The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Don't Put A Period Where God Put A Comma

Episode Date: July 7, 2017

Sometimes we feel like a period of our life is coming to a close, and we decide we're going to throw in the towel. Jeff encourages us not to close doors too quickly, because sometimes God wants to surprise us with something more.

You're listening to the Jeff Kavens show. Episode 23, don't put a period where God put a comma. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kaven show.

Welcome to the show, my friends. Good to have you once again. And I hope that you have just had a wonderful Fourth of July if you're listening to this at some other point. I'm giving this message today just on the heels of the Fourth of July. A time where we celebrate freedom, we celebrate liberty. It's a great time for families to get together. And I also had the opportunity on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

to attend the Bishop's Convocation for Leadership in Orlando, met about 3,500 people down there, knew many of them, an awful lot of fun. And if you were at that, I'd love to hear what you thought of that convocation. Got to meet a lot of old friends and new friends and to see how God is working around the country in an amazing way. I'm going to be talking today on the show about a topic that, to be honest with you, I wasn't going to talk about this, but in talking to a number of people over the last week. It has become really clear to me that there's a lot of people in need of hope. There's a lot of people in need of encouragement. Things happen in their life and, and they feel devastated. They feel

like they are running out of gas. They're running out of hope. And I wanted to put some things together here just to give you some encouragement. If you are one of those people that is struggling with hope and struggling with feeling like, you know, it's the end. I don't have any, where else to go. I don't have anything else to do. Stay with me here because this message is for you and you might know someone in your life that you could pass this show on to that would be lifted up by this. I'm going to give you a bunch of scriptures and talk about some things that hopefully will be encouraging. And as always, if you're in the car, don't worry about it. The show notes will be waiting for you. And if you are at home cooking, whatever you're doing, the show notes are

waiting for you as well. So the show today is called, don't put a period where God put a comma. Don't put a period where God put a comma. Before I get into this, I just want you to know there's been times in my life where I have felt so discouraged and felt like, you know, what am I doing? And I want to pack it in. And it might have been a relationship. It might have been just disappointment, just that time of life, you know, where you feel discouraged. But maybe something has happened you recently with your job or your health or a relationship where you really can't see beyond the next turn. You feel like it really is over and you feel like putting a comma that is the end of the sentence on your life, but I've got good news for you today, my friend. There's hope

and hope is one of the theological virtues. We have faith and hope and charity. It's been given to us. It's in our soul at baptism. And if you've been bad, baptized, my brother, my sister, you do have hope and you don't have to pack it in. You don't have to put a period on the end of your life right now. Don't put a period where God has put a comma. This just might be a pause in your life and you're going to find out that there's more to this sentence, more to your life than you ever thought possible. Just don't give up. You know, it wasn't too long ago that America was shocked. Why would basketball superstar Michael Jordan. You remember him from the Chicago Bulls. Why did he retire early? Well, fans were stumped as the

news came on the heels of three consecutive Chicago Bulls World Championships, not to mention Jordan was at the height of his game. Just at the point when it looked like Jordan was throwing in the towel, he then once again surprised the sports world by announcing that he would go back in the game, but in a different ball game. Do you remember that? He signed up with with the Chicago White Sox. That's right, and not the Major League Chicago White Sox, but the farm team. Shortly after this announcement,

a reporter asked Michael, what happens if you fail, Michael? Michael Jordan, what happens if you fail at baseball? You know what Michael's response was? I think it really does reflect the heart of a disciple. He said, I'm not afraid to fail. I'm not afraid to fail. One of the things we have to get over when it comes to recognizing that God might have a comma

in the middle of our life rather than a period is that we've got to get over the fear of failure. Failure is just an opportunity for us to quit. And when we seem to fail at something, it actually might be the beginning of something really incredible. As I look over my life over the last, say, 25 years or so, there's been a few times where, I'll be honest with you, I felt like I was failing and I felt like it might be the failure and I might have to think about going down another road. But right around the corner, God had for me some of the biggest spurts of growth that I have ever had in my life. Right at the point where I was ready to put a period, God said, no, this is a comma. There's much more than I have to do with you.

And that might be true of you as well. And that was true of Michael Jordan. Now, Michael Jordan, rather, exhibited an uncanny ability to pursue a dream, though his fans wanted him to stay in his comfort zone. Jordan was approaching this new dream of playing baseball with the same attitude and the same tenacity as he had when he played in the NBA. He didn't suddenly arrive as the world's best basketball player. His unsurpassed skill was developed over time through faithful practice, faithful attention to the fundamentals of the NBA. basketball and now he was willing to start in the minor leagues and work on the basics of baseball day in day out just as he did with basketball in a word Michael Jordan is demonstrating

tenacity okay when he when he did that and the dictionary defines tenacity as keeping a firm hold on something to be persistent and and I spoke about tenacity and on an earlier show you can And you can look that up. In an earlier show, I spoke all about tenacity. But what about your life now? Now and then, the unexpected tragedy, the unexpected disappointment comes your way. Leaving us with a feeling of wanting to quit, drop out or just plain give up. We may find ourselves saying, that's it.

I'm ruined. There's no hope, period. Now, this happened to Moses, you know, in the Old Testament. Moses, his life is divided into 40, 40, 40. For 40 years, he grew up in Pharaoh's court, and at the age of 40, he ended up murdering an Egyptian and had to flee Egypt and went out into the wilderness for a period of 40 years. Now, at the age of 40, when he killed the Egyptian, from what we can read in the scripture,

it looks like he may have thought, this is the period. This is the end. It's the end of the story. But it wasn't. As you look back now, it was only a third of his life. Only a third of his life. He lived about 120 years old. So at 40 years old, he flees to the desert, and he's out there for 40 years. At any time in the desert, he could have thought it's over. But God had his greatest work up ahead for Moses in the last period of 40 years of his life. And that was when God used him to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. Most likely he felt bad after killing the Egyptian. He fled to the wilderness and most likely thought life was over at that point.

And what if he called it quits? What if he said, I'm done, period. You see, you have a lot of opportunities to just give up. But listen, don't put a period. where God put a comma. All throughout the Bible, there are stories of people like you and me who face problems that seem to have put life on hold or even stop.

And when we talk about hope in the Bible, the Hebrew word is Tikva. I love it. Tikva, in fact, it's the national anthem of Israel today. Ha Tikva, the hope. To us, hope oftentimes is reduced to a kind of a hope so. You guys wanna have pizza tonight? Well, I hope so.

You know, I hope we can have pizza tonight, whatever it might be. Do you think it's going to be a sunny day? Hope so? Well, that's a hope that is not grounded in a relationship with God. In Scripture, hope never has such uncertainty connected to it. Indeed, certainty is inherent in the idea. Think of reading Titus, Titus chapter 2 in verse 13 in the modern sense. It talks about the blessed hope that we've been called to.

What if we said the blessed hope so? No, hope means something sure, something certain, that just hasn't happened yet. And you have received a measure of hope in your heart at baptism, the theological virtue. Tikva, hope in Hebrew, is the expectation of good, and it's linked with trust in yearning. A good definition would be an interest or desire whose fulfillment is cherished. So long as there is life, Ecclesiastes. Chapter 9 in verse 4 says, as long as there is life, there is hope. I'm going to say that again, and you might need to hear that right now in your life,

whatever you're going through, so long as there is life, there is hope. My friend, if you're listening to this right now and you have come off quite a battlefield where you want to put a period and you're listening to this, that means your heart is beating. That means there is life in you. And as long as there is life, there is hope. If you thought about taking your life, if you thought about putting a period on everything because of the circumstances you fall in, stop. Don't do it.

There's hope for you. I have worked with hundreds of people over the years both when I was a Protestant pastor and after coming back into the Catholic Church I have worked with hundreds of people who have been discouraged and have come into my office and said I have one big period I want to lay down

because this is the end and I was able to say to them as long as you have life, you've got hope. You've got hope. You keep clinging to that hope. You see the life of the righteous is grounded in a hope that implies the future? Because its point of reference is not men. Their point of reference is not their own track record. Their point of reference is not their finances. It is not their job record. Their

point of reference is God. But there's a difference in the kind of hope that Plato had in the scriptures. Plato speaks of a hope that is a projection from oneself concerning the future. In other words, I create my future with the limited brain power I have in the limited experience and a limited amount of resources. I create my future. That's my hope. Nietzsche held that hope was the worst of evils because it prolongs the torment of man. But the hope that the Bible speaks of is a good hope. It is good expectations about the future because of what God has done and says he will continue to do. And that's the difference between the hope that God gives us and the hope of Plato, the hope of Nietzsche, the hope of this world.

You want to talk a little bit about the difference between periods and commas. I'm going to take a break. When I come back, I want to go into a couple of characters in the Bible and look at their life, and look at the difference between a period and a comma, and then I want to challenge you with an amazing story of someone who never gave up, and ended up becoming successful. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven show. Hey guys, this is Shana from Ascension. I don't know if you've heard, but with the

Sension's new digital delivery platform, you can start a study with anyone anywhere. Here's how to do it. First, go to ascensionpress.com and create a free online account. Once you're there, preview any of our study programs for free and choose the one you'd like to leave. Then, find at least three friends, family members, or co-workers who want to do the study with you.

Once you have your group, make sure everyone registers to receive their study materials. Then, you're ready to go. Meet with your group in person, online, or both. It's that simple. Welcome back to the show. We're talking about don't put a period where God put a comma. In other words, don't end it all. Don't say that this is the end of your life or you're going to throw in the towel when God

might just have a period of your life that is a comma where he's given you a pause because you're going to regroup. You're going to go in another direction. You're going to do something that you never expected that you would do. You know, in the scriptures, there's a lot of stories where people thought there was a period, but it was actually a comma. One of the real famous stories comes from John chapter 11 verses 39 all the way to 43 you've got the story of Lazarus and his sister Martha and Martha understood that Lazarus was dead that he was actually physically dead and she went crying and she was really upset about it but what did Jesus say Jesus basically says no he is going to live again and he raised him from the dead

which is kind of saying no there's not a period here this is a a comma, this is a pause, but his life will go on. You know, that's actually true of all of us when we look at our lives as eternal beings, that even if we live to be 80, 90, 100 years old and we die, that that is not even the end. That's not even the big period. That's a comma for something much bigger, which is a life in eternity. You see, what Jesus said to Martha concerning Lazarus was that you will live even if you die. And this is a principle of life with Jesus, is that when we are in Christ, we are experiencing eternal life. You can see this in the crucifixion, Mark chapter 15, verses 25, all the way to 34. The people did what? The people

put a period at 3 p.m. But God had a comma, even for Jesus, who paid the ultimate price and gave his life, it wasn't over at 3 p.m. when he died on the cross, there was the ultimate comma where suddenly he surprised the world, surprised the Romans, surprised the disciples, and he rose from the dead. The story wasn't over. And this is so true. When on the great adventure with Jesus, right when we think things are over, he's got a new chapter for us. So just when you think it's over, and you think you see a period. Keep your eyes open, my friend. God is going to reveal a comma in your life. This was true after the resurrection. You might remember in John chapter 21 verses 1 through 9 when Jesus met Peter on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Peter thought it was over. He denied the Lord three times. He even said before that, I will never deny you, Lord. I will never deny you. And he ended up denying the Lord. And after the resurrection, after Jesus died, suffered, died, and rose from the dead, he meets Peter on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. And what is Peter doing? He's fishing. In other words, Peter went back to his old life. His life as the first pope, his life as a disciple, all over.

He put a period there. Interesting part of my life. I'm done. I'm not going forward. I'm going back to fishing. I'm going back to what my father trained me in. And what does Jesus say? No. No, you're not over. You're not over with Peter. No. And that whole discourse with Jesus, that whole narrative there with Jesus and Peter on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee is a reaffirmation of the calling on Peter's life. There's not a period here, Peter.

It's a comma. You've got a lot more ahead of you. And he encouraged Peter. If you take a look at the life of Jacob in the Old Testament, my word, this guy went through everything, and he had every opportunity to quit. But he didn't. He didn't. In Genesis 27, starting there,

Jacob flees from Esau after deceiving Esau. He flees the promised land goes all the way back up north, and he could have thought it was over at that point. It is over. I am not the man that I thought I was and I don't have the promises and walk in the promises that I thought I would. And he goes up there in Genesis 29, he marries Leah after being greatly disappointed.

He thought he was marrying Rachel. And you could say at that point when he discovered Leah, things aren't going well, I'm going to put a period on this, but still God was working with him. Genesis 31, Laban pursues Jacob. In Genesis 32 and 33, Jacob meets Esau. Probably thought it's over at that point. Esau's going to kill him because he was, you know, deceived and clear back earlier.

Genesis 34, Dina, his daughter, is raped by the men of Shechem. Jacob's sons take revenge and Jacob's name is destroyed. His reputation drugged through the mud. It would be a good place to put a period. and then Genesis 35 verses 16 through 18 the love of his life dies Rachel dies pretty good place to put a period huh might be a good place to put a period but God was not done with him yet he's experiencing these difficult times yes but there are commas

and then in Genesis 37 Joseph apparently dies. His beloved son, the firstborn of Rachel, is gone. It's another good place to put a period when you lose a son, huh? A lot of people are discouraged at that point, but watch. Genesis 45, Joseph is still alive. Now, what would have happened in Jacob's life in Chapter 37 if he would have put a period there after he found out that Joseph was apparently dead.

What would have happened if you would have put a period there? You see, God put a comma. Joseph is still alive. His period has changed to a comma. And my friend, God wants to do the same thing with you today. I feel this so strong in my heart to share this with you today. You're listening to this for a reason. Maybe you want to share this with a friend for a reason or a family member for a reason.

God changes periods into commas. Let me give you a few scriptures. I was reading out of a new international version. It's an older version that I have. I normally use the RSV Catholic Edition, but I really like the way these read, and you can look it up in the RSV Catholic Edition or Dewey Rames or any of the other, the new American Bible. You get the gist of it. It's pretty much the same. But let me rattle off some scriptures to you, okay? If you're driving, just kind of settle in to listen to these scriptures. I have about seven or eight of them with a theme of God puts a comma where we put a period, okay? Don't put a period where God puts a comma. Listen to these. If you're at home, just relax and let God's word minister to you right now. Philippians 3, 13 through 14. Brothers, Paul says, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians chapter 3, verse 12, not that I have already obtained all this or have already

been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. I love that. That's Philippians 312. Philippians 212. Therefore, my dear friends, therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed not only in my heart, presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear in trembling. Listen to what he said to the Colossians in chapter 2 in verse 6. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him. 2 Timothy chapter 3 in verse 14, but as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you have learned. You hear what he said there? Continue in what you've learned.

Philippians 1-6, be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. My friend, God wants to carry on the good work that he started in you to completion. That's why you cannot stop with that period. You must see this as a comma. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. You, my friend, have been called according to his purpose.

You have been called according to his purpose, and God is not done with you today. John 1633, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have tribulation. You'll have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world. Let me read that a little bit differently. Kind of the Kaven's translation with this theme of don't put a period where God put a comma in mind. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have a lot of opportunities to place periods. but take heart i've got a comma for you i have overcome the world wow wow let me let me let me kind of bring this to a conclusion uh if your goals and dreams have been derailed i want to encourage you

to get up dust yourself off and get back on track i have done this many times in my life. Those who make a difference in life are those who are acquainted with both victory and defeat. Remember, the greatest quarterbacks complete only six out of ten passes. The best basketball players only make about one half of their shots. Major League baseball players make first base only 40% of the time, and that includes walks and pro soccer players score on about two out of ten shots. Perhaps one of the most dramatic examples of tenacity and placing periods where others would have put a, placing periods where other, or placing a comma, rather, where most people would put a period, was the life of one of our presidents, Abraham Lincoln.

He lost his job in 1832. Good place to put a period. He was defeated for the legislature in 1832. Good place to put a period. He failed in business in 1833. He was elected to the legislature in 34. He suffered the loss of his sweetheart who died in 1835. Not a bad place to put a period. He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836. Good place for a period. He was defeated for Speaker of the State Legislature in 1838, and he was defeated for the renomination for Congress in 1843. He was elected in 46. He lost his renomination in 48. He was rejected for the position of land officer in 1849.

He was defeated for the Senate in 1854. Guy, get a clue. Get a period. It's over. He was defeated for the nomination for Vice President of the United States in 1856. he was defeated again for the Senate in 1858 and Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860

what if he would have put a period down and any of those defeats are setbacks we wouldn't have honest Abe my friend I want to pray for you and I want to end with this great quote from a hymnal that I found a few years ago, an old Methodist hyminal at a meeting. It was actually a weekend meeting at a Curcio meeting. I'm going to read that to you. And then I want to close with prayer. And by the way, I appreciate all your feedback for the show. I really do. And if this show has meant

something to you, please write me. It's the Jeff Kaven Show at ascensionpress.com.com. The Jeffcaven show at ascensionpress.com. I want to know what this show is meant to you, and I encourage you to share it with your friends. Listen to this quote. The song was called When Our Confidence is Shaken. When our Confidence is shaken. This is one line, I love it.

When our confidence is shaken in beliefs we thought secure, when the spirit in its sickness seeks but cannot find a cure. God is active in the tensions of a faith not yet mature. I love that. The name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I lift up my brother. I lift up my sister who is actively seeking you today by listening to this show.

Lord, I lift them up to you and I ask you to show them hope. Show them your work in their life. cause that hope to rise up in their heart, that tenacity, to put their trust in you and whatever they're going through, to take that divine pencil and erase the period and put a comma right now in their life and to seek you now as to what you are going to do for the rest of their life.

We give you all the glory for this, Lord. For you are the author and the finisher of our faith, We trust in you, Jesus. We trust in you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. My friend, you have a great week and God bless you and whatever you're doing. And remember, don't put a period where God put a comma.