Earlier today as I continued my personal study of the Psalms, I felt deeply impressed to do a little backtracking. The Lord led me to return to the 103rd Psalm, and to look carefully at the first two verses. David both loved and trusted in his faithful God. He began this psalm by saying, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
With all the personal issues which have come to my wife and me of late, these words really spoke to me in a most unique and wonderful way. What suddenly struck me was that David did not begin this psalm with "Bless the Lord for all His benefits." He began it by expressing devotion to his God: "Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" It is my belief that David did not want to give his reader the impression that he loved his Lord solely because of all the blessings (benefits) he had received from Him. He doubtless knew that would be a shallow, surface kind of devotion rather than a deep, genuine love for his Lord.
What does this say to us, then? I believe it tells us that we should want to worship and love our God not for His blessings He so graciously sends to us, but because He is our God, and we are His people, forever, provided, of course our faith is in His blessed Son Jesus Christ. Putting it another way, we are to love Him, not the temporal benefits! These come and go, but God is our God forever, and He will never leave us, nor forsake us.
One final thought came to me in connection with this: that no matter what comes to me, and to any of God's children, it is always good. Even sickness can be a good thing, provided we know it is from an all-wise heavenly Father who causes all things to work together for our eternal good. It is good because it, along with all other things, can be used by God to bring us into a closer, more trusting relationship with Him and His blessed Son Jesus Christ. And I know of no other blessing or benefit as wonderful as that.
"If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, thing on these things." (Phil. 4:8).
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Up Means Down
Jeremiah 1:10
"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Jeremiah's prophetic call was from God. God would never call a man to that great work who thought too much of himself. Jeremiah did not feel he measured up to such a high vocation. I suppose that is why he told the Lord in verse 6 that he could not speak, for he was only a child.
But God does not want the man He does call to the ministry to think too little of himself. That is why he answered Jeremiah with a solemn retort, "Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak." He further told his man for that work not to be afraid of those to whom he would send him.
Finally, after this matter of the call God gave Jeremiah was settled, He then told him that he would be given His authority to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, then build and plant.
There is a powerful message here concerning men's greatest need, and that is to brought down so that in time he might be lifted up. God's Word teaches this: that until we are brought low, we cannot be lifted up. This is a matter of humility. There are those of us these days who profess faith in Christ, that they are going to heaven when they die, but there is a spiritual arrogance which keeps them back from being all that the Lord desires for them to be. That is why the Bible admonishes us in James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." In the preceding verse 6 we are warned, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."
I can never rightly expect my life to truly count for God and His glory unless I am first willing to be brought down low, for it is only when I am down that can be raised up. And no person, no matter how good or fit he might think him or herself to be, will never see, nor enter heaven until he repents of his sins and surrenders his life to Jesus Christ. He said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."
Think on this.
"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Jeremiah's prophetic call was from God. God would never call a man to that great work who thought too much of himself. Jeremiah did not feel he measured up to such a high vocation. I suppose that is why he told the Lord in verse 6 that he could not speak, for he was only a child.
But God does not want the man He does call to the ministry to think too little of himself. That is why he answered Jeremiah with a solemn retort, "Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak." He further told his man for that work not to be afraid of those to whom he would send him.
Finally, after this matter of the call God gave Jeremiah was settled, He then told him that he would be given His authority to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, then build and plant.
There is a powerful message here concerning men's greatest need, and that is to brought down so that in time he might be lifted up. God's Word teaches this: that until we are brought low, we cannot be lifted up. This is a matter of humility. There are those of us these days who profess faith in Christ, that they are going to heaven when they die, but there is a spiritual arrogance which keeps them back from being all that the Lord desires for them to be. That is why the Bible admonishes us in James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." In the preceding verse 6 we are warned, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."
I can never rightly expect my life to truly count for God and His glory unless I am first willing to be brought down low, for it is only when I am down that can be raised up. And no person, no matter how good or fit he might think him or herself to be, will never see, nor enter heaven until he repents of his sins and surrenders his life to Jesus Christ. He said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."
Think on this.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What Difference Does it Make?
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
This verse has really grasped my attention, and for a very good reason. Its words are quick to remind me not only of what God in His grace and mercy delivered me from, but more importantly, what He delivered me to. It also serves to remind me of a life of service He delivered me for. Since my life has been changed by the power of God's Holy Spirit, my behavior and attitude should be a reflection of that change. This means that what I once loved and God hates, I should now hate it. And what I once hated that God loves, I should now love. This means that if I truly experienced that miracle of the new birth in Christ, my entire life ought to show evidence that this miracle really took place.
Of course, I know that as long as I remain down here in this corrupt body, that old man called the flesh will remain with me. For this reason, it is necessary for me, as well as for other Christians, to go through a daily process of growth known as sanctification. This word in the Greek means to make clean, to purify. It also indicates a process of growth or maturity. This is what Brother Peter meant in the last verse of his second epistle:
"But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)
It is very difficult for me to accept this current teaching going around telling us that mean, bitter spirited people, if they are Christians, will go to heaven. I overheard a message on the radio sometime ago in which the speaker said with a chuckle, "Listen beloved: You might have some mean, hateful Christians in your church, but if they are Christians, one day all that meanness will go away once they enter the pearly gates." I thought, "What utter nonsense!" Being a mean, hateful Christian is a contradiction in terms.
This is the bottom and top line: If I was mean and hateful before Christ saved me, that meanness and hatefulness ought to be gone or at least on its way out of me, as a result of that miracle transformation. As for any traces of it still hanging around, the Holy Spirit dwelling in my heart will give me the desire and power to get rid of that nasty, hateful spirit. I will not want it in my life, and I will work toward getting rid of it as I rely on God's power to help me get ride of it. To think that anyone who is continually hateful and mean-spirited and never changes while he is down here, will suddenly be transformed into a wonderful, loving, joy-filled member of heaven's glories once he gets there, is foreign to the teachings of Holy Scripture. The changes get underway here through daily sanctification and spiritual renewal. And this can happen only through a daily discipline of prayer and study of the Word of God.
Self examination is a good thing. It keeps us constantly aware of our accountability to a Holy, righteous God who loves us perfectly.
This verse has really grasped my attention, and for a very good reason. Its words are quick to remind me not only of what God in His grace and mercy delivered me from, but more importantly, what He delivered me to. It also serves to remind me of a life of service He delivered me for. Since my life has been changed by the power of God's Holy Spirit, my behavior and attitude should be a reflection of that change. This means that what I once loved and God hates, I should now hate it. And what I once hated that God loves, I should now love. This means that if I truly experienced that miracle of the new birth in Christ, my entire life ought to show evidence that this miracle really took place.
Of course, I know that as long as I remain down here in this corrupt body, that old man called the flesh will remain with me. For this reason, it is necessary for me, as well as for other Christians, to go through a daily process of growth known as sanctification. This word in the Greek means to make clean, to purify. It also indicates a process of growth or maturity. This is what Brother Peter meant in the last verse of his second epistle:
"But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)
It is very difficult for me to accept this current teaching going around telling us that mean, bitter spirited people, if they are Christians, will go to heaven. I overheard a message on the radio sometime ago in which the speaker said with a chuckle, "Listen beloved: You might have some mean, hateful Christians in your church, but if they are Christians, one day all that meanness will go away once they enter the pearly gates." I thought, "What utter nonsense!" Being a mean, hateful Christian is a contradiction in terms.
This is the bottom and top line: If I was mean and hateful before Christ saved me, that meanness and hatefulness ought to be gone or at least on its way out of me, as a result of that miracle transformation. As for any traces of it still hanging around, the Holy Spirit dwelling in my heart will give me the desire and power to get rid of that nasty, hateful spirit. I will not want it in my life, and I will work toward getting rid of it as I rely on God's power to help me get ride of it. To think that anyone who is continually hateful and mean-spirited and never changes while he is down here, will suddenly be transformed into a wonderful, loving, joy-filled member of heaven's glories once he gets there, is foreign to the teachings of Holy Scripture. The changes get underway here through daily sanctification and spiritual renewal. And this can happen only through a daily discipline of prayer and study of the Word of God.
Self examination is a good thing. It keeps us constantly aware of our accountability to a Holy, righteous God who loves us perfectly.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
So, What?
If the above title I have chosen for this post comes off sounding rash or sarcastic, I appeal to your willingness to forgive me. But if you sit down and read what I am about to share here, you will hopefully appreciate why I chose to use it. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, 5:16, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Two key words here are, "redeeming" and "time." Paul used redeeming here to mean in the Greek, rescuing from loss. And he used the word time, (kairos), also Greek, to mean a prescribed period, such as days, months, or even years.
Of course, all that the apostle wrote in this epistle, he meant them to apply only to believers, not those outside of Christ. Paul was always a man with a strong sense of urgency. This is not to even imply that he was impatient. It means that he was simply a man who could quickly size up a situation and be ready to deal with it when it came his way.
I believe what Paul meant here paralleled much with the Lord's admonition:
"For what will it profit a man if he should gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?"Or what will a man give in exchange for
his soul?"
What is the value of a long earthly life if that life is not lived for the glory and honor of the Savior? This is what I cannot help hearing, ringing loud and clear in my heart and soul. We live in a time, yes, "time," when many people are so very health and long life conscious. We are bombarded nearly every time we turn on the television, with commercials that sell foods and beverages designed to build strong bones and a healthy heart. There is a program on the air featuring people who are overweight and who desire to lose it through an intense training and diet regimen. And the person who loses the most weight during a given time, will win a large sum of money.
Now, while I am not cutting down such things, or insinuating that they do not have any sort of importance, I do feel led to say that if a person is more concerned with keeping himself physically fit and well, than he is with nurturing his spiritual life, he or she is wasting precious time rather than redeeming it. And the time that I would waste on pursuits which have no eternal value, that is time which can never be restored. It is lost forever.
But Paul says that while there is still time left, live out that time focused upon living it for God. Over the past several months, amounting to a little over a year now, I have had the chance , by the Lord's grace and mercy, to take a careful look at the way I had been living. Our heavenly Father will bring to us anything which He knows is necessary, to cause us to stop and reevaluate our lives.
During my long walk and time with God this afternoon, it struck me, now being 61, that if He were to give me another thirty-two years on this earth, and I did nothing with those years to glorify God, that it would be thirty-two years completely wasted. Every time I think about a man like David Brainerd, whose earthly life ended at 29 years of age, but during those tender, brief years he gave his life completely to his God, preaching to the Indians, and composing thousands of gospel tracts for people of New England to read for their eternal welfare, I feel rather shamed. I feel this way mainly because here was a man who saw his life as being of value only as it was faithfully lived for his Lord and Savior.
What if the Lord should grant me, or you, or anyone, for that matter, a long healthy existence, say up to ninety-plus years? So what? If those years are wasted on frivolous endeavors, namely becoming rich in this world's goods, or making a big name for myself in busines, art, music, or whatever might grab my fancy, it will be a wasted life indeed. This is not my opinion. This is the solemn truth given in God's holy Word.
The Lord is working on me heavily these days, giving me some set backs in the body that remind me I am not what I was when I was 20 years old. But if that is what He knows is necessary to make and shape me into the vessel of honor He means for me to become, then I gladly welcome and accept it. He is doing me a great and wonderful service in so doing, because I would rather He give me only a short time longer, enabling me to bear much fruit for Him during that short time, than for Him to let me stay here till I am a hundred, and after that stand in His glorious presence empty handed. I am looking forward to heaven and the new earth to come, but I do not want to waste the precious hours, days, weeks, months, and years He might give to me until that great Day arrives. And neither should you, dear Christian brother and sister. Let us begin now, redeeming the time we now have, for they are very few at best.
Of course, all that the apostle wrote in this epistle, he meant them to apply only to believers, not those outside of Christ. Paul was always a man with a strong sense of urgency. This is not to even imply that he was impatient. It means that he was simply a man who could quickly size up a situation and be ready to deal with it when it came his way.
I believe what Paul meant here paralleled much with the Lord's admonition:
"For what will it profit a man if he should gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?"Or what will a man give in exchange for
his soul?"
What is the value of a long earthly life if that life is not lived for the glory and honor of the Savior? This is what I cannot help hearing, ringing loud and clear in my heart and soul. We live in a time, yes, "time," when many people are so very health and long life conscious. We are bombarded nearly every time we turn on the television, with commercials that sell foods and beverages designed to build strong bones and a healthy heart. There is a program on the air featuring people who are overweight and who desire to lose it through an intense training and diet regimen. And the person who loses the most weight during a given time, will win a large sum of money.
Now, while I am not cutting down such things, or insinuating that they do not have any sort of importance, I do feel led to say that if a person is more concerned with keeping himself physically fit and well, than he is with nurturing his spiritual life, he or she is wasting precious time rather than redeeming it. And the time that I would waste on pursuits which have no eternal value, that is time which can never be restored. It is lost forever.
But Paul says that while there is still time left, live out that time focused upon living it for God. Over the past several months, amounting to a little over a year now, I have had the chance , by the Lord's grace and mercy, to take a careful look at the way I had been living. Our heavenly Father will bring to us anything which He knows is necessary, to cause us to stop and reevaluate our lives.
During my long walk and time with God this afternoon, it struck me, now being 61, that if He were to give me another thirty-two years on this earth, and I did nothing with those years to glorify God, that it would be thirty-two years completely wasted. Every time I think about a man like David Brainerd, whose earthly life ended at 29 years of age, but during those tender, brief years he gave his life completely to his God, preaching to the Indians, and composing thousands of gospel tracts for people of New England to read for their eternal welfare, I feel rather shamed. I feel this way mainly because here was a man who saw his life as being of value only as it was faithfully lived for his Lord and Savior.
What if the Lord should grant me, or you, or anyone, for that matter, a long healthy existence, say up to ninety-plus years? So what? If those years are wasted on frivolous endeavors, namely becoming rich in this world's goods, or making a big name for myself in busines, art, music, or whatever might grab my fancy, it will be a wasted life indeed. This is not my opinion. This is the solemn truth given in God's holy Word.
The Lord is working on me heavily these days, giving me some set backs in the body that remind me I am not what I was when I was 20 years old. But if that is what He knows is necessary to make and shape me into the vessel of honor He means for me to become, then I gladly welcome and accept it. He is doing me a great and wonderful service in so doing, because I would rather He give me only a short time longer, enabling me to bear much fruit for Him during that short time, than for Him to let me stay here till I am a hundred, and after that stand in His glorious presence empty handed. I am looking forward to heaven and the new earth to come, but I do not want to waste the precious hours, days, weeks, months, and years He might give to me until that great Day arrives. And neither should you, dear Christian brother and sister. Let us begin now, redeeming the time we now have, for they are very few at best.
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