The Three Encouragments

The following morning Mary opened to Spurgeon’s morning thoughts and laughed a hearty laugh. God was so funny at times. Spurgeon began his thoughts for the day with “Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps “imperfection”; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters “imperfection. (January28th)”
How timely was that? Mary knew she wasn’t perfect. No one was. What the reading indicated was that despite how we see ourselves we are complete in Christ, perfect in Him and accepted in the Beloved. What treasured words of reassurance to Mary. More were the promises that someday we would be presented faultless before the throne. The idea helped console Mary a bit. Just the fact that the passage spoke so closely to her present dilemma reassured her God was present in all this. It wouldn’t happen all over night but someday we would be perfect.
Mary read from Colossians the words that brought hope to her heart that she was “reconciled… by Christ’s physical body through death to present [her] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if [she] continue in [her] faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel” (1v22,23).
Mary pondered over the words written there especially the thought that she was presentable, holy in God’s sight, and without blemish. Mary could see so much wrong with herself. But God didn’t see her that way, but saw only what Jesus had done through His death. Further, besides being holy and without blemish she was” free from accusation” or as another translation indicated she was standing before God “without a single fault” or “faultless”. The secret was not to drift away from this reassurance and hope held out in the Gospel. Mary thought about what was written here and the fact that though she felt alienated by her thoughts Jesus had reconciled her through his body. She was now holy, faultless and irreproachable in God’s presence. There was no condemnation coming from God. Mary felt happier now despite all her trespasses. She could go on.
Despite this wonderful little encouragement Mary felt her week of fasting had been a failure. The only thing Mary had managed to do was realize she could screw up real easy by herself. She had prayed off and on during the fast but not as much as she knew she should. Here it was Friday night and the fast was almost over and all she had accomplished was to fall flat on her face in her eating, spending, and even drinking.
However, God had encouraged her by reminding Mary of her good standing with God because of what Jesus had done. Two other things happened that added to Mary’s renewed since of hope. The first one involved her husband Robin. Though Mary felt she had overspent recently her husband, Robin, had cheered her up the morning after her fretting over her spending.
It had been on the drive into work the next day when Robin had brought up the subject of the guitar. One of the Pastors was going to tune it for him. That was a good thing in itself because it meant time spent with another man and that was good for Robin. He needed a male friend. Robin was excited about that. Even more interesting was the fact that Robin shared that recently he had been getting all these songs going through his head!
Mary had laughed to herself at how God could speak when he wanted to. God used Robin’s words to encourage Mary that maybe her spending was alright. Maybe it was a good thing. Perhaps her husband Robin would grow and develop his long lost interest in music. Heck, he needed something, mused Mary, as his whole life seemed to evolve around her and his computer.
The other incident that had given Mary a boost was when she sat down at her own computer and read an email sent by a friend. Her friend just wanted to share a Joel Olsten commentary from the day. Mary had to laugh when she got to the end of it. It spoke into her heart of discouragement.
Joel had written:
Sometimes, it's easy to get discouraged when things don't go your way. Maybe you aren't getting out of debt as fast as you wanted. Or you're experiencing some challenges in your health or relationships. We have to be careful not to put God in a box by thinking that just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. Remember, we serve a supernatural God. When we believe, all things become possible!
The first step is to quit trying to figure everything out. There may not be a way in the natural, but that's okay. God can do what men can't do. Think about the children of Israel. When they left Egypt, there were two million of them. Then, Pharaoh came chasing after them, and when they came to a dead end at the Red Sea, it looked like it was over. They couldn't see a way out. But that didn't mean there wasn't a way. God simply parted the Red Sea and they went through on dry ground.
Remember, if it looks like there is no way in the natural, trust God to make a way. He'll part the waters if He has to! He'll do WHATEVER it takes to lead and guide you in the path of victory that He has prepared for you!
Mary had picked up on those last words that God would do “whatever” it takes. That was one of the questions God had presented her with in dealing with her healing: would she let God do “whatever” it took. As well, that passage referred to, from Exodus, was, coincidentally, the one Mary had been reading just today! How awesome, that was, Mary thought to herself.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Mary felt reassured that God was speaking. She knew it was up to God and not totally dependent on how well she kept her fast. “Thank you, Lord,” Mary called up to the heavenlies. Though nothing felt like it had changed as far as her weight or a healing Mary had a new hope that God was busy on her behalf. She felt lighter already!