Memory problems. . . .

 

This morning I was upset briefly over a very small thing. God gave me one of His looks and reminded me of this weekend’s strong lessons. He is faithful and will eventually finish the work He started in me. He promises that one day, when I see Him face to face, I will be like Jesus (1 John 3:1-3).

While I want this now, my efforts are often side-tracked by very small things. In all these, God shows me that sin runs deep and if I look at myself, it seems being like Jesus will never happen. Yet He persists. The following verses describe some of what I’m to be, even though it seems so impossible. At that, I need to remember the last lines, and believe them:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–24)

The reading in Charnock’s wonderful book speaks to my doubts too. He says:

All distrust is founded in a doubting of his truth, as if he would not be as good as his word; or of his omniscience, as if he had not a memory to retain his word; or of his power, as if he could not be as great as his word. We measure the infinite power of God by the short line of our understandings, as if infinite strength were bounded within the narrow compass of our finite reason; as if he could do no more than we were able to do.

Most of the time I’m not caught up in distrust yet falling short brings it on, revealing that I’m trusting my performance instead of where my righteousness comes from. It is in Jesus, by grace. Not in me. I cannot be like Him without Him. What is annoying is forgetting this so easily. The OT people of God did it too. They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?" (Psalm 78:19) They did not connect that His power to turn the dust of Egypt into lice for the punishment of their oppressors, could also turn the dust of the wilderness into corn for the support of their bodies! He rebuked the Red Sea for their safety, but could not provide bread for their nourishment?

To them, the giants of Canaan were too strong for Him, but they had seen the armies of Egypt drown under His hand. Was their distrust from a denial of God’s existence, or of His power over the world, or were they thinking He’d created creatures too hard for Himself? Or like me, did they simply failed to reflect on who and what God is and instead kept thinking about their own abilities or lack thereof?

PRAY: Jesus, to be like You is Your work in me, yet my part is active involvement in this relationship, talking to You, thinking Your truth, relying on You for even the little things, and realizing all the time and for all those little things, You are here with me and wanting me to know that — and to be delighted in all that it means. I so easily blame my attention issues when the problem is not that, but thinking too well of myself instead of remembering You constantly say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Because of this truth, I need to “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) —for it is in weakness that I rely on and obey You.

By God’s grace

My husband goes to a men’s early morning Bible study when his work commitments allow. Every year, the leader and his wife host a gathering of those men and their wives. The food is wonderful and their home looks like a magazine feature for Christmas décor.

At the same time, both host and hostess are more focused on the Lord and the Lord’s work than anything else. I appreciated their beautiful home, yet it is their lives that are worthy of imitating. Both thoughts leave me feeling a bit intimidated.

This morning’s usual devotion was not ‘calling my name’ so I asked the Lord what to read and He sent me to Charles Spurgeon’s devotional called “Morning and Evening.” The verse for the day came from this passage:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–24)

This brief passage says much about how to live the Christian life. Sometimes this ‘list’ seems impossible. Joy is almost always deep within me, but expressing it is sometimes elusive. I do not pray without ceasing and nor am I always thankful. I’m learning to listen to the Holy Spirit without throwing a wet blanket on His gentle commands, and learning to test them and hold on to them, but must confess that I fail often.

Yet despite my stumbles and failings, the Bible says that all who are in relationship with Jesus Christ are secure. I am His child and have committed my life to His keeping. Experience proves that His promises are true; He is a faithful and unchanging Savior.

Because this is a reality, I can enjoy security in this life. It is not that “high and glorious security which renders us free from every slip” but still a precious security. Jesus promises that no one who believes in Him will ever perish and that I will eternally be where He is. Living for Him may or may not include a well-decorated home, but it does include walking by faith and trusting Him to keep me in His care and present me faultless before His throne. As the Apostle Paul said, by grace, I am what I am.

^^^^^^^^^^

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your promises and Your power. This produces great joy in my heart — a joy that makes it possible to rejoice always. Keep teaching me to talk with You all day, to be totally thankful in all situations, and to listen and obey You always. May I honor Your faithfulness in every way and never waver from total confidence in You. And keep me from comparing myself with others!