Created for our blessing

Weeks ago I heard that “all the world’s problems would vanish if everyone was thankful” and while this quote astonishes many, the truth of it keeps coming back, sometimes as a hug and sometimes as a kick in the pants. How can I gripe? God reminds me often of His blessings. 
Today, reading Charnock’s section on God’s goodness, I am reminded again and will try to condense what he wrote and be thankful for who God is and all that He does…

God richly furnished the world for us, not a palace for Himself but all the  ‘furniture’ is for us as a mark of His goodness. He covered it with a glorious heaven, floored it with a solid earth spread adorned with a splendid tapestry. At first, waters covered the earth, but He drained them into the proper channels that they turn not again to “cover the earth” but to provide for our needs.

He set up lights in the heaven to direct us and regulate the seasons. Both sun and moon light the earth. The air is His aviary, the sea and rivers His fish-ponds, the valleys His granary, the mountains His decor, yet the creatures are for our nourishment, plus metals for our use, plants to maintain our lives; rain that renders the earth fruitful, and He gives all that will nourish and delight us.

He gives for our welfare, either as food to nourish us when we are healthy, or as medicine to cure us when we are not, or garments to clothe us when we are naked or cold, or refreshment when we are weary, or delight when we are sad. He adds what is necessity for ornament, either to spread our table or beautify our dwellings, or furnish our closets, or store our possessions. 

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. (Proverbs 3:19–22)
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. . . .   (Psalm 104:24)

He gave us a variety of senses and provided a variety of delights for every sense; the beauty of light and color, the harmony of sound, the fragrancy of odor, and delicious tastes for our palates. He makes us enjoyers as well as spectators, and gives us to use as well as see and knowledge by putting the sun in the heavens to expose all beauty and convenience to our sight; and the candle of the Lord in us to expose all their inward qualities and helpfulness to our knowledge, that we might be served by and rejoice in all of His Creation. He not only appeals to our curiosity, but gratifies our senses. He even provides places to live, not like Eden yet whatever will meet our needs.

While we grumble over the hard work and challenges that came as a result of the first people eating from the one tree forbidden to them, we cannot say that tree was a sign of God's ill-will toward us. The problems we have are a result of saying no to Him and being unthankful for this  God who only wants the very best for us.

And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:25–26)

PRAY: Oh dear Jesus, You have put me here in a bountiful place — like a city with well-furnished shops, all kinds of commodities, yet I so easily miss or ignore Your goodness. Forgive me for lack of thankfulness at times — when You are so faithful to provide all things for my needs and my use. You answer small and large prayers, and take care of every problem and even quickly inform me of my part in creating them, and my need to confess and repent. I’m tired of falling short, longing for the perfection that lies ahead, yet know that Your plans for me remain and that You will use the events of life, even my own resistance and foolishness to teach and shape me so I will always delight in You and be thankful for all things. You are loving me in this place and I am so slow to learn and be thankful for Your great goodness.

Finding Joy in God

The husband of a quilting friend dropped into our gathering with their first grandchild. She is four months old and quickly became the delight of the day. She didn’t perform or do anything for us but just be herself and we enjoyed her.

This is the kind of joy that yesterday’s post described, a joy in God simply for who He is, whether He is doing anything for us or not. But unlike the baby, we cannot see Him. We can see what He does and when that seems right or feels good, it is easy to be joyful for that reason, yet when life is full of rotten apples and we know He is sovereign, then what? How can the glory of God be my source of joy when the evidence is not there?

Faith says it. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 1:11) but if this is missing, then Jesus is that evidence. He said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6–7)

The Holy Spirit is the source of ‘knowing’ what God is like, but also the source of the joy that goes with this knowledge:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9–10)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

I see in the Colossians verses that knowing must result in obedience and in the fruit bearing of the Galatians verses. Putting this together, seeking the will of God and doing what He says is a big part of ‘increasing in the knowledge of Him’ so that I can find my joy in who He is, along with what He does.

Obedience is important. It is like walking a dark path with a flashlight; the only way to see what is ahead is to take the next step, and the next, and the next. His Word outlines this:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3–8)

If I add to my faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection and love, then my knowledge of God increases too, just as John says:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (1 John 2:3–4)

The bottom line is this: if I want to know God better so that my joy is in Him and not just in what He does for me, then I need to do as He says. This involves spiritual growth and focus, not ever doing ‘my thing’ but obeying Him.

PRAY: So simple, Jesus, yet that ‘my’ stuff can be hard to shake. Only You can save me from myself and the peril of ignoring, neglecting, or not even knowing what You want from me. I hear You saying, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) Increase that desire in my heart.

God reveals Himself in my JOY!

 

Today’s devotional had nothing for me so I looked in a more recent publication where Piper writes about the rare teaching of Jonathon Edwards, a man who taught a rarely heard solution to all Christian problems. Piper’s classic “The Pleasures of God” just before the one about Edwards, and has encouraged many believers. It describes what Edwards taught, that our focus needs to be simply enjoying God for who He is and how I need to love the Lord for His own greatness and beauty. I also must distinguish it from love that delights only in His gifts. It is love in which my pleasure is in God himself.

This is a vital issue. How easily I love health, prosperity, answered prayers, warm fellowship, all the good things God blesses me with, but where is my joy if these are withheld? Does it fly out the window and leave me feeling unloved, not cared about? Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a few friends and came home sad, telling hubby that if I had not been there, no one would have missed me. Yikes. Joy in God? Or joy in His blessings?

It is easy to write about the basics of the gospel, about God’s glorious perfections, man’s fallen nature, the wonders of redemptive history, the magnificent work of redemption in Christ, the saving and sanctifying work of grace, our Christian conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and our hope of everlasting joy with our Lord, but much harder to live it. 

I don’t what to be a hypocrite — all talk and no do. I want the mind-shaping knowledge and the transforming enjoyment of God and His glory. I don’t want my knowledge of Him to rest lightly on me as it does on so many. One person says, “It is this God, majestic and holy in his being, this God whose love knows no bounds because his holiness knows no limits, who has disappeared from the modern evangelical world.” I don’t want that, and now see how deeply revival is needed, but it must start with me.

God does everything that He does—absolutely everything—for the sake of displaying His glory. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. Nothing exists or remains without His word. Everything has its reason for existing and nothing can be understood apart from Him. All understandings that leave Him out are superficial understandings since they leave out the most important reality in the universe. This is stated in what I read, and I believe it. This needs to be more than that faith but also action. I must share it for declaring His glory is the purpose behind why He created the universe. Edwards stated it something like this: 

God is glorified by appearing and revealing Himself in His Son, who is the brightness of His glory. He also enjoys and delights in Himself, by flowing forth in His Holy Spirit. He also glorifies Himself by appearing to our understanding and by communicating Himself to our hearts. In other words, when I rejoice and delight in His revealing of Himself, He is glorified, not only that His glory is seen, but rejoiced in my mind and heart, and that glory shines out to all those around me. 

Only hypocrites make ‘self’ the foundation of their joy, but a true follower of Jesus Christ is inexpressibly pleased and delighted with the glorious nature of God. This is vital for I must deny self, “choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Hebrews 11:25) to walk with Him: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) That is to say, self-life is the cause of all sorrow and self-denial “destroys the root of sorrow.” Consider these verses:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (Matthew 5:11)
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2–3)
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. (Acts 5:41)
For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. (Hebrews 10:34)
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. (Hebrews 12:2)

The pursuit of His joy doesn’t contradict suffering — it carries it. This joy is a faith matter, not walking by sight that perceives only the comfortable stuff as good:

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, (1 Peter 1:8)

PRAY: Jesus, for years Christians have been told not to let emotions control our lives, yet this is an error. Joy indicates the power and fruit of the Holy Spirit. If joy is missing then the Holy Spirit is not filling me. I’m not to seek joy any other way. That would be idolatry. And 1 John 1:9 always tells me what to do if joy is missing. Now You show me again the deep reason why joy is so vital — it is the way to display Your glory.

Why the small blessings?

 

Today brings another thought; why does God take such great care for the smallest things? I get answers regularly for prayers about parking places, ideas for making quilts, unexpected help from workers who have fixed things in our home, the rapid growth of garden seeds, even God’s voice guiding me in shopping, or who to call today, and what to put on my chore list — a host of ordinary stuff being blessed. 

I’m reading about the goodness of God. Charnock says just creating things was not the main reason for their existence. God made all things good and rested because they were good — naturally useful to the universe, even as shadows of His own goodness. Not only that, He made all things good and useful to His supreme creation — human beings made in His image.

The Bible says, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:9) even as we might wonder “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:4–5) We are a display of His goodness — He made humanity after His own image, not animals, not birds or trees, bugs or flowers; but people who bear the marks of their good Creator.

Charnock goes farther to say that all of creation was made good to serve the use of humanity. Water, sunshine, plants and animals, even each other, everything was given to us because of the goodness of God. Everything. Even parking near the door, drapery salesmen who happened to be firemen and able to hang a painting in an impossible place, seeds that sprout twice as fast as the label says, all the little blessings are from His goodness.

But what if these blessings are missing? Charnock says that the “treasons” or sin of humanity against God brought misery upon that which was framed for the use of humanity. The free gift of eternal life is forfeited and that which was made good for our use will “bear the marks of His sovereign fury.”

God’s story tells how Adam forfeited all by sin and then the world became resistant to human use. Thorns and thistles, hard work. God sent a flood to renew creation, yet this renewal did not last. God planned that, “The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.” (Genesis 9:2–3) yet warned that with disobedience would come great consequences:

“But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. (Leviticus 26:14–20)

God’s goodness desires obedience. God loves us, loves what belongs to us, but disobedience brings judgment upon sinners and their goods. At the same time, no one can boast that obeying brings a rich life, for that comes from God’s goodness, not mine, and yet it is available to all through faith in Jesus Christ and the redemption God offers — in His goodness!

PRAY: Lord, You tell me to obey because living for You brings blessing. Your pure goodness cannot bless disobedience. It is folly to think that I could do whatever flies in the face of Your image in which I was created. Thinking of Your goodness in itself is a blessing, and I am even more grateful for Your answers to my ‘little’ prayers, for in them You affirm that walking with You is the only way You intend me to live.

Strength in weakness?

An online video says that to be strong in painful events and difficult circumstances means to respond to them with acceptance, even indifference. It speaks of realizing one’s helplessness to change things and that the only course of action is to live with it. 

This morning I did a search in Scripture for the term “be strong” and found that God’s way to do it is far more empowering than just living with problems. These examples reveal that God is with me to do whatever seems too difficult for me, and it His promises and presence give me His strength. My part in it is remembering where power comes from and not missing out on that power by disobedience or trying to tackle the problem without Him:

You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess. (Deuteronomy 11:8)
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7–9)
And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” (Joshua 10:25)
But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” (2 Chronicles 25:8)
Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezekiel 22:14)
Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, (Haggai 2:4)

My part is not just knowing God is with me, and being obedient, but patiently waiting for Him. This means waiting for His instructions and for the peace and power that He gives. It also means realizing, admitting, and even being glad that I cannot handle any challenges in my own strength. 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)
And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” (Daniel 10:19)
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. (Ephesians 6:10)
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)

Being watchful for His commands and standing firm comes to those who wait, not reluctantly or helplessly, but with the attitude that He is in charge and something good will come from this if I leave it to Him, do what He says, and remain confident rather than panic — for fear is not from God. Nor is my weakness an obstacle for His strength, but rather an opportunity.

PRAY: Lord, I don’t know why You are speaking to me about fear and trusting You is trials. It could be that trials are on the doorstep? But I know what You say is good because You are good. I also know my mom’s mantra is good too (“We must need it or we wouldn’t be getting it!”) so I will trust You, regardless of circumstances, and be strong, not in myself but in You and Your strength and goodness.

Coworkers with God…

 

The strategy of God and my experience in trying to reach people for Christ lead to one conclusion: God prepares and persuades and my efforts are part of that — or not. Unless He awakens sinners, opens their hearts, draws them, empowers the gospel, and calls the lost, my efforts could be in vain. I need to rely on His leading to be part of His plan. These and other verses are clear:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) 
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. (1 Corinthians 1:23–24)
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

God can use Gospel preaching as He did in Acts, and in the work of people like Billy Graham, and many pastors and ordinary Christians. One NT example of how to reach others is Philip who was told to speak to a Ethiopian man who was reading Isaiah and wanted to know the meaning. After Philip pointed him to Jesus, he believed and wanted to be baptized, then continued his journey. (Acts 8:26-39)

It was Paul’s practice to preach first in the synagogues and hoping to reach receptive Jews. He also relied on the Holy Spirit’s leading:

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6–10)
And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” (Acts 16:13–15)
On other occasions, Paul reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some heard of the resurrection of the dead, and some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” He left, but some men and women joined him and believed. (Acts 17:17–34)

Today’s devotional reading ends with a reminder that I am a partner with the Holy Spirit and  should be alert to those who are beginning to be awakened by His grace. This means seeking those who are looking for Him and put my efforts in drawing them closer to Him. This is a challenge because many people are quiet in their search.

PRAY: Jesus, You have gifted some in evangelism yet call all of us to cooperate with Your work in drawing people to Yourself. It is my challenge to not only pay attention, but to obey whatever You tell me to do or say, not always aware of how You will use it, but trusting You with the results. I can plant seeds, but You alone can make them grow.

Defeating Fear

In talking with someone about her fears, I’m prompted to think about my own. I’m not afraid of mice, spiders, or someone breaking into my house. Sometimes I think about losing my husband or others dear to me. I would not welcome the destruction of fire. Most of my fears are incidental and short-lived, like the fear of saying the wrong thing and messing up a relationship, or losing my memory which would make life more challenging. 

Today’s reading comes from a book on everyday prayers. The author quotes a verse that deals with bigger fears:

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10–11)

Because Jesus died for me, and because I believe it and say so, and because I am not fearful of dying (maybe just the unknown process), I can affirm that while the shenanigans of Satan often take me by surprise, lack of fear conquers his accusations and efforts to turn me from faith. Most of the time. For if they do, my Jesus is determined to rescue me.

Yesterday, a strange thing happened. I don’t always blame the devil for all problems for not all of them are directly related to his lies, but if they divert me from trusting Jesus, he’s usually in there with some sort of accusation to provoke fear. This time it was unexplained pain.

We walked a lot on Sunday. Monday began okay but by lunch time my right heel tendons were swollen and so painful that I couldn’t think of anything else. Walking was difficult. Nothing eased it except putting my foot in a bucket of ice cold water, but even that didn’t help much.
How is this related to the devil’s schemes? Pain turns my thoughts to self, usually self-pity. This time it made me wonder if it would heal and go away. I know people who are in pain all their lives. How much would this stifle all my plans for even the next few days? Thinking of these things was not obsessive as the pain was so bad I couldn’t think of much else, but this morning, reading this verse and the prayer, reminded me of my real enemy and his tactics. The prayer author wrote:

Dear Lord Jesus, even as these words first thundered from heaven by a loud voice, so shout this good news into my heart today. What a focusing and freeing perspective on spiritual warfare. We live in the “now” of your salvation, power, kingdom, and authority, Lord Jesus—not the “not-so-long-from-now” but the now. You’re calling us to warfare, not war-fear.

He then quoted Martin Luther and the last line of the quote tells me how, in this situation, I can fight with a word of testimony — even alone in my house, I can sing the praises of Jesus, the Prince of Peace who has gloriously triumphed over the Prince of Darkness!

I might not have the ability to remove pain, but I can remember the One who defeated the Liar and did not shrink from death that I could be set free from its fear. I overcome because of Jesus, and fears get replaced with deep joy. Jesus empowers His people from all darkness in our hearts and all the fears that Satan tries to put there. Not only that, even though he prowls around looking for those he can devour, You have him on a short leash. 

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

PRAY: Lord Jesus, as the author of this book of prayers says, I can overcome, not by my muscle or even positive thinking, but by your mercy. Your Word says that the Holy Spirit can and will declare the gospel so loudly in my heart that it drowns out Satan’s constant efforts to keep me from trusting You. You are stronger and Your way of victory is greater than all his schemes. For that, I am humbly grateful. Amen!

Greek grammar matters…

 

Sometimes a Sunday message from the Lord is such a great blessing that I want to think about it for days. Sometimes the devotional reading is like that too. Usually I hear something from the Holy Spirit as I read it along with Scripture, then record what I heard, not always the same as whatever the devotional writer wrote or said. However, today, what John Piper wrote is such a great blessing that I want to glue it to my heart. He begins with one verse and a lesson in Greek grammar: 

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Piper points out that “demonstrates” is present tense and “died” is past tense. The present tense implies an ongoing act that keeps happening in today’s present and tomorrow’s present, which we call the future. However, the past tense implies that the death of Christ happened once for all and will not be repeated. 

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)

Most readers would expect this sentence to say, “God demonstrated [past tense] His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” because that demonstration happened in the past, but there is a clue in the context why this tense was used:

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3–5)

In other words, God’s goal in the stuff of life is to give us hope even though most of us feel very hopeless in our troubles. They would not be troubles if we didn’t! But the secret is that God pours His love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He did this at conversion and keeps doing it, as indicated again by the tense of the verb.

Note: Greek is like that. It has more verb tenses than English and often the tenses reveal truths that don’t appear in most translations.)

The point here is that God gives assurance and enjoyment of His love so that His children can actually grow in hope through the tribulations of life. As is written, tribulation works perseverance and proven character and unashamed hope because, at every point along the way, the Spirit of God is assuring us of the love of God in and through all the troubles.

This explains why verse 8 uses the present tense — it describes the work of the Holy Spirit referred to in verse 5. While God did demonstrate his love for us in giving his own Son to die once for all in the past for our sins, He knows that this past love must be experienced as a present reality if we are to have patience and character and hope. Therefore he not only demonstrated it on Calvary, he goes on demonstrating it now by the Spirit. He does this by opening the eyes of our hearts to see the glory of the cross and the guarantee it gives. That truth is summed up at the end of the chapter:

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)

PRAY: Life in Christ proves the point. You love me, no matter what I do and no matter what happens to me. You use it for my good (to transform me) and for Your glory. This fills my heart with not only hope, but with great joy!

Becoming Holy?

The wallpaper on my laptop has a sunset scene with the words, “Be still and know that I am God.” The verse for today on my Bible program says:

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)

A few weeks ago I ‘googled’ holy and one thesaurus had 109 synonyms and antonyms for this word. Another had 304. A dictionary of Bible words says holiness is the quintessential characteristic of God. “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2) It adds, that something or someone becomes holy when  withdrawn from common use for divine use — thus the idea of setting apart. To remove something from the realm of the holy is to “profane” or “make [it] common.” 

In other words, a holy person is more like God — in whose image we were created. This image is marred by sin, but by faith in Christ and the astonishing power of the Holy Spirit, those who belong to Jesus are promised great changes. These mentioned in the above verse are reminders to me of what holiness generally looks like. The NT says this:

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16–18)

This is a reality, yet who is there yet? Obviously, as the verse says, there is cleansing to be done and that holiness or being set apart for God is one of those ‘now and not yet’ aspects of being a Christian. I’ve yet to experience the fullness of “bringing holiness to completion.”

In today’s reading, John Piper illustrates holiness in action using the life of John Owen, a theologian who lived in the 1600s. He served politically as Oliver Cromwell’s chaplain and frequent speaker to Parliament, denominationally as the point man for all the controversies between Congregational and Presbyterian Puritans, theologically as the foremost Puritan defender of Calvinistic truth, academically as dean and vice chancellor in the University of Oxford, pastorally serving churches in and around London almost all his adult life, even when it was illegal to gather, and personally with a family of eleven children, ten of whom died while young, followed by the eleventh when she was a young adult. He also authored several books that have influenced many. 

In all this activity and tragedy, Owen’s passion was not public performance, but personal holiness. He said, “My heart’s desire unto God, and the chief design of my life … are that … universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and ways of others.”

This man also said, “What better preparation can there be for [our future enjoyment of the glory of Christ] than in a constant previous contemplation of that glory in the revelation that is made in the Gospel.”

Owen and the Word of God challenge me. No idols, meaning nothing is more important than the worship and contemplation of Jesus Christ, honoring Him in all activities of my life, as insignificant as they are compared to what this man did. His life, as he said, was not about a list of what he did but about the depth of his love and devotion to the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, when I quilt, I am motivated by seeing excellent examples made by others. When I see Christians like BT who is physically a mess yet always joyful, I stop complaining about my small aches and pains. When You show me saints like John Owen (and John Piper too) I realize ‘completed holiness’ is the goal in life to aim for, and the method is having a constant focus on You and Your glory. Make that more real in each of my days. I know it cannot happen apart from Your amazing grace.

Slow down and wait

When reading the Bible verses that tell me to wait on the Lord, I tend to think that I’ve a need and am waiting for the answer to a prayer request, or that I want something to happen and am waiting on God for it. Those thoughts are much like standing in line waiting to get to the object of the lineup, or even like the child on a journey that is saying, “Are we there yet?”

Today’s thoughts are prompted by one verse that says, “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:6) My first thought was like a child waiting for supper to be ready or a shopper waiting for the store to open, that kind of waiting. However, God reminds me to look at the context. The psalmist has a specific in mind that I was not considering…

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:1–8)

If read as an entire prayer, this Bible writer is asking for mercy. He remembers that no one could stand before God without His forgiveness and seems to be asking for that. He desires it so he will be done with his own sinful ways, just like a watchman waits for his night shift to be over so he can return home. He knows that forgiveness comes, just as a watchman knows that morning is not far away and the darkness of night will not last forever. He encourages readers to hope in the Lord because He loves them and because with Him there is an abundance of redemption, enough for all the sin of all the people.

In other words, this writer is telling me that when I confess my sin, wait on the Lord for the forgiveness and cleansing He will give:

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)

Don’t take sin, even the confession of sin, lightly. Wait until He does as He promises and I have that awareness of forgiveness and know that the sin I confessed is wiped from my record. Don’t quickly or lightly say the words then jump back into ‘life as usual’ but give thought about the wonder of this gospel, the wonder of a merciful and forgiving God for those who trust Him. Live out the gospel rather than rush back to ‘normal.’

PRAY: Jesus, far too often life in the fast lane. How many times have I said “oops” to You and then too quickly gone back into that lane without thinking about Your love and the size of Your heart, about the redemption made possible at the cross. That in itself seems sinful as well. May I never take for granted that without You I would only be a watchman waiting in the dark with no hope for the light of walking with You or being filled with the truth of Your love and mercy. 

 

Where do thoughts come from?

Last night I had two totally unrealistic dreams. In one I was golfing with two balls tied together and scored no matter which one went in the cup. The other was at a funeral and the director was scolding me and my sister for not having flowers. He then described what each color and type of flower represented to prove his point. 

Now awake, I wonder where such nonsense comes from. My dad used to joke that dreams depended on what we ate for supper. Someone else told me that if you remember them, they have something to do with unresolved problems. I gave away my golf clubs a long time ago, and have never planned a funeral that left out flowers. Nor did I watch weird shows on television or read related books. Over-tired? Maybe.

Yesterday’s devotional reading was about knowing and deeply thinking about what God says. That does not fit either. However, Piper does quote verses like these:

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20)
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

Piper says that the Lord gives wisdom about the things He says in His Word, but he also quotes this verse:

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)

It makes me wonder if my silly dreams are included in “all things” being from Jesus. Could He be saying that the golf dream means I’m trying to play life with twice as much on my to-do list than is necessary? Or that I don’t add joyful thoughts (flowers) to the sad things of life? I must stretch my thinking to come up with metaphors like that. Even if they are accurate, the Lord is able to tell me so with greater clarity.

Piper does say that Jesus is the ground and goal of all thought, or at least He should be. It does not take a great deal of discernment to see that evil or childish thinking is not from Him. I could waste a lot of time and energy with such things as rehearsing how to get even with someone, or having imaginary conversations with people, or in worrying, or in being anxious about getting everything done for today. Far better to rest in God’s thoughts… 

PRAY: and to do that, Jesus, I need to spend time with You, reading and meditating on what You say, submitting to it with all my heart — and my mind. If those odd dreams were actual metaphors from You, then here are two things I need to think about:

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)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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. 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. 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 4:4–9)

Think!

The news along with other observations of human behavior seem to reveal that the practice of thinking is being abandoned. Much of what is called ‘news’ contains speculation rather than facts. Pundits debate the future in sports, politics, and other areas. Not only that, logic is often missing. How many times does someone say, “What were they thinking?” A rhetorical question for the obvious — “Nothing!” 

AI is tempting. No one has to think when technology will do it for them. Cause and effect are less of an issue with a population that continually blames others for the results of their own bad choices. We say “You make me angry” to others, relinquishing our ability to control our own emotions. Logic is replaced by opinion and thinking through many issues is given to search engines or not bothered with at all.

Today, Piper points to a NT challenge: 

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

Yesterday I was thinking how hard it is to listen to the Lord when I am praying. I know He knows my thoughts, and His will is often in my heart. The Bible does say: “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

But then there is that old mind, the way of thinking that comes from the flesh, the selfish and sinful old nature that Jesus replaced. He is at work to renew my mind so that I understand His will:

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)

This does not say I will be able to understand all things (like medical terms, engineering, the game of Cricket, or if crabs have eyebrows) but He will let me in on His will. This comes with grace yet requires something from me:

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17–24)

Putting off the old self requires the ability to recognize the old self. It requires humility and thinking, not assuming all I do is fine with God. I need to feed the new nature by reading God’s will in His Word, not only to grow but also to survive the battle against those sins that keep me thinking only about myself and what I want… 

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1–3)

The Bible says that knowledge puffs up. Jesus told of the prideful Pharisee who considered himself better than the humble publican, but was not thinking biblically. That kind of thinking is summed up even in the OT:

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18–20)

PRAY: This is a big topic for those who don’t think deeply, or don’t reason together with God. It is a challenge to grasp the reality of redemption for sinners by grace through faith yet You have given us a great gift — a new mind, Your mind. Being willing to use it, and being obedient to what You say, is the challenge when You tell me to think and to rely on Your understanding. I have a book called, “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” yet You tell me I can think with Your mind. Jesus, increase my ability to think as You think. Oh my, what a wonder that this is even possible!

Motivated to pray…

More and more I’m understanding that God hears even my thoughts as prayers. Yesterday’s events were small things, yet I could almost feel His hand in mine. I went to a fabric store for one item. They were having a sale for members only. I’m no longer a member and the cost to renew added to the sale price of that item was less than the full price for non-members. One of those ‘I spy God’ things as He helps me be a good steward of His money.

Next, at another store where the parking lot is always full and a long walk from the empty spots to the door, I whispered that it would be great to get a closer spot, then rescinded with “It doesn’t matter, I can walk.” I turned where the Spirit directed and parked in the spot closest to the front door. It felt like a big hug.

Going out, the lineups at the till were long. Then a clerk approached me with a handheld device and asked to scan my cart. I still had to pay, but the paper he handed me eliminated all waiting. I’ve never had that experience. Another hug as He helps me be a good steward of time.

Later, more little things kept adding up and I kept feeling the nearness and love of God. I wondered if someone was praying. Then this morning Piper’s thoughts blessed and motivated me again to pray about everything. 

Piper told of a man who committed to pray for him — “until you die or I die—or Jesus comes back — every day.” Piper was overwhelmed to tears. He said, “That means, if he and I live out our three score and ten years, he will pray for me more than eight thousand times. It means rain or shine, he is praying. For better or for worse, he is praying. If I succeed or fall, he is praying. If I lose my mind and become a vegetable, he is praying. If I make shipwreck of my faith and commit apostasy, he is praying.”

This demonstration of God’s love is not only breath-taking, but makes a difference. Those prayers are certainly foundational to the success of John Piper’s ministry as well as his personal growth. 

The Apostle Paul was also motivated to unceasing prayer:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. (Romans 1:9–10)
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. (Ephesians 1:16–17)
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)

Small blessings aside, the Spirit speaks to me about the importance of my prayers. I may not see what God is doing, but His work in my life tells me to persevere in praying for the people that He puts on my heart. He says: “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18)

PRAY: Jesus, prayer takes time, energy, and an attitude of being real, but also enables me to better know Your will. For that, I also have to listen… and as I do, I ask that You put in my heart whatever and whoever all that You want me to pray for. No matter how You answer, I want to connect with You. I also desire that others know the blessings, small and huge, of being in a saving relationship with You.

Created to be different…

 

Yesterday I took an online test from a medical source and discovered what I and others have suspected — I have a combination of attention deficit disorder and a mild form of autism. It is called AuDHD. This is not a diagnosis but a term to describe that these two conditions can exist simultaneously. The confusion comes because the traits of each can interact and influence each other. When I described this to my hubby, he vigorously nodded his head. 

I’ve often wondered how he manages to put up with me. One source says individuals with AuDHD may experience difficulties with focus, impulsivity, and social interaction, while also exhibiting sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors, or intense interests. One difficulty I’ve struggled with is a desire to fit in when I know that I am not like most other people. When meeting one person, she said she had heard of me and expected me to be different. I replied, “Well, I am different.” Everyone laughed but me. 

Skipping the complex descriptions, I felt a bit relieved to understand that God created me “different” and had a reason for doing so. This came today as I read in Charnock’s superior book about God’s goodness. This popped out (and the editor in me modified it a tad):

He is good to all, though not in the same degree: “The whole earth is full of his mercy” (Psalm 119:64). A good man is good to his cattle and his employees. He makes provision for all, but not the same as he bestows upon his children. 
The NT speaks of various gifts, and yet one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4) gives a variety to each from His goodness. In other words, the drops of water as well as the fuller streams are from the same fountain. Although He does not make all His children  partake of the full riches of his grace after they are reborn, this does not disgrace His goodness. This does not mean He is cruel.

I’d just randomly selected a wallpaper for my screen. It is shown above and says, “Why do you work so hard to fit in when you are called to be set apart?” (2 Corinthians 6:17) This desire to fit in and the stress it can cause was suddenly a joy and a delight. Being different is the same as the Lord’s description of His people in His Word… 

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:14–25)

Yet with all this, I’ve learned something vital: if I am walking in the flesh, the confusing mixture of AuDHD reigns, but when God fills me with His Spirit, none of it shows up. The key is awareness of when I slip into fleshy thinking and actions and must keep short accounts with God by confessing it and receiving forgiveness and cleansing. Then I need to rely on Him for total obedience. He is always ready to grant His goodness!

PRAY: At this point in life, You are giving me great freedom in knowing You and knowing myself. This helps me better understand the needs of people. I can discern what to say and do to care for them far better than ever before. I don’t need to fit in — at least not in with most of the world. I just need to become more like You and am so glad for Your goodness that enables even what seems impossible. Thank You so much!
 

There is value in forgetting

 

The wife of a family member described his dementia: “He clearly remembers seventy years ago but cannot remember five minutes ago.” Of course this results in communication problems and frustration for both of them.

I just read a long description of how God brings “dry bones” to life again. This prophetic vision is recorded in Ezekiel and has various interpretations. After the assurance of new life, the prophet describes God’s hatred of sin and the judgment it merits. The writer says “we almost cringe at the thought of our own faults and the memory of our failings. But then we read God’s summary, in the last paragraph. There, nestled in verses that express the compassion God will show when judgment is past”…

They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid. (Ezekiel 39:26)

This author goes on to say: “What a wonderful promise! Yes, we’re weak. We stumble, and sometimes fall. And then what a burden of shame and guilt we bear. But God promises that when we see Him, when we truly ‘know that I am the LORD’ and no shred of memory of our sins will remain to mar our joy.”

I thought of the memories of dementia, usually good experiences and shared without complaint. But I also wonder if some of them are coming to mind because they involve sin that was neglected to confess and God is giving His people a second chance to clear the slate and have those sins cleared out of memory. Those who read these posts know how much I value this verse to spiritual growth and well-being:

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)

I’ve noted that dementia involves the frustration of being unable to do things that once were easy. Many who suffer from memory loss are angry and often lash out blaming others for their problems instead of taking personal responsibility for their own behavior. One author writes about how the Holy Spirit, indwelling dementia sufferers who are Christian or not, is able to speak to their sin and enable change, It’s encouraging to realize that even with severe memory loss, our lives can change. 

Could it be that those who only remembering the past are experiencing a gracious gift from the Lord? Would this help them deal with sinful attitudes that were pushed aside or excused in the busyness of life? Do those memories come back for the purpose of confession and repentance? I’ve never heard this before, and my memory loss is mostly mild inattention. If this theory amounts to nothing, one lesson from the dry bones story is that forgiven still means forgotten! Even now I can put my past behind me, and live in joy. I can also not worry about memory loss for the Lord is still the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, perhaps those who struggle with onsetting forgetfulness are receiving a taste of eternity. There You will put even the old memories into the ‘forgotten’ category. However, You will not leave our minds blank and unable. You already have given us the joy of focusing on You in worship and adoration. You also tell us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” and with that mind we will be able to discern Your good and acceptable and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) By the power of the Holy Spirit, may all who struggle with memory loss rejoice that it could merely be a foretaste of this great blessing to come.

What motivates God?

Today’s reading points to the sinfulness of man and raises the question of why did God allow Adam and Eve a choice regarding that forbidden fruit? He could have made them unable to even want it. 

 Instead of focusing on our sinfulness and how it is so easily provoked, another reading asks a different question. Would it be wise of God to create humans in His own image, people with freedom to live in freedom — and yet restrain that creature from following its liberty? Would it be good of God to force His creation to be happy against their will? Adam was given power to to live in faith. Would it be contrary to God's goodness to deny Adam the free use of that power? 

To make a creature, and not let that creature act according to the freedom of his nature, would make us puppets. No way He make a law to govern His rational creatures and then give them no choice but to obey it. That would not be called obedience. It would defy the goodness in God to create humans with liberty and then govern us in the same manner as He created animals to be governed by their God-given instincts.

Rather. God made the world that the riches of His nature could be communicated to others by many means, particularly those made in His image. He did not richly bless us to make Himself happier. Instead, His Word says we are “to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good” (Deuteronomy 10:13) not for His good. Otherwise, who and what God is would be unknown to anyone but Himself.

In other words, God intended to communicate His goodness in creation, not to acquire any goodness, or excellency from creation. He wants His goodness to be known and  acknowledged. All His works are motivated by His goodness. Wisdom is involved in His creative work as is His power, yet goodness motivates His actions.

“Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” (1 Timothy 4:4) The psalmist expressed this also:

There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. (Psalm 4:6–7)

How then does sin affect the goodness of God? Not at all…

What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? (Romans 3:3)

Instead our fall into sin is not a blemish to His goodness, but provides His way of redemption that destroys the works of sin and the devil and glorifies God. Even sin the goodness of His grace! Contrary to worldly thinking, sin opens the door to finding out more about God’s mercy and goodness: 

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:32–33)

PRAY: I have to say that even though You do not want me to sin, and You command me to obey and give me the power to do it through your marvelous salvation work, when I do fail and choose to do my own thing rather than Your will, You are still good. In mercy and grace You restore me and grant me forgiveness to move on toward the righteousness that You, in great goodness, want for me. Even so, the most blessed result is a renewed ability to know and worship You.

Why I need to pray without ceasing

 

Yesterday’s devotions gave me much to think about my reasons for praying. While the reading said those who don’t pray miss out on God's promises, I know that is not true. If it was, then my salvation depends on me. Instead, regular prayer is evidence of trusting God. It also builds that relationship. The more I communicate with Him, the better I understand Him and the more He teaches me about myself.

A bit of research on the reason for prayer first said that perseverance in prayer, even when facing delays or silence, is often the way God uses to deepen faith, foster spiritual growth, and strengthen my relationship with God. 

The Bible agrees and so do I. Perseverance says “I trust You.” However, giving up suggests backsliding and a lack of dependence on God. Any time that I’ve been slack about prayer, my faith suffers, but if I am praying, my faith deepens. Part of it is feeling closer to God, just as communication with anyone draws two people closer to each other. 

Many assume that prayer is about asking for and receiving what we want or need. Jesus did say:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)

Yet in these words, I see prayer being more about discovering God’s goodness and wisdom than it is about getting what I want. It is also about learning to trust His timing, and therefore developing perseverance, a quality that applies to most of life. Perseverance comes when I don’t get answers. James describes the process but adds another value in prayer:

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. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:2–8)

While trials boost my prayer life, they also produce perseverance plus a desire for God’s wisdom. Thinking of the situations in the world that stress me, the closer I am to God in prayer, the more apt I am to be wise about what He is doing, rather than struck with horror at it all.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Drawing near to God in prayer and listening to Him helps me respond to life because of what He tells me. It puts me in teachable mode. This is far better than not praying and being overcome with distress and fear, or remaining in ignorance.

The NT says, “Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and be open to God’s will. I might not get what I expect, but staying close to Him in conversation helps me see He is good and that all He does is for my good and His glory. 

PRAY: Jesus, I cannot pray well using a keyboard, but it does push me in the right direction. This day brings new challenges and I need to hear from You to meet those challenges with faith and wisdom. Thank You for Your Word and for always being near to speak with me.

  

Why Pray?

One person describes prayer as a learning experience. He loved listening to an orchestra on the radio so he bought a violin with the intention of playing along with it. At first his ‘music’ was screechy and off key. However, with practice he was able to play in harmony with the music. He said prayer is like that; it is the way we learn the will of God. 

That said, some might argue why bother praying then, for the music will continue whether I pray for it or not. To me, this is missing the point. Prayer is conversation with the Lord and if I don’t pray, eventually I don’t hear the music. In other words, I do not sense what God is doing and may even not recognize that He is taking care of me. I become oblivious to His goodness.

A small example. In our new house there is a stairway with a midway landing. The wall on one side of it is high, but was a perfect place to hang a painting we own. No way could we put a ladder on the stair steps to do it and I did not pray for a solution. But God knew what to do. A window treatment sales person heard me wonder about that problem and said, “I am a fireman. I can do ladders and hang it for you.” And he did.

No doubt in my mind that was a God-thing. Just because I didn’t ask does not mean He ceased His music. However, because I do ask for many things, I know what He sounds like, at least for some things.

Piper thinks differently. He gives this example: Jesus promised with absolute certainty, that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). In other words, the great commission will be completed. There is no doubt. Yet Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) and to “pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers” (Matthew 9:38).

Piper says this means is that God appoints prayer as the means of finishing a mission that he has promised will certainly be finished. Therefore we pray, not because the outcome is uncertain, but because God has promised and cannot fail. Our prayers are the means God has appointed to do what he most certainly will do—finish the great commission and establish his kingdom. Then he says “Those who pray for the kingdom to come will receive the kingdom, but those who don’t love the kingdom and the appearing of the Lord probably will not bother themselves with this prayer. 

Piper goes on to Paul’s ominous words in 2 Timothy 4:8: ‘In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.’ And he says to love the appearing of the Lord (that is, not to pray passionately, ‘Thy kingdom come’) means that some will not receive the crown of righteousness.”

If he means those who are saved will be praying, then I agree. That is, if a person never talks to God, then they are not in a saving relationship with Him. If he means our salvation depends on passionate prayer, then I disagree. I cannot earn it or keep it by my efforts. The NT descriptions of how Christians should live should not be used as threats. God saves me apart from works, and God works in me to do His will.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

PRAY: Jesus, knowing You care about even the little details of life convinces me that the bigger ones are also under Your care. Your promises cover almost everything I pray about, often specifically and sometimes as a surprise for a need that I didn’t pray about. Your mercy and grace show me that even when I fail to pray, You are at work. My actions or inactions cannot nullify or limit Your will, nor are You a puppet and I hold the strings. That would be terrible. As Psalm 16:2 says, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Whether I am striking a triangle or playing a tuba, You are still the orchestra leader. 

Who is good?

 

I tease people who respond to “How are you?” with “I’m good” because good describes behavior. A better answer is “I am well.” Most chuckle and agree. Last week another person agreed when I added that Jesus said, “There is no one good but God.”

Today, I’m reading Charnock’s section on God’s goodness. Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” Another question could have been, “What is good?” Charnock is just beginning to tell me and I am struck by two verses. The first says:

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” (Psalm 16:2)

How true. He, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the circumstances of life, continually shows me that I’ve no goodness without Him. Yet there is a question in my mind; what is goodness? The dictionary uses words like desired, approved of, morally right, yet the Bible speaks of the sovereign God as good, totally and completely, even though He seems at times to ignore evil, or not answer prayer for desired and morally right things. Does that mean that God has a different definition than Oxford?

Charnock offers thought-provoking ideas. To summarize, he writes that God is no less all-good than He is almighty and all-knowing... He is so good that there is no mixture of anything which can be called not good in him… Nothing can be so evil as God is good… He is only good, without capacity of increase; He is all good, and unmixedly good; none good but God: a goodness, like the sun, that has all light and no darkness… He is the supreme and chief goodness… He can no more act contrary to this goodness in any of His actions, than He can un-God himself. It is not necessary that God should create a world; He was at his own choice whether He would create or no; but when He resolves to make a world, it is necessary that He should make it good, because He is goodness itself, and cannot act against His own nature.

Try to imagine what creation would look like if God were not good. The world would be filled with only  murderous, ravenous, injurious creatures, a bedlam and heap of confusion totally inconsistent to Divine goodness and wisdom. Not only that, any lack of goodness would ruin the possibility of Him being beneficial to His creatures, not that we would merit it, but would not have any hope to receive His grace and mercy or any other beneficial goodness. 

I would have no reason to acknowledge or praise Him if He created me to be a miserable, person even if I was innocent in action. There would be no provision for my needs, only the expectation that such a God could annihilate me and take away my life and any desires I might have.

Charnock’s logic is overwhelming (and much more developed than most who write about God). He offers Scripture as his source and this verse, while it does not define ‘good’ it does tell me what God wants my heart to say: “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68) I don’t always see the goodness or understand how He can use ‘all things for my good’ but do know that I’m not good like God is good, and need Him to teach me. 

PRAY: You are often a mystery. The desires of my heart can seem good, yet when You have other ideas that are contrary to what seems good to me, Your Word challenges my ideas of good. This is a trust-test and reminds me of You asking Abraham to sacrifice his son. A good idea? Not in my mind, but the man obeyed and You bailed him out. My faith in Your goodness is being tested in several fronts. What can I say? I have no goodness AND no faith without You.

Wanting to be like Jesus?

Yesterday when I prayed about revival, I had to admit that I was not really wanting it. Why not? Because if it happened, all ‘normal’ life would cease. Reading stories about what happens during a revival made me tired. Since we moved six months ago, life has not been ‘normal’ and the stress of so many unexpected events has been difficult, even if the events have been mostly a blessing. I don’t think I’m ready for what a revival would be like and the demands it would make on my days. 

Piper writes in today’s devotional about his own pity-parties and how a story of a missionary helped him. The missionary lost his wife on the way to where he would work. Alone, he walked many miles to serve people. From the hardships this man experienced, Piper realized that his desires for life’s comfort did not match the call of Christ on his life.

Normally, I do not like to feel better by comparing myself with someone who is in a worse condition. It sounds too much like the words of the Pharisee who said: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” And Jesus response was, “…Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:11-14)

However, both these stories are helpful. So are the remarks Piper makes about feeling sorry for himself over an extra meeting, an ill-timed hospital call, and too many choices. For one thing, how can I feel sorry for me about something that has not even happened — yet?

Besides that, it is easy to boast like the Pharisee or even like Peter who said, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” (Mark 10:28). Jesus was not impressed. He replied, 

“Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30)

The kingdom of God includes losses. The goodness of God includes great replacements. I’ve experienced many of both. How can I think that the ‘replacements’ for any future losses that would come from God with anything but great and powerful joy-filled events and experiences? The missionary’s life was filled with hardship. But God blessed him with laughter and the deep conviction that he was where he needed to be — by God’s grace.

Piper speaks of his own passion to have the mind of Christ. The Bible expresses in many ways what that means:

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. (Luke 22:25–27)
 . . . .  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27–28)
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)

PRAY: It is easy enough to boast that I want to be like You, Jesus. It is much more challenging to consider and count the cost. I can easily be critical of others who are more interested in personal comfort than seeking Your will, but I am the same… even about the discomforts that are not happening. I’m okay with dying and going home but I’m not okay with staying here and losing everything to serve others? I want to be like You in saying and doing what blesses others, but without negatives that go with selflessness? Conclusion? You have much to do in my heart… 

Keep Praying

 

Yesterday morning God challenged me to pray for revival. I did. The devil didn’t like it. He spent the afternoon assaulting my thoughts to the point that I forgot what I’d been praying for. By the time I recognized this was a spiritual attack and connected to Satan attempting to thwart those prayers, I wondered how God could even listen to me over that barrage of unholy thinking. 

Today the Spirit took me to my books on prayer and I did a search on hindrances. The first discovered comment said, “The difficulties most often complained of as hindrances to prayer may be traced back to want of love.” I could see the connection to my battle, but also the answer. Remembering God loves me totally, relentlessly, without stopping or needing me to be lovable. Knowing this removes that hindrance and draws me into a deeper desire to pray, to talk with Him. Want of love can stop prayer, but knowing His love motivates it.

Other clues about hindrances to prayer also describe problems I’ve had that keep me from praying. One is this: “He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life.” Being busy is almost a disease in the lives of many Christians. We joke about it, complain about it, yet as my hubby often points out, most of our busyness is by choice.

Even so, life’s duties can become pressing and crowd out prayer. One author says: “This way of hindering prayer becomes so natural, so easy, so innocent that it comes on us all unawares.” If we will allow our praying to be crowded out, it will always stop us from prayer. Satan rathers ‘we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer-chamber than anything else.’ 

Lack of prayer indicates a “Gone out of business” sign on my life. It can also mean I’m living for some other name than God’s and to somebody else’s glory, likely my own. In the early church, the apostles understood prayer as their most important business: 

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2–4)

 For them, prayer was the priority, not an opening and closing remark whenever they met together. I’ve also realized how putting prayer first changes the day, yet doing it remains a challenge. Besides my own lax, that devious enemy works to stop me.

He didn’t stop Daniel. His enemies had a petition that meant death for praying, but “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10) This got him tossed into the lion’s den, yet God delivered him. Little wonder the NT says this: 

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) 

I need to be alert, but also persistent and obedient because many hindrances to prayer are related to disobedience. For instance:

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. (Proverbs 21:13)
If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

The Bible also points to pious activity for personal gain (Isaiah 58:1-14, Matthew 5) and most of all, unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:1-3, Zechariah 7:12-13, Psalm 66:18, many more)

For me, busyness, selfish desires, or feeling as if my prayers bounce off the ceiling because God doesn’t care about what I care about (lack of His love) are hindrances. I have dozens of books on prayer but reading them does not remove any obstruction. The only way to do it is by praying.

PRAY: Jesus, You are loud and clear. Protect me from the enemy’s lies and other obstacles as I go to prayer. . . .