God’s will accomplish His plan…

 

When puzzled by what is happening around me, or in the lives of others, I need to remember the important truth behind all of God’s dealings with us. Nothing is random. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing can thwart His purposes. The worst I can do is prolong His goal for me. The best I can do is see it and cooperate with it.

This is HIs goal:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)

The end result of what happens to me and to all God’s people is that we will be like Jesus. The process can be hastened by cooperation, by making that my goal also. But I cannot fake it, put on a show of having arrived, or even think that is true. I need to keep growing and changing.

I also have to remember that this isn’t just about me. It is about the witness of God’s people to a world that needs to know Him.

Today’s reading begins with: “All the dealings of God with the soul of the believer are in order to bring it into oneness with himself that the prayer of our Lord may be fulfilled.” In this prayer Jesus asks that the Father works:

“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:21–23)

This glorious purpose has been the heart of God for His people from before the foundation of the world. It is called a mystery yet was accomplished in the death of Christ and made known by the Scriptures. It is also an actual experience by many of God’s people, but not all. This goal is not hidden it nor is it impossible. However, as the reading says, the eyes of many are too dim and their hearts too unbelieving for them to grasp it.

This goal is behind many events in life as the Lord works to open eyes and shake up how we think and live. He wants me to realize my sin, my weakness, all areas of resistance to Him so I will think and act more like the One who lives in me and desires my perfection.

Everything in my life is supposed to lead to union with Christ and this amazing transformation that reflects His image to an unbelieving and needy world. When something happens that upsets my hopes and plans, trying to fix it instead of letting it do what God intends only slows the process. If I resist and keep on resisting Him, the change will eventually happen but too late to have value in this world. Not only that, I will not experience the rest and peace that He died to give me, His abundant life in this life.

PRAY: Jesus, I realize that many Christians are not into this kind of radical surrender. Sometimes they pray as if You are a genie in a bottle giving wishes out for comfort and prosperity and all good, but temporary things. Forgive us for wanting You to be our servant instead of surrendering ourselves to Your purposes. How often do I need “your peace in my storms” to realize that being like You IS the abundant life You want for me.

His ways are not our ways…

Emotional shock seldom happens to me but this state of mind is present today to the point that I’m having trouble concentrating or responding to anything. Yesterday we were informed by the husband of a friend we have known and prayed with often had a mild heart attack. Her blood pressure was over 250. She is a dozen years younger than I am and very health conscious. I am stunned.

Prayer for her is difficult, likely because I prayed earlier this week that God would work in her life. Something is needed, do not know what, but asked God in one of those ‘whatever it takes’ prayers to expose and deal with it. I asked that His perfect will be done in her life. Within hours of that request, she was admitted to hospital.

I don’t believe in coincidences, only in the power and wisdom of God, yet this was another surprise that came unexpected and makes me feel extreme angst for her and somewhat distressed about how I prayed.

After looking at several thoughts from varying devotionals, I found this one that reminded me whenever God revealed Himself in some way to humankind in the Old Testament, terror and amazement were the reactions. People saw themselves as guilty and unclean by comparison! This is making me feel some of that. While deeply concerned for my friend’s health and survival, praying like I did and having this happen as soon as… it is seeing God in an unexpected way.

The reading also reminded me of the Book of Revelation, and how the apostle John describes the overwhelming nature of his encounter with the Lord of glory. Although a believer and an apostle, John sank down in humility and fear when the risen, glorified Lord Jesus appeared before him on Patmos. I also relate to this and feel numb and on my face.

This reading reminds me that Jesus seen in His glory did not condemn John in his weakness because it was his reaction to revealed divine strength. This man’s sense of unworthiness was the instant reaction to absolute holiness. I also related to this because when I prayed as I did and this happened so quickly after, my understanding of God’s will did not call this a satanic attack but something the Lord was allowing for His purposes. I don’t know what He is doing yet could not dismiss His will being involved. I’ve been tested too often by sudden and difficult ‘surprises’ to think otherwise.

Again, God is reminding me that every redeemed human being needs the humility of spirit that can only be brought about by the manifest presence of God. Jesus at once reassured John, stooping to place a nail-pierced hand on the prostrate apostle:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17–18)

God is in charge of life and death, of all that happens to His people. This is obvious for my friend and me also. I don’t know what she is thinking, but I am thinking of the power of Jesus and of His wisdom, even His timing. It may not be her that is in the classroom of Jesus; it might be only me.

PRAY: Right now Jesus, I don’t know how to pray. But I will go to prayer and release my will to say that Your will be done, and that no matter how this turns out, I can glorify You and praise Your name. Amen.

Because He loves me

 
Today’s reading has this line: “Christ has made our hearts capable of this supreme overwhelming affection and has offered himself as the object of it. It is infinitely precious to Him. So much does He value it, that He has made it the first and chiefest of all His commandments that we should love Him with all our might and with all our strength.”

It explains that being loved is important to Him yet I keep hearing these words: “God loves me and wants me to respond by loving Him and doing His will because that is the the very best thing for me, not to please Him or make Him happy — trusting Him is for my sake.

John Piper even ties this to God’s responses to our cries. If He does not answer our prayers as we want, it is because He has wise and holy purposes. I need to trust Him because He knows what He is doing and all of what He is doing is for my good, even when it may not feel good at the time. This is the assurance that His love is worthy and I can love Him, not to make Him smile but to bring me to the very best I can be…

I know by loving God, all things work together for my good as one who is called  according to his purpose. He foreknew me and also predestined me to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brothers. He predestined me, then called me, justified me, even glorified me. What then shall I say to these things? If God is for me, who can be against me? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for me, how will he not also with him graciously give me all things? Who shall bring any charge against me? It is God who justifies. Who can condemn me? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for me. Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Even as He says that for His sake, I could be “killed all the day long; even regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things I am more than a conqueror through him who loved me. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. (Romans 8:28–39, personalized)

It is for love that everything happens to me with purpose — to conform me to His image. There is no greater goal, no higher ambition. By loving Jesus, I can see His worth, His perfections, and the value of being like Him. Obedience is part of cooperating with His transforming power, but it is still His power not mine, and is motivated by His love for me.

At times I feel overwhelmed. To be loved by God? The Creator and sovereign ruler of the universe? Not because I am a pawn on His chessboard or needs me to love Him, but because He loves me? Mind-blowing!

PRAY: Jesus, I feel anything but lovable. There is nothing in me worthy of Your focus on transforming my life. I don’t even understand how You ‘use all things’ to that end, even my failures and resistance. Yet in my heart, I know it is true. Your love wants my love, and it is not to make You feel good; it is for my good. How precious to know this and to worship You.

Worship

Sometimes the words from the Word are enough…

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:1–17)

…enough because Jesus is enough. Always.

PRAY: Today my heart is filled with the wonder of God, not because of any special event, or even a good night’s sleep — or even the delightful dream in which I signed up for piano lessons. Jesus, I love You, just because. You are the Lion and the Lamb, my shelter in the time of storm, my joy in a weary land. Today You give me great rest in You, my great Savior and God. Thank You.


 

Loving Jesus

Today’s reading is about surrendering all to Jesus. Yesterday’s sermon compared the supremacy of Jesus with trying to keep the Law of God. I say trying because I cannot do it. My efforts and ideas all fall short.

My plans also miss the mark. The past two weeks have been filled with interruptions to my agenda. Today I’m thinking that the interruptions are part of what God wants for me. Many of them were difficult: requests for prayer from a family in trouble, a relative in the hospital and his care-giver burned out, the death of an infant, threats to the well-being of a family member, people asking us to referee their feud with other people, my husband’s back injury still not healed, unexpected tasks added to my to-do list, and the pressure of not getting enough sleep.

All these added to the usual challenges to trust God with everything — yet as I pray and let Him interrupt my plans, there are lovely surprises: calls from loved ones, conversations with Christians young and older that were like tonic to my soul, words of affirmation, understanding and love, and enough energy to get the important chores done. Jesus is a faithful and wise ‘business manager’ for want of a better term, or perhaps ‘personal assistant’ — but more. He is Lord of life. I need to rejoice when He interrupts my schedule for He not only knows more and is wiser than I am, He wants to use me to somehow do what He wants done.

Yesterday a person that has seemed unteachable and stubborn asked me for help in three areas of life. A teen told all in hearing range that I am his favorite senior person. A couple about to move into a new home asked us come and pray for their life in that house before they enter it. In a long chat, a child asked me a dozen questions about life. One of our busy adult children called several times just to talk. We had a marvelous visit with a woman who is nearly 100, no dementia and delighted we came. Normally these would not seem huge, but with the other events, they were like a feast to a starving and very tired person.

Surrendering to Jesus means letting Him control life. I tried to do other things, but nothing happened that was not interrupted by His better plan. Now I see that He was using all this to affirm  that I can trust Him with the control of life’s events.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13–17)

I’ve not boasted about what I will do, but the Word of God makes it clear that even resenting those interruptions would not be right. When the Lord wants something from me, I should gladly say YES.

Today’s reading says: “Be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion to you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms and to hand over the control of your life to Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union…”

PRAY: And Jesus, I say amen. Thank You for the ability to not only see that You are in the interruptions, but that You have more in mind than just teaching me to humbly surrender. You are blessing others too and gladly going along with Your will is my opportunity to love them and love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Thank You.

What delights God?

 
When Eve was tempted in the garden, Genesis 3 describes her response as “delight” meaning a desire or inclination to want something. Later, Numbers 14 says God will bring His people into the land because He “delights” in them, but this is a different word. It means to take a high degree of pleasure or mental satisfaction in something.

I’m thankful for this difference because I feel God’s delight often. Those around me, even my hubby, sometimes assume that when I express delight in something, I want it. They might try to give it to me, but I have to explain that just because I like something, whatever it is, does not mean I want it. Some examples? Horses, unusual paintings, clothing in a store window or jewelry that someone is wearing. I’ve even had friends take off their necklace and put it on me because I said I liked it.

As for God’s delight, there are many examples of what gives Him satisfaction. For instance:

The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers... (Deuteronomy 30:9)
Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness. (1 Kings 10:9

Most of the use of this term describing what delights God is in the Psalms and the Prophets:

He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19)
He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him! (Psalm 22:8)
Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” (Psalm 35:27)
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (Psalm 51:6)
The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. (Isaiah 42:21)
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)

As for other verses that tell me what I should take delight in, there is only one verse in the NT that even uses this term and it echos several OT verses that say the same thing:

His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. (Psalm 119:35)

The NT verse: “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.” (Romans 7:22) However, this passage goes on to describe this inner delight conflicting with sin and the battle to serve God when sin wants something else.

So why does God focus on what delights Him in the OT and says nothing about it in the NT? I’ve heard people say that they want to “please God” but that is not a NT issue. Romans 3 is clear that we all fall short. The only One who pleases God is Jesus Christ and it is in Him we have any ability to love and obey Him. Trying to do it by our own efforts is futile. God delights in showing goodness to us, but without Jesus, we cannot delight in Him or in His Law.

PRAY: Lord God, this is why I worship You and delight in Your Son. Without Him, my only delight is sin but because of Him, I can delight in You and Your righteousness and commands, Your people and in their well-being. Jesus changes everything.

Not my will…

 

Reading several devotionals is not getting to me this morning, except this one line:  “Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us.”

The past two weeks have involved relying on God to choose the activities of each day, and I wonder about those choices (am I doubting God?) because this day, I don’t want any more surprises, phone calls, troubled stories, or burdens to pray about. I’d like to sleep all day.

Then I think about Jesus who said, “Not my will but thine be done” and not long after that, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” (Matthew 27:50)

Before that incredible statement, He also said:

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17–18)

In other words, Jesus knew the Father loved Him so He willingly yielded to whatever God wanted for Him and from Him. He could have selected the ‘right’ thing, or the ‘best’ thing, or whatever seemed  a good idea, but He laid down that right to choose.

This takes me back to today’s devotional. It begins with: “Let everything else go that you may live out, in a practical daily walk and conversation, the Christ-life you have dwelling within you. You are united to your Lord by a wonderful tie; walk, then, as He walked, and show to the unbelieving world the blessed reality of His mighty power to save. You need not fear to consent to this, for He is your Savior and has power to do it all. He is not asking you, in your weakness, to do it yourself. He only asks you to yield yourself to Him that He may work in you and through you by His own mighty power. Your part is to yield yourself.”

I know that He also gives the power to obey. Up front, with the way I’m feeling, power to do anything seems remote, but as the devotional writer says, I’m not to concern myself with the hours ahead that I cannot see. Instead, just abandon myself to His care. His goal is this, not that I feel good about my day but that I trust Him and in that, He is seen by others who as yet do not read His Word. I’m to be a letter of recommendation for Him and for His people, not a tired and reluctant scrawl but alert and yielded to the One who has written His Word on my heart.

PRAY: Lord, I’m not sure what this day will bring, another test or some badly yearned for rest. You know what is the most vital thing. Help me trust You, no matter what, and to have the energy of a yielded spirit rather than the reluctance of a weary body and mind. Not my will, but thine be done.

Time with Jesus

  

Yesterday the seniors in our church went on a field trip to our city’s spectacular main library. I qualify by age but knew I could not tour a library. I’d find a book and a chair to curl up in and read. Besides, Thursday is prayer day with several others. I knew they would be at the library, but I went to our little prayer room at the church and spent the time praying alone.

But not alone. It was a special time with Jesus and I had so many things on my heart. Friends whose family has fallen into sin, other friends whose relationships are broken, an amazing ministry being attacked by civil authorities, a long list of prodigals and others caught by Satan’s schemes, Christians who are confused about the role of ‘works’ in their walk with Jesus, unsaved family and friends, resistance all over the world to the will of God… and more.

What a delight to freely talk to Him about all these things and return home much later and feeling lighter. I pray at home but not as long and sometimes not as focused.

Readings today offered thoughts of the delight of being with God because of despair, and knowing that He is with me:

In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes, nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say—“Fear not.” His tenderness is ineffably sweet.

At the end of this prayer time, the sense of awfulness that began it was lifted. I also read Psalms and felt free of the burdens that brought me to that prayer place. How delightful to sense the support that only Jesus can give. In those psalms, phrases jumped out to bless me:

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. (Psalm 22:2–5)

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3–4)

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed… For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. (Psalm 112:1–8)

Today’s usual reading speaks of spiritual growth in which God changes His people. Meekness and quietness of spirit characterize daily life in a submissive acceptance of His will. Hourly events reveal pliability in His hands. There is sweetness under provocation; calmness in the midst of turmoil and bustle; a listening to the wishes of others, an insensibility to slights and affronts; absence of worry or anxiety; deliverance from care and fear.

I’m not always there, yet easily see how spending time with Jesus makes a huge difference in spiritual development.

PRAY: Jesus, thank You that in You I can become more serene, more heavenly minded, more transformed, less troubled by the bombardment of burdens. Thank You for allowing me to talk with You. When we are together, my burdens are not so heavy and You are continually saying, “I got this” giving me reassurance of Your amazing love and support. Praise Your holy name!

What holiness looks like…

 
Since ‘holy’ is about purity and about being set apart and unlike or ‘other than’ this means the people of God are not like what we were once like. Our life “hid with Christ in God” is a hidden life as to its source, at least to those who do not focus on Jesus, but that life with Jesus must not be hidden as to its outward results. People ought to see that I walk as Christ walked. Even in challenges, my life will be different. It should prove that I possess what I profess. This means turning my back on everything that is contrary to the perfect will of God and being what some translations call “peculiar people” in the eyes of the people around me.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14)

Wherever I go, this “other than” ought to be seen in my habits, state of mind, values, interests, conversations, and activities. For instance, because I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I must  no longer look on my money as mine, but as belonging to the Lord to be used in His service. I must not use my energies in the pursuit of worldly means, but “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” knowing that God will take care of my needs. (Matthew 6:33)

God does not ask me to seek prominence or worldly advantages. I’m not to make myself the center of my thoughts and goals. My days are not to be spent serving me or my I-wants but in serving the Lord. He calls me to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. All my daily duties are to have His attitude, “not as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord” (Ephesians 6:5–8) The will of God is not only different but perfect, yet it does require something from me:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

First, I must yield to Him, not with eye-service as to impress others by looking good, but from the heart. This is “spiritual worship” and therefore from the spirit, the deepest part that is made alive in redemption and is my connection with the Spirit of God. My worship cannot be outward actions, or merely intellectual or emotional in nature. I can choose to worship but true worship is from the heart and all of my being, yielded totally to the Lord.

Also, I’m to say no to the world and its values, motivations, and the ways of expressing them:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

All this means being different, ‘other than’ and often mocked by those who cannot fathom why anyone would live this way. It makes no sense to them. In our culture, our Christian ways are ignored, sometimes ridiculed or even opposed. In many parts of the world, this way is persecuted and many Christians die at the hands of those who see this ‘other than’ way of life as a threat to their own.

PRAY: Jesus, thank You for new life with its great challenge to be holy because You are holy. Keep my focus on You during these days of confusion and so many needs in others who ask for prayer and in those who deny that You even exist. Grant me the strength to persevere, not only in prayer but in being what You want me to be — holy and set apart for You.

Not sure how to be a peacemaker…

 

A paragraph in today’s reading again reminds me of the importance of being filled with God’s Spirit  and living by His power. It says:

A cross Christian; an anxious Christian; a discouraged, gloomy Christian; a doubting Christian; a complaining Christian; an exacting Christian; a selfish Christian; a cruel, hard-hearted Christian; a self-indulgent Christian; a Christian with a sharp tongue or bitter spirit—all these may be very earnest in their work and have honorable places in the church, but they are not Christlike Christians.

I’m not to do my own thing. Being like Jesus is being joyful, at peace, confident in God’s care, thankful, careful, unselfish, soft-hearted, unconcerned for myself, thoughtful in speech, prayerful, understanding others, meeting needs… a long list of virtue and grace. It is not just serving others but loving from the heart, both my God and His people, and having a heart of mercy toward those still in darkness and bound in sin.

This week we experienced some time with people who do much for the Lord in public but in private they were disagreeable and not like Jesus in their attitude toward some of the people they serve. It was an awkward place to be. I wanted to defend those criticized and rebuke those doing the complaining, yet the complainers need mercy and grace too. Those they attacked have a deep faith in the Lord that was being misinterpreted. I thought of this verse:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

How do I do that? How can those who justify their frustrations with their history of service be shown that good works do not make up for unkind accusations? How can I, who am also a sinner, tell others that their heart attitude is far more valuable to God than all that they do in His name? Besides that, these are people who name Jesus as their Savior and are not outsiders who know nothing about grace. For this You warn me:

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)

Tread lightly. Pray with compassion. Allow the Holy Spirit to do what needs to be done — and speak only if He tells me to speak. But most importantly, learn from this to be filled with God’s Spirit all the time, living by His grace and power for I don’t know who will ring the doorbell next, or who will phone or text, or who will ask me blunt questions. Life is not predictable. Surprises happen. The only way to be ready for anything is to keep focus:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3–4)

This passage from the NT says the same thing, adding that a focus on Jesus also reminds me that my problems are nothing like what He endured. Focusing on Him keeps me from feeling sorry for myself…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1–4)

PRAY: Jesus, right now You are not compelling me to “do something” but to pray and trust You to be the heart-changer. While being a peace-maker is appealing and the stuff of Christlike servants, it could easily take my focus off You and be an ego-builder for me. I wait on You for direction, yet hope for a lovely surprise. Those who seem to be walking in the flesh are Your children and You are able to make them stand. That also includes me.

Struggling to be Holy

 

Each day brings new problems. Not only do I want God’s will for solutions, but I wonder about the nature and the reasons for whatever happens. I realize this could be human curiosity, even sinful seeking for gossipy tidbits, but my heart deeply wants to know how to pray. Understanding people starts with understanding myself, yet I know that not everyone thinks the same, nor do they interpret others the same.

An example recently revealed that friends we see as open and transparent are not viewed like that by others. It came out when these friends withheld information from those they do not trust and were  viewed as secretive, even deceptive and called liars, which is not true. Guesses and conjecture. I’m beginning to realize why some say their relationships are ‘complicated’ and difficult to manage.

Hubby and I discuss issues like this one and conclude that many problems are God’s to solve. I have no idea how to let a person know that they are not trusted and told everything. How does anyone tell another person that their inability to listen is off-putting, or that laughing at a sad story is hurtful, or that always talking about themself makes listeners feel belittled. Conviction of sin is not my job. This is what God says to me today:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:14–19)

The word ‘holy’ means having superior moral qualities yet goes beyond that as possessing divine qualities in contrast with what is human. God is unlike us, “other than” and beyond our goodness. He is described in the Bible in understandable terms, yet His fullness goes beyond familiar words.

I am reading “The Existence and Attributes of God” by Stephan Charnock that attempts to make known the realities of who God is in this lengthy, two-volume set. It is incredibly convicting as it describes the contrast between God’s thinking and human understanding. It also clearly describes the  difference between being Spirit-filled and living according to our old nature.

Charnock is convicting, but God is using his book to help me figure out why I do things and why other people do things. Sometimes the fleshy old nature is subtle and many Christians do not realize what makes them tick, never mind what makes others tick. However, in puzzling relationships, Charnock’s explanations are helping me know how to pray when I see any Christian conformed to the world and seem without the discernment to realized this as a problem.

God calls His people to a life of entire consecration and perfect trust. We must come out from the world and be separate, setting our minds and affections on heavenly things, not on earthly ones. Jesus said I must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, surrendering every thing that would interfere with this, and walk through the world as Christ walked — with His mind and His tenderhearted kindness for one another, forgiving them as God forgave us. I am to return good for evil, seek the honor of others and not stand up for my own rights. I must be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven me. I must be gentle, meek, and yielding, not standing up for my own rights but for the rights of others. I must do everything not for my own glory but for the glory of God. This means I’m to be holy as God is holy, not like the world but like Jesus.

PRAY: In all the messes around me, I hear You telling me to keep my eyes on You, to be like You when confronted, or when others are walking in the flesh and expect me to get on their side. You always know what to say to those whose attitude is sinful. I don’t. So far, I can see such problems, pray for them, but am anxious that my sinful flesh does not pop up and harshly tell them they are in error. You show me in such kind ways and do not shame me when I act foolishly, so this is a hard place to be. Teach me to do and say the best thing when it is needed, and help me to keep my mouth shut when there is nothing You want me to do besides fervently praying.

Sinful reflections?

 

When sin entered the world, its form took being like God in knowing good and evil. This means having the ability to decide what is right and what is wrong. It is sin because it threw the human race into making our own decisions about everything — rather than relying on God to guide us.

Of course sin takes many forms. It can be severe if it involves the right or wrong of robbing a bank, cheating on income tax, gossiping about a neighbor, retaliating against a person who slanders me, and so on. But it can also be subtle, such as sharing a story that makes me look better than I am, or patting myself on the back for doing well after God blesses my actions, or berating myself for making a mistake instead of confessing the error and being forgiven.

Today’s devotional is about those last two: lifting up myself for obeying God, or beating myself up with regret after a failure. Both are self-centered and both keep me from moving on. The reading quotes from an unnamed book: “Never indulge, at the close of an action, in any self-reflective acts of any kind, whether of self-congratulation or of self-despair. Forget the things that are behind, the moment they are past, leaving them with God.”

Since I often ‘indulge’ self-reflection at both ends of that spectrum, this is something to consider. The NT says this about how to think about the past:

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:8–16)

Paul did not dwell on the past, good or bad. He thanked God for His salvation, put all past accomplishments on the garbage heap because they had no value in his relationship with God, and pressed on. He forgot the past and developed an eternal perspective, considering the goal of becoming like Jesus as the most important way to think. He knew that all sins were forgiven, and that all successes were because of Jesus, not his own doing. His mind was not occupied with regret or with self-congratulations.

This temptation comes to pastors and all those who serve Christ. The devotional author stresses the need to refuse to indulge in such reflections and instead turn from them at once and refuse to think about our work at all, leaving it with the Lord to overrule the mistakes and to bless it as He chooses. I agree. How much time and energy have I wasted in “I should have…” or “That worked well…” thoughts instead of “What’s next, Lord?”

PRAY: Jesus, Monday is a good day to start fresh. Please grant me not only forgiveness for selfish thinking after Your blessings on what happens, but also for regrets in missing opportunities by wasting valuable time in all self-centered thinking. Far better to be praising You, talking with You, and thinking about the needs of others.

Charting a course?

Sometimes the needs in the world and even the needs nearby can be overwhelming. I know I’m not responsible for all of them, even to pray for all of them. At the same time, I’m thankful that God hears and answers prayer.
I’m also thankful that God does not tell me, “Go and do everything.” I know that He gives me what I am to do rather than thinking I need to do it all. That burden alone would drain the little strength that I do have and make me more tired and less useful than ever. Instead, He wants me to focus on what He has gifted me to do. He says:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit... (1 Corinthians 12:4)

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. (Matthew 25:15)

In the above verse, ‘talent’ is not the word for abilities we use. Instead, it means a unit of currency used in those days. It could be better translated as ‘resources’ and therefore means God gives me the resources I need to use the gifts He has given me.

Those resources may be few or many. The to-do list can be long or short. God considers these as part of my job-description and is wise in what He asks of me.

The steps of a man (or a woman) are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. (Psalm 37:23–24)

This makes the Christian life less confusing. God is not asking me to witness to world leaders, but I am to pray for them. He is not asking me to stack chairs after our church service, but I am to eat and visit with those He puts in front of me. I’m not asked to teach a college class but I am called upon to share what He teaches me with those who are puzzled about the same topics.

This trust in Him to work His way is easy and natural. I don’t need to strain or worry about what comes next for He is well able to show me. This is also His way of freedom:

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

PRAY: Jesus, I feel heavy today because of the burdens shared with us yesterday. The list was long, sad, and troubling. At the same time, I hear You whisper as I pray for the person who shared them, and for the things told to us. You keep saying, “I got this” and without that lovely assurance of Your care and power, I would be totally overwhelmed. Thank You. I will keep praying as You ask me to do and glad that the tasks You give me does not need to be carried all by myself!

God’s Value System

Identifying human value systems is not difficult. Almost all television commercials appeal to what people want, whether it be bigger, better, more of money or stuff, or the eating of appealing food (not necessarily healthy), greater popularity, more power, and a deeper sense of importance.

Some of them appeal to our desire to be kind and well-liked — easy to do, just give your chocolate bar to someone else, or our desire to have fun — just serve the right drinks and everyone is happy.

At times, and as I age, I look at those appeals and reflect that most of them will not go to the grave with me. All such perks are temporary and Jesus did say not to lay up treasures on earth but be focused on eternal issues. The Word of God also adds this:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

As a Christian, my focus should be heavenward, yet I still live in this world and am bombarded with the appeals to my life here. More and more I’m thankful for the alternatives and the promise of Jesus Christ to grant me an abundant life that revolves around His value system. He gives simple directions about how to deal with the ads:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:25–33)

Solomon was extremely wealthy yet God says lilies are richer. Birds don’t have bank accounts yet their needs are met. How about people? The OT stories tell how their shoes and clothes did not wear out — and He still does that. I complain that I cannot justify a shopping trip because my stuff never seems to wear out, yet this is a testimony to the care of God.

Today’s reading uses the above passage to remind me that I do not need to strive to grow more like Jesus, that He just does it. It also reminds me that I don’t need to strive to have what I need. I’ve been blessed above and beyond any expectations because the Lord is taking care of what I need by putting my focus on eternal matters more than earthly stuff, and on sharing what He has given me by showing me that no one can out-give God. If I later need it, He simply restocks whatever I lack.

Sometimes I call myself “God’s spoiled brat” and realize not everyone experiences the same blessings, and that makes me feel uncomfortable with the many blessings God gives. At the same time, life has had great hardships, not to balance out the good stuff but to make me realize the value of seeking Him rather than putting my focus on whatever I can gain from this world and the things that have no eternal value.

PRAY: What can I say, Jesus, but Thank You. You have worked in my greedy, selfish heart and by taking away what I once wanted, You have given me far more than I could ever deserve. I truly am Your spoiled brat.

Advantage of being weak…

God is revealing the answer to another puzzle that I’ve often thought about. It is in this passage:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8–10)

I get the last line, that He gives His strength to those who are weak and unable. The part that I’ve wondered about is being able to “boast all the more gladly” and be “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.” Like most people, those things are difficult to be content with, never mind gladly boast about them. However, this line redirects my thinking:

Who would not glory in being so weak and helpless that the Lord Jesus Christ should find no hindrance to the perfect working of His mighty power through us and in us?

With that, it is easy to see the possibility of glorying or boasting about weakness — because it means getting out of the Lord’s way, not being an obstacle to what He wants to do, even that He might use me to do it, but just getting out of His way is a big accomplishment. It means that I realize His power and wisdom are supreme and that my I-wants and efforts only hinder Him from doing the very best that can be done.

Today’s reading also says that because the work is Christ’s, the responsibility is His also. I don’t have to be concerned about the results; He can manage it all. My part is being contented like a child and guided in either leaving Him to do it, or willing to run errands at His requests.

I know a man who directs a ministry to the homeless. The work done brings glory to God and much opposition from non-Christians including government officials who are anxious to ‘fix’ the problem but do not want it done by faith-based ministries. While this makes no sense to me, the focus of this director is like the puzzle of being content with weakness, insults, and hardships. He is blasted continually yet smiles at his helplessness and puts the current calamity in the hands of the Lord. By this, God is free to work and miracles happen.

This solves another issue. Sometimes, when I am able to accept weakness and enjoy the rest in Christ that follows, I feel guilty that I am not burdened about anything. Being content sometimes seems that I’m not really serving God.

However, the emotions and actions that go with boasting in weakness are not about what I’m feeling but about the peace and contentment God gives to those who are trusting Him and not trying to ‘help’ Him or solve any issues apart from Him. It is not about taking it easy or about doing what He asks me to do. Obeying God can require complex planning and physical effort but not a sense of power, or confidence in myself, or any reactions to people or events around me. In that man who helps the homeless, I see the wonder of what God does in the life of someone who dares carry the workload Christ asks of him without carrying any mental burden. Nonchalant? Yes! Trusting Jesus? Entirely! Effective? Amazingly so!

PRAY: Jesus, this is the abundant life — working with great enthusiasm yet not being in charge or accountable for the power to do it or the results. All of that belongs to You. My job is simple: just trust You and do what You say.

His Peace

Prayer is hard work at times. Part of that work is physical because the only way I can keep my easily distracted mind from wandering away from conversing with God is by walking while I pray. The older I get, the more challenging is the walking part.
However, in some ways, prayer is lighter because God is teaching me to say yes to His will in all things, not just those prayed for, but He is working to bring all my desires into conformity with His own  perfect will, even when I have no idea what He has in mind.

Today’s reading reminds me that God works miracles in wills that are surrendered to Him, not that He does what I ask, but that He changes the hard thing into an easy one, and makes me love to do the thing I formerly avoided. Like an ox, if I rebel against the yoke and try to avoid it, I find it hard and galling, but when I take His yoke on by consenting to it, that hard thing becomes easy, even comfortable. As the devotional says, in this life I need not carry my burdens alone because Jesus is my burden-bearer and I can lay on Him every concern.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Jesus promised peace, not like the peace we often pray for. We pray for the problem to be fixed or removed, but His peace is an untroubled heart.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

He also gives me my part in finding this peace.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15–17)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3–4)

Peace rules when I am thankful, when His Word fills my heart and mind, when I am in rich fellowship with other believers, when my heart is filled with worship, and when I am doing all that He wants me to do:

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

Peace isn’t about walking less or slower, just as it isn’t about expecting God to do everything the way I want it done. It is about focus and trust, and about total surrender.

PRAY: Jesus, I’m also noticing that peace sets me free from that nagging sense that I’m not doing enough, or saying enough, or being what I should be. Your peace is about focusing on You to the point that I can hear Your voice when You want me to speak or act, and be content and resting in You, letting You decide how best to answer my prayers. It is easy and light — and if I am not content with that, perhaps I am thinking too much of myself (pride) instead of letting You be my Savior.

Do not grow weary in doing good…

Can I blame age for my lack of ambition? The body isn’t as strong now so that is a good excuse for those activities that require physical strength. I’d rather nap than exercise, watch a game on television than do the dishes, wear wrinkled clothes than iron them. Many times during the day I find myself doing chores out of sheer will power than any desire. Most of the time, once I get started it isn’t as challenging as my thoughts made it.

This stage, if it is a stage, is new for me. I’ve always been an eager worker. One summer I dug a hillside beside our house and made it a series of steps. This was hard physical work and turned out well. I’ve made king-size quilts and now view that similar to constructing a four-man tent. This decline in ambition bothers me, not the aging part but the attitude of resentment toward doing what needs to be done, or should be done.

It hits spiritual responsibilities too. No one person can do all that the Bible calls Christians to do, but I’m often shirking even those things that God puts on my plate. I’m too tired or I have easier tasks and put the more important at the bottom of the list.

A few principles come to mind. One is when Moses led a battle. His army won as long as he held up his hands…

But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (Exodus 17:12)

When his hands dropped, the army started to lose, but as others supported their leader, they won the battle. This says much about the importance of Christian fellowship and the need to be supported. Don’t be a loner, and I tend to like be alone, but this is not always the best choice.

In another OT narrative, David was being attacked by his son. The son’s advisor said…

I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, (2 Samuel 17:2)

This is a spiritual warfare principle: the enemy goes after God’s people when we get weary and discouraged. Sometimes more sleep is the issue, yet in this story God sent another advisor with a different plan that sounded good but led to David’s victory.

I need to be alert. Fatigue and feeling discouraged is to be vulnerable, yet the answer is not always in being rested — it is in trusting God to get me where I need to be and with the energy I need to have, just as the psalmist did:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

One friend says the next verses are about spiritual weariness, not physical, yet it seems to me they are partners that require the same solution:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28–31)

God also says: “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (Jeremiah 31:25) and “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) and “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:3)

PRAY: Jesus, forgive me for turning my mind toward how I feel instead of toward You. Your grace is sufficient. I may get tired, but You are enough and You always supply whatever I need for whatever You want me to be and do. Give me wisdom so I don’t try to do too much for me, but rely on You for whatever you put on my to-do list.

Peace has a caveat

 

Do not, as children do, keep digging up your plants to see if they are growing. Trust the divine Husbandman absolutely and always. Accept each moment’s dispensation as it comes to you from His hands. Say a continual yes to your Father’s will. Finally, in this, as in all the other cares of your life:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

Doing this is easier in some instances than others. Suppose I’m anxious about giving a lesson next week and anxious that I will do it with the Spirit’s fullness. Next week comes, it happens and God blesses it. But what about the salvation of a grandchild who lives far away and there is little interaction with him or her? I am hearing that this child is far from loving and living for Jesus. No good news, ever. Can I experience the peace of God in that situation that seems to have no light at the end of the tunnel?

The context of these verses offer a few clues. It speaks of agreeing with those Christians that I serve God alongside. It says to rejoice in the Lord making Him my source of joy. It also says to let my reasonableness or gentleness be visible to everyone. It also tells me to think of good things and put into practice all that God is teaching me. This ‘peace of God that surpasses understanding’ is not for those who fight with others, find joy only in circumstances going their way, are harsh, and have a mind filled with garbage. Disobedience is certainly a barrier to peace.

These things, when present in my life, are indications that I’m not trusting God. How then can I pray for someone in faith? It is impossible. It goes without saying that faith can be described as “surpassing understanding” similar to the peace of God. It is humanly beyond me that I can trust what cannot be seen and to be certain to the point that I have no worries about the issues at hand, yet…

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

This is like being blind and stepping off solid ground without seeing the suspension bridge across a chasm. It is like putting my fork into the plate in front of me without seeing what will go into my mouth. Faith cannot see what I hope for, but knowing God is good and will take care of me is my assurance. It is not assumption that ‘all will be okay’ with some sort of Pollyanna thinking at its roots, but faith that is rooted in God, in His power and His promises. If He says it, it will happen. Faith is not blind in the sense that it is ‘I hope so’ but that it is based on a real God who is personal and cares:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Believing He exists goes beyond a hopeful notion that there is someone out there. It is trust, not a notion. It is knowing something, not merely hoping. And rewards for seeking are real, not hope so. Seeking is about diligence, not a mere glance around for evidence but looking with an expectation of finding because the evidence is already there — in God.

God knows how to make Himself known. Many who live in places where missionary work is banned are having dreams and visions that God is using to show them that He not only exists but that Jesus Christ died for their sin and offers them eternal life. He can speak His Word, with or without a book.

That said, those who have the Bible are told to tell others about Jesus because “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) For this reason, Jesus tells me:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

Again, I am not given the visual results of faith, only the commands to do what God says and trust that He will grant faith to others as He sees fit.

PRAY: Jesus, in some ways praying is easier than sharing the gospel, yet either way, faith in You is required — and doing either one is impossible without it. Grant me the faith needed to be totally obedient, both in speaking to You and in sharing You with others.

When I feel overwhelmed…

 

Yesterday was lovely. After church brunch, I sat with a young girl and we talked about everything from the qualities of light, to world travel, to the new Christians in our midst, to why her brother is so popular. Hubby and I went home, had a long nap before meeting our son and daughter-in-law for a delicious supper, then back here to watch our home team play hockey. Went to bed totally exhausted, but woke up this morning feeling cluttered.

My desk is covered with quilt patterns, etc. that are sorted from much I tossed, a half-finished quilt on the design wall, financial software isn’t working properly, several files to read/delete, a very needy family member is in the hospital, the sermon yesterday added to my convictions about being too quick to see the worst in all situations, and here I am doing that with the busyness in my mind, seeing the worst.

Today’s reading tells me to not be concerned, to abide in Christ. I sang a few songs that said the same thing. I know Jesus is here for me, yet realize He will not tackle my to-do list. That is my job. I want to do it with joy — actually, I’m not sure I even want to do it. Escaping all this means I need a holiday? Or to just quit feeling sorry for myself and quit focusing on the negatives and be thankful? There is much to go in that list! For a start:

One: I belong to Jesus. He died for me, and in Him “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1–2)

Two: He is the vine and I am only a branch, yet abiding in Him means I can bear fruit - certainly the fruit of the Spirit which is all I need for each day:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22–25)

Three: I can turn away from the pressures of life. Jesus gives me all that I need to deal with them. He also says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

This means all that is on my heart for family, friends, church, all situations, will be done by Him — I just need to rest, abide, continue in Christ, turning away from this sense of clutter into the freedom of faith — meaning I trust Him regarding all that is making me feel overwhelmed. He says this…

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2)

… and because He is able to protect me and be with me, I do not need to feel overwhelmed.

PRAY: Jesus, help me get out of Your to-do list and tackle only the things that I’m to do, starting with worship and giving thanks to You for being with me and with those on my ‘concern’ list. You are able and You love them even more than I do. May You grant grace and peace, and enable me to carry on.

When prayers are not answered…

The promise of God is that His people are “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3) and that as “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

This is evidence of the Spirit-filled life. In that place where Jesus reigns, sin cannot, but if I have unconfessed sin that I know about and have not taken it to the Cross, God can bestow no other blessings, no matter how much I desire them and fervently pray for them. Today, I’m thinking about the need for purity in my life takes priority over God answering all my prayers. As one writer says, the temple must first be made pure before the King will come in to reign there!

For example, when severe famine hit and God’s people suffered, He sent Joseph into Egypt — sold as a slave, suffering all the way and “the word of God tested his faith” until the ruler who had food “set him free and made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.” (Psalm 105:17–22)

It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning his future that was always on his mind. It must have seemed totally impossible at times but after this man grew through the testing, then he was fit for the the task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with the love and patience of the Lord.

I will not experience what Joseph did, but as I pray for what God promises to do, for myself and for those that I pray for, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard. Yet I see that this is a discipline of faith for me also. It brings me into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.

What does this look like? Oswald Chambers describes it with spiritual disciplines, calling them habits. He warns that as I become more virtuous, patient, even godly, these are only stages and if I stop there, I can easily strut as if I’ve arrived. What God wants is that those disciplines be practiced so they are not conscious habits at all, because they are lost in the life of Christ.

In other words, God wants spiritual discipline to be such a part of me that I do the right things without even thinking about it. Yet I could make a god out of my little Christian habits, and if that happens, the Lord will upset the habit to show me what I’ve done.

Yesterday, before sitting to devotions, an interruption came and it upset me — I wanted to be reading the Bible and praying when God wanted me to be eager to help. Had I made a god of my spiritual disciplines? Likely.

Chambers says love means invisible habits. That is, unconsciously doing whatever God puts before me in grace and being ‘at home’ with it, not upset because an interruption messed with the practice of ‘my’ habit. Jesus is my example. No matter what came along, He was at home with God and not disrupted by anything.

This partly answers why God focuses more on my shortfall than on answering all my prayers. I am not yet ready to live with the answers because I realize how many demands they could make on the current habits of my life. 

PRAY: Jesus, this is huge. I knew that any interruption to my plans needs to be met with grace and godliness, but not only did my frustration miss that, it also missed the point Chambers makes, that I can put even my spiritual disciplines ahead of what You are calling me to do, making them my god rather than You. Thank You for this conviction and I do confess the root of how I reacted. Forgive me for thinking a virtuous habit is more important than hearing You in the midst of even that. Help me be a better listener, doing it because that is who I am.

Walk in the life God gives…

 Today’s reading begins with an exhortation to give up all efforts to grow and simply let yourself grow. Leave it all to Jesus whose care it is, and who alone is able to manage it. Put yourself into His hands and let Him have His own way with you.

While this is true — that Jesus does the work, resting in Him does not eliminate spiritual disciplines, at least those rightly motivated. This devotional writer is not telling me to give up reading Scripture, worship, fellowship with other Christians, prayer, and so on. This exhortation is about self-effort and that frantic or pride-filled idea that I ‘must’ do this or that so I will grow.

Spiritual disciplines do not make me grow. I’ve sometimes called them places of grace. They are like getting in the shower if I need to clean up, not standing outside of it trying to take the dirt with my own hands. They are not self-effort with psychological gimmicks to get rid of guilt or reading how-to books to be well-liked. Instead, these disciplines are being where I need to be so God can do His work of changing my life.

Some of these involve actual places, such as going to church and being with like-minded believers, but most of them involve action or lack of action, such as Bible study, prayer, confession, and silence, fasting, and sacrifice. These are not motivated by ‘doing my duty’ but by wanting to love God and be closer to Him. As I do that, I know Him more as He is — and myself more as I am. This leads to conviction and confession, but also forgiveness and cleansing.

Even the OT, with its focus on God’s laws, has God’s gracious promises to His people when we have stoped growing. He says:

I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:4–7)

Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. (Joel 2:22–25)

I cannot ‘earn’ these benefits but I can block them by running away from God and by refusing to unwrap the gifts that He gives me in my new life as His child. In that life is rest and growth without effort, yet crowned with glorious results.

PRAY: Choosing spiritual disciplines sounds like giving up ‘fun’ but that is not true. Jesus, being with You and motivated by the things You put in my heart to think, say, and do gives me an abundant life, a life of rest and trust, but also of surprise and adventure. I am humbled by things like pink tulips and well-timed phone calls, but those are only two examples of the many blessings You give. You are an incredible Shepherd and manager of my soul and the giver of peace and deep joy. You have changed my idea of what that word ‘discipline’ really means!