Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. I Timothy 4:10

Timothy was a pastor to the pastors. His mother was a Jewess, his father a Greek gentile. The early church had no cathedrals or seminaries and were horribly persecuted as they met in homes and strove to live as Jesus modeled. This letter from Paul encouraged Timothy to focus on the essential attributes of Christianity rather than superficial details that become distractions or opportunities to abuse or exploit. 

The early Jewish converts struggled with their lifelong traditions and laws that defined who and whose they were. As gentiles joined the community of believers a vulnerability of cross-purposes and diverse backgrounds invited combative, gross mis-interpretation and error in theological teachings. 

A simple gospel truth was the anecdote; God offers salvation to all those who will believe and trust Him. Verse 11 says, “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.”  As Paul wrote to Timothy he was emphasizing the blessing that salvation is universal as well as quite basic: God sent His Son, Jesus, who gave His own life freely as a final sacrifice. When He died and rose again He took the power of death away from evil. We are all offered salvation from darkness and into peace, rest and life eternal.

Love,

Gretchen

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 40:31

Hope is fuel for our spiritual motors. We have lost everything when all hope is gone and none can be found. Isaiah knows a little about this. He spent his entire life under the dread and menace of an enemy empire, yet, he led Jerusalem spiritually and the city alone survived the Assyrian invasion of both Israel and Judah.

Isaiah’s prophecies read as though they are past events, yet they are still to come. He gets to see God and His Kingdom from a different perspective than we do and his exaltation over the wondrous things in store are our comfort because that hope is already a reality. 

These words of consolation are not meaningless syllables for the dispirited. There have been consequences for disobedience and sin, but still, there is love and God is faithful to His promises. He can be trusted far beyond our present circumstances. Our hope is beyond this world’s faults and fissures. It is in the Holiness, the perfection, of the One True God that taught the eagle to rest on a high current of air unseen by human eye.

Love, 

Gretchen

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. For the old order of things has passed away. Revelations 21:4

This is one of the most precious and hope filled verses from one of the most profound passages in all of scripture, for it describes the social dynamic of The Father’s House, eternal life. All things will be made new beginning when the Father, the Lord God, takes your face in His gentle, kind and loving hands and wipes away your tears. 

The earth and all of its human, carnal sorrows will cease to exist because Jesus invalidated the power of sin when He died and rose from death’s darkness to bring love’s radiant light. God’s presence will be our solace and our destiny won’t be what’s on the stone in the cemetery, but an eternal, unspeakable joy. Mourning won’t be our thought, pain won’t be our experience and crying won’t be heard because God’s Holiness fills the House with many rooms. (John 14:2-4)

This Home we hope for with assurance and peace must press each believer to a proactive lifestyle for those who are hopeless and lost. The most logical place to begin is among the people we share our air with. Each one, touch one and before long the whole world will be reached. 

Love,

Gretchen

But He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Today’s scripture is taken from the prophecy of Isaiah 700 years before the Son of God became the Son of Man. If I said nothing else, this fact alone speaks volumes about God’s plan to redeem mankind. However, peace is mentioned and if there is one ideal my heart yearns for, it is peace.

Peace is simply the absence of strife and struggle; laying aside hostility. Every relationship on the face of the earth has some dynamic of peace or lack thereof. In the promise of a redeeming Savior we find the word peace and the acknowledgement that to achieve this, someone had to make a sacrifice. Through Christ’s torture and death we are reconciled to God and that’s the biggie, but we are left with time here on earth in a discordant world. God didn’t just provide a victor over death, He afforded a means for us to live in harmony with each other and reside in a global community with confidence that God is in charge, always has been, always will be.

Have a Terrific Tuesday,

Gretchen

Day after day, in the temple court and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 5:42

In addition to this verse I encourage you to read Acts 5:17-41. The Apostles were suffering extreme injustice and persecution for their evangelical work. Yet, no threat of abuse or loss of life was worth losing the promise of eternal life. Verse 41 tells that following a flogging intended to shut them up, the Apostles began rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer for the cross. Then came ‘Day after day, in the temple courts…………….’

I’ve heard of praising God, ‘In the Storm,’ I’ve even managed to praise Him when the sun isn’t shining, but these men were praising God FOR the storm.

It takes great maturity and faith to look back across life’s journey and be thankful for the tempest that nearly took you out. Yes, it is crucial that we praise God in the storm for this is the only way to survive and grow, but it is huge when we can reflect and see that the cross we were bearing was leading another to the cross of Calvary.

As the Apostles did, be faithful, grateful and very vocal knowing it will be worth it throughout all eternity.

Love,

Gretchen

And now, O Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

This is a lament. David begins with his wise choice to remain silent, to be discerning in what he speaks out loud with an awareness of who his listeners are. Realizing life is short and some things matter a great deal while others do not is humbling and profound at the same time.

Every believer has had questions of faith, even to the extent of brief unbelief, but to carelessly publish these things broadly is reckless. Speaking foolishly without thought can be wicked and sinful. Holding one’s tongue is a burden. So many things can be misinterpreted as disloyalty, vengeance, suspicion….. So when do you talk and when do you remain quiet? Especially when neither feels comforting. David’s response to this turmoil was settled in prayer. 

In all things God can be trusted. He wove you together and He alone knows the complete contents or your heart and mind where your motives originate and actions follow. 

Gretchen

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25

Paul’s letter to Romans is the most complete explanation of the nature of the Gospel found in the Bible. The church of Rome was established by those who were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and believed, then returned home and remained faithful. But, problems arose. First, it was believed that to be Christian one must first become a Jewish proselyte, taking on the physical rites, orthodox traditions and the Law of Moses. Paul says that man’s justification rests fundamentally on Grace and Mercy, not Law. And all of this is possible because God is Holy although we are not.

The verse prior to this one , “For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” Why do we hope and wait? Because we long for a better existence. This won’t be fully fulfilled in the flesh, but in our redemption and freedom from sin into Heaven’s Glory. 

We are saved by faith, but it is hope that gives us perseverance, diligence and joy of testimony that ultimately speaks the Good News. 

Love,

Gretchen

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

This entire book is a funeral dirge over the desolation, and some believed death, of Israel. Jeremiah grieved over the city he could not save. The people would have to return to faith and faithfulness for Jerusalem to rise again.

In chapter 3 Jeremiah complains that God has ignored him and covered Himself with a cloud that no prayer could penetrate. However, verses 21-39 are the high point of this book and are filled with references from scriptures Jeremiah knew well. 

When disaster arrives and especially when it stays, consolation must come from both internal and external sources. Internally remember, God is good and gracious in all things and in all times. But, this becomes hazy and vague as crisis persists and so our external source, the Holy Scripture, must be applied. 

Jeremiah had experienced God’s goodness, but when he was tired and weak God’s written and spoken word were his steadfast hope. God does not leave us to be eaten alive by this world and its darkness. In every new day we have a fresh and abundant portion of compassion and love because God is good.

Love, 

Gretchen

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:5-6 

This psalm was written to be part of corporate worship. It is a song of total surrender with quiet confidence in God’s steadfast faithfulness and love. David makes clear, his faith and worship are a choice because God is worthy. 

While speaking of God’s great power and strength David voices no difficulties and hardships, nor does he speak a petition. Yes, David was in the midst of trial and tribulation, yet he trusted his current issues to God with no fear, no despair, just confidence that God was all he needed. However, he does confront his persecutors with the reality of an inevitable just and transparent judgement for their lies and deceit. Man’s status and money are of no benefit, to them or anyone else. 

Verse 8 is David’s yearning for others to have the childlike faith he has found. Where man seeks reason, God works through faith. When the world drives us to busy nervousness, God is our quiet peace, and when we are overwhelmed, wandering and wondering, God is steadfast. God is our refuge, you can pour out your heart and find freedom and rest.

Love,

Gretchen

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the House of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8

Doeg the Edomite, a chief herdsman to the king, betrayed David and informed Saul of his whereabouts resulting in the massacre of 85 priests at Nob. (I Samuel 22:9) It was a difficult time to keep pressing forward toward the promises of God. Doeg was an arrogant menace but David took responsibility for the deaths and then he committed the event to God for judgement.

In a time when he was overwhelmed with the wicked intentions of his boastful enemies, David stood firm in the Hope of His Creator and Sovereign Lord. Embedded in this great hope is the knowledge that God’s perfect and pure justice will have the last word. 

There is always a battle between evil and lies and good and truth. But God will bring down and destroy the wicked. The righteous will flourish for all eternity. For this David gives continuous praise and trust in God’s unfailing love. We can too! 

Love,
Gretchen