Uncertain Future

By Gillis Killam –

A friend of mine worked for a number of years in a corporation and felt that his job was secure; until one day he was informed that he, along with around two hundred others, was being laid off. Being educated in his field, and having previous experience living and working in a number of other countries, he and his family had moved to Canada where he obtained employment and was able to buy a house.

He was devastated by this turn of events but managed to keep his spirits up. I encouraged him to seek God’s will and trust Him. Although he obtained another job it was at a reduced salary. I asked him about his future and he indicated that it was uncertain. This produced pressure on him and his wife, as well as his children.

In these uncertain times there are more people who face even worse circumstances, but there is comfort to be found in God’s will, and in knowing the Lord. No matter what happens we are in His care. Furthermore, it is in times like these that God is working out His plan for his children and will use the uncertain times to cause us to grow in grace and the knowledge of Him. We need to learn to trust and listen to what God is saying to us. We should not rely on our own abilities and influence but seek Him first (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus talked about this in Matthew when he used a section of the Sermon on the Mount to deal with such anxious times; “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV).

We can rely on our Lord because He knows the future. He cares too much for us to let us get lost.
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 HCSB).

The Darker the Night

By Gillis Killam –

The old adage: “The darker the night, the brighter the light” came to mind this week as I watched the television report of the Boston Bombing. In fact, the news most nights is full of murders, riots, protests, wars, and brutal acts being carried out before our eyes. People become very sad, fearful and hopeless; but those who know the Lord can shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, by helping others to see the life Jesus calls us to.

The newspapers are filled with darkness. In “Listening to Your Life” Frederick Buechner wrote , “…if darkness is meant to suggest a world where nobody can see very well – either themselves, or each other…if darkness is meant to convey a sense of uncertainty, of being lost, of being afraid…Darkness is what our newspapers are about. Darkness is what our best contemporary literature is about.”

If this is true, and it is; then we have a great responsibility and opportunity to become lights in the gloom around us. Jesus identified the reason for the darkness when he said, “people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19 NIV).

He also said “You are the light of the world”(Matthew 5:14 NIV); so we must not fret about the darkness, but let the light of the Gospel shine through us bringing light to this darkened world.
When we confess our sins we bring light into the world; when we do acts of love to our neighbors, our families and even to our enemies; we bring light into the world. When we follow Jesus we will never walk in darkness.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV).

Living the Abundant and Joyful Life

By Gillis Killam –

This morning I felt frustrated as we are having a difficult time getting things packed up and ready to move out of our house which is for sale. My wife thought I was not doing my part fast enough. In the frustration of it all I didn’t seem to be very joyful. I found myself being snarky or snappy and not at all the joyful person God wants me to be. Then I looked at this scripture and was soundly rebuked by Paul the Apostle who wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NIV).

The Lord wants us to be joyful “always,” not just when things are going well for us, but even in the times of trouble. It seems that Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3 were not very joyful either. They had a disagreement, and no doubt communication had broken down and this was not a joyful situation. Paul admonished other leaders to help these women to get along and be joyful.

James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NIV).

This takes an act of the will to consider trials and disappointments “pure joy,” when you don’t feel like it. But when we obey what God says, joy will come and fill our lives. An interesting verse says, “…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing” (Philippians 2:13-14 NIV).

In this scripture Paul took great joy in his brothers and sisters in the Lord. He said, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” (Philippians 4:1 NIV). The book of Philippians is called the epistle of joy and Paul wrote it in prison.

Strong Trees

By Gillis Killam –

In our second pastorate a young couple was shaken in their faith because their newborn baby girl was afflicted with a condition that necessitated her being in a cast for quite some time in order to correct the condition. They questioned, “We don’t understand. Why God would allow this to happen?” At first, I didn’t know what to say, but the following came to mind.

When I was a young boy walking with my father along the edge of the forest near where we lived, I asked why the trees along the edge were broken, battered, and scrawny. My Father explained that when a new road was being built near our home they had to cut down the trees along the edge of the forest: these trees that had withstood high winds and storms had developed a strong deep root system and became a protection to the ones directly behind them. Now, these once sheltered trees were exposed to the severe weather and did not have the strong roots to withstand the strong winds and so they did not flourish.

My answer to the young couple was, “There is not a strong tree that the wind has not blown on.” I explained to them that God has a purpose in allowing storms to come in life to make us strong in our faith.

We may not understand at the time; however, God is working out His design for us and through this trial will cause us to grow and develop a ministry that may help others in their time of storm. Paul says, “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV).

When we are growing up in life and faith we need the protection of stronger people who have experienced the storms of life, like our parents and friends, so that when we grow to maturity, we too will have deep spiritual roots and depth in life.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NIV).

Let’s Be Honest!

By Gillis Killam –

While talking with some friends on the subject of confronting someone with whom you disagree, or responding to people who need to be faced with their actions, or wrong words spoken, we agreed that we often don’t want to speak up when we know someone is wrong, because we fear being rejected or marginalized.

This world is filled with people who don’t tell the truth. They lie to their neighbors and even to their friends. It happens every day when someone asks how we are and we automatically say, “O I’m fine! How are you?” Sometimes the truth is we are really not doing so well. This doesn’t seem much to be concerned about, but when it comes to being honest with people who ask a question, or make a statement that you know you should respond to – it matters.

It also happens in a group where we know there are differing ideas held by certain people. We just nod, or say nothing because we don’t want to get on the wrong side of someone, or we don’t want to be rejected. This tendency causes us to be reluctant to share our faith because it might offend someone.

We often don’t recognize these as lies; but they can be spoken in an effort to make a good impression on others. The Lord says, “Speaking the truth IN LOVE”(Ephesians 4:15 NIV). We don’t have to be rude or ungracious, but gently and lovingly share why we disagree. It may mean saying, “Do you really think so?” or, “I don’t see it that way.” or, we can say “This is what I think,” and proceed to share our thoughts. I am afraid we often lie when we don’t speak the truth in love.

There are some things that don’t matter and we must choose what is worth addressing. When we do we must be careful to be gracious and kind in our responses. It is important to attack the issue at hand, not the person. We must also remember that some things must be addressed in private and not in public.

Confrontation is important so that wrong information is not shared, and also for the good of the person who is sharing wrong information.

“ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2 NIV).

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