Being Thankful

The devotional writer must have been having a bad day, or does not spend much time with godly people. The passage used is:

And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. (Numbers 11:1)

And the comment is that “Christians as a body are a thankless set…. a great many not only fail to give thanks, but they do exactly the opposite and allow themselves instead to complain about God’s dealings with them. Instead of looking for His goodness, they seem to delight in picking out His alleged shortcomings and think they show a spirit of discernment in criticizing His laws and His ways.”

This may have been true in the author’s circles, but it is not my experience. When God’s dealings seem harsh to the Christians I know, there is much prayer to understand and to ask God to either deal with the problem or ask that His will is done. Thanks may not be given for the problem, yet most of them find something to be thankful for concerning whatever issue that is giving them concern.

Some of this depends on the preaching heard. If God is exalted and His love for us is stressed, if He is praised for His wisdom and grace, and the fact of our need for mercy is stressed, I hear less of “I deserve better” attitudes and more thankfulness for His goodness, even in trials.

Examples come to mind. A dear friend died in her sleep. It was sudden and without warning. The family is devastated with grief at this loss, yet they are thankful that she did not suffer in sickness, and thankful that she is with Jesus.

Another friend has a relative whose husband decided to leave her and his children for another woman. This is a terrible experience for this woman, yet she has turned to a deeper reliance on Christ and is thankful for that relationship and how He is taking care of her in her pain. Her attitude is not bitterness and complaining.

Personally, I have had times of grumbling, yet the Spirit reminds me that my attitude is actually an expression of “I think I know what is good for me better than God does” or “God is ignoring me” or some such thinking that dishonors Him. This is sinful and so far from being true that I must confess it as sin. Being thankful follows, thankful that He is who He is and that He knows what He is doing, that He is wanting the best for me and will use this to transform me into the image of His Son, and it has a good purpose. Nothing can separate me from His love.

Yesterday I sang “I’d rather have Jesus…” a song that compares the value of Him with all that the world offers or that my sinful heart might crave. He is all that I need. To not be thankful is a grievous sin, something to confess. If others are not thankful, me pointing that out as a sin might also be the same critical spirit that I am critical of!

PRAY: Jesus, I woke in the night and didn’t sleep quickly yet You spoke to my heart during that time. I also feel tired this morning but will be able to rest as we drive out of town to visit family. That is to be thanked. I could make a long list of Your goodness, and even how You use the tough stuff for my good. Lack of answered prayer builds patience. Sorrow and loss draw me closer to You. Struggles remind me that I am needy and that You are all I need. And I am thankful that You keep revealing that You are indeed enough — Thank You!!

Being in the will of God

Yesterday was filled with contrasts. Thursday’s prayer time at our church usually involves 2-5 of us but this time it was just me. I read the Word and prayed for many things and was totally blessed. Then I went to a gathering of 7 quilters. Usually that monthly meeting is a delight, but this time I felt pangs of not being good enough. I didn’t know how to visit, didn’t have anything to say, and felt as if my ‘show and tell’ quilting was inferior. Instead of enjoying these ladies and our usual banter, I felt out of place.

On the way home, I realized my motives for making quilts are not the same as my friends. They are into beauty, skill, and winning prizes. I am into helping needy people stay warm and feel loved. While creating with fabric is also a total delight and I want them to be pleasing, I really don’t care if the quilting world is impressed. That makes me out of place. I’m okay with that reason.

At the same time, this felt heavy this morning. God knew. I took out the next four pages of songs to worship before reading the devotional and they were from Him. The first one, “I’d Rather Have Jesus” got Him started and He used it and the rest of them to speak to me about sticking to what God wants and not letting the world’s value system pull me away, no matter how nice it looks. Then today’s reading explained how God was at work in this all this. It said that I need to be thankful in everything, even when it seems hurtful, because God is in it and will use it for good. I know the verses:

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)

And I remember my mother saying, “We must need it or we wouldn’t be getting it.” I needed this to verify my faith in the God who is behind all that happens. Would I put down those who have worldly values? Would I grasp these values for myself? Would I forget why God has directed me to do what I do and instead try to get some glory out of it for myself?

The reading echos my mom’s words. It says whatever others do and for whatever reasons, “faith never sees second causes; it sees only the hand of God behind the second causes. They are all under His control, and not one of them can touch us without His knowledge and permission. The thing itself that happens cannot perhaps be said to be the will of God, but by the time its effects reach us, they have become God’s will for us and must be accepted as from His hands.”

In other words, God allowed the events at that meeting to cement truth in my heart, not to destroy it. The devotional uses the story of Joseph to illustrate how even the most sinful actions will turn out for good in the lives of His people. His brothers sold him into slavery but he wound up saving his entire family from destruction.

PRAY: Jesus, You know that by the time I talked to You and finished today’s reading, You convinced me more than ever to keep on doing what I do, trusting You to use it for Your glory. You remind me of the few loaves and fishes, of Rahab’s red string, of many little things that happened at our family reunion even, and how You use small things to bring You glory — and to put great joy in the hearts of Your people. All that cannot be surpassed by whatever I could do to seek my own glory. As You say, and my dear mom verifies, I need to be often reminded to simply accept and remain in Your will for my life.

I’m His because He is mine…

Today’s reading is a prayer of consecration. The author ends each section with, “Help me, oh my God!” Before reading it, I sang several songs with praise to God for the reality that He does help us. I do belong to Him. It was His choice, not mine.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16)

Yes, I also must yield myself to Him, not that my willingness makes Him work in my life, but that my resistance slows down the process. One day I will be like Him, whether I fully cooperate or not.

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 3:2–3)

If I focus on my own I-wants in fleshy selfishness, He will work to change that focus. He may use the reading of His Word, or good sermons, or rebukes from friends, or trials that break my stubborn will, or it might be on that final journey’s end when I see Him face-to-face, but He choose me to be His child and to bear fruit in His name. All resistance is useless and a waste of time and effort.

Could I win a battle with Almighty God and His purposes? Maybe for a time. Maybe on certain occasions, but only to see the futility of my way vs. His eternal purposes for me. Learning this is learning to say “I give you my….” whatever I am withholding. As the reading says, it could be my thoughts, likes, dislikes, the management of my life and plans, what I see, hear, where I go and who I spend time with, what I do with my time, the words that I say, the people I love, how I treat those I know and do not know, including those whose way of life is good and those who are evil.

When Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done” He was yielding up His very life. He always offered all He did and said and wanted to do to His heavenly Father. That is consecration.

And because Jesus is my Savior, this is not up to me and my willingness to yield. He said He would do it — whether here in this life or with Him in eternity. I am His. It helps me to think that way and to realize the wonder of being at peace when I stop thinking or acting as if I run my own life.

PRAY: Jesus, what more can be said? I am consecrated to You because You consecrated Yourself to my full salvation. I know You are committed to help me become totally willing. Because of You, it is possible to be totally committed to Your plan for my life and my destiny. Apart from You, I’m useless and unable, like a glove without a hand. With You, this useless glove can move mountains.

Loving God means...

If someone told me they loved me, then slandered me behind my back, did not show up when they promised, was rude at times, never shared their thoughts, turned their back when I needed help, or could not look me in the eye, I’d wonder about that love statement, even doubt it totally.

God is not like that. He showed His love by sending Jesus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Yet He does not stop at that. He wants my love in return and just as a bridegroom wins the love of his bride by assurances and proofs of his love for her, so does God win our love.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

What a shame that when life does not go the way I want it to go that I think God does not love me. Human love wants me to be comfortable, to have all I need and want, but the love of God is not like that. He wants what is best for me even if it sometimes hurts.

A small example is the loving mother who will not let her protesting child eat candy all day, not before supper and not to the exclusion of nourishing food. Another example is the person who puts aside their own comfort to help others move furniture or drives them across town when their car breaks down. Love like God loves always involves self-sacrifice — at least that part of self that focuses on my own comfort.

Today’s reading points to a reality check regarding my profession of love for the Lord. It points to  children who make professions of loving their parents yet when asked to perform some little act of service, say complainingly, “Oh, can’t somebody else do it?” Real love delights to serve.

So what are my excuses? I’ve heard those of others. They say they do not share the gospel with others for fear of being rejected, or do not serve in this or that capacity for fear of failure. However, the Bible says;

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

The question is, do I trust God’s love to deliver me from fear, care, and anxiety and to give me all I need to do all that He asks? Do I trust Him to keep my heart in perfect peace even during the tough times that obedience may involve? Or am I only willing to do the ‘safe’ things?

In our church, the calls for help often involve Sunday brunch. How easy to cut up fruit, or muffins, or wash serving bowls, or sweep the floor, or take home tablecloths to launder. But what about inviting others to attend? Or teaching a dozen or more rambunctious children? Or praying several hours a day for those who do these things?

I get out of stacking chairs and some other physical service (too old, too heavy, easily out of breath) or attending some functions (no interest, no time, etc.) but in making those excuses am I resisting the love of God and His power to enable me so He can use me to love others?

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:21–5:5)

PRAY: Jesus, accepting Your love is much easier than returning it in the same way that You give it — by sacrificing Yourself that I might have abundant life. That life is to be spent for You, not indulged in for my own sake but poured out in serving You. Make clear what You want from me, along with granting me a deeper desire to love You by doing all that You want me to do, without excuses.

The peace of being loved...

 

Love is often shown by small things. Hubby washing the dishes when I am tired, or making the bed every day, or buying supper so I get a break from cooking. God is our example. Pink tulips may mean nothing to many, but when I said, “Lord, if I’m to have a wreath of pink tulips for my door, You will need to provide them” — He did. And parking places, directions in small things, help with my chores, so much more.

The same love shows up in many prayers. Once I prayed for expensive ivory carved scrimshaw with audacious words: “Lord, I’d like one and only ask because You love me.” And He gave me two pieces, not just one. Such is the love of God. He shows it off and nothing can change it.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? 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 us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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 us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

That love shows up in what most children would say is not love at all, but because I know He loves me, then I know His rebukes, corrections, discipline chastening and discipline also are acts of love. I didn’t get much of that as a child and actually remember only one time. My mother rebuked me for being a sassy know-it-all at the dinner table. God fills in what she didn’t do. These verses are changed a bit to suit my gender:

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as daughters? “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every child whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as His child. For what daughter or son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not His children. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5–13)

Healing means being rid of the selfishness that is never satisfied because with healing God gives great contentment and peace. Being out of joint is not fun, always wanting and striving rather than being at rest. It is like Jesus in that He gladly abandoned all that He might do the will of God, and when that was declared finished, He sits on an eternal throne and lovingly desires that I sit there with Him.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–7)

PRAY: Lord, nothing has changed in my world. That to-do list is still long. Many prayers are not yet answered, but in the shift from wanting a vague something to being content, I have that peace that goes beyond comprehension. So thankful. Fill me with Yourself that I might glorify You today.

Having nothing…

For the past few weeks I’ve felt that I want something, but I don’t know what it is. Less work? A change of pace? A new location? Someone to step up and take some of my responsibilities? Maybe just more contentment? This nagging feeling does not make contentment easy. It keeps at me without identifying itself. Is it part of getting older? An evidence that I want to be in heaven where all is perfect? Yet I’m aware of a deeper desire for big challenges. I don’t like ‘normal’ but thrive on change.

Being alone is okay even though I’m much more interested in meaningful conversations than ever before. My hubby says to be content, but for a person who likes challenges, a sane pace and a relatively normal life can seem terribly boring at times. I woke up at 4 am thinking of how to create an online photo album for our family, as if there is nothing else to do.

Today’s reading begins with this truth:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:17–18)

Thinking about the changes Christ gives, I’ve learned that God activates spiritual motivations when He gives new life to His people. My spiritual gifts include teaching, which is described as being an information-gatherer who wants to share what they find. My old nature had that motivation but used it for self, such as becoming a collector of useless information, even useless stuff, however, this gift includes an insatiable curiosity that goes non-stop. Part of that is wanting to know things about people but even that comes with a problem; many people wear layers and do not want to reveal their real selves. I easily detect that and become quickly bored with layers.

The reading says that everything that belongs to my old nature has passed away or become useless in Christian living. So that means I’m to love others even if they are ‘layered’ and be kind, not bored with them. For me, this is difficult and can be arrogant and not easy to deal with.

Two verses give me some fresh ideas:

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ….If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations which have no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:8; 20-23)

The world’s way is to feed on what pleases me. God tells me to listen to Christ, to let Him be my example and my strength. He said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” If my will is what I’m describing in this desire for new things, then I need to make sure that those things fit with the will of God, not something to merely satisfy my desires, vague as they seem right now. Anything that is sought out by “flesh,” must always be “nothing” in the sight of God. But if I am seeing things with His eyes, those “I wants” will be nothing in my own sight. He also says:

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:3–10)

The last sentence speaks to this vague desire. I can rejoice in making others rich “as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” Only in Christ, not in the old me or the old way of satisfying myself. I need Jesus and the satisfaction He gives, then pass it on.

PRAY: This fretting has seemed complex, perhaps because I’ve taken my eyes off the simplicity that is in You, Jesus. Just fill me with Your Spirit. I cannot be ‘nothing’ unless You are ‘everything’ in my heart.

Making the best choices

 

It is easy to say I want the will of God, but this past week has been filled with tests to that desire. One option was fine in size but terrible in color. I wanted the size but could I live with what did not appeal to me?

Another option looked good in the beginning but it had some serious flaws that would make life very challenging. Could I live with the cosmetics and deal with the flaws? Praying for the will of God seemed to mean a lot of compromise, yet it turned out neither option was His will. Then came yesterday.

Weeks ago we bought tickets to an outdoor event. But it was cold, very windy, and we were exhausted. I put on a winter vest and a windbreaker. I didn’t want to go. But we did and immediately, in a large crowd of people, found a cousin and his wife — and the reason it was God’s will that we attend this event. I don’t know him very well, but made a significant connection at our family reunion where he invited us to this event. He was involved in it in a small way, but so delighted that we came to encourage him.

Today’s reading speaks of this life of faith. We were burdened all week trying to figure out the will of God and relieved but exhausted to finally know what He wanted. How true that He says:

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)

I’m not to worry about anything, certainly the ‘big’ issues of life but also the small, everyday stuff that can be a bother, particularly when I feel so helpless about it or so tossed with the choices. This week was filled with both, yet the simplicity of getting outside in the cold to make another person smile has more merit than all the struggles about choices that seemed vital at the time. Helplessness is good if it turns me from my I-wants to make simple decisions based on what the Spirit of God has clarified.

Again, as today’s reading says, I must remember that my chief strength in knowing and doing the will of God is my weakness, even utter helplessness:

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 12:9–10)

Knowing what choices to make apart from seeking the will of God is folly. It is easy to rely on preferences or what seems good and wind up making big mistakes. It is easy to choose what feels comfortable and wind up missing an opportunity to be a blessing to another person.

PRAY: Lord, I know my strengths easily hinder me from discovering Your will. I also realize how praying that Your will is done is stepping into a war zone. Our enemy is not at all interested in that kind of surrender. I hear the prayers of others and realize the conflict that so easily thwarts this desire to see You at work. My prayer today is that Your will is done — in my life and in the lives of all Your people, but also that we want it with all our hearts because trusting You and knowing what You want for us far out-weighs what we suppose to be the best choices. Amen.

More Spiritual Battles

 

This week has been filled with spiritual battles. Certain prayers of faith brought both deep assurance and attacks from the enemy who does not want me to pray with such confidence. Add to that, hubby and I have considered a move to something away from where we are, leading us to a near offer and an actual offer on two places, but our hearts were unsettled and distracted from almost everything else. My biggest struggle was not knowing what was an I-want vs. what God wants. I was filled with positive and negatives from both sides, or so it seemed. We did agree that we wanted the will of God, but went to bed last night very uncertain what His will might be.

This morning, my hubby told of his wrestling during the night and that God gave him the clear answer to withdraw the offer, to not buy that house. It has some hidden and dangerous flaws, and we noticed three of them when doing a walk-through to figure out what needed to go where. God made His will clear. Besides, His will is not that we be distressed like we had been. (Matthew 11:30)

Today’s reading says this: “God is love, and His will can be nothing but love. He is full of wisdom, and His will must always be wise. He is omnipotent, and His will is baffled by nothing that can oppose…. The idea that our Father who loves us can want anything but our truest happiness is inconceivable. His will for us must be all that is best and most satisfying. Surely we can trust ourselves to it without a single shrinking or fearing thought….”

The reading adds that when we submit to His will we find “… this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

While that house had some features that were extremely attractive, knowing His answer to our struggle was NO brought instant relief and rest, not burdensome at all, and for both of us. Our deposit is still on our desk and while our realtor may wonder about our sanity, we are at peace with not pursuing this change in our lives at this time.

All we do know for certain, besides not buying that house, is that we are supposed to keep purging this one, getting rid of all that we do not need or use, and keep simplifying our lives. These next verses are not about our home, yet the principle applies to simplicity and focus:

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Therefore, if someone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)

This house search had become a huge distraction from what we do know is God’s will: to know and love Jesus, to walk with Him, and to share Him with others.

PRAY: Lord, the burden to pray for others almost got swept away by the burden to find ‘just the right place’ to live. But leaving that up to You erased our concerns and refocused us on the matters at hand, the things we know that You want from us. Praying in Your will is so powerful that our enemy stacked us with such huge distractions that praying became difficult. Thank You for Your saving power that has brought us to see what has been happening and be able to say YES to You with clarity.

This war is already won!

 

Today the devotional reading coincides with my experiences this week. Monday I prayed a long time about vital requests from others. That night the enemy hit me with a terrible dream that made me feel abandoned and lost. The next day God blessed me with a gift (more below) and that night I was hit again with a bad dream. These prayers are being answered and the enemy does not like it. We are also making plans that will affect our lives and Satan does not seem happy about that either. In other words, this week has been filled with spiritual warfare coupled with the calm assurance that God is in control. We tell of trusting Him to those around us. Satan isn’t happy with that either. Because of  this, I’m personalizing some of the reading. It fits with my thoughts and makes my heart rest, even in this battle.

The spies sent by Joshua into the promised land were helped by Rahab. She hid them from her countrymen who would have killed them. Her reason? She said:

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:8–11)

This week, while filled with ups and downs, God gifted me with a glimpse of Satan’s schemes. While I did not see the terror and faintness that has fallen on all the forces of evil, I did understand that these evil spirits see in God’s praying people the incredible way that God uses prayer to conquer their schemes and bring victories that cause His people to declare, “Only God” as the reason.

Knowing this means I can meet my spiritual enemies without that crippling fear and trembling that hit me after that first dream. Satan is already defeated and this gives me confidence that God has not only heard and will answer my prayers, but also the devil’s efforts to stop them will not work.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This slavery is not only the fear of death, but fear that God isn’t listening, that prayer is a waste of time, that I don’t know if my prayers are meaningful at all or just a bunch of I-wants. Jesus has ruined the plans of the evil one. He has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15) and He boldly declared:

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:31–32)

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) meaning not only his power to draw me into doubt and sin, but to ruin lives with all sorts of wicked schemes. Jesus will win because He has already won the greatest battle.

This is a fact; sin is a conquered foe and so is Satan. This fact and faith in it gives me the power to be dead to sin and victorious over temptation. I can march around cities, see the walls fall flat, and conquer all battles. He does that when I trust Him, not myself or anything else.

PRAY: Lord, I sense the importance of my prayers this week and the value of the decisions that face us. You alone are in charge. The enemy keeps sticking his lies into the mix and You continue to shut the door on all bait that he dangles in front of us. Oh how thankful I am for You and Your goodness.

NOTE: And the gift mentioned above? Remember the story of pink tulips. First read it here. Every week, my hubby meets with other men to study God’s Word and pray. One of those men reads my devotional posts and after he read that one, he told his wife about it. This week, he handed my husband a gift — from his wife to me. My hubby teared up. When he handed it to me, I sat down and sobbed. Not only is this unexpected and beautiful, it came to me just as I was trying to recover from that dream that made me feel hopelessly abandoned and unloved. God knew and Rosa and Phil, you listened. Your timing was perfect. I want to say thank you now and hopefully later, offering a big hug. This amazing gift looks wonderful on my front door and blesses me each time I think about it. Google even says: “The pink tulip is a symbol for caring and good wishes. It's perfect for a gift!”

I’m also reminds that TULIP has a meaning in Christianity as seen by Calvinists:

Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints

This makes your generosity and thoughtfulness even more special. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Discerning the enemy’s lies…

A few years ago I was being plagued by attacks from Satan, yet often was oblivious to the source of those lies or even that they were lies. God gave me a unique idea to help me be more discerning. When I read a passage of Scripture, I considered that the opposite of what it said would be this enemy’s way of challenging my faith. Doing this helped me recognize what was going on.

This seems an odd way to battle lies, but the NT says I need to be alert to any sort of false teaching and false teachers, and includes the ability of Satan to make himself look good:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13–15)

Here are some examples of God’s Word and how the enemy might twist it:

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)

Satan would say when I sin that I cannot really be saved and need to  keep every rule and law, and if I don’t, I will be condemned.

Even though God does not condemn forgiven sinners, He wants me to be like Him:

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:10–11)

Satan does not want forgiveness. He promotes resentment, retaliation, unnecessary confrontation, and battles between people. I’m not to be oblivious to the source of conflict and be ready to forgive rather than give in to his schemes.

Some of his schemes are blatant and easy to spot. Others are more subtle, such as his lies concerning this truth:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

Satan wants me to think that trials mean God does not love me, and that he has the upper hand. He hides any good purpose or benefit from being tested and tells me I am a failure and that my trials are punishment for my sins. He also suggests that I do something to get me out of all discomforting situations and avoid any submission to God’s purposes. His lies are designed to get my focus off the One who works all things for my good and to think only of myself and how to escape whatever is bothering me, or to blame myself for getting into this mess. Anything to keep me from trusting God to use it to build character and from focusing on the good that is coming.

Hindsight is usually clearer than what these situations suggest. The enemy wants me in a mess. Part of that mess is being so upset with things or diverted from truth that I quit trusting God, stop praying, and stop reading the Bible, even stop wanting to be with other Christians. Of course he does not want me to praise God or tell others about His goodness and His salvation plan. He will keep me busy with other things, not necessarily sinful in themselves but whatever will sidetrack obedience.

Two nights in a row I’ve had distressing dreams. They are vivid and related to life’s fears. Since God is not the author of fear, I know who is stirring my emotions. I also know this is a spiritual attack because the discomfort those dreams cause goes away as soon as I begin to praise the Lord. I cannot praise Him and doubt Him at the same time!

PRAY: Lord, the things I’ve been praying about are obviously not something this enemy wants done. He is aiming at my weaknesses and trying to stop me from trusting You. He is not very wise because weakness is when I trust You the most! I know that the weapons of spiritual war are the truths that You declare. Keep me thinking truth. I don’t want this enemy to interfere with hearing Your voice or with You hearing my heart. Lead me not into any temptation to quit, and deliver me from the evil one. May You be glorified.

 

Faith is about who I trust not how I think or feel…

 

A friend struggles with praying for a prodigal son. She trusts God when she can see results, but as soon as the son shows no interest, she panics that God is not listening to her prayers. This is the dilemma of a faith that relies on sight rather than on the promises of God. If that ‘faith’ was what God values, then a blind person could never trust God.

Today’s reading makes this statement that claims there are no different kinds of faith:

“Men talk about a feeling faith, a living faith, a saving faith, an intellectual faith, a historical faith, and a dead faith. But it is all a waste of words; for either we trust or we do not trust. If we trust, we have faith; and if we do not trust, we do not have faith; and that is all there is to it.”

The person who wrote this left out an important point: the object of faith. I’ve heard people say they ‘feel' God will answer, or it ‘makes sense’ that God will do it, and so on, or they rely on their own goodness to get into heaven, but my faith needs to trust in something more reliable than my feelings or my reasoning or my own goodness. God even says that all my righteousness is like filthy rags. The object of faith is always the Lord and what He says. Anything else is empty faith. Trust might be there, even a sincere trust, but the object of trust is faulty.

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. (Isaiah 40:18–20)

How can any created and inanimate object be worthy of worship? How can even the most costly likeness of anything give comfort in sorrow or even hear my prayers?

As for feelings, they are unreliable too. I had a bad dream last night and woke up filled with despair. Not one thing changed in my life but the dream was excessively negative. I even wanted to die. But how can a dream change what God says? For example:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:3–10)

Walking by sight falls short as well. Did God love me more today than yesterday because someone gave me an unexpected gift today? The Bible says that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) His love is expressed in blessings, but in their absence, I can still know He loves me:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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 us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37–39)

If I don’t feel loved, if I don’t see loving actions, if my friends turn away, if no one calls, does that mean God stopped loving me? Faith is Him and His Word, not in the up/down events of life or in emotions or observations — only in what He shows me about Himself.

PRAY: Jesus, You are the object of my faith. You promise to save me, keep me, take me to be with You. You keep your promises. No matter what is going on or not happening, You are totally reliable and I can trust You with all my heart. Thank You for being who You are!

The process of becoming God’s child…

When I make a quilt, the steps are in order: select pattern and fabric, cut as required, sew pieces as the pattern says, make a ‘sandwich’ with backing, batting and the finished quilt top, sew the layers together, finish with a bound edge or facing, then label and find a home for it. 

The process of becoming a Christian follows certain steps also. Their order: first believe there is a God and that He is there for me…

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)

Second, believe what He says about Himself. Many false gods and ideas exist so check out His Word. It says much more than I can grasp, but the essentials are there: He loves me and wants me to know Him through faith.

Next, believe what He says about my condition. For many, this is the most difficult part… “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) God also says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way” … even going our own way, no matter how good it looks, God calls it sin. (Isaiah 53:6)

Without these steps of acknowledging God and admitting my need, the process stops at that point. I cannot make a quilt with chunks and bits, but need to move forward. In salvation, moving forward means realizing and admitting that I fall short.

However, these first steps do not mean anyone can now become a Christian and start doing Christian things. Jesus says what is next and considered carefully:

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:28–40)

I cannot do “good works” without participating in the life of Christ. He will give me that life when my faith and hope is in Him, not in what I have done or want to do. The rest of the NT is clear that good works identify me as a Christian but they do not make me one. Only Christ can give forgiveness and eternal life, and both are in Him. He is my righteousness and my Savior.

Like quilting, after that “sandwich” is made and sewn together by the power of God and the internal dwelling of the Holy Spirit, only then can Jesus be fully realized and enjoyed. He gives me new life and changes everything.

PRAY: Lord, as I make quilts, I’m thinking of You and how You took me through the process of knowing Your existence, realizing Your goodness, seeing that I do not measure up to what You created me to be, and remembering that glorious moment when You gave me Your life and the faith to wholly trust You. While all this is ‘old hat’ in a way, reviewing redemption is a good idea. You remind me of what You rescued me from (a scrap bin) and that You are making my life like Your life; lovely and useful, like a quilt. May I always remember to confess both my sin and Your amazing goodness. This is Your power to make my life is a warm blessing to those around me, just like Your life is a total blessing to me.

The faith connection to prayer…

Yesterday included brief visits at our church brunch and a longer talk afterward while my hubby led the cleanup crew. These conversations involved prayer requests. Some were stated as such and others came to me as I listened to what friends were saying.

Today’s reading is about prayer and that Jesus tells us that when we “pray according to our faith it will be done to us” (Matthew 9:29) It has taken me many years to grasp the importance of what He is saying.

Faith is about believing what God says. So if I am praying according to my faith, that prayer must be based on what He says. Knowing the Word of God and praying accordingly, becomes the foundation and motivation for prayer, and includes one vital factor — I must believe what He says.

This isn’t about salvation faith, the belief in the gospel that gives me forgiveness and eternal life, but the faith that God is powerful and has a redemption plan for this world. This faith is general in that I believe God can make things happen, but specific in that I can pray specifically as long as my requests fit with what He reveals in His Word to me.

My first example is humorous, at least now. Many years ago our family was camping in a tent and a bear came to our campsite. It was night and the bear was bold. He kept running to our tent door. My hubby could smell its breath. My prayer? All I could think of was the words to an old song, “Lord, You saved Daniel from the lion’s den. For goodness sake do something about that bear.”

He did. Some very inebriated campers came and chased it away. Odd angels but when the shadow of the bear appeared on the side of our tent a few hours later, we were not afraid. God was with us… and I now realize my prayer had scriptural precedence — the story of Daniel.

Last month on the day our family reunion was going to begin, I was driving to the venue, pleased that God had cleared the smoky sky and lowered the temperature from very hot to normal. Much prayer for that as we had wildfires and a long heatwave that threatened our enjoyment of this event. But the wind was about 50 km and grass almost flat in the ditch. Jesus could command the wind, so I asked Him to do it and within a few minutes, it stopped. The weather that weekend was perfect.

I’m beginning to see the connection between faith and answered prayer. It isn’t just faith that God can do it, but faith based on His character and actions as revealed in the Bible. Applying this today, I can pray for the requests from yesterday. One involves a young person straying from her faith and letting weeds grow in her life, weeds that are choking her from being fruitful. Jesus talks about such an environment in the parable of the sower.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

Jesus exposes her problem. She is being choked or inhibited by worldly cares. The idea of being rich has also captivated her heart, is easy to see in conversations with her. She needs prayer that recognizes and resists these weeds. Jesus likens the heart’s need to be cleared from anything that prevents weeds from growing. Faith in His words helps me know how to pray.

Another request involved family rifts. I also know from the stories of Jacob vs. Esau and Joseph vs. his brothers that God wants family reconciliations, particularly between brothers. Also, the story of the prodigal tells how one came home to a brother who was not happy to see him. This was not God’s will. He wanted both brothers to be more like their father who patiently waited for both to live in love and truth, not in resentment and greed. From the Word of God, my faith tells me how to pray.

PRAY: And Jesus, I go now to pray for these people and for the other things You have put on my heart and on my prayer list. I know Your heart for lost souls and need to pray according to Your heart, not my “I wants” but faith that You will answer according to Your wants and Your plan. Grant me both faith and wisdom as I pray.

My heart’s desires...

 

My sister, now with Jesus, was my best friend. One time she went with me to take art lessons. She was not good at it, but supported me entirely. Later her work as a store owner became tiresome at times so she decided to take art lessons. Her instructor was strict and made her erase mistakes until she got it right. Eventually she was teaching classes to children and after one still life class she decided to draw a set-up none of the class had selected. It was an arrangement of hockey equipment and her drawing impressed a young man and also one of her sons. He had connections and eventually secured a contract with the NHL for his mom to do hockey art featuring major league jerseys. She wound up with a website and doing work for home teams as well.

In the meantime, I painted wildlife and animal portraits. I had an agent who sold my work, but eventually the desire to paint dwindled and I started writing. Several thousand articles later, most of them published, eventually became less of a desire. One day I saw a quilt on a magazine cover that depicted golfing and decided to make it as a gift for my husband. When finished, I was amazed at the satisfaction of creating and giving away the result. Years later, I’m still quilting and although I’ve won ribbons, I seldom show my quilts, mostly making them for people who need them. The satisfaction of giving them away has been a continual delight.

All this to say that for my sister, who loved Jesus passionately, and for myself whose delight in the Lord grew to the same, we both found the truth of this verse:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

This does not say He will give me whatever I want, but that He gives me the ‘I wants’ — that the desires that come into my heart are from Him. For that, sis and I both knew we were doing what God wanted us to do. That didn’t mean we understood it! I was amazed at the development of her skill in both oils and pen and ink and she could not understand why I quit painting and writing to work with fabric. But since we both delighted ourselves in Jesus, it was a mutual appreciation.

Both of us learned contentment with life from our mother too. She often said, “We must need this or we would not be getting it.” The “this” was weather, hardship, good times, whatever came along. It marked her trust in Almighty God who is sovereign and her faith resulted in not fighting life but taking it as it comes. The context of the above verse is today’s praise:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:1–6)

It goes on, mostly encouragement to not envy the prosperity of wicked people, but also has snatches of why this contentment is possible. We have a God who makes incredible promises of prosperity and blessing. He upholds us, grants abundance, generosity, and picks us up when we fall. He makes our children a blessing, gives us wisdom, puts His will in our hearts, and is our stronghold. In life is over here, we have eternal life with Him.

PRAY: Lord, my relationship with my sister is one of many examples of Your amazing goodness. It and so many other blessings fill me with wonder of You. How could I not delight in You and the  assurance I have from knowing that when this delight (that You also give me) is part of my life, then I know that what I want is from You also. You are a gracious God who puts good desires in my heart. Thank You.
 

Are tempting thoughts sinful?

An elderly pastor was asked if evil thoughts were sinful. He said, “A bird can fly over your head, just don’t let it build a nest in your hair.”

Not too long ago, I had dreams where I was doing sinful things. When I asked God about it, He said, “Would you rather do those things in real life so I could show you your sinful desires?”

Today’s reading says that sinful thoughts are not sin. However, Jesus said they are the root of sin. When asked about failing to do human commands such as a hand-washing ritual or other ‘rule’ He said:

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:17–20)

Not only that, Jesus also said that thinking lustful thoughts was the same as committing the action. From this and other verses, I understand that evil thoughts are not always Satan’s idea. Human sinfulness is capable of all sorts of notions that defile us. They can be fleeting, like a bird flying over my head, but if I dwell on them and then act on them, these roots of sin grow and will ruin my life.

James put it this way:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13–15)

Last week someone did something that was inappropriate and angered me. This week I thought of what I would do if that happened again. My plan was not gracious, but retaliation of an unkind sort. As I did my chores, I rehearsed this plan. This bird was building its nest. Confession and repentance is needed.
Temptation happens because of two things. One is that my sin nature is prone to sinful thoughts and actions. Two is that Satan tells me lies that appeal to that sin nature, like a fisherman uses bait to catch a fish. The fish will not go for the bait unless there is a hunger within. A satisfied fish cannot be lured by something it does not want.

These two metaphors of a bird and fishing emphasize the need to watch out for what one Christian called “stinkin’ thinkin’” because they show the danger of temptation — if it appeals to a desire for a resting place or something to satisfy a need, then it is going to bring my sinful desire out in the open for one or the other. When that happens, that desire needs attention. I must confess it as sin because it is one of those “I want what I want when I want it” things, rather than being rooted in and satisfied in Jesus Christ.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Thinking about evil is not a sin? I don’t agree. Apart from having the mind of Christ to enable me to obey this verse, I’m a sitting duck for that bird and that bait (oops, mixed metaphors again). My old nature may not show up in life like it does in bad dreams, and the lures Satan presents may not interest me, but if they do, then the sin is in me, not in the dream or the bait.

PRAY: Jesus, I don’t need nests in my hair or any other resting place for sin. I don’t need anything the enemy offers, and I do not want to be a target. However, I’m glad that You can use these things to show me what I need to confess and how I need to more deeply trust You. You are definitely my Lord and Savior, and I thank You for taking care of me, warts and all.

Weakness is okay...

If I am without faith at times, I must also be a lazy person. Today’s reading begins with this and it is a problem that I don’t recall ever having. It says: “Most Christians commit things to the Lord when on their knees, and then the moment they rise from their knees they take the burden all back on their own shoulders.”  I don’t take back jobs I give away.

Or it could be that the Lord has finally got it through my thick head that I am weak, unable to do much of anything without Him. Of course I’m not talking about things like brushing my teeth or putting on my socks, but even as I write this, I realize that day could come.

Getting older brings weakness of body and mind. Daily I’m praying for physical strength and clear thinking, yet the strength God gives is also about trusting Him for things like the ability to be kind and thoughtful to others, to have compassion and comfort for those in trials, to encourage and be a blessing rather than ignoring or dismissing those who are burdened. He wants me to trust Him for the well-being and salvation of others, and to have His way in this messy world.

Learning to rely on Jesus is a lovely thing. Faith replaces worry and self-effort, but the one thing it does not remove is pride in my ability to trust God when encountering those who have the problem as described above, those who are constantly giving their burdens to God then taking them back on their own shoulders. I keep wanting to sermonize, yet realize my efforts will do more harm than good.
Verses do come to mind. God wants me to trust Him with everything, but not let pride motivate faith or ruin this God-given ability to trust Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first-fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:5–12)

The wise writer of this proverb notes the motivation for trusting God is not pride. I’m not to ‘lean on’ what I think or boast in me even inwardly, but acknowledge Him. I’m to fear God and honor Him. I’m also to be under His discipline and reproof, indicating that when I get uppity about things, even my faith, He will reprimand me. Trusting God is nothing to brag about or a reason to lord it over those who are having a problem with their faith. God also says:

“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)

Actually, I cannot even boast that I understand and know God, except that it is true — not because I did anything to get there but because He introduced Himself to me and brought me into His family. It is always His mercy, not my merit.

PRAY: Jesus, forgive me for being critical and looking down my self-righteous nose at those who struggle to keep their focus on You and Your promises. My faith is not about me but a gracious gift from You that I did not earn and do not deserve. Motivate me to trust You so You are glorified, not me, and so others will not be intimidated, but instead be encouraged to rely on You also.

 

Good teaching includes the need to confess sin

 

It is well said that if no one learns, teaching has not occurred. In my experience of leading Bible studies and teaching Sunday classes, this is so true. It is also frustrating for the teacher if the reason for not learning is because people are not interested in the material or do not want to learn. Christian truths can have this effect — unless the message includes the Holy Spirit and His role to enable us to obey. We need reminding that He can overcome our old nature with its desire to rule and our sense of weakness. In fact, that weakness is vital in learning to walk in the strength of God and do what He says.

Today’s reading introduces this idea: “When communion (with God) fails, teaching comes in to take its place. Doctrines are looked to as the remedy for spiritual coldness and wandering. The effect at first seems blessed, but truth alone, without the Spirit, cannot reach the central home of the soul; and sooner or later, therefore, teaching also fails.”

The rest of the reading blows away more teaching as a failure and blames disciples for not going deeper. However, as a teacher I see the problem is usually about missing some vital elements in the curriculum. One of those is a good understanding of how the old nature tries to be what God wants us to be. This can make us seek fresh truth when we fail, but that is not the need. Instead, confession, forgiveness, and cleansing will begin the process of being able to walk with God. For this reason, I consider this verse the most important truth for spiritual growth:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

But there is another. It is this description of sin from the OT:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

My own way is a sin. Doing anything apart from the leading and power of the Holy Spirit is sin. This is so subtle that I can think spiritual ministry is okay even without prayer or that I don’t need the weakness that makes us strong in the power of the Holy Spirit. How much service is done for Christ but really done like the Pharisees served God — in their own way. To them and to me, Jesus says:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1–4)

Hypocrisy is not always about things like going to the church Sunday and beating your wife at home, or being sweet to the neighbors and cursing them behind their backs. It is also about being religious without the power of the Holy Spirit simply to impress people. It might even be sincere, but if it is “doing my own thing” it is sin.

Confessing blasphemy, lies, cheating, and such obvious sin is less difficult and more common. Confessing that I trust my own wisdom, power, and plans is rare. Many Christians don’t even realize the insult to God in thinking and acting as if I know better than He.

Sadly, rarely is the sermon on distinguishing the flesh from the Spirit, yet they are in constant conflict and I need to recognize the difference.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another…  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do… (Galatians 5:13–18)

PRAY: Jesus, when You make me aware of the flesh and my need to confess straying into that direction, You also grant the freedom of living by the Spirit. May I always be alert to what You say and obey all of it, lest I ignore You and the power Your Spirit — and the power of good teaching.

I Spy God…

Wildfires aside, we still love to drive through the mountains only a few hours from our home. Besides looking up at the grandeur of the peaks accented by incredible forests and color everywhere, a detail never fails to amaze me. How do trees grow out of rocks? Think of the power of a seed, and most of them do not even look like seeds, yet they sprout and roots reach through to nourishment and the trees grow, some of them even splitting the rocks apart.

Today’s reading likens the power of Christ in His people to that seed. It is a power that works in our weakness, meaning without Him we are unable to do the will of God. Not only that, it is a power that rules over all else, even those events and circumstances that threaten to overcome all goodness and the desires of our hearts.

I witnessed this power at our family reunion. People who seldom talk chatted with ease. Those who never met the others prior to this gathering were amazed by the love shown to them as were the others amazed by their interest in everything new. So many God-things happened that I felt like a bystander watching Him work — the same sort of feeling I get looking at a tree sprouting up through the rocks of an overwhelming mountain. God, how do You do that?

One thing I’m noticing in myself and in others is that we need to have a fuller concept of who God is and what He can do. If my ideas about God are faulty or inadequate, I don’t even notice His power at work.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)

For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. (Psalm 147:5)

These and other verses say it, but I also need to say it, to ask God to open my eyes to His wonders. This is needed because it is not part of my sinful nature to want this or see it.

When one granddaughter was about three, we went for a walk. I pointed to various things such as the sky, the grass, the flowers and said, “God made this for us to enjoy.” Finally I added, “And God made you too.” At that, she put her little hands on her little hips and declared, “No he didn’t.”

This is the built-in attitude of sin — a refusal to acknowledge God. I need to fight it. I need to look at the trees and think of them waving praise to God. I need to see His handiwork in creation and His mighty work to change lives in His people. Even those who do not believe will somehow display that they are made in His image, and even those who disagree and try to change what they are, I need to be thankful that only God can change lives.

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. (Jeremiah 13:23)

If we cannot do good without Him, I can be certain that even the evil anyone may do is under His control and supervision. I may not understand why or what God is doing or allowing, but I can be certain that He is at work: “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)

PRAY: Jesus, seeing Your hand in all of life has changed my life. Fear gives way to confidence for I know that You know what You are doing. Wars and tragedies, crime and human evil seem to win, but  You are not finished yet. The Bible is clear that at the end of it all, You are the winner, the One who is able to sprout seeds in a rock and make sense of a world that seems out of control. Keep my eyes on You.

We cannot even fake it...

The preaching in our church is such that a ‘pretend Christian’ likely would not stay long or at best stay that way. Transparent pastors who readily confess their shortfall from the pulpit as well as preaching grace rather than works puts a stop to Satan’s lie that we need to work hard to get into heaven. He tries to thwart the words of Jesus who said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

This ‘do it yourself’ idea is subtle. It appeals to our pride and to the world’s teaching about striving and about doing your best. It flies in the face of all sports and other competitions and enforces the idea of survival of the fittest. However God says:

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:20–25)

This is verified in that those who consider themselves wise want to rule their own lives. The  Pharisees said they didn’t want Jesus to rule over them. The same is true of many who think they have life figured out and do not need God. This passage goes on to say:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31)

This also fits with the Lord’s response to Paul, now considered one of the ‘stars’ in the family of God. However, when he’d been given much understanding along with visions from God, the enemy came at him with an unnamed “thorn in the flesh” and he prayed to have it removed.

But (Jesus ) 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 12:9–10)

Being a Christian cannot be faked. Pretense is a pride thing, a desire to look good even when I know I’m not what I should be. Pride is the opposite of being weak, and weakness without pretense is required to being filled with the wisdom and righteousness of God. I cannot fake it. I cannot even fake being weak. Being “in Christ” is about thinking and walking in His way, His truth, His life. I cannot impress the wonder of new life to Him or anyone else by pretending, role-playing, or any form of doing it myself.

PRAY: Jesus, You know what it is like to drop all that You are and become a servant. You know the reality of weakness — Almighty God born in a manger, in a human form, able to control the wind and rain and rise from the dead, yet unable to disobey the heart that was willing to die for sinners. I face the rest of my life not knowing how it will end here, yet like You, there is joy set before me and the wonder of why You died becomes my strength in these days of weakness and not knowing. That You would fill me with Your same Spirit is both a mystery and a great amazement. I give thanks that in all this, I am never alone.

Being ready for the King…

 

This week we have been considering our future. We live in a small but lovely gated community with 15 units. However, there is no provision for the problems of aging. If one or both of us becomes unable to manage, we would have to hire help.

Instead of that, there are other communities where seniors can live independently and move to a nearby facility that gives partial care and then another that gives extended care. Instead of moving when we need to move, could it be wiser to move now when we are capable?

The plan of God for His people is being prepared, but this plan is not about aging and the end of life. It is about the return of Jesus. We are supposed to be ready for that by knowing what He wants from His people and knowing what will happen when that time arrives.

These days, with an evil mess extending to all parts of the world, some Christians are certain that the end times are culminating and Jesus will soon be here. That could be so, but even if it is not, I know that I need to listen to Him and do what He says. He does not reveal dates and times, but He does tell us what it will look like — all life will change, except God is the same. He sits on His throne. In the OT, Isaiah saw it and someday I will see it too:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14)

At the end of the NT, this vision is fulfilled: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 22:1) And they will reign forever and ever!

Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Your kingdom come” and that fits with what the OT teaches:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:5–6)

Yet Jesus also said that His kingdom was near or they were not far from it, and even that it had already arrived…

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20–21)

When Jesus promised ‘eternal life’, he wasn’t so much thinking of never-ending life (though it included that); he was promising life that is characteristic of God’s kingdom being available to us right now; a life so powerful that it bursts through the doors of death and will continue in the life to come in even fuller expression.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

So how do Christians live in that kingdom until entering its fullness? By being filled with the Spirit of God, ceasing from self-rule, knowing I cannot do it and aware of my helplessness, yielding to Him. He gives me His thoughts, directions, ideas, love, peace, joy and all fruit of the Spirit and puts His hand in this ‘glove to move me as He wills. And I know it is Him for He is on the throne of my life…

I have been’ crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

PRAY: Lord Jesus, life in Your kingdom is all about You and a grand glimpse of eternity. The more You rule my heart, the more excited I am to be there for I am already being made ready for what is to come later. Help me trust You for all decisions and activities while still here, keeping in mind that it does not matter much where I live, but that I live in You!

Weakness is my strong point?

 

Today’s reading begins with: “One of the laws of life is that all plants must yield fruit after their own kind. I must be content, therefore, to be the type of plant and bear the type of fruit the divine Husbandman pleases. We do not always like to be what God has made us to be.”

This speaks of spiritual gifts and the list in Romans 12 where Christians are told to act on who they are. The NT sometimes relates this to body parts too. Not everyone has the same gifts nor bears the same spiritual fruit, we are to recognize what God wants from us and realize that while all Christians can bear fruit using every gift, the dominant one or two shape our ministry and even our personality.

Years ago when teaching a class on spiritual gifts, one of the women in the class was obviously an encourager, sometimes called the mouth of the Body. This gift points to the positive and to possibilities to help others move forward in their faith and ministry. However, she decided she was a prophetic discerner, a gift that discerns the will of God, who sees things in black and white terms, and who prays much. This decision meant that she wound up being fruitless in both areas.

The reading for today warns against trying to be something we are not. While the Holy Spirit can enable a sympathetic ear at a funeral or in a hospital room, I know my main gift is not compassion. I do want folks to feel good, but am more focused on helping them think right, to have their minds renewed so their comfort and sense of well-being is rooted in faith and God’s Word rather than in sympathy and hugs.

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 12:2)

These and other verses about who God is and His grace and power to transform our thinking are a focus for me and fuel my desire to move other Christians into thinking God’s way instead of the world’s way. I know that when they do, the contentment they seek will be there and it will help them through great trials.

The thing about fruit-bearing and using spiritual gifts is knowing that divine strength will be made perfect in human weakness — but who likes to feel weak? Paul didn’t. He had a problem and wanted the Lord to fix it, but finally learned why he felt so needy…

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 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 12:7–10)

The reading says that this law of spiritual life means our part is to supply the weakness, whereas God’s part is to supply the strength. He does this in an almost mysterious way so that I feel my weakness but others see His strength. If a berry bush could talk, it might tell how bearing fruit makes it feel tired — but all we see are the delicious berries!

PRAY: Jesus, I sometimes desire to take Your part and try to be strong. But I know that life in You does not work that way lest. I wind up being discouraged and fruitless. Human and worldly thinking assumes strength to be effective and that I must be confident and filled with courage, not weak and helpless. But the Word of God says that my weakness is my greatest strength. This is an important lesson. Keep me in Your classroom!