The love test . . .

Love, no matter how the word is used, can be tested. For instance, if someone claims to love pizza but never eats it, what does that reveal about their claim? If a man claims to love a woman but spends all his spare time fishing with his buddies, what will she think? If she says she loves him yet says no to every suggestion he makes, what does that tell him? If I say I love my family but never call them or invited them over, what will they think? If I say I love Jesus but never do what He says, what does that reveal about my claim?

John’s epistle has much to say about love and the importance of demonstrating it. If I claim to be a Christian and never do anything to show it, then my claim would be false. If Jesus lives in me, then His love will become evident in the way I live.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (1 John 3:16–24)

That first line sounds extreme but laying down my life for others is not necessarily about physically dying. It can mean putting aside whatever I might want in order to do good for someone else. As the next line says, it could mean that if I have an extra blanket and see a freezing homeless person, I give that blanket to him, or even take him to a warm place and feed him. Doing so might be inconvenient and costly in several ways, but Christian love is like that. Jesus gave up the glories of heaven to lay down His life for my good.

Love is not about words and conversation although some will feel loved just by giving them verbal attention. John says it is about doing something, so even taking time to talk to a lonely senior is doing something.

He puts in a note about doing loving things in truth. My first thought is that whatever I do in the realm of loving others, it must be sincere rather than showing off or with the idea of personal gain. When Jesus died for me, He had nothing to gain for Himself as He hung on that cross. God glorified Him later. As I read the Scriptures, I realize that my reward for loving others is also reserved for later also. Being with Him in glory is the reward of all who belong to Jesus. It is the result of faith, the kind of faith that produces this kind of loving obedience.

One other note from this passage is that loving others in obedience produces confidence. When I obey the Lord, I know that I belong to Jesus and am abiding in Him because of it. With that understanding, I also know that He lives in me.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, today I have a medical appointment and a long to-do list. As I go through this day, may I listen to You for ways that I can show love to others, not just kind friendliness but that same sacrificial love that You demonstrated when You washed the disciples’ feet and when You went to the cross to die for our sins.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- the power of God’s love enables me to trust Him with everything.

- being able to hand over a desire to God, trusting Him to do what is right with it.

- safety on busy and icy streets today and getting home before snow began to fall.

- a long nap — much needed.

- hubby signed up to play pickle ball, so glad for his health and desire to be active.

- progress on my projects.

- homemade chicken vegetable soup.

What or who is 100% dependable?

What is certain? The bettors at the racetrack might say a certain horse is a “sure thing” and some say “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” As a child of God, I have to say that the promises of God are certain, yet at times I’m not so sure. Nevertheless, my wavering does not change God’s plans. He is who He is, whether I’m relying on Him or not. For that, I am grateful and often excited.

One promise is what will happen to me after I die. The Bible says on that day I will see Jesus face-to-face, and when I do, I will be like Him:

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. (1 John 3:2)

The uncertainty comes when I try to imagine exactly what it means to be like Jesus. I get glimpses of what He is like, but long ago realized that knowing my Lord is far more than facts and my emotional reaction to those facts. Every day I learn more about Him yet it seems His nature and holy character are far beyond my understanding.

Most of us don’t like being uncertain. As Chambers says, some level of certainty is the mark of commonsense. Yet the nature of spiritual life is about faith and with that comes a certain amount of uncertainty. For one thing, I’ve never been able to second-guess God. Christians learn to accept that uncertainty is a sure thing.

God tells us we don’t know what each day will bring. That is so true.  I also cannot imagine myself in any condition I’ve have never been in — like living eternally in a new body, or being face-to-face with Jesus, or not ever sinning again, never mind being fully like Him.

Even with that promise from God, I’m supposed to live here as a little child. I know what that means. A child seldom thinks about or dreads the uncertainties of life. Children usually look forward to each day with “breathless expectation.” In the same way, my life with Christ is an adventure. When I abandon all concerns to God and just do the next thing He asks, He fills my days with all sorts of surprises.

Chambers affirms that while I can be certain about God’s promises, I will always be uncertain of what He is going to do next. Some people continually claim otherwise, as if they have a link to His personal calendar. I have no such link and feel compassion for those who do when they discover they have the wrong calendar.

Being certain about God involves a personal relationship. We learn of Him through His Word, but must remember that Jesus said, “Believe also in Me,” not ‘Believe certain things about Me.’ When I put my hand in His hand and yield to the path He chooses, I’m never certain where He will lead, only that He will take me the best way for the journey. I also know that the surprises along that path will fill life with both uncertainty and joyful expectancy.

No Coincidences

Esther 3:1–7:10, 3 John 1:1–4, Psalm 117:1–118:16

Gibbs, a main character on television’s NCIS, has ‘rules’ for life. One of them is that he does not believe in coincidences. The Word of God totally agrees. The book of Esther illustrates this well.

First the queen decides to disobey the king, making it possible for Esther, a young Jewish woman, to become queen. Then her uncle Mordecai discovers a plot against the king and exposes it. His deed was recorded in the king’s book of chronicles. The king puts a man named Haman in a position of authority, but Mordecai would not honor him, so Haman plotted to kill all the Jews. Mordecai pleaded with Esther to intervene.

His message to her was, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13–14)

At first, she was unwilling. Approaching the king without being summoned could mean death. However, she replied to her uncle, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

She approached the king and he welcomed her. She prepared a banquet for him and Haman. He asked her request and she invited him to another banquet. Why two meals? Why not tell him what was going on at the first banquet? It soon comes out . . .  

Full of himself, Haman built a gallows to hang Mordecai, but that night the king could not sleep so started reading the chronicles. He “happened” upon Mordecai’s good deed. He wanted to honor him, so the next day asked Haman how to honor a man that pleased him. Of course Haman thought it would be him. He was humiliated when he had to honor Mordecai, then greatly dismayed when Esther told the king of his treachery at the second banquet. The king hanged him on the gallows he had built to kill Mordecai.

Coincidences? It makes no sense for a queen to risk her life, for a young Jewish girl to be in the harem of a king and become his queen, to be accepted when she approached him without being called (against the law in that place). Why two banquets, other than to give the king opportunity to find out Mordecai had rescued him?

This is a story that affirms faith in a sovereign God who is in charge over the details of life. His plans will come to pass. Esther and Mordecai discovered this. I also am assured that whatever happens, God is involved.

Even so, God’s people are told to cooperate with what God is doing. As Mordecai said to Esther, God can find someone else if I refuse, yet what a joy to be in the right place at the right time and willingly involved in His plans.

This is why the Apostle John wrote to Gaius, whom he loved, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1–4) John knew the delight of cooperating with God.

So also did the psalmist: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes . . . . The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:6-9, 14)

Trusting the Lord with the perplexities of life not only produces great joy, it also affirms that with Him, there are no coincidences!

Because the Lord is my Shepherd . . .

“The Lord is my Shepherd . . .” (Psalm 23:1)

Our church is less than two years into a new building and already the children’s ministry is larger than the space created for it. We are praying for God’s guidance in a solution, knowing that God will answer our prayers. He is our Shepherd.

Each Wednesday my husband and I meet with a small group of believers, study the Word of God and pray for our collective requests. In our discussions we share the many ways that God shepherds us. We are His sheep.

This week I am praying daily for wisdom as I write a particularly challenging term paper. Every day God gives me unexpected thoughts from His Word that add weight to my thesis. I am humbled and grateful that He shepherds me.

Today’s devotional reading begins a new two-month study of Psalm 23. It is called, “Still Waters” because the author’s intent is that readers experience confidence and peace while studying the depths of this well-known psalm.

This author begins with a quick look into the heart of David, the human author of the psalm. Long before this man became king of Israel and wrote this and other psalms, he was a shepherd boy, the youngest of several brothers. He was simply doing his job when God sent His prophet Samuel to look for the next king to replace Saul. He guided this man to this family of brothers, and when he set his eyes on the eldest, the Lord interrupted his assumptions and said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Samuel considered the next eldest and the next, but his Shepherd kept saying of each that they were not His choice. Finally, Samuel asked the father send for his youngest who was not there but busy tending sheep . . .  

And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” (1 Samuel 16:12)

For a God who looks on the heart, it seems odd to first describe David by his outward appearance. However, throughout the story of David, we are given many glimpses of his heart. One of the first describes his courage. A literal giant among their enemy ranks defies Israel’s army and their God. David steps forward while everyone else is cowering in fear and offers to take the challenge . . .

And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:33–36)

This is the heart of this young shepherd. He is fearless, not because he is strong or handsome, but because the honor of God and God’s people are more important to him than protecting himself. He knows that his Shepherd will give him whatever he needs to defeat the foe, no matter what or who that foe might be.

David ignored Saul’s estimation of who will win the battle, and confidently faced Goliath knowing that the Lord is his Shepherd. Because He is my Shepherd also, I can stand against all giants that threaten me!