Thankful for Jesus

A few weeks ago someone said “All the problems of the world would disappear if all people were simply thankful.” When I repeat this, most who listen stop and stare. One person said, “Instead of greedy.”

I see this in my own life. If I am grumpy about something, that quote makes me realize my bad attitude. I didn’t get what I wanted instead of being thankful for what I already have. An even deeper root is that I’m not trusting God as my supply. He knows my needs far better than I do.

Piper writes about integrity and about standing by our word, even if it hurts. This too is related to trusting God to supply all needs. Piper points to an OT story from 2 Chronicles 25:5–9.  It is about a king in Judah threatened by a pagan nation so he formed an army of his own men, then hired fighters from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. God was not happy and used a prophet to tell this leader, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel.… God will bring you down before the enemy”

It is not hard to imagine his reaction. He made a large commitment of cash to Israeli troops. Should he stand by it when he tells them they are not needed? Money down the tube. While being greedy is not the same as being financially wise, this king was likely not too thankful that God stopped him from using hired soldiers.

God’s answer was a challenge to this man’s faith: “The LORD has much more to give to you than this.” As Piper writes, God told the king to trust Him and keep his word. Stand by your commitment knowing that God would take care of him. Integrity is always rewarded.

When I promise something, I’m to follow through and like God, keep my promises, even if it costs me dearly. My prayer should never be, “Oh dear, I’ve blown it and now I will suffer if I don’t back out.” Instead, it should be: “Lord, I goofed. However, I will do whatever I promised and trust You to cover my losses.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:5)

This is about living by faith, particularly when getting in hot water because I made decisions that were not made in faith. It happens. I married an unsaved man. That was 54 years ago and we are still married and he is a strong man of faith. My life is filled with more examples of rashly deciding to do something without seeking God's will, and suffered for it, but God used all of it for good.

On the other hand, without faith it becomes easy to break promises. If a rash decision involves loss of money, or reputation, or anything else, that old sinful nature will strive to protect itself instead of trusting God to repair the damages or use them for good.

Thankfulness is a great antidote for all of it. When I think of all God has done, it is much easier to focus on holiness, faithfulness, fulfilling my own commitments, and trusting Him to be there for me, regardless of my goof-ups. Again, He tells me to commit my way to the Him in faith, and He will act to work things for His glory and my good. “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity” (Proverbs 2:7)

PRAY: Jesus, I speak of You as the solid rock on which I stand. You are that and more for which I am so thankful. You take care of me, even when I forget You. You never let me down, even when I seek my own will instead of Your will. You are amazing and You are not only my Rock, but also my anchor and my eternal Hope. Thank You.


 

Wrestling

Last night, after making the decision to go ahead with what God is telling me, I had a wrestling match with my willingness. Satan distracted me with his fiery darts and between trying to put out the fire and arguing with God, I didn’t sleep very well.

Ironic that today’s devotional is entitled, ‘If thou wouldest believe.’ It comes from this verse uttered to Martha, Lazarus’ sister, just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead:

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

Martha was not alone. Raising the dead was not a common experience. On another occasion, a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus implored Jesus to come to his home and heal his dying daughter . . .

“While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

He took Peter, James and John to Jairus’ house and saw the mourners. He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”

They laughed at him, but he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief . . . . (Mark 5:35–6:6)

This is a rebuke to both my reluctance and the trouble I’m having believing that God could/would ask me to do something far larger than I feel capable of doing. Maybe the real question is: how badly do I want to see the glory of God? I pray for it, sing songs like, “I want to see Jesus” yet I waffle and wrestle.

If Martha had simply believed she would have seen the glory of God in her brother’s sickness and death, as well as in his resurrection. If I trusted him in all things, as I say I do, I should see his glory in all things.

Faith sees the glory of God in the gospel, His wisdom, justice, mercy, righteousness and grace in saving sinners by the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus. Faith sees the glory of God in providence, in all that he does, (creation, redemption, providence and salvation) and in the resurrection.

Yet as today’s devotional says, the Lord’s reproof is this: if I did believe I should see the glory of God working in my life. John Trapp writes, “Unbelief is so vile and venomous an evil that it transfuseth a kind of dead palsy into the hands of omnipotency.” For me, this makes my failure to trust God with what I cannot see a very foolish choice.

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Jesus, You can do all things because of Your omnipotent power. In this incident with Lazarus and Jairus’ daughter, You raised the dead despite their doubts, perhaps because that doubt was like mine. I believe in You as my Savior, but this particular thing is beyond me. I’m thinking “Your strength in my weakness” is beyond You because my focus is on me instead of You.

In contrast, You do no mighty work in the lives of those who are offended by You and do not believe You  at all. You are able, but they are denying Your power completely.

I don’t know what to say. The “Who, me?” part of my excuses and reasoning goes unanswered because You want me to trust You, not worrying about my limitations. I believe; help my unbelief!

The Hound of Heaven

When Jesus encountered me the first time, realizing who He is was instantaneous. I was at a place in life where my failures overwhelmed me. I wanted forgiveness and a fresh start. Without any coercion, I said yes and He changed my life.

Since then, there have been many encounters and many discussions with Him about my choices. Some of them fit with His will and some have not. For those that were contrary, I’ve sometimes felt and acted like the young man who asked Him about eternal life . . .  

“And a ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.”’ And he said, ‘All these I have kept from my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18:18–23)

Since I already had eternal life — it is a total gift, not to be earned — my question was more like “What must I do to inherit all the good things that life is dangling before me?” even if I didn’t say those words. The rest of my conversations with Jesus were something like:

Me: “I’d like that good thing . . . .”

Jesus: ‘Nothing is good but Jesus . . . .’ Then He repeat what He asks of me, and I tell Him how good I am, and He says I must give up all that good stuff, or that which seems so appealing so I might follow Him with all my heart.

Sometimes His commands hit me like a hard saying. Instead of doing what He said, I became sad and turned away, eventually to find Him in front of me, always with love yet the same challenge.

In the case of the young man, Jesus made no attempt to keep him. He simply said—‘Sell all you have, and come, follow Me.’ He did not plead, just spoke stern words as Chambers points out, then let him walk away. That man did not want to be His disciple; he only wanted to keep his wealth.

For me, the tests are not quite the same. My options are between the good stuff of this world, the tempting things of this life (and I realize not all I’ve wanted has been good in God’s eyes) or the goodness of Jesus, the goodness of Him living out His goodness in me? Do I want to have my way? Or do I want to say, “Not my will but Thine be done”?

There is an even bigger difference between me and this unregenerate man. Jesus left the ball in his court and let him walk away. In my case, and in the lives of all who have said yes to new life in Christ, He never leaves us alone. His elbow in the ribs continues. He pokes and pleads, pesters and convicts. He might let up for a season, but eventually stands in front of me calling for a decision. Will I wander in the life of always wanting and never having, or will I realize that all I ever need is in Him? Will I be content to draw from Living Water, or always be thirsty because the wells of this world continually run dry?

After the fact, this seems such a no-brainer. The stuff that seemed so appealing becomes common-place, even ugly, and I wonder what on earth I was thinking. The one thing I do know is that Jesus persists with me. He does not let me walk away to have my own way. He is my Savior, even when I try to change my mind. He has been called ‘The Hound of Heaven’ and I’m finally appreciating His relentless pursuit. 

Hope for even fools

Jeremiah 47:1–48:47, Romans 11:11–24, Proverbs 26:1–11

My dad used to say, “There is no fool like an old fool.” This thought is not far from some of Solomon’s proverbs. The one that smacks me in the face today says, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

When I think of my repeated foolishness along with the image Solomon uses, my stomach does a flip-flop and my heart is totally ashamed. I used to think that I was smart, certainly not a fool. I was wrong.

The Israelites were also arrogant as were the nations around them. Jeremiah discusses the fate of two of those nations. The first are the Philistines, who lived on the coastal plain of Palestine. For them the prophet says, “For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials. The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord has spoken.” (Jeremiah 48:7–8)

They did not trust God; they only trusted themselves. This is also my problem and the reason I’ve repeated foolishness.

The second nation is the Moabites, Lot’s descendants. They lived east of the Dead Sea and often fought with Israel. For them, Jeremiah spoke first of the army that would come to destroy them: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.” In other words, God was angry with the sins of Moab to the point that whoever would be His instrument to judge them had better do a good job of it or they also would be in deep trouble.

Then Jeremiah used a vivid image from wine making, “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces.” (Jeremiah 48:10–12)

When producing sweet wine, the juice was left in a wineskin until the sediment or dregs settled onto the bottom. Then it was poured into another skin until more dregs were separated. This process continued until the dregs were all removed leaving a pure, sweet wine. Jeremiah uses this to illustrate that Moab had not experienced  this pouring from suffering to suffering to purge their bitter dregs and instead settled into sin. Now judgment was coming to break them in pieces.

Moab’s sins were rooted in pride: “We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart. I know his insolence, declares the Lord; his boasts are false, his deeds are false . . . . Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the Lord.” (Jeremiah 48:29–30, 42)

My sins, particularly those that are repeated, reveal my pride too. I have Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to enable me to say no to sin, but in pride, I sometimes think I know how to run my life without divine help. Because of that pride, I know what it is like to be poured back and forth to remove my impurities. Such pouring is not fun, but I understand the value of it.

Moab did not, and yet they were promised amazing grace from God. Jeremiah told them: “Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity. Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 48:46–47) God is so incredible. All have sinned and deserve wrath, yet He is merciful, even on those who resist Him.

In the NT, Paul writes of the Jews being “broken off because of their unbelief” and the Gentiles who “stand fast through faith.” But he also warns against pride, for “if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.” He cut off Israel. Non-Jewish believers need to remember that and not become proud. I need to remember that and also not become proud.

However, Paul also says the most powerful thing concerning Israel: “God has the power to graft them in again.” (Romans 11:20–23) Moab is given hope. Israel is given hope. This is the power and mercy of God. He was willing to sacrifice His own Son that sinners full of pride and foolishly sure of ourselves can be restored.

May your joy at Christmas center on God's amazing grace in sending Jesus to save us fools from ourselves!

Folly affects many folks

2 Kings 23:28–25:30, Ephesians 6:1–24, Proverbs 9:13–18

Joash’s son and grandsons did evil in the sight of the Lord. God first put the first one, Jehoahaz, in bonds in Egypt and the leader of Egypt put a tribute on God’s people. It was 750 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold. In today’s prices, that would be about $185,000 or more. Jehoahaz died in Egypt.

The next king, Jehoiakim, continued to pay the tribute to the Pharaoh of Egypt, but he taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people. He died and his son, Jehoiachin ruled, also doing evil. During his reign, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and carried off all its treasures.

An uncle, Zedekiah, was put on the throne, but was eventually  captured. His sons were slaughtered before his eyes, then his eyes were put out. He was bound in chains and taken to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar sent men to Jerusalem where they burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. The city walls were broken and the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, were carried into exile. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. (2 Kings 25:11–12)

Nebuchadnezzar put Gedaliah in leadership. He told the exiled people: “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” (2 Kings 25:24) He was soon slain and the rest of the people fled to Egypt.

God had mercy on Jehoiachin. Babylon’s next ruler freed him from prison, spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. Until he died, he “dined regularly at the king’s table” and was given an allowance to meet his daily needs. (2 Kings 25:27–30)

This history seems to cover about forty years, not very long for the downfall of a nation and the disgracing of God’s people. Had the sons of Joash followed their father in obedience to God, their lives may have changed the outcome.

Solomon personifies their foolishness (and all foolishness) in a woman called “Folly.” He says she is loud, seductive, and knows nothing. She takes a seat on the highest places of the town (probably places of worship) and calls to those who pass by: “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” Those who lack sense hear her say, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” but are not aware that making those choices leads to death. (Proverbs 9:13–18)

How can I avoid the errors of those kings and the allure of folly? Paul tells me to use the weapons God gave me. He begins with, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:10–13)

He describes the armor using the image of a warrior dressed for battle. The bottom line is that my battle involves prayer. As he says, I’m to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18–20)

Paul had a far deeper relationship with God than I do, yet he needed prayer. So do I, and I also need to pray for others that they might overcome foolishness and defeat temptation. Christians must wear all the armor of God so we can win our battles, and after winning (which is a vulnerable time) stand firm and continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ as God gives me words and boldness to say them.