In this post Nelson addresses his struggle to be content with his security in Christ—wondering why experienced intense fear when he was close to death a few weeks earlier.
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October 11, 2022
Annso has been gone for a couple days now. She says her house over there is cold, and she feels like a shadow of herself. I can agree with that and am so glad we have each other. I wouldn’t have half the drive I do without her.
I know for sure I wouldn’t have bought a house or anything. Just wouldn’t care that much about it… not enough to go through all the trouble to make it happen. Her encouragement and presence is so helpful for me in so many ways.
Been reading Hebrews about discipline and how God disciplines his children, and although it’s not pleasant at the time, it produces a crop of righteousness. Lots of good stuff in there:
“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me’?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
Colin used this one as the linchpin for the final sermon in his series on contentment. Such a good one, being content with what you have instead of loving money, of which there will never be enough. It also gives us the awesome promise that if we are content with what we have, we will not fear man.
When we master the art of contentment, we can say with confidence that we will not be afraid, because, “What can men do to me anyway?” I would love to be confident in the Lord for salvation, for my eternal position, and have zero fear of man whatsoever. Those would be my dreams.
How great would that be, not being worried about anything anymore. Not being scared in the ICU bed of what would happen if I would die. I felt so alone and scared of leaving everyone in the room and going to eternity all by myself.
Why would I be afraid of that if I am saved by Jesus and know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord? “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
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(….to be continued)
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)