For many people, life is a continual struggle to overcome odds, overcome setbacks, overcome defeat. Think of the inner-city child raised in generational poverty who grows up to become the first person in his or her family to graduate from college. Think of the person who is working hard to overcome the trauma of being sexually or physically abused. Several years ago, I prayed with a lady who has battled self-worth issues all her life after being told at an early age by her father that he wanted a boy and not a girl.

Historically, minorities and women have had to (and sadly, still are) overcome great odds just to be given equality with white men. Have you heard of the Three-Fifths Compromise? When the United States Constitutional Convention met in 1787, they reached a compromise that to determine the number of delegates each state would be entitled to, three out of five slaves would be counted, thus considering each slave as 3/5 of a person. Even though the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibited the federal government or individual states from denying any citizen the right to vote, it wasn’t until 1920 that women were granted the right to vote by the 19th Amendment and it wasn’t until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson that African-American citizens were no longer prohibited from exercising their right to vote.

Sports are filled with endless stories of teams and players overcoming injuries and adversity to win championships. Who can forget the Miracle on Ice at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics? And some of the best sports movies of all time involve underdogs overcoming great odds – Rudy, Hoosiers, Remember the Titans. A recently released movie, The Boys in the Boat, chronicles the University of Washington junior varsity crew team as they strive to compete for the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

But, for every story of overcoming the odds, there are also stories of constant struggle, constant failure, constant oppression. Maybe yours is one of those stories. No matter how hard you try and pick yourself up, the reality is, you just can’t seem to get up off the dirt. It could be that you keep falling back down or maybe the playground bully keeps pushing you back down. Despair, discouragement, hopelessness; they are all you know anymore. But the good news, the life-changing good news, is that with God, there is always hope.

Throughout the pages of scripture, there is a two-word phrase repeated over and over again that brings us great hope … But God. These two words are at the heart of the gospel message and they will transform your life. It is God who can, and who does, turn what seems impossible into possible. He is in the business of helping people overcome odds. Maybe one of these four scripture passages stirs up a bit of hope deep within your soul.      

Just when it seems like the flood waters might never recede, causing you to drown – “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided” (Genesis 8:1).

Just when it seems like all your strength is gone – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

Just when it seems like your entire family, and maybe even the whole world, is against you – “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles” (Acts 7:9-10).

And just when everything you believe in seems to crash and burn – “And when they had carried out all that was written of him (Jesus Christ), they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead” (Acts 13:29-30).

So, today, regardless of how hopeless you feel, how weak you feel, how alone you feel, and how devastated you feel, you can have confidence that we have a God who intervenes, who redeems, who resurrects, who restores what is lost, who makes all things new.

But God…

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We are a society of collectors. Are you someone who collects stuff? Antiques. Stamps. Coins. Post cards. Wine. Cars. My mother collected pelicans. Pelicans of all shapes, sizes, colors. At the time of her death, she had over 1000 in her collection, all cataloged by date and place of purchase. As a kid, I collected baseball cards. I still have that collection. It has been boxed up for years. I should go through it sometime and see whose rookie card I might have that is worth a few bucks.

I once had a rather large ballcap collection. Caps lined one wall of our basement while others filled box after box. The majority of those caps were never worn. They just collected dust. That collection is long gone. As often as we have moved helps to eliminate the needless stuff. These days I just have ballcaps that I actually wear.

My wife and I now live on a golf course and we, or more precisely, I, collect golf balls. Golf balls that land in the pond. Golf balls that find their way into our yard. And golf balls that we find as we walk. I put them in a basket on the back patio and when the basket gets full, I dump them into a larger container in the basement. Why, you ask? Simply because I can. My wife and I do not even golf. Our granddaughters love to look for golf balls and then we must clean them before putting them in he basket.

If you collect anything, you probably periodically add to that collection. You add to it in order to someday complete the set. Maybe you add to it in order to add value. Or, is it possible that, like our golf balls, you just collect for the sake of collecting? Whatever you collect and whatever the reason you collect, over time that collection gets larger. You and I, we add to our collections.

If you are a Jesus-follower, one of the instructions we find in the Bible is that we are to add to our faith. It is by grace that we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our faith is to be progressive not stagnant. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to continually grow, a growth that makes us look more and more like Jesus with each and every step. We are to add things to our faith that help us do that. We are to have a “faith collection.”

In 2 Peter, we are given eight virtues in this collection, beginning with faith and ending with love. This seven verse instruction begins like this – “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. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

The next three verses give us the things we are to add to our faith. Here is what we read – “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (vv.5-7).

The final two verses of this section tell us that the knowledge of God is the beginning and the goal of the Christian life, and if we possess an ever-increasing measure of these eight virtues, adding one of top of another, we will have spiritual vitality, keeping us from being ineffective and unproductive (like the false teachers found in 2 Peter Ch. 2). Click here to read those two verses.

Add to implies a starting point. If you already have a faith in Jesus, add to it. If you have not yet turned your life over to Jesus, do so today, surrender your heart and life to Him, give Him rule and reign over your life, and begin adding to your “collection.”

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We all, or at least most of us, got up this morning with some sort of idea as to what the best use of our time today would be. No matter what our season of life is, we all have a plan for today. We know what we hope to get done today. Work. School. Grocery shopping. Get an oil change in the car. Call the doctor about that nagging cough. Even on weekends or on vacation, we have a plan for the day. That plan might be stay in bed until noon while the snow piles up outside your window or sit under an umbrella all day on the beach with a good book, but nonetheless, it is a plan. So, let me ask – what is the best use of your time today?

I believe that the best use of your time today is seeking God’s presence. In his song of thanks found in 1 Chronicles, King David, among other things, says this – “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (16:11). Jesus, in teaching on uncompromised trust in God and commitment to God and the things of God, gives his disciples (and us today) this important reminder – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is saying that within such a framework of trust and commitment, to seek God first, all the necessary things of life will be provided to us. I encourage you to read the entire passage (6:25-34).  

Elsewhere, we find this – “The lions may grow weak, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10). To keep that verse in its context, here are verses 8 and 9 – “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who seek the LORD lack nothing.” (Fear in this context is awe and reverence, not trembling in your boots).

Will you seek Him today, above all else? Above staying in bed on a snowy winter day or sitting quietly on the beach on a sunny summer day, above the presentation you have to give at work, above the assignment due at school, above the chemo treatments, above the romantic dinner you have planned for tonight, above those fifty yard line tickets you scored for this weekend’s NFL playoff game, above that job interview you’ve been looking forward to, above your spouse and kids. Above that which is good and above that which is not so good, above it all! And by above, I do not mean instead of, but rather, seek Him first and foremost, amid all you will do and say and think today.

God cares for your every need, no matter how big or small, and in Him you lack nothing, nothing at all! Will you embrace that today?

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Even though it is still January, as I sit here quietly looking out at the mostly snow-covered ninth hole fairway, it won’t be too long before warmer weather arrives, when once again the course will be green and golf balls will be finding their way into the pond that separates the golf course from our backyard. Not only will warmer weather bring green grass and golfers, but warmer weather also brings thoughts of spring cleanup, including tending to the outdoor plants.  

While many people prune the many plants around their homes in the fall, generally, fall is a bad time to prune. Pruning stimulates new growth in plants and in the fall most plants are trying to go dormant, so you see the problem. According to most experts it is usually best to prune trees, shrubs and garden plants when they are in their dormant period, preceding the time of active growth so the pruning wound heals quicker. The best time to prune is generally late winter or early spring. The major exception to this rule is plants that flower in the spring from buds made the previous growing season (deciduous); winter or spring pruning would destroy the current year’s bloom, so these plants (forsythia, azaleas, lilacs, just to name a few) are typically best pruned shortly after the blossom period.

Sometimes pruning requires just minor trimming away of dead branches or stems, other times it requires cutting almost all the growth away. Grapes, for example, are pruned in their dormant period (between leaf drop in the fall and bud break in the spring) and involves heavy pruning, sometimes cutting away up to 90% of the old wood, helping to promote growth of new wood where the fruit is located. To the casual observer, it would look as if the grape grower is destroying the grapevine by cutting everything away, but in fact, just the opposite is true, heavy pruning provides for a greater abundance of fruit.

Pruning is done to remove the parts of the plant that are no longer useful for growth. We prune our plants for two reasons – it provides a functional purpose of improving the health and growth of the plant, and it also provides an aesthetic function of making the plant more attractive.

In John 15, Jesus teaches an important lesson about the relationship of his followers with him, using vine analogy. When I read John 15:1-8, I find three key points. First, the right kind of vine must be planted in order to ensure quality fruit. Jesus calls himself the “true vine,” thus it is of vital importance for us to be connected with him, or else the quality of our fruit will be less than it could be. Second, Jesus calls his Father (God) the gardener. Success in “vine growing” depends largely upon the skill of the gardener. And third, Jesus puts an emphasis on pruning, both the removal of dead wood and the trimming of live wood. Dead wood brings disease and decay while healthy live wood improves fruit bearing potential. Click here to read those eight verses.  

If plants could talk, I am sure they would tell us that pruning is painful. In fact, horticulturists and arborists talk of pruning wounds that need to be healed. When our Master Gardener prunes us, it is often painful as well, but also necessary for our health, growth, and beauty. Jesus wants to cut away those things in our lives that are causing rot and decay and are getting in the way of making us more like Him.

So, I ask, are you connected to the True Vine, and are you allowing the Master Gardener to prune away of those things that are not useful (and often destructive) in your life?

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I live in Pennsylvania, in what is commonly called Amish Country. While there is much to love about this part of the country, I am not a big fan of cold snowy winters. We went basically two winters without much, if any, snow, but as I write this, we are experiencing our second measurable snow within a week.   

Rather than snow, I much prefer the mild winters of eastern North Carolina, which allows for barefoot walks on deserted beaches, the cool sand squishing between my toes.

And even though I prefer sandy beaches over cold and snow, I must admit that there is tremendous beauty in a snowfall. The untouched snow on tree branches. The untrodden snow-covered ground. Both are serene and pristine, offering a sense of calm and peacefulness. But it doesn’t take too long for that beautiful white snow to turn dirty and ugly.

You have likely heard the phrase “white as snow.” This conjures up an image of pure white. What better describes whiteness than snow? Not only the intensity of the snow’s color on a winter’s day, but also the purity of untrodden snow.  In Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” Autolycus sings “lawn as white as driven snow.”

Scripture tells us that every man, woman, and child is a sinner, falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We also know from Scripture that it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sin (1 John 1:7). In the Old Testament blood symbolizes the atonement of sin, the sacrificial cleansing that comes from the shedding of blood. And it is the blood of Jesus on the cross that cleanses us when we repent and turn from our sin.

Our lives are like that pure white snow; when we sin, that pure white turns dirty and ugly. However, because of God’s great love and mercy, by sacrificing His son Jesus Christ on the Cross to bear the penalty of our sins, when we turn from those sins (repent) we are made white as snow. Here is what we read in Isaiah 1:8 – “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

King David spied on Bathsheba, the wife of one of his senior advisors, as she bathed on her rooftop. He had an adulteress affair with her, got her pregnant, and then had her husband Uriah killed as part of the cover up plot. The prophet Nathan confronted David about this series of sins. Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm written by David after that confrontation. I encourage you to read this psalm in its entirety. It begins with these words – “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” In v.7 we read, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

And in v.10 we find a plea that I include as part of my morning prayer – “Create in me a clean heart (a pure heart), O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” David goes on to ask that he not be cast out of God’s presence (v.11), that he be restored (v.12), and to be delivered from his guilt (v.14).

So today, will you humble yourself and ask God to forgive you of your sins? When you do, you become in His eyes whiter than snow; like pure white untrodden snow, beautiful beyond all imaginable beauty.

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Today you will be confronted with a number of decisions. Some big, others small. When you were getting dressed this morning you decided what to wear. For breakfast, is it cornflakes with low fat milk and fruit, or a less healthy option, a day-old donut and an energy drink on the way to school or work? Throughout the day you will need to decide which tasks to do today and which to postpone until another day. While those are often important decisions, they are also sometimes done without too much thought, many with little or no impact on your future. There is great power in your choices.

Other decisions though, are not quite as easy, and the choices we make quite possibly will have long-term consequences, sometimes being a choice between right and wrong, good and evil, justice and injustice. Not only does choosing right over wrong, good over evil, justice over injustice please God, it also almost always comes at a cost. It might cost you your job, it might cost you a friendship, it might cost you money, it might cost you in status, it might cost you that big new client, it might cost you that promotion you’ve been seeking,  or it might not be any of those things, but whatever it is, it will likely come at a cost. Let’s be honest though, in the long run, not doing the right thing ultimately ends up costing you more. You have heard the saying: the cover up is usually worse than the crime.

So, this might be good time to ask – regardless of the “importance” of the decisions you face, are you first seeking God’s wisdom and counsel before making those decisions? Read Proverbs 3:1-2, 5-6, 13-18; James 1:5.

But regardless the cost, we must always do what is right, not right in the eyes of the world, but rather, what is right in the eyes of God. We read this in Psalm 34:14 – “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” This next verse makes it even more clear how God views knowing what to do but failing to do it – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

The apostle Paul, in speaking to his younger colleague Timothy about choosing good (things of God) over evil (things of the world), says this – “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” Notice this verse seems to imply that it is not enough to simply flee from evil, but that we must then follow after what is contrary to that from which we flee.

I recently saw this quote: “Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same thing.” So often the greatest power we have in life are our choices.

Today, I ask you, and I ask myself – How are you using that power? Are you pursuing God over culture, godliness over popularity, right over wrong, good over evil, justice over injustice? When you stand at the decision-making crossroads, which path will you choose?

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