Changed lives…

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. (Isaiah 63:7–14)

As a new Christian many years ago, my mentor had me do a Bible study on sin. I don’t remember the details of that lengthy study, but realize the wisdom of this assignment. Instead of responding to conviction of sin with honest confession, it made me realize how often I made excuses for it. 

That happens, sometimes with deliberate deception in order to cover it, and sometimes with a sincere belief that whatever was done was okay. These days, I think of a non-Christian who takes great effort to do and say the right things. Another person is a Christian but takes the glory for all his skills to the point of bragging about them. As these things happen, I feel sadness. Both are stressed with their actions and attitude and yet cannot see (or admit) that they are doing the wrong thing by being insincere. 

My role? Pray. One is oblivious to her hypocrisy. The other is hearing rebuke but his pride holds tight to his own power to do good.

Jesus, it has taken me years to see how I’ve done both. My pride in myself has blocked my relationship with You. Once I could see and honestly deal wit it, what a difference. As I’ve told these two, being weak and unable is actually better than thinking I can do it all without You. In feeling and admitting, I rely on You and then discover more love and power than I’d never know otherwise. Your ways and Your will are always a joyful surprise. I’d love to see You in action in the lives of these two people. Right now, both seem oblivious, yet You are God who can reveal truth and change hearts. May they hear You and be transformed.

What is God saying in disasters?

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” ’ ” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field. (Exodus 9:13–21)

My imagination could be way off, but for some reason, this warning seems to fit some of the stuff that is happening in today’s world. The weather and many events are as if God is saying, “See my power? Pay attention for no one is safe unless you are listening to me.”

The words ‘innocent victims’ gets tossed around too, but is anyone innocent? The Bible is clear on that matter: “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22–23) Certain some are worse than others, some are closer to innocent than to evil, but no one hits the godly target apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

That said, God has every right to judge the world just as He had the right to put Egypt through many plagues. He tested and found that some paid attention and many did not listen.

Yesterday I watched two fictional crime stories on television. They had the effect of prompting prayer for those who actually are involved in crime, either as perpetuators or as victims. I prayed that they would not only hear God but fear Him, pay attention to Him, that their conscience would be alive and they would realize their need for His mercy and grace.

Personal tragedy does this. A death in the family makes us think of our own mortality. An accident on the highway, even a minor one, makes us realize how vulnerable we are. An illness does the same. Everyone wants to be healthy, wealthy, and wise but it is in sickness, poverty, and foolish mistakes that we realize our need for God — or therefore we should. He is our only safe shelter. 

Jesus, I know that no matter what happens to me, You use it for good, to make me more like You. Even death, for it is in dying that the transformation is complete:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)
For that reason and hope, the news, even the worst news and the nastiest events, should therefore turn my heart toward You and listen to You — and do what You say. 

What I need to hear every day . . .

 

NOTE: Yesterday’s post was made using my I-pad and it did not transfer well to this blog. I had to copy it to my normally used file in MacBook Pro and repost it in a new file. The former one was deleted. Messy. Will not do that again!

Life has been a bit messy too. I’m feeling somewhat more ambitious today but the body is about the same — in need of more chicken soup? When finally getting to today’s devotional reading, my first thought was ‘not another gospel message?’ But the Spirit of God quickly reminded me that this is the essence of my life. No day goes by without needing the reminder that Jesus died for me and that I live because of Him.

It starts by saying “The essence of the gospel is substitution. The everlasting salvation of God’s elect is in no way dependent upon, or attributed to, anything done by us. ‘Salvation is of the Lord!’ God’s gift of eternal life, all the blessings of grace in this life and all the blessedness of eternal glory in the life to come are freely bestowed upon every believing sinner only as the result of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute.”

How many times a day are my plans motivated by the attitude that ‘I can do this’ as if my efforts have any value at all, never mind any direction from God. The gospel reminds me that not only has the Lord Jesus Christ earned my eternal salvation, but I do not live by my own efforts — only by His incredible obedience on my behalf.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned… But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 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. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12–21)

I have the righteousness of Christ. If anything I do departs from that, it might seem insignificant, but increasing knowledge of Him makes me realize even more that His way, His life, His righteousness is so superior that all my excuses for not obeying Him ALL THE TIME is almost laughingly ridiculous if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Last night He showed me just how weak I am. A prayer request came without any ideas at all how to pray. Smarty-pants-me felt totally without resources, not even the smallest hint of what was needed or what person involved in the problem needed it. It was awful. But it made me very deeply aware that I need to operate in the Spirit of God all the time, even when feeling unwell, or even when fully aware of the details of a problem, or even when I think I know what God should do. Not asking Him is one thing. Asking but getting a silent ‘let’s see how you can handle this without Me’ is almost a terror.

PRAY: Lord, I’m now even more aware of how a person without the gospel can behave and struggle with every issue of life. You want me mentally on my knees, not telling You what to do, or even telling You what I want You to do. Instead, I must ask You what You want me to do, how to think, how to pray. The gospel is always the answer. Apart from You, I am useless and unable to do much of anything, even breathe never mind solve the problems around me. Jesus, I thank You for obeying at the Cross (and all the time) so I can even obey at all.

Hearing what He says

 

 

A video shows small children, even babies, who were deaf and given aids to hearing. For the first time they can hear the voices of their parents and their faces are alive with joy. I’ve also met a child who was kept quiet since a babe because his parents were in hiding. Now free, he can speak but does not know how. I complain at times that I am not heard, but I know nothing about communication problems compared to these little ones.

It is not a surprise that the word for SAY or utter or speak is the most common verb in the OT. God is a communicator and we are made in His image, made to communicate. Even with the disaster of Babylon, the world is involved in learning how to talk to those of other languages. Learning to express our ideas and feelings is a big part of education. Learning the other side of it, to listen, is also a vital part of human life.

“Speak, Lord, for thy servant listens” is an important prayer. Realizing that the writers of Scripture had a commitment and said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak” is also vital. Even more important to all of life is saying this and meaning it: “Whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.” If being heard is important to me, how much more does my Creator want me to do more than merely hear Him but to also do what He says to me.

Think of the power of His words. He said, “Let there be light” and “there was light.” He spoke promises to His people, promises and covenants that have been kept. He warned them of disaster when they didn’t listen and those disasters happened. We humans speak and try to influence others with our words but we do not have the power and control that the words of God have. Compared to Him, we mutter and babble.

In the NT, the word for say and its variations is about expressing oneself orally or in writing, in specific ways and to inform others, even to call or name something. It is about asking and replying and about making declarations. Many times Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you . . . .” to tell His followers something of importance to their lives. Often His instructions were, “But I say to you . . . .” as He showed them the contrast between human and sinful ways of thinking compared to the way that God speaks. For instance . . .

Matthew 5:43–48. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

In this, Jesus is saying that to be a complete person and without defect, I’m to be like Him, like God. The good news is that because He died for my sin and offers new life, His life, to me, this is possible. Faith begins the transformation and even though it will not be complete until I see Him face to face, because of this “Word of God made flesh” I and all of His followers can do what God says. Without Him and the power of His Holy Spirit, this never happens.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Focusing on Jesus is impossible without reading and hearing what He says. His Word is the agent by which He transforms His people. Peter said it well:

1 Peter 1:22–23. “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”

The Bible also says that “faith comes by hearing.” I need to be a good listener to what God says. Also, I know my heart tends to follow whatever my eyes and ears prioritize. Whatever Jesus says is life-changing for those who hear Him, believe Him, and do what He says. These are good reasons to give attention to Jesus, yet the best reason is His love, love expressed in all that He does and every word He says.