God blesses — even in sleep…

 

If anyone thinks we must choose faith I’d like them to explain only one experience. I went to bed last night filled with worry about someone and unable to dispense with my fears. But I did fall asleep. An hour or more later I woke up, filled with joy and glad that God was in charge of that person and would take care of her. I went back to sleep. Morning came and faith was right there with it. I didn’t do anything, only felt a deep sense of gratitude.

John Piper’s devotional for today is a tribute to John Owen and his understanding of our communion with God. Instead of quoting these writers, I’m thinking about the levels of God speaking in the life of young Samuel. He’d been given to the Lord as a child: 

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. (1 Samuel 3:1–7)

However, God had spoken to his mother and she listened. This is why Samuel was in this place. My husband and I have both seen how God spoke to our lives long before we knew Him and put us in situations where He wanted us to be. As self-governing sinners, it seems so unlikely we were listening, yet somehow God made things happen that fit with His plan.

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:8–10)

There came a day when we heard God speak too, knew it was Him, and we were compelled to believe by the amazing gift of faith. How do I know it was a gift? Ephesians 2:8-9 says so, agreeing with my experience but also in light of Romans 3:9ff, knowing that I did not do this myself. Not capable or even willing. Jesus also said:

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)

As much as I’d like to take credit for at least hearing Him, I cannot. He knocked at the door of my heart and saying NO never entered my mind.

Up to a point, most of my communion with God is one-sided. He talks; I listen. Yet the more I listen and respond to Him, the more I hear and understand. Owen points out that I can talk to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, yet these distinctions are not always distinct to me. I have no idea who came to me in the night and changed my fears into joyful faith. Was it the effect of sleep? I think not. I slept only a bit more than an hour before wakening in joy. Yet somehow God chased away my fears, and very likely the author of fear was ordered out, showing me again that my salvation from sin is not up to me to renounce it. Nor is rebuking Satan always up to me. If need be, my Savior does it, even when I’m asleep!

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

PRAY: In the fatigue of a very busy week, and the pressures of so many needs about us, prayer has been vital and so has sleep. I feel weak and helpless, but You are with me and taking care of all things. I am so very thankful.

Look what I did?

 

The Gospel can be confusing to some if it is expressed like this:

“There is such a thing as having one’s soul kept in perfect peace, now and here in this life; and childlike trust in God is the key to its attainment. We cannot earn it; we can do nothing but ask for it and receive it. It is the gift of God in Christ Jesus” then adds this: “God can bestow His gift only on the fully consecrated soul, and it is to be received by faith.”

If the gift cannot be earned, and the Bible says faith is an unearned gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), then how can a person make themselves fully consecrated with the faith to be able to receive it?

Reading the beginning statement and then the ending statement in today’s devotional shows how much we sinners want to take credit for having Jesus in our lives by saying it was our acceptance of the gift that did it, rather than the gift itself that saved us and give us a heart to say yes.

Of course in the realm of ordinary life, if I am offered a gift and say no thanks, it will not be mine. And if I take it, I cannot brag that it was deserved. I must acknowledge a gift is about the generosity of the giver, yet when it comes to the gift of God, how easy to take credit. People say, “I accepted Christ” as if that is the reason we are saved.

In contrast, the Scriptures say that becoming a recipient happens because of the gift, not because we earned it and can brag about it:

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

Part of the gift of grace is being made willing to receive the gift. Just as God works in Christians to do His will (Philippians 2:13) He must work in unbelievers because “None is righeous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God…” (Romans 3) No one would say yes if God did not change our thinking and make us willing to respond to His offer and receive the gift. Jesus makes it plain:

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)

Everything in our salvation is a gift. From beginning to end, God is the giver and we are the receivers; and it is not given to those who do great things or are seeking (none do that), but to those who are called and blessed with the gift of faith, even the gift of seeking.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11–13)

Many believe, as do I, that faith in Christ and new life from Christ happen in the same instant and are both gifts of His grace.

The obvious question is then, “Why does God not save everyone?” But that is the wrong question. It should be, “Why does God save anyone?” All sin and fall short. None deserve even the least of His mercies. The great mystery of salvation is that it happens — even to people who will take credit for what Almighty God has done, even those who think they are special or somehow more worthy, even those who know they are not.

I know the importance of receptivity to the will of God and that my efforts to be godly often are motivated by selfish desires to be important or noticed or worthy in some way. It takes a long time to realize that He is not interested in what I do, nor does He reward my self-centered desires or efforts.

Instead, He works in me that I might realize that His goal is that I become like Jesus, totally surrendered to Him. He bears all my burdens, takes care of all my needs. He wants obedience for my sake — because sin only ruins, never nurtures or is good for me. One day, when I see Jesus face to face, I will be like Him. In the meantime, I’m not to rob Him of His glory by claiming, “Look what I did.”

PRAY: Lord, if I have a receptive attitude, it is because of You. If I am trusting You and wanting to live for You, it is because of You. If You were not in my life, I know what I would be thinking and doing. All good gifts are from You and for my good, to change me into what gives You glory and gives me joy and peace. Your salvation is both mystery and incredible blessing — and totally none of my doing. Thank You.

Pride is a huge turn-off

Every now and then I get upset when it seems someone is telling others they need Jesus with the underlining message that the other person is not acceptable unless they are a Christian. The other person seems resentful of this put-down and less interested in hearing more.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit’s task is to convict sinners about their unbelief. This does not mean that I should merely pray and never tell others the good news of the gospel. It does mean that my attitude should never be one of superiority because I am saved and considered righeous in God’s sight but that other person is still in sin and not acceptable.  

The Bible is full of instruction on the attitudes God wants in my life. They are summed up in loving Him and loving others. That love for others is exemplified in Jesus Christ. He told His disciples:

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)

This means Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to save the righteous, the fervent, and the earnest workers, but simply and only to save sinners. Some will say they are too far gone to save. At the other end of the spectrum are those who boast that God saved them, as if they somehow deserved it. Besides…

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

This means that no one, even the most pious of God’s children, can lord it over others as if their position in Christ makes them superior. Jesus came to save sinners and that attitude is contrary to the reason Jesus saved me! Pride has no place in why He did it.

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Apostle Paul was mightily used by God is about his attitude. He said this:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Instead of putting himself on a pedestal, this man of God identified with those Jesus came to save. He was merciful and even though he led a sacrificial life, it was not characterized by a self-righteous attitude nor did he use his position in Christ to manipulate others. He wrote about his attitude:

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away! (2 Corinthians 10:1)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

Today’s devotional warns me not to fix my eyes on myself or wonder if I am ‘good enough’ because I cannot answer these questions for myself, never mind impose such questions to others in the hope that they will be convicted of their sin and want to know Christ and salvation. All that would do is exalt self and fill me with self-congratulation and pride… and turn off the other person.

PRAY: Lord, in this I realize that exalting myself for not exalting myself is a form of pride too. Enable humility that shows up in all my interactions with others, even in my interactions with those who are filled with pride at being saved from sin. They don’t deserve even the least of Your mercies — and neither do I.
 

Confirmed by Miracles?

 

Some people use the term to describe the unexpected rather than how the Bible describes a miracle. My dictionary says a miracle is “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” While it adds “improbable events or amazing achievements”, that first definition is the biblical one.

Jesus did miracles to affirm that He was the Word of God made flesh. He said:

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again, they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. (John 10:37–39)

They didn’t want that to be true, but Nicodemus did. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2)

Later on, the disciples also affirmed that Jesus was God at work. Peter said on the day of Pentecost:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:22–24)

Miracles, signs and wonders may happen, or life can be ordinary, but His resurrection definitely affirms that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and what He says is true. Paul wrote, “We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:15) Even so, the Bible says, miracles or not . . .  

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  . . . But they have not all obeyed the gospel . . . Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:13–17)

Miracles and hearing about Him do not guarantee that all will believe. Those who saw Him at work did not believe. Many who hear about Him do not believe. The NT adds more affirmation in this warning:

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3–4)

These “gifts of the Holy Spirit” refer to events such as healing illnesses, casting out demons, speaking in tongues, even raising the dead. While MacArthur believes some were “temporary sign gifts” God still performs such things to bring people to their knees before Him. Certainly, the more usual gifts given to believers, such as words of wisdom, faith, discernment, service, leadership and compassion, are vital in edifying the church. When properly used, these gifts affirm the truth about Jesus.

Still, miracles, signs, wonders, and Christlike giftedness do not guarantee that those who see them will give their lives to Christ. Sin blinds. Humanity rationalizes even blatant miracles and manipulates truth rather than accept that Jesus came, lived, died, and rose again. Because of that, isn’t the greatest miracle of all that God gives faith to sinners? He says, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:11–12) Yet millions believe in Jesus and will die rather than reject Him.

PRAY: Without Your Word, Jesus, I would not have daily affirmations and the blessings You give through the wonder of knowing You. I’m so thankful for the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and for Your Word that affirms to me what I need to know — about myself — but mostly about You. Surely, You are God and all that I need.

PONDER: Acts 5–19 and all the miracles that happened to affirm the gospel. Be thankful that God is the same God today. He is bringing thousands to Jesus through amazing events, even dreams and visions and affirming their faith in such amazing ways that that severe persecution cannot turn them away. Pray for the persecuted church!