No excuses for lack of faith

How many times have I used the excuse of inexperience to get out of doing something? It reminds me of an artist who said, “If I let the weather keep me from going outdoors to paint, soon I would never go at all.”

Inexperience is relative. No matter how many times I’ve done anything, I can always find someone more experienced. At least one quilter who uses a longarm machine has said to me that they practiced 10,000 hours before they felt experienced enough to advertise their services. According to that standard I will never be experienced enough to advertise mine.

Moses and Jeremiah both had a problem with excuses. Moses fudged with the excuse that he could not speak. So did Jeremiah . . .

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

“Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’

“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.’” (Jeremiah 1:4–8)

In this dialog, Jeremiah was using the term “youth” not in the sense of his age, but that he was inexperienced. He didn’t feel qualified. However, God wasn’t interested whether or not he felt as if he could do it. Like every saint of God, He wants us to come to Him in weakness and inadequacy for if we are confident, we rely on ourselves and our abilities and not on Him.

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4) A proud or confident person who feels a sense of being up for the task is cannot abide in Christ because they are abiding in their own self. The work done will not be fruitful, but not only that, who will get the glory?

God promised Jeremiah that He would equip and deliver him. He promises me the same thing. He will guard my life should I be in a dangerous situation, but also give me words to say, and the abilities I need for obedience. Whatever I feel is not an issue, nor is what I fear.

Jeremiah was afraid no one would listen and he would be persecuted. Those things happened. God did not promise to take away the peril, only that He would deliver this fearful excuse-maker — he would survive whatever others tried to do to him.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 5 indicate that I am not to be bothered by the reaction of others. Some will treat me badly. But as Chambers says, to look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to the Lord. He adds, “Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it.”

When I try to protect myself, I am removing myself from the promises of God and will wind up angry at anyone who steps on my toes. When I trust the Lord Jesus Christ to protect me, He does.

Chambers says that even “the most devout among us become atheistic” when our personal safety or personal reputation is threatened because we do not believe God and are trusting self and common sense. If I lean on my own understanding, whether I tack God’s name in there or not, I cannot be trusting the Lord with all my heart.

I don’t need pride — I need God

Daniel 2:17–3:30, 1 Thessalonians 3:6–4:12, Job 40:13–24

Pride essentially refuses to believe that I need God. But when challenges overwhelm my own abilities, I sing a different tune. Today, I’m reading about needs. We humans usually try to meet them with our own resources, and when all else fails, we cry out to God. A big life-lesson is learning that no matter the need, all have the same solution. Today’s readings list a few of those needs and give that one solution.

Job was suffering and wanted relief, but he also wanted to know the reason God was allowing his predicament. God’s answer was verbal. He reminded Job of His power, showing him that He is worthy of total trust.

In the middle of chapter 40, God refers to a large animal (could be a hippo or even a dinosaur): “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.”  After describing the power of this beast, God asks Job, “Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare?” (Job 40:15, 24) God’s question cuts into human pride by saying that no matter what I think I can do without God, I cannot do what God can do.

Daniel had a different challenge. King Nebuchadnezzar, who held him captive, had a dream and sought an interpretation. He would not tell his ‘wise men’ the dream, and unless they could figure out what it was and what it meant, all of them would die. Daniel and his three friends prayed and God revealed the dream and its interpretation, thus saving their lives.

After that, the king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” (Daniel 2:47)

Even though Nebuchadnezzar understood that much, he still didn’t think he needed God. Instead he created a large statue and commanded his people to worship it every time they heard music. God’s young men refused, and Daniel’s three friends were reported to the king. He ordered his men to toss them into a furnace with this challenge: “Who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

They replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:15–18)

The fire was hot enough to burn those who did the tossing, but when the three fell bound into the burning furnace, the king was astonished and said, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:23–25)

The three were not overpowered by the fire. “The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”

At this, the king said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (Daniel 3:27–29)

This king was humbled enough to begin thinking that everyone else needed God. He ordered others to fear Him, but at this time in his life, he still didn’t need God. His pride would be dealt with later.

The NT reading is a very positive letter to a new church. They were doing well but Paul wanted to urge them to continue and encouraged them to live holy and pure lives.

He said, “Finally . . . we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more . . . . For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1–8)

Anyone who walks with God knows the challenges of living a pure and holy life. We need to know how to control our passions, but more than that, we must admit our inability to do this — or anything else in our own power. We need God.

Realizing that need might come from seeing God’s power, or experiencing His gracious help, or finding out that He can deliver us from seemingly impossible dangers. No matter how He shows us our need, we also must learn the response of Daniel’s three friends: that whether God meets my need or not, I will still continue to trust and worship Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Faith is about a mighty God . . .

Isaiah 39:1–40:31, Luke 14:1–35, Job 9:12–19

A funny story tells of a golfer who always tried to appear better than he was and often lied on his score card. One day, he got a hole-in-one. He marked a zero for the score on that hole!

I’ve been laughing about this and reminded of my own silly pride. What a contrast to today’s scripture readings! They speak of the God whom I serve and who does not need to prove anything.

In the OT, Hezekiah’s realm seemed secure, but God said, “The days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 39:6) He spoke it, and this unexpected thing happened.

A bit later, the same God who chastened His people then declares, “Comfort, comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1–2) He measures out chastening, but also knows when to stop and comfort me.

He also promised centuries before that Jesus would come, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3–5) For this and all other promises and statements in His Word, He says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

This God will come “with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:10–11) Again he says that this God who chastens sin also forgives it and shows mercy and grace to His children.

Lest I forget He is more than my personal saving God, Isaiah asks this: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12) He reminds me of God’s realm and His power. He also says that to God the nations are “like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales . . . the coastlands like fine dust.” (Isaiah 40:15)

His Word lifts Him high: “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness . . . . Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40: 21–23, 28)

Yet His promises bring Him near: “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:30–31)

Job echos Isaiah’s wonder at this amazing God, “Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ . . . . If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?” (Job 9:12, 19)

And then the gentle Jesus comes and stands the scoffers on their ears. When reproved by the religious leaders for ministry on their sacred day, Jesus responded, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away,” rebuking them again by saying, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:3-4, 11)

This One who revealed the glory of God in human flesh gives examples in human terms. To be like Him, He says that when I give a feast, I’m to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and I will be blessed, because they cannot repay me, but I will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. His life and this example tell me what it means to renounce all that I have to be His disciple. (Luke 14:13-14, 33) And like all these descriptions of what He is like, it seems illogical unless read with faith, believed because God said it, and acted upon because that is the result of genuine saving faith.

The greatest gift

The human heart is an idol-making factory. John Calvin said it, and sadly, I agree. Today’s devotional reading begins by saying that self-righteousness is the last idol that is rooted out of the heart, and while I know that he means prior to salvation, that capacity to turn to idols creeps back again and again. While Christians do worship the Lord Jesus Christ, other gods tug at our loyalty.

Few true believers would say that there is salvation in any other name, but one definition of an idol is “something we depend on for our decision-making, emotional well-being, and mental stability.”

In matters of the will and choices, mine can be affected by my peers, advertising, personal preference and a host of other influences. Instead of asking God about the options before me, I might consider what is the most expedient, will make or save the most time and money, or will give me the most pleasure or comfort. While some might say that God does not care what I wear or which restaurants I eat at, He does care about what motivates me. Is it Him? Or a lesser god?

Emotional well-being certainly should not depend on pills or booze, but how many Christians seek things like achievement, popularity, possessions, prestige, and a host of other things to make ourselves feel good about ourselves? We glory in the things that we can do, the pats on the back we can earn, the growing numbers in our class, none of which are bad things, but I notice in my own heart how these push aside the joy of the Lord and replace it with a temporary delight that does not last.

Ideally, total mental stability might be a myth, but if I am comfortable and safe, my mind can rest easier. If my life is productive and healthy, I feel more secure, worthy. If I do not sin, I am much more stable than if my life has drifted off course. But then, in creeps that pride that tips my thoughts in the direction of “look at me; I am a saved and successful Christian” tinted with the self-glory that somehow I have caused it.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:5–6)

Of course I say that no one is saved by their own merit nor do we deserve any good at the hands of God, yet in the heart lurks that prideful notion that I had something to do with my righteousness, even if it is merely the statement that “I accepted” Christ rather than He grabbed hold of me.

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is a great mystery. Why should a holy God endue this on sinners? Why did He leave us with our dead, sinful nature that continually tries to replace what Christ has done, or at least take credit for it? Why this battle between the rule of self and a complete and willing surrender to the will of God?

Human pride flies in the face of the grace and gift of God. Human pride wants to put faith in itself rather than follow Abraham who “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Human pride does not want it to be true that we need “the LORD our righteousness.”

For 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)

And because of (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

This gift of faith and salvation did not come from the market place or any other place, nor did I purchase it by my own efforts. It is only mine because Jesus reached out His nail-scarred hands and gave His righteousness and Himself to me.

Roadblocks and faith

Following Christ means running into some of the roadblocks that He encountered. For instance, at several points early in His ministry, the people wanted to make Him king. While I’ve not been offered a crown, I’ve received accolades that belong only to God. The temptation to accept the praise and let it build pride is a roadblock. 

Another roadblock is discouragement. I have items on my prayer list that have been there for nearly forty years, requests for the eternal good of others. I’ve battled my way through selfish motivations, unbelief, and all sorts of other issues until getting past them to simply pray in Jesus’ name and wait. Still, the prayers have not been answered and that can be a large roadblock. 

Yet in following Christ, I see that He was more than a conqueror against everything that rose up against Him, even what looked like the final block of crucifixion and death. His enemies thought they put an end to Him but He rose from the dead and lives forever. 

Whoever wrote Hebrews knew that the readers were threatened by roadblocks. Following Jesus was not easy and they were thinking of going back to their old ways. Surely following those old rules and laws would be easier than doing the will of God from the heart. However, they were told otherwise…

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9–12)

For those who are saved by faith, God makes promises. Humanly speaking, the promises seem impossible and roadblocks such as unanswered prayer support that impossibility. But faith believes the promises of God and hope anticipates fulfillment. All that is left for me is to patiently and quietly wait for God to do what He said He would do.

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Father, I have need of endurance and patience, so that when I have done the will of God I may receive what is promised. I need increased faith too, for as You say, “Yet a little while, and the Coming One will come and will not delay; but My righteous one shall live by faith…” (Hebrews 10:36–38, personalized)