UP FROM DOWN

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

James 4:9-10

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What do you do when you want to have your spirits lifted up?

Maybe you call a good friend, someone who you know will always bring you encouragement.

Maybe you get a certain kind of food or drink you like and enjoy it.

Maybe you go shopping and treat yourself to something special.

There is any number of things a person might do but I’m pretty sure not many people would follow the path we find in our scripture passage today from the fourth chapter of James epistle. Look at what God’s word prescribes for any person who needs lifted up:

“Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:9-10

Huh?

What in the world is God’s word trying to convey here? Why would we ever intentionally take ourselves to emotional rock bottom just to be lifted up by the Lord?

Because we need to realize that in Him we have all we could ever need and to do that, we need to divorce ourselves from the things of the world, the things that bring us down in the first place.

Anything in the world that might bring us laughter or joy pale in comparison to the delight and bliss we find in our Lord but we have to humble ourselves before Him, making ourselves less before He can become more. We need to go down before the Lord can lift us up.

When we do this, then and only then will we find ourselves truly lifted up because our focus is fully placed on the Lord, and in turn we see that anything righteously pleasurable in our lives has its origin in Him.

Need an example, one relative to all of us?

Let’s talk about death and resurrection for a minute, shall we?

As soon as we take our first breath of life, we begin journeying toward death. It’s part of the humanity package.

Without something else beyond death, think about the feelings and emotions that must be present as a person faces the end of this worldly life. I’m sure there would be more than a little grieving and mourning with wailing mixed in. Laughter and joy would give way to gloom. After all, everything you know and all that you have would soon be gone.

It would be a sad place to be. A place with nothing good ahead, only eternal torment and damnation.

Now, consider how this dynamic changes when we consider what Jesus brings. To the believer, He is the ultimate game changer because death no longer becomes the end but just a joyous beginning in eternity. Through Jesus, a Christian lives with the blessed assurance that the best is yet to come.

But think about the path to everlasting life. Don’t we have to journey to death first? Won’t we experience some grieving and mourning, some wailing and gloom in our final days?

I believe everyone will, no matter how strong their faith is. But they also will be encouraged because they know what is ahead because they placed their hope in a Savior sent to bring the opportunity for salvation from a God who loves. Yes, heaven awaits those who place their trust in Christ but before they go up, before they are lifted up into everlasting life, they must go down. And indeed, even Jesus was in the tomb for three days before He was resurrected through the power of God the Father.

So are you feeling blue today?

God’s word would have you stop fixing your gaze on the world and turn your eyes to Jesus, either gaining salvation through Him or remembering you already have it in Him. When you do this, you will be reminded that your future is not in your own hands but rather in the hands of the only One who can save you, the only One who can lift you up from your lowest points in life, even death.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com