Trust God's plan…

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 
And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. (1 Kings 3:5–15)

My dreams are usually stories that make little sense. However, several times I’ve gone to bed with something on my mind and had a dream that made sense of it. Lately I’m trying to get more order in my life and have had amazing ideas pop up in dreams to show me how.
Solomon’s dream was awesome. He was given far more than his humble request and became famous as well as wise and wealthy. His prayer is instruction for my prayers.

First, acknowledge what God has already done — and that I do not deserve any of it. Then ask for wisdom for the day. Simple. Why this request? Because I don’t know what the day will bring.

Yesterday could not have been predicted. A server in an eating place tell me her struggles and ask me to pray for her. Another person told me she was losing her sight and God gave me words to encourage her. After that, a new friend came to chat and it felt like she was someone I have known forever. Then a stranger approached and told me of losing her Christian son a few months ago and how she had not accepted it and was not grieving. I affirmed that he was not dead, that he just moved to a different address. She joyfully agreed. God put a sparkle in her eyes and amazement in my heart.

When I came home, I knew all that was God's doing, and beyond anything I could have asked for or imagined. Nothing was planned. It just happened and I was watching it happen and being blessed as I watched Him bless those ladies.

Jesus, we talk about being used, or pray for this or that, but I like Solomon’s prayer. I just need Your wisdom and trust You to make Your plan happen without making any plans of my own.

Ultimate sacrifice…

The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:21–28)

How can I not think of God’s ultimate sacrifice when reading about Hannah giving up her only son. She prayed for him and God gave him to her and she gave him back to God. This points to God giving up His only son. I cannot assume the full reasons behind her sacrifice except that Eli’s sons were worthless men, unfit to serve the Lord or even obey their father. 
But little Samuel was not like that. Instead, “the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” (1 Samuel 2:26) Early in life, he pointed to the One who would come.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I often sing “Oh to be like Thee” with descriptions of the Lord such as blessed, pure, sweet, compassionate, loving, forgiving, tender, kind, helping, cheering, lowly in spirit, holy, harmless, patient, brave, enduring reproaches, and willing to suffer. All this for the sake of sinners. Sometimes I ask myself if I really want to be like Jesus. I try to sing it like a prayer, willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Or would I rather be comfortable?

Do many Christians sing such a song without realizing what we are asking? Like Hannah? She gave the most precious gift from God back to Him. For me, it is more like “the most precious gifts” including my loved ones, abilities, comforts too. Little Samuel was willing to listen and do what God asked of Him. Am I? 

Jesus, some days that kind of yielding is easy, but not always. The Father was willing to give You up that sinners like me could be forgiven and live. To be like You means to say yes to whatever You ask. Some days that kind of yielding is difficult but Your goal is to use all things for good — to transform me into being like You, even if the process is painful. Keep my thoughts on being like You, no matter what. I know my tendency to protest. 

God knows what a stubborn heart needs

Recent OT reading reminded me of the laws protecting those who accidentally killed someone. For them, God provided cities of refuge where such a person could flee and be safe until given a fair trial. They knew their ‘crime’ was a sinful thing, but instead of dying for it, God had mercy. He knows that some sins are not willfully committed. 

Also some sins are not realized to be sins because of a lack of knowledge of God's will. This happens to those who are don’t have a salvation experience as well as to those who do. The Christian who fails to read the Bible may not realize the sin in some of their actions.

Piper quotes questions that seem rhetorical to those of us who know these truths, yet did his original readers have that knowledge? Is he rebuking them or informing them? Either way, he is saying that knowing truth changes behavior…

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15–20)

While this points specifically to a sinful relationship with a prostitute, it can refer to any form of sexually immorality, and applies to other sins. God is asking, “Do you not know…” and if the reader knows these truths, then they should be fleeing such sin. 

As I read it, I thought of a familiar quote: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” The origin is unknown but it merits the question concerning Bible knowledge. Most Christians could say, “I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway” about some sin or other. The desire to run our own lives and go for what we think we need can be stronger than mere knowledge. 

This was in my mind yesterday too. To live out what I know is deeper than knowledge and deeper than will power, for we also have this stubborn fleshy ‘won’t power’ when temptation comes. Even though I know this …

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

… does not mean I will choose that way of escape. Nor does it mean the right choice will be made by others who know truth. Christians fall into the trap of sin because the desires of the old nature bombard them — not always out of ignorance or failure to remember that the temptation is offering a no-no. Either way, unintentional or a deliberate resistance to God, when the truth hits, all believers are offered a ‘city of refuge’ in the loving and forgiving arms of Jesus Christ.

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 read this verse, knowing how vital it is, knowing how important this truth is to spiritual growth, and am incredible thankful that the Spirit of God enables me to obey it. I’ve not always been willing. Choosing my way over God’s way brings consequences. From those, God shows me that His will is for my good. He is not a God with a big stick but with a big heart. Falling on my face by wanting my way, has taught me to drop my way, to say with Jesus, “not my will but thine be done.” Hard lessons. Just knowing the truth about Jesus and being set free from sin works the best in a heart that also knows the truth about itself.

PRAY: You are love and truth and all I need, Jesus. I know that in my mind, in my experience, in my heart. Hard lessons for this stubborn soul. Thank You for being so patient and so persistent.

Ruckus or a Rest?

 

Every now and then things happen that require either acceptance or a fight. Because God is sovereign and controls all things, and uses them for my good, I can rest no matter what those things might be.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

This teaching was one of the first things God put into my heart and mind. It works well with my mother’s mantra. She often said, “We must need it or we wouldn’t be getting it.” While she said it most often about the weather, this trust in God for every circumstance held even when she suffered from Alzheimers and faced all sorts of changes and challenges. She had this amazing attitude of acceptance rather than fighting life, and that attitude fits well with being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

I’ve said I want to be like my mom when I grow up. Now, into my later years, I’m still learning. One area is with new situations, or with many decisions to be made. Our recent decision to move into another place that is more suited to our needs is giving me reasons to repeat mom’s mantra.

Jesus gave an invitation that also fits with this idea and reason for accepting life as it comes. He said:

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)

I’ve learned that this passage uses two words about burdens. The first is the heavy load of a shipment that requires muscle or equipment to move it. However, the “burden” that Jesus said He would give us is merely the paper invoice that is attached to the shipment! In other words, His yoke is nothing compared to the weight that most people try to carry. He does not want me to take on the heavy loads, only those that are in His will for me.

The Bible also talks about rest. It is typified in Sabbath rest, one day in seven to stop working and take it easy, but it points to the same type of rest that Jesus talked about, the rest of not laboring with the full load but trusting Him and coming to Him for only what He wants for me. This is also implied in the words, “I must need it…” for what He gives is needful that I might be like Him. What I might take on in my own strength does not do that for me. Instead, it makes me tired, worn out, grumpy, and hard to get along with.
In other words, my load is the work of the flesh, and taking His load is walking in the Spirit. One is a fight and also a disobedience. The other is acceptance, trust, and full obedience.

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:6–13)

PRAY: Jesus, I am so aware of the difference between being heavy laden and taking on the yoke with You that You give. I cannot manage daily life, never mind moving to another home, without Your grace and strength. All that I try on my own makes me irritable and anxious. Trusting You fills me with peace and joy. Thank You for my mother — and thank you for being who You are, the giver of good things that I might become more like You.

Loving Jesus

Today’s reading is about surrendering all to Jesus. Yesterday’s sermon compared the supremacy of Jesus with trying to keep the Law of God. I say trying because I cannot do it. My efforts and ideas all fall short.

My plans also miss the mark. The past two weeks have been filled with interruptions to my agenda. Today I’m thinking that the interruptions are part of what God wants for me. Many of them were difficult: requests for prayer from a family in trouble, a relative in the hospital and his care-giver burned out, the death of an infant, threats to the well-being of a family member, people asking us to referee their feud with other people, my husband’s back injury still not healed, unexpected tasks added to my to-do list, and the pressure of not getting enough sleep.

All these added to the usual challenges to trust God with everything — yet as I pray and let Him interrupt my plans, there are lovely surprises: calls from loved ones, conversations with Christians young and older that were like tonic to my soul, words of affirmation, understanding and love, and enough energy to get the important chores done. Jesus is a faithful and wise ‘business manager’ for want of a better term, or perhaps ‘personal assistant’ — but more. He is Lord of life. I need to rejoice when He interrupts my schedule for He not only knows more and is wiser than I am, He wants to use me to somehow do what He wants done.

Yesterday a person that has seemed unteachable and stubborn asked me for help in three areas of life. A teen told all in hearing range that I am his favorite senior person. A couple about to move into a new home asked us come and pray for their life in that house before they enter it. In a long chat, a child asked me a dozen questions about life. One of our busy adult children called several times just to talk. We had a marvelous visit with a woman who is nearly 100, no dementia and delighted we came. Normally these would not seem huge, but with the other events, they were like a feast to a starving and very tired person.

Surrendering to Jesus means letting Him control life. I tried to do other things, but nothing happened that was not interrupted by His better plan. Now I see that He was using all this to affirm  that I can trust Him with the control of life’s events.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13–17)

I’ve not boasted about what I will do, but the Word of God makes it clear that even resenting those interruptions would not be right. When the Lord wants something from me, I should gladly say YES.

Today’s reading says: “Be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion to you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms and to hand over the control of your life to Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union…”

PRAY: And Jesus, I say amen. Thank You for the ability to not only see that You are in the interruptions, but that You have more in mind than just teaching me to humbly surrender. You are blessing others too and gladly going along with Your will is my opportunity to love them and love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Thank You.

Why Pray when you can Worry?

Consecration is about having the obstacles removed that keep God from bestowing God’s full blessings. While the devotional for today say this purging is something we do and describes it as being entirely abandoned to God, that is not entirely true. Our willingness is part of His saving work. Many times I have said to Him, “Lord Jesus, I am totally unable to be all that I should be; You are the Savior — save me from this…” whatever it is where I keep trying but fall short.

The Bible says this:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)

Yet what cleanses us from that which is dishonorable? Is it not this:

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)

To become clean, consecrated, abandoned to the will of God in that entire surrender of the whole being to God—spirit, soul, and body placed under His absolute control, for Him to do with what He pleases, the only way is through keeping short accounts. This involves recognizing my sin and agreeing with God about it. It does not involve “try harder” but confession and repentance.

Repentance isn’t mere acknowledgment. It is responding to the Holy Spirit in such a way that the sin is replaced with righteousness. That is His work. I cannot remove my sin without the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes this means a number of tests to determine if it is still my desire to keep on doing it. This is like the young missionary who said, “The trouble with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.” My old nature is dead/separated from God and I need to consider that to be true.

The other thing to consider is that much of sin is the result of believing a lie. Instead of trusting what God says, life’s circumstances often open our ears to that old Liar who whispers, “God does not really want the best for you…” and we fall for it, take matters into our own hands, and sin.

Consecration is having that “Thy will be done” attitude that no matter what, and then resting in the trust that He does love me and even in tough situations, His will is the most blessed thing that can happen, no matter the circumstances.

In discussions with other Christians, some actually say they are afraid to totally trust the will of God. At that, they are obviously not hearing His Word but the words of the enemy who does not want any of us to understand that God’s perfect will means loving-kindnesses, tender mercies, and unspeakable blessings — even if it also means hard times. Think of Jesus: His greatest suffering produced the greatest blessing God could give us.

Yet in the tough times, that whisper from my enemy produces anxiety. He uses hard times to suggest to me that God is not loving because He is messing with my comfort, my Eden. I need to remember how that old snake tells preposterous and bald-faced lies to keep me from trusting in the love of God and His unfailing promises.

PRAY: Satan uses dreams (nightmares), adverse circumstances, nasty people, even my imagination, to get me to think wrongly about You, Lord. Forgive my foolishness of listening to the lies instead of “storing your Word in my heart” and letting it be “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” — and I pray for those who continually worry because they have forgotten that You love them and that the Liar uses that to keep them from praying.

What do I trust the most?

 

The devotional author tells of a woman who came to him wanting help. She agreed to accept Jesus as Lord of her life and prayed, but then would not give up evidence of her former life. She eventually said, “I guess I don’t really want Jesus, do I?”

She was like the wealthy young man who came to Jesus saying,

“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:16–22)

He wanted the eternal life Jesus offered but also wanted to keep the life he had. He was not willing to count the cost of belonging to Christ, of calling Him Lord and doing what He says.

Jesus may not ask everyone to give up their possessions, or change their job, or move to Timbuktu, but if a person is not willing to obey Him at all, then their faith is not sufficient for eternal life. Jesus is, but those who want to keep what they have do not trust that He is good, or capable, or wants the best for them.

This can also happen to those who have entered into a saving relationship with Him too. We soon find out through tests and temptations that there is much in this life that keeps us from full obedience. Others might determine such a person is not saved, but being a disciple is both and event and a process. The event involves saving faith — the process involves finding out how much we depend on ourselves and how much we need to learn that our faith is not being replaced by anything else.

The woman in the devotional writer’s story was without saving faith to begin with. She was not willing to give up what she really depended on, her sinful lifestyle. The rich young man was like that also. He wanted eternal life but not if it meant giving up his wealth, revealing what he depended on.

Christians can be sincere in their faith yet go through the process of realizing how much we can trust in our own understanding. We are told:

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

For some, this discipline and reproof is more difficult because salvation came to them after they became adults. It means unlearning years of habits based on our own understanding. For those who are relatively successful by the world’s standards, it means giving up human wisdom. It also means honoring God instead of enjoying the praise of their human success. This isn’t about the ‘big’ sins like murder, robbery, and so on, but the sins of wanting control and thinking I know what I am doing without asking God or trusting Him for direction.

If such things are heard along with the gospel, understood as the cost of following Jesus, but become a reason to anyone to say NO, the NT says: “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.” (Hebrews 2:3) Such a person will not receive Christ or experience the discipline of learning to trust Him with all their heart.

If this happens after salvation, the discipling process will take time, but Jesus will not give up: “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: Lord Jesus, I know how difficult it is to learn to trust You for all things in this life, even as I trust You for eternal life. My heart goes out to those who struggle with this issue of total trust.

PONDER: Think of questions I can ask to find out what makes someone unwilling to totally trust Jesus, and ways to help them see this as a stumbling block preventing them from receiving the wonderful gift of eternal life through faith in Him.