As the winter season waxes upon us, we find ourselves in situations that can bring us despair. In this time, harsh weather and shortened sunlight are combined with increased sickness and the stresses of events with family, who bring us manifold joys but also multiple heartaches. The great prophet Elijah comes to mind when these circumstances of the wintertime are considered.
 
Elijah became pitiable and despondent on the heels of experiencing great triumphs in his life. By his word to God, the rain stopped for over three years and returned (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1). During the drought, he had received bread and flesh from ravens sent from God (1 Kings 17:6). God worked through him to make food for one meal last for several days to feed him and a widow and her son (1 Kings 17:14-16). God even used Elijah to restore the widow’s son back to life (1 Kings 17:20-22). And who could forget one of the greatest peaks of Elijah’s career as a man of God, his contest on Mt. Carmel with the 450 false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18? God sent fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, proving Elijah to be a true man of the true God (1 Kings 18:36).
 
However, gloom came upon Elijah almost as suddenly as God’s fire came upon his sacrifice. Jezebel sought his life so that he fled and, “sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah is exhausted, he feels he has had enough, and all he wants to do is stay secluded in a dark cave (1 Kings 19:9). He feels alone: that no one understands him, and that he is the only one who wants to serve the Lord (1 Kings 19:10).
 
What the Lord tells Elijah is good advice to keep in mind for all of us as we experience the blues of the cold season. First, God tells Elijah to get up and eat (1 Kings 19:7). This does not mean that we should consume all the sweets available during this time of year. One of my problems when I am feeling down is that I have not eaten good, nourishing food and that I have filled up on simple sugars that have caused me to crash. So remember the right kind of food, even if you do not have an appetite, can help. Second, God spoke to Elijah so that he would not be entirely alone for a long period in a dark cave (1 Kings 19:9). Communicating with others instead of hiding from the world is important to our health. Third, Elijah’s focus is shifted from himself to the great power and presence of God in his life (1 Kings 19:11-13). Though God is not speaking to us directly today, we can focus on the great good God has accomplished in our lives. Finally, God gave Elijah a task so that he would forget himself and get busy rendering his service to others (1 Kings 19:14-16). Instead of paddling about in a pool of self-pity, it is good for us to focus on serving others, helping them with their problems, and training them in the Lord.
 
Elijah went on to be a beloved mentor of Elisha, just as God had instructed him (1 Kings 19:16, 19). Just as the new year on the horizon will soon come with new life, soon dark days will be over and we can continue with renewed vigor the work God has for us. Soon we will be called up to be with Him in heaven, where we will be in a place of eternal light (Rev. 22:5) and no more tears (Rev. 21:4), leaving our work on earth to others, as Elijah did (2 Kings 2:1-15).
 
–Mark Day

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead resulted in changed lives of those who witnessed it. Profound differences are seen in the behavior of those who saw the resurrected Lord that are inexplicable if He did not rise from the tomb.

The apostles who had followed the Lord during His earthly ministry had all claimed that they would die before they forsook Him (Mark 14:31). However, in that fearful encounter with the mob Judas led to the garden later that Thursday evening, they all forsook Him and fled (Mark 14:50). Though Peter followed from a distance, when pressed, he thrice denied any involvement with Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 26:69-75). This lack of bravery displayed on the part of the apostles is suddenly changed by the time of Pentecost, fifty days later, when Peter and the rest of the apostles stand up before a vast multitude to preach Jesus Christ to those who were guilty of crucifying Him (Acts 2:14, 36). What is the reason for this dramatic difference? Peter explains in Acts 2:32, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” Because the apostles were witnesses of Christ’s resurrection they were going to boldly proclaim Him to everyone beginning at Jerusalem, then moving to Judaea and Samaria, and finally to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The fleshly family of Jesus was also changed by His resurrection. Though Mary had kept the things prophesied concerning her son in her heart and pondered them (Luke 2:19), the other children of Mary were not so thoughtful during Christ’s ministry. After challenging Jesus in opening verses of John 7, an explanation is given in verse five that even His brothers did not believe in Him. James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, half-brothers of Jesus Christ, were antagonistic toward Him during His life. However, in Acts 1:14 the record states, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Thus, along side the apostles who witnessed resurrection appearances, the fleshly family of Jesus Christ was continuing in prayer, evidently believing and being persuaded that He was the Son of God who rose from the dead to save all mankind including them. James, the brother of the Lord, wrote the book of the New Testament that bears his name. He identifies himself not according to his fleshly connection to Jesus Christ, but rather by stating, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (James 1:1). He now identified Jesus Christ, not as he once did: a half brother he did not believe in, but as the Lord. A similar attitude is reflected in Jude 1:1, where Jude (Judas) identifies himself as, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James….” What can account for this but the fact that Jesus’ resurrection made believers out of his doubting kin?

Finally, we should not neglect to mention Saul of Tarsus, one of the most remarkable cases of a changed life due to appearance of Jesus Christ. An avid opponent of Jesus and His followers, Saul was present at the first recorded Christian martyrdom, keeping the garments of those who stoned Stephen (Acts 7:58). Saul was zealous in his persecution of Christians, dragging men and women out of their homes and committing them to prison for following Jesus (Acts 8:3). It was on a mission to bring any Christians he found in Damascus bound back to Jerusalem, that the Lord appeared to Saul blinding him while opening his eyes to the spiritual truth that Jesus Christ is Lord (Acts 9). Saul would spend the remainder of his life suffering for Jesus (Acts 9:16). Why? The resurrection of Christ changed him and gave him hope (Acts 17:18; 23:6).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the lives of these people; it can change yours too (Romans 6:8-9).

–Mark Day

God is far above us, as the heavens are higher than the earth (Isa. 55:9). His nature is superior to ours. No man can plumb the depths of His wisdom. His judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out (Rom. 11:33). God is not man (Num. 23:19). Though much biblical imagery assigns Him bodily parts, we know that these are used in an accommodative way, since God is spirit (John 4:24). He does not have a physical body that gets sick or tired. He does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). He does not get old, for He is beyond time. He inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15); therefore, a thousand years is as one day to Him (2 Pet. 3:8). A consideration of the vast universe He has created and placed man in shows how incomprehensibly great He really is (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:20).

But though He is so far above us, He is still intensely interested in us. The Bible reveals that He is a loving heavenly Father who gives us life, breath, and all things (Mt. 6:9-11; Acts 17:25). The fact that He makes His sun to rise on everyone, the evil and the good, and sends rain on all, the just and the unjust (Mt. 5:45), testifies that He is a good God who fills our lives with blessings that make us glad (Acts 14:17).

He not only sustains the world that declares His glory day by day, but He also has communicated with man throughout history by special revelation from the Holy Spirit, available to us today through the medium of the sacred scriptures (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16). He has also intervened miraculously during the composition of the Bible to confirm that what was being communicated was truly from Him (Heb. 2:2-4; 1 Cor. 12-14). The climactic point of His personal involvement with man was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: God empathetically participating in the human condition to the point of death (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14-17).

God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). His invitation is to all that they will call upon Him through baptism to wash their sins away in the blood of Christ (Acts 2:21, 38; 22:16; Rev. 1:5; 22:17). Christ delays His coming so that more may repent (2 Pet. 3:9). God is attentive to the prayers of those who obey Him (1 Pet. 3:12). He will even forgive sins when one who is in Christ prays with genuine penitence for forgiveness (1 John 1:9; 5:14). In fact, when one sinner repents the angels that dwell in His presence experience His joy (Luke 15:10).

The God that created the world in which you live (Acts 17:24), and the placed your spirit in the wonderful body you inhabit (Psa. 139:14; Eccl. 12:7; Heb. 12:9), wants to be with you for eternity. He desires fellowship with you so badly that He sent His own Son to die for you to make it possible (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 1:3). But you must make the choice in how you will respond to His love (John 15:9-10). Will you obey Him to eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9), or will all His efforts toward you be in vain because of your refusal to follow Him (2 Cor. 6:1-2)?

-Mark Day

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” It is absolutely essential for a man to take up his cross if he will be a follower of Jesus; Jesus expressed the other side of this necessity, by stating in Matthew 10:38, “…he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

What, then, does it mean to take up the cross? From John 19:17, we learn that part of the punishment for a man who was sentenced to crucifixion was to carry the cross upon which he would be nailed to the place of his execution. Matthew 27:31-32 shows that at some point during the trek Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear the cross of Christ, Jesus evidently buckling physically under the burdensome beams that would be instrumental in His death. Thus, to “take up his cross” is an expression by which our Lord meant bearing whatever burden and shame is involved in a man following Him. Discomfort and disgrace are an inherent part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, an oft-forgotten truth among some Christians (1 Pet. 4:12).

Have you had to bear some burdens because of your commitment to Christ? Perhaps you have been derided for your beliefs. Perhaps your foes are of your own household (Mt. 10:36; Jn. 7:1-5). Remember how Christ was mocked and beaten (Mk. 15:20; Lk. 22:64). Strive to bear persecution patiently in following the example of our beloved Lord (1 Pet. 2:20-24).

Have persecutions been absent in your life? While we should not seek out persecution, we should recognize that if we stand up for Christ, some maltreatment will come our way from time to time. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Suffering for the sake of suffering is not a righteous endeavor, but living godly and suffering because one is a Christian is a reason to glorify God (1 Peter 4:14-16). Remember Luke’s account of Christ’s cross-bearing comment includes the word “daily” (Lk. 9:23). If I stand up for Christ on Sunday, but not during the week at where I work or attend school, then my everyday life does not radiate the light of Christ (Mt. 5:16). If all we do in word or deed is done in the name of Christ (Col. 3:17), then some are bound to notice.

Is it worth it to take up the cross and suffer for Christ? Definitely. Paul, a persecuted apostle, by inspiration wrote, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us,” (2 Tim. 2:12). This apostle reckoned himself “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20), and recognized that suffering for Christ is a sign of salvation, “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:28-29). So take up your cross, and I’ll take up mine, knowing that if we give our earthly lives to serving Christ, we shall find abundant life here and in the hereafter (Mt. 16:25).

-Mark Day

What role does prayer play in your life? Do you pray before meals, even in public? Do you pray when you arise from bed? Do you pray when you pillow your head at night? Do you pray in times of deep sorrow? What about in times of great joy? Prayer should play a significant role in a Christian’s daily life. Yet over the years for many Christians, prayer disappears from their life outside the assembly. Paul said we should “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5 :17). This is not a reference to the opening and closing prayers of the assembly. This is not referring to the prayer before meals. As important as these are, Paul is referring to the importance of prayer in life itself.

Kevin Rhodes in his book “Building Blocks – Strengthening Your Faith” said regarding prayer, “We also minimize prayer’s meaning for us personally. If we do not pray, it is because we have convinced ourselves that we do not need to pray or maybe that we do not think that it will do any good. We worry, but we do not pray (Philippians 4:6). We get depressed because people do not care, but we do not pray (1 Peter 5:7). We have bountiful blessings from above, but we do not pray (James 1:17). The problem is that while we read about these things in the Bible, we often fail to personalize it. When we run into problems at work, we agonize over it but not pray about it. When we feel alone and dejected, we brood and may even cry, but we do not pray. We enjoy blessings every day, but we do not think to pray. While we might think that these would be the times that prayer would come naturally, it does not do so because we have not made prayer our personal natural reaction.” pg. 53.

Many people recognize that their prayer life is not what it needs to be (including this writer -JDS) and they do not know how or where to begin improving it. Making changes in our daily lives regarding prayer is a good place to start.

First, resolve to give thanks before each meal, both privately and in public, at home and at work. While there is no command that says we are to pray before eating, what we do see in Scripture is examples of Jesus giving thanks before eating a meal. “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” (Matthew 15:36). See also John 6:23 and Paul in Acts 27:35.

Second, put a note on your bathroom mirror to remind you to pray in the morning. The psalmist said in Psalm 88:13, “But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.” Jesus prayed in the morning, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35).

Third, before you go to bed at night, go to our heavenly Father in prayer. At all times of the day we should be ready to bow our hearts to God in prayer. Psalm 55 :17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

With diligence on the part of a Christian, Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” can be a description of your life. However, such a commitment is not just for a few weeks but for a lifetime.

-Jerry D. Sturgill