Just Do It!

Numbers 11; Psalm 48; Isaiah 1; Hebrews 9

The book is “Lord, Change my Attitude” and it’s convicting, big time. The first chapter is about complaining. I didn’t think myself a whiner but this book reveals how often I whine. The main point is that complaining is a sin and it makes God angry.

And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. (Numbers 11:1)

Complaining is common. Even Christians do it. Even the writers of the Bible did it, including the psalmists who wrote songs of praise. What a contradiction to praise God who is alive, active and involved in our lives and at the same time complain about what is going on, as if He has nothing to do with it! He IS sovereign.

Do I forget? Sometimes. Mostly I get my focus off His goodness and purposes and onto my comfort or lack thereof. That is what happened to the Israelites. They complained about their misfortunes, forgetting they choose the path they took and forgetting that God was their rescuer and fortress.

Isaiah knew better. As God’s spokesperson, he conveyed the message that if God’s people served Him from the heart instead of superficially and without sincere humility, they would enjoy Him rather than anger Him. God wanted them to experience blessing, not corruption. Without His grace, they were also part of that description that says all have sinned and fallen short . . .

If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9)

I realize the same. Without the grace of God, my life would be one big mess, and particularly the mess of being a complaining and miserable person. I remember older family members who complained. One aunt hardly said anything without griping about something. Another, if not walking in the Spirit is always belly-aching about something. I used to think this was a family trait, but now see it as a sinful attitude that everyone must guard against, including me.

The answer is tossing it off — like a dirty garment — and putting on a garment of praise and thanksgiving. Yes, the outward expressions have value, but as the writer of Hebrews clarifies, rituals have no value if they are merely rituals. God wants me to sacrifice my desire for a ‘perfect life’ by being thankful rather than complaining that things are not the way I’d like them. When I complain, I’m telling God that He is not pleasing, not perfect, does not know what I need or know the best for me. Such arrogance.

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (Psalm 50:23)

Being thankful is an indication that I know God exists and that He is exactly as He has revealed Himself to be. Romans 1 says this is obvious in creation! In other words, the world out there reveals all I need to know about Him to be thankful. I don’t have to be a theologian or even be able to read!

The Israelites had no excuse either. They were told what to do and that a Savior would come. Some listened. Most didn’t. Instead they complained. If Moses had not interceded for them, all would have died. That is how serious is this common sin of complaining.

Yet God, in mercy persisted . . .

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:23–28)

APPLY: I think of Jesus and am grateful. I look forward to His return and am grateful. Gratitude pushes complaining out. Thankfulness is more difficult in adversity and can be called a sacrifice yet being thankful elevates my attitude to thoughts of God’s goodness and to count His blessings. When I am thankful, every negative is overcome by joy. Just do it.

Praying and purging . . .

Leviticus 27; Psalm 34; Ecclesiastes 10; Titus 2

For the second time in a few days, reading a psalm has expressed the desire of my heart, saying what I want to say, praying what I want to pray. When I read this one, I went immediately to pray it and praise God with David’s words:

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:1–22)

David calls people to experience what he experiences. He wants others to know the rich blessing of following the Lord. As I read this, I am convicted too, for I fall short and am very much aware of not deserving any of the wonderful blessings of God. Yet He persists and keeps teaching me and reminding me of how a godly person must live. The last reading is also rich in instruction of what the ‘normal’ of my life ought to be. It gives the specifics first, including instructions for women. Then he says,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:11–15)

APPLY: Quickly put to death all worldly thoughts and behavior, such as complaining, lack of self-control, criticism, and laziness. Instead of griping about life and feeling anxious about stuff I cannot control, remember that Jesus came to purify me and put in my heart a deep desire to do good. Do not be negligent or ignore the good thoughts He gives but take action. Not only that, encourage others to take action. Four people called yesterday. Two shared what God put on their hearts to share. One complained. Be like the two. Encourage others to speak with thankfulness. Do it in such a way that they are blessed and do not get upset with me. Another thought: living in isolation during this time is an opportunity to take stock on life, not just tossing unneeded stuff, but tossing ungodly attitudes!

Help myself? I don’t think so . . .

Psycho-Cybernetics is a self-help book written by Maxwell Maltz in 1960. Many motivational and self-help experts in personal development base their techniques on this book as do many athletic trainers. When I met him, my hubby also believed these ideas. He told me that if he regulated his self-concept, he could become whatever he thought himself to be.

He was trying to convince the wrong person. To me, these ideas were nonsense. Years before I heard of psycho-cybernetics, my dad was reading a similar idea in another well-known book, “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I told him that no matter how positive my thinking, I would never become an opera singer. He’d heard me sing. He tossed the book.

Yet there is a connection between how I think about myself and my behavior. For years, I felt like a rejected person, unable to make/keep friends and unable to do very much of anything. My attitudes showed in my actions. Then the Lord got hold of my life and His Word said that I was now a new person and I was to put away the attitudes and actions of my old life. Some of the following didn’t fit me, but the general idea was this: I am a new person because of Jesus Christ and can now live like it.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:5–10)

“Put on the new self” is not an idea that comes from me, an imaginary hope that I can be or do anything I aspire to. It is God’s reality. He caused me to be ‘born again’ or made new by the power of His Holy Spirit and the reality of His Son who now lives in me.

The challenge for me was a faith issue; did I believe God? As He began to change me from the inside I also began to change on the outside. My desires changed. My behavior changed, not because I worked at it, but because God worked at it! I began to be convinced.

The Lord told me not to be like those who have no faith in Jesus. He says:

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:19–24)

This is a great description of how it works, like psycho-cybernetics but with a different source of power and a reality rather than a personal ambition. If it was about opera singing, I would be doing it because God changed my voice — yet it is far greater than that. He changed my heart. He put Jesus in there and because of that, I am different, genuinely different.

The verses in Ephesians talk about mind renewal. I don’t have to make up a new reality — God changed my reality and tells me to understand myself in that new way. Drop the old. It is no longer valid. Put on the new and start thinking and acting accordingly. I am created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness!

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

Lord Jesus, this is powerful stuff. When I’m thinking as You tell me to think, there is a balance of sinner/saint that fills me with both humility and great confidence. As Your Word says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), but it is not in my own ability or the power of my mind. It is because of You!

Today’s thankful list . . .

Being a new creation in Christ Jesus.

The desire and power to recognize and ditch old ways.

An incredible day, sunshine, no wind, cloudless sky.

Seven hours in the beautiful Butchart Gardens — no weeds, no trash, natural perfume, and gorgeous everything.

Mexican food.

My smart phone that takes exceptional photos.