A Season of Hope
in Our Ever-Changing World
Some things—like Easter—don’t change. May this
message remind you of all the Lord has done for you.
In thinking about what to write as another Easter draws near, I suddenly saw how irrational it was of me in 2020 to moan about how nothing would ever be the same as it was before the pandemic. I’d forgotten then that people’s lives and the world at large have always been in a constant state of change, going all the way back to Old Testament days when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to wander in the desert for forty years. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand how upset they were by their dramatic lifestyle changes.
I like Pastor Allen Jackson’s perspective on today’s times:
“If God put us in this season of history, it’s because he’s given us everything we need for life and godliness. We don’t have to respond with fear and anxiety. The only thing that would inspire fear and give it a deep place in your heart is if you’re clinging to the systems of this world that are passing away.”
A Change of Attitude Will Help
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” – Herm Albright, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1995
In my article, “How Your Attitude Affects Your Life,” I wrote: “Each of us has a choice about how we perceive our experiences in life and how our mind and body will respond.” Pastor Charles Swindoll, Insight for Living, nailed it down when he wrote about the importance of adjusting our attitude:
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home.”
I’ve followed Pastor Swindoll since 1995. He has published dozens of books, including Bible Commentaries, Companion Study Guides, and The Swindoll Study Bible. In February 2023, it was an encouragement to me to see that at the age of age 88, he released his newest book, the title of which says it all: Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React.
We all have a choice in how we’re going to spend each day we’re given. I’ve found that I can’t have peace if I’m reacting to what’s going on in the world. All the Bible teachers and pastors I’ve followed since the beginning of the pandemic continue to emphasize the need for us to follow the LORD and honor Him in light of all the circumstances confronting us today. If we want to live in God’s will for our life, we must not allow ourselves to feel resentful or embittered about things we don’t like today. As Jesus warned, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Easter Blessings
In response to an earlier Easter bulletin, Joe Bell, a friend and fellow author I’ve worked with in the past, shared something he’d added to his daily prayers. “Maybe it's just me, but it sure seems like my life has really improved since I began adding these lines to my prayers. And, truth be told, I'm a better man for it.”
“For who is like unto Thee, O'God? From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
As Easter approaches, I remember all that the Lord has done for me. I was especially blessed in 2021 when a sermon I heard on the radio led me to attend a new gospel-centered, evangelistic church on July 1. It took only three Sundays for me to realize I was exactly where God wanted me to be. I now have a wonderful extended family that is giving me spiritual encouragement and loving friendship and support for anything life may throw my way.
I pray that you and yours are well and at peace with the Lord and that you will have a blessed and happy Easter service this year. I also hope you will be able to share this holiday with people you love and celebrate the way you used to do.
“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
First published as a Brabec Bulletin on March 2, 2023.
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