Missing Days, yet God is enough

 In our record-breaking cold spell last week, I went out twice, once to pass the medical for renewing my driver’s license and the next day for a few groceries. The rest of that time was warm and at home. Then the odd symptoms stared.. a loose cough but no tickle in my throat, feeling weak but not being hungry. I felt fine but my blood oxygen level was enough below normal to be life-threatening. My hubby called 911 far an ambulance.

To make a long story short, I am in the hospital with dozens of tests to tell what this not and to confirm the one thing it is:pneumonia . That is also contrary since it seems most cases happen as a result of other illness. Yet in this, there both sorrow and joy. Sorrow for hundreds of really ill people —many who do not know God and joy that God is enough, that I can say with Psalm141:8, But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not pour out my life!”

Our Main Caregiver…

Most of us played ‘doctor’ when we were young. In those days, a doctor had a higher reputation. Same with fathers. When we played ‘house’ we were happy if any boy in the group was willing to be the father. Nowadays, the role of father like the role of a doctor has lost more of its sparkle.

That does not negate the importance of a father’s role. This is illustrated in the NT where the term is used for God more than two hundred times, sometimes with great affection. These three use the term “Abba” which similar to our word “Daddy.”

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

Yesterday and today I missed my daddy. Mom worried and stewed taking care of me, but he was able to ‘care with confidence’. However, my hubby took that role. A few times I looked at him and thought of how my dad ministered to me.
All this is to say that our Great Physician needs no stethoscope or pills. He is still able to just say a word bring healing, yet if for reasons I do not understand, I’m to suffer a bit more, He is still caring for me as my loving Father.

Leaping like a calf?

Yesterday was not the best day of life. I had a loose cough and no energy at all, laying in on the sofa and feeling sorry for myself. Didn’t even go online but God gave me encouragement anyway. My hubby went to church and I planned to watch the service alive on YouTube. There was nearly an hour of wait time so I selected a Christian music video that posted Scripture. All the verses were about God’s power and promises to heal His people. I soon noticed that I didn’t feel as if I were dying!

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

I’m not yet leaping -- hopefully soon.

Ask better questions

The past day or so a loose cough seemed harmless, but it kept me awake all last night and I woke up with a dry, sore throat and feeling weak. Tested. It is not Covid, but it is not pleasant either. After more sleep, a bite of food and lots of water, I still feel yucky. This does not happen very often so my tendency is to feel sorry for myself.

Charnock uses this verse to combat my self-centered whimpering:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

He goes on to point out that believing God exists is not enough. I must also believe that He rewards those who seek Him. After all, even the demons believe and tremble. (James 2:19) and the whole world knows that God exists:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19–20)

The problem is not believing in the existence of God. Denying it makes such a person a fool. The problem is denying God’s goodness.

In God’s strange way of revealing truth, He uses today’s devotional to back up what Charnock wrote about more than one hundred years before. The devotional says if I want to see God, my inner questioning must be not about me, or why am I sick, but about Him. How does God feel toward me? Is His love for me warm enough? Has He enough zeal? Does He feel my need deeply enough? Is He sufficiently in earnest? 

These questions reflect anxiety in the human heart, yet by asking them, they expose the irreverence in my heart also. By asking them, I know the answers. Just as I know God exists, I also know that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. My doubts and disappointments at having a miserable day are silenced by turning my focus on who God is and what He has revealed to me. Truth about God grants a profound and absolute conviction that God is and must be enough.

Because God is, all must go right for us, even if I don’t understand it or don’t like it. God lives; His children must be cared for as well. What else could He do, being what He is? Neglect, indifference, forgetfulness, ignorance, are all impossible to God. He knows everything, He cares about everything, He can manage everything, and He loves us. What more could I ask?

When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:21–26)

PRAY: Lord, the cough is less yet the sense of weakness increases. But these wise writers know the truth, the value and benefit, even the reward of seeking You. You don’t always change my situation, but You do change my heart so that I can rejoice in trials and remember that You use all things for my good. Just asking the right questions enables me to rest in Your love and wisdom. Amen!

Pride is a huge turn-off

Every now and then I get upset when it seems someone is telling others they need Jesus with the underlining message that the other person is not acceptable unless they are a Christian. The other person seems resentful of this put-down and less interested in hearing more.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit’s task is to convict sinners about their unbelief. This does not mean that I should merely pray and never tell others the good news of the gospel. It does mean that my attitude should never be one of superiority because I am saved and considered righeous in God’s sight but that other person is still in sin and not acceptable.  

The Bible is full of instruction on the attitudes God wants in my life. They are summed up in loving Him and loving others. That love for others is exemplified in Jesus Christ. He told His disciples:

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)

This means Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to save the righteous, the fervent, and the earnest workers, but simply and only to save sinners. Some will say they are too far gone to save. At the other end of the spectrum are those who boast that God saved them, as if they somehow deserved it. Besides…

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)

This means that no one, even the most pious of God’s children, can lord it over others as if their position in Christ makes them superior. Jesus came to save sinners and that attitude is contrary to the reason Jesus saved me! Pride has no place in why He did it.

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Apostle Paul was mightily used by God is about his attitude. He said this:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Instead of putting himself on a pedestal, this man of God identified with those Jesus came to save. He was merciful and even though he led a sacrificial life, it was not characterized by a self-righteous attitude nor did he use his position in Christ to manipulate others. He wrote about his attitude:

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away! (2 Corinthians 10:1)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

Today’s devotional warns me not to fix my eyes on myself or wonder if I am ‘good enough’ because I cannot answer these questions for myself, never mind impose such questions to others in the hope that they will be convicted of their sin and want to know Christ and salvation. All that would do is exalt self and fill me with self-congratulation and pride… and turn off the other person.

PRAY: Lord, in this I realize that exalting myself for not exalting myself is a form of pride too. Enable humility that shows up in all my interactions with others, even in my interactions with those who are filled with pride at being saved from sin. They don’t deserve even the least of Your mercies — and neither do I.
 

Use it or Lose it…

Along with Smith’s devotional, I’m reading Stephen Charnock’s amazing “Existence and Attributes of God” — a definite faith-builder and classic written in 1853. Today’s reading says reason shows there is a God yet as Scripture says, this knowledge is suppressed by doing evil.

In a similar way, Smith’s devotional says that the NT believers had no doubt about God and there would be no growth of the Christian faith if they were filled with the doubts and questions of the modern church. From this readings, I see two things.

One, the modern Christian is not reading and being informed by the Bible as those early believers  were relying on the Scriptures that they had.

Two, the modern Christian is not in the Word of God and not obedient to it, however many profess faith but suppress the truth they do know by living unrighteous lives. Too many Christians are behaving as worldly people and their behavior is ruining their faith.

Charnock points to the “atheistical bubblings” in human hearts and his observations could apply to Christians. We, at times, live by our own thoughts and ideas, denying God simply by ignoring His will and instead doing our own thing. Practical atheism, if it becomes a habit of life, is a faith-killer. It fits those described as people who: “profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:16)

This is not to say these people actually do know God but that they are professing faith, which is distinct from a true knowledge of God. Today’s churches are occupied by many who profess faith but it is not real. It means they live a secret atheism and that failure to trust God is the root of all the wickedness in our world. It is also the root of all powerless in the church.

Charnock also says that by reason, God is known to exist. The Bible says it also:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:19–21)

The prior verse explains what happens: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18)

Whatever else people might know about God, all people know He exists. Yet if that understanding is suppressed by sin, then evil begins to win the human heart. Charnock puts it this way:

The existence of God is the foundation of all religion.We cannot pay God a due and regular homage unless we understand him in his perfections, what he is; and we can pay him no homage at all, unless we believe that he is.

His words fit with this NT truth: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Popular thought has kicked God out of schools, public and political activities, and much of life. Unlike the NT days where no one doubted that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him, we live in a world where evil is suppressing righteousness and that doubt about God is affecting Christians and the church. It has become very necessary to urge God’s people to daily consider God and His nature lest that wickedness which overflows in the world also overflows in the lives of God’s people.

PRAY: Jesus, I am so very thankful that You said You would build Your church and the gates of hell could not prevent it. As I listen to world news and as I talk with other Christians, I can see how the evil that is outside is a threat to those of us who have been saved from it. We put ourselves in danger by not clinging to what we know, and by not seeking and obeying You. Most important is reading, studying, meditating on and doing what Your Word says, telling others about You, and being willing to die rather than deny the truth You have given us. We can overcome because:

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And we have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, for they love not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10–11, slightly personalized)

Asking the best question…

Today’s devotional offers a statement that I’ve never thought about before. It says:

Nowhere in the Bible are we given the slightest intimation that God’s children were to be anything but perfectly sure of their relationship to Him as children and of His relationship to them as Father. The flood of doubt and questioning that so often overwhelms Christian hearts in these days was apparently never so much as conceived of in Bible times nor by Bible Christians, and consequently it was nowhere definitely provided against. The foundation on which all commands and exhortations were based was that those to whom the commands and exhortations were addressed knew without question that they were God’s children and that He was their Father.

This statement does not consider any of those “if you believe” suggestions because those who believe know that they believe. Consider this:

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:10–11)

Those who believe know it. Oh, there are times when we get our eyes off Jesus and look at our performance — seeing it as totally puny and wondering if we have any right or reason to call ourselves Christians, but that is contrary to what God keeps telling us. Our faith is not in ourselves. Only sometimes we just want it to be!

The passage above is followed by this statement:

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:12–13)

This is so simple. If Jesus is in my life, He makes Himself known. How can He not? He is so obvious, so different from all other, so incredible, that nothing can erase the sense of Him. Sin mars our vision, but does not remove Jesus. This is backed up in other places.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9–11)

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 6:19-20)

Do you know Jesus? should be the question, not “Are you a Christian?” For those who know Jesus are Christians. It is as simple as that.
It is also helpful to remember that those who respond with an answer that the Bible is not true, Jesus does not exist, and so on, are saying that God is a liar. This puts them in greater danger than merely not yet knowing or having a personal relationship with the Christ.

PRAY: Jesus, the next time I wonder about the salvation of a person and have opportunity to speak to that person about their spiritual state, remind me that this is the question to ask; Do you know Jesus? If they do, they will know it, just as if I asked them if they their spouse or if they know their children. If they do not, it will be as if I asked them if they know someone who lives on the other side of the world with a strange name and of a different nationality. The next question could easily be: May I introduce you?