38). You see examples in scripture of early Christians sharing this same kind of love with each other.

They gave to those who had need with glad and sincere hearts

“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” (Acts 2:45-46 NIV)

Therefore,,,

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 ESV)

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:25 ESV)

“Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a hope that is alive. It is alive because Jesus Christ rose from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

He is rich in mercy

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2:4-5 NIV)

The Lord longs to be gracious to you

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isa. 30:18 NiV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Rom. 12:1 NIV)

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NIV)

“And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.” (Mark 4:17 ESV)

Shallow roots are dangerous

Recently we had a severe storm bringing wind blasts up to 80 miles an hour and higher. It did a lot of damage throughout our community blowing down many fences and trees. Afterwards, as I drove around surveying the damage, I saw many large trees which had toppled over and their bare roots now exposed. I noticed that the trees which did not survive the storm all had something in common. Their roots had been shallow. They had not grown deep enough to hold them in place against the strong winds that came against them. The Bible passage at top says it’s similar with us. We need strong roots within ourselves, too, to help us to remain standing “when tribulation or persecution arises…”

Be rooted and grounded in love

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 ESV)

Be rooted and built up in Him

“Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” (Psalm 82:12 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:6-8)

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor.  12:7-10 NASB)

What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh?

The above passage doesn’t say what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. But that doesn’t stop the speculation of many. I’ve heard lots of sermons over the years where Paul’s thorn in the flesh was described by the speaker to be some physical ailment such as stammering speech, arthritis, malaria, bad eyesight or some other physical illness or malignity. But, guessing or making assumptions is not the way to interpret Scripture, ever! Guessing and assuming things without actual Biblical corroboration leads to errors and ultimately, to bad theology. One of the first principles of sound biblical interpretation is that the scripture is its own interpreter. In other words, the Bible is not subject to our private interpretations. Before we can assign a meaning to any passage, we must search both the context of the passage in question, as well as the whole Bible itself, to see how the word is used throughout the whole of scripture. Therefore, to know what a “thorn in the flesh” is, we must look at every place in the Bible that talks about “a thorn in the flesh”. Both the Old and the New Testament have “thorn in the flesh”examples. The "thorn" in scripture is a common word that is frequently used very figuratively, as the Apostle Paul was using it in 1 Cor. 12:1-10. And Paul was very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures, so he surely used this term in the same way that it is used throughout scripture. Of course, God is the true author of these scriptures, and so we would expect there to be harmony and consistency in the use of the word in similar situations. In Numbers 33:55; Ezekiel 28:24 we read of enemies who are “thorns” in Israel's side, a constant harassment to Israel as the agent of the Lord's redemptive judgments (compare Joshua 23:13; Hosea 2:6). Throughout the Bible, “thorns in the flesh” are defined as persecutions. In the passage at top, Paul even mentions persecutions and physical illness is not on the list. Also, the Holman Bible Dictionary says, “Therefore, in 2 Corinthians 12:7, ‘thorn in the flesh’ refers more to the enemy, the ‘messenger of Satan,’ than to any specific physical ailment.” I agree with Holman, after looking at all the Bible references as well as the context, Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is about persecution. And Paul certainly had lots of it. And, throughout Scripture, we are told that we as God’s people will be persecuted. But, God assured Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” And it is!

Indeed, you will be persecuted

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12 NASB)

Therefore…

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:10 ESV)

“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. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV)

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matt. 5:44 ESV)

“Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom." (Song of Sol. 2:15 NASB)

Watch out for the little things

Most Bible commentators believe the passage about little foxes destroying the vineyard is allegorical. The “vineyard” represents a relationship and the

“little foxes” represent the small things that ruin a relationship. Matthew Henry’s commentary described the little foxes this way: “The first risings of sinful thoughts and desires, the beginnings of trifling pursuits which waste the time, trifling visits, small departures from truth, whatever would admit some conformity to the world; all these, and many more, are little foxes which must be removed. This is a charge to believers to mortify their sinful appetites and passions, which are as little foxes, that destroy their graces and comforts, and crush good beginnings. Whatever we find a hinderance to us in that which is good, we must put away.”

The key is to always pay attention to the little things in your relationships. The little things do make a big difference!

Therefore…

• Always be kind – especially in little things

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

• Always live by the golden rule - especially in little things

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31 NIV)

• Always outdo others in showing honor - especially in little things

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Rom. 12:10 ESV)

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV)

To give the kind of love that God wants you to give, you first have to have His kind of love present in your heart. Look around at society, and you’ll see it’s littered with debris from relationships that have crashed and burned because people didn’t have God’s kind of love present in their hearts. According to the passage above, God loved us first and that enabled us to love others. How do you get this kind of love? You start by letting God love you.

Everyone who loves has been born of God

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

A full understanding and expression of His love

“May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.” (2 Thess. 3:5)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

Quote

“One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as ‘those evil people’ or ‘those poor people who need our help.’ Nor must we search for signs of ‘loveworthiness.’ Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.” Philip Yancey

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

A man of knowledge enhances his might

“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might…” (Prov. 24:5 ESV)

God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.” (Hosea 4:6-7 ESV)

Therefore…

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Prov. 15:14 ESV)

“Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.” (Psalm 199:66 ESV)

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." (Isaiah 40:29, NIV)

No matter what life throws at you, you can have complete confidence that God will meet you where you are and guide your path forward with the strength you need  

God is your refuge and strength

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalms 46:1-3 NIV)

The Lord, Himself, is your strength

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2 NIV)

Hope in the Lord and renew your strength

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 49:31 NIV)

Therefore…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  (Josh. 1:9 BIV)