Tired Heart Seeking

 

“O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.” Mark 9:19

When Jesus returned from the Mount of Transfiguration, he became exasperated with the people. He spoke with exaggeration and frustration. His words, “this generation,” referred to the people of that age. Jesus said that generation would never believe in him.

“How long must I be with you for you to have faith in me? No matter how much I prove myself or how long I stay with you, you will never believe. Lest the boy never experience freedom from his torment because you do not believe in me, bring him to me. I care about him because of his torment and because your faith will never be enough to lead to his healing.” This was the spoken and unspoken meaning of Jesus’ words.

The amazing thing in verse twenty is the contrast between the beings—human and spirit. In both Mark’s and Luke’s recording of this event, even before Jesus spoke, the demon thrashed the boy to the ground. The demon recognized Jesus as being the Son of God, who has authority and power to command and control him. The demon's belief about Jesus contrasts with the generation's lack of faith in Him.

In verse twenty-two, the boy’s father’s words to Jesus showed the lack of faith by that generation of people. He said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion for us and help us.” A desperate father grasping for the last straw, the least possibility in his mind, for his son to have freedom from the evil spirit. This man may have exhausted his funds to see every doctor, the priest, and spiritual medium. Another chance for his son’s healing walked into town. This father heard whispers of a man named Jesus. He sought those who could direct him to Jesus, but he found only his disciples. With a loud sigh and deflation of hope, the father may have despaired. Then Jesus walked up to the clamorous crowd. The father’s hope rose. His eyes opened wider, and he sought Jesus’ attention. This father said to Jesus, “If you can, help us...”

Jesus’ response? Incredulity. Spoken and unspoken, Jesus said and may have felt, “How long must I keep showing miracles for these people to believe and be in a right relationship with God? Forever will not be enough time. They have hardened their hearts against me as the Messiah. They must choose to open their hearts and choose to believe in me. Anything is possible to him who believes!”

The boy’s father heard Jesus’ incredulity and exasperation. His hope increased, and he wanted to trust in Jesus. Jesus was the father’s last hope. The man acknowledged his small faith, yet desired belief. He was desperate for his son to be freed from the demon. The father said, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.”

Jesus rebuked the demon and demanded it leave the boy and never re-enter him.

Jesus clarified to the disciples that only prayer can expel such entities.

Jewish scribes argued with the nine disciples who didn't go with Jesus to the mountain. Nothing written in the Bible states these nine disciples had been communing with God. Instead, they stayed in town and became distracted by argumentative people. The disciples focused on defending against the scribes, not on the source of healing and wholeness.

The father, desperate and grasping at his last hope, wanted to believe. His cry, “Help my unbelief,” was his crying out to God for faith, who gives faith to all who ask of him. This father was praying. He recognized Jesus as his only hope and begged God to give him faith.

Jesus said, “This kind can only come out by prayer” (Mark 9:29). The father’s recognition of his own lack of faith led to his desperate cry of wanting faith. God gave him faith to believe in Jesus. God gave faith to the father when he opened his heart to him.

That day, Jesus did more than cast out a demon and make a boy well. He provided faith and hope to a man who had given up hope. This father and son met and experienced Jesus, the divine Son of God and Messiah. The disciples grew in their knowledge of, understanding of, and faith in Jesus. Mark omitted the scribes’ and crowd's faith in his gospel account. In his view, the crowd merely watched and listened.

Today, we each are part of one of these three groups: a growing disciple of Jesus, a desperate seeker of hope and faith, or a hardened and combative person.

Will you choose to grow in discipleship with Jesus?

Will you cry out to God to give you faith to believe?

Will you harden your heart more against Jesus and the salvation he offers to you each day?

It’s your choice. God will never force you to accept him or His forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life in his kingdom.

Never Alone

 

Little children, I (Jesus) am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 13:33, BSB)

If we read only this verse from the passage in John, how would we feel? I would experience exclusion or grief. I would have no purpose in life. My reason for living would be gone. The power in life would cease. The world would devolve into chaos. Anarchy would occur. People would search for God aimlessly, with no purpose.

Jesus said this to fishermen, a tax collector, a thief, a doubter, and his closest of friends—Peter, John, and James. How would it impact you if your friend, teacher, mentor, and brother expressed he would not see or spend time with you anymore?

These men would not see Jesus in the immediate future. Jesus had planned to put their relationship on the ultimate level. He was not ending his relationship with them, but changing it. Jesus was changing it to be an everlasting relationship.

“To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Are you seeking God? He said you will find Him if you seek for Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus said if you seek me, you will find me (Matthew 7:7).

Yes, Jesus went away, but then he returned after his resurrection from death. He never leaves us. Even when Jesus ascended to heaven, he did not utterly and permanently leave. He put his Holy Spirit within each believer and gave us the promise of his return.

At that time, Jesus was going to endure torture, crucifixion, and death. It surpassed even that. Death did not end his story. He arose from death in the tomb and returned to life. Nobody could go there and do that. Jesus made promises to always be with us, never leaving or forsaking humanity.

Where do you stand? Do you sense God has forsaken you to struggle through life? Are you burdened by sins and sense a significant weight on your heart and spirit? Do you sense anything except for loneliness? The glorious victory and truth are we are never alone. Jesus is as close as our next breath, our next heartbeat, or our next thought. Breathe out saying YAH—breathe in saying WEH. His name means I AM.

God is always. He has always been present, before and during time. And there never will be a time when you are alone. You are not alone. Breathe again and call him again. He is waiting for you. Seek him. All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and never be alone (Romans 10:13).

Waiting Empowered

 

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (Ephesians 6:16, NLT)

In the verses before Ephesians 6:16, Paul wrote about other pieces of the armor of God. He taught the Ephesians to don the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the shoes of peace. These are all pieces of defensive armor. To protect the soldier of God from attack. In verse sixteen, Paul taught these believers to hold up the shield of faith so they can block the arrows of the devil. He continued with other verses that included the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.

Before these five verses, Paul began by saying where the armor came from, whose might empower the armor, and who would cause Christians to need armor. God knew in advance armor was a necessity. He knew human-made armor would be powerless to engage with spiritual forces. Because of that, God gives to every Christian the armor that carries the strength He gives. For this reason, Paul wrote in verses ten and eleven, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (NLT).

God knew people's limitations in fighting the spiritual realm of evil. Everyone falls to Satan's temptations at least once in life. Because Christians are to be messengers of the gospel, Satan wants to stop them more than he wants to stop non-Christians. This means that Satan attacks Christians more than he attacks non-Christians. God knows the schemes of Satan. He knows the methods of attack Satan will hurl at His children, and because of that, God gives the armor His children need to combat Satan and his demons. He gives armor that will make His children victorious over Satan’s plans. Paul, convinced of this truth of God, testified of it in Romans 8:38-39. He knew firsthand of God’s love and declared nothing can separate us from God’s love, then gave a list of the things, events, and beings over which God is almighty—death, life, angels, demons, fears, worries, powers of hell, false gods, and anything in all creation.

Since God’s love is so great and powerful, nothing can stand against and defeat us. God made that possible by giving us armor by which to combat Satan’s evil forces. This armor is God’s; He made it, and He gives it. All that comes from God is powerful and good. Yet, we must actively receive it—actively take it and wear it.

A question arises, though, when we consider Christians’ lives. Why do we keep hearing of their sins and downfall? The answer is that no Christian is perfect. They cannot be because they are not God. Only God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is perfect. But Christians are being perfected daily by Christ as they stay in daily communion (relationship) with God. Still, they fall to temptation. For this reason, God gives believers armor. Remember, the armor comes from Him, and, with it, believers can defeat the schemes of Satan. Since God gives Christians this undefeatable armor, why do they still sin? The answer is straightforward: Since God is invincible, the Christians who sinned did not take the armor God offers to each believer, put it on, and use it. These Christians fought Satan with their own strength. For example, people can receive a car but not get in and drive it. God gives believers armor, but until they put it on intentionally by praying over it and onto themselves each day, they stand as prey to Satan’s schemes. King Saul’s life is an example of this.

When Samuel the prophet and priest of God grew old, the Israelites feared they would have no leader upon his death. They asked Samuel to give them a king to judge them so they can be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:1-5). In 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel, by God’s instruction, anointed Saul as king of Israel, then gave him instructions on what would happen and what he was to do. He told Saul that he would meet two men as he passed Rachel’s tomb, meet three men at the oak of Tabor who would give him two loaves of bread, then go to Gibeah of God, meet prophets, and receive the Spirit of the LORD, by whom he would prophesy. From the time the Spirit of the LORD came upon Saul, Samuel said he would be a different person (1 Samuel 10:2-6, 10-13). After receiving the Spirit and prophesying, Samuel told Saul he would know God is with him (vs. 7). From Gibeah, Saul would go to Gilgal and wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive (vs. 8). God chose Saul, anointed him with oil by Samuel, His prophet, and anointed him by the Holy Spirit to lead the people of Israel. The signs proved God's choice of Saul as leader to himself and the Israelites.

Knowing that, why did Saul sin and fall away from God? It happened fast. Saul had the Spirit of God within him. That means he had the armor of God extended to him because God’s Spirit was within him. Yet Saul chose to fight his first temptation, that of receiving the glory and goodwill of his people, by disobeying God’s will as He stated through Samuel. He stole the glory that was due to God by not waiting for Samuel to sacrifice animals on the altar. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul, with his warriors, marched to fight the Philistines. His men feared the Philistines because they had a “mighty army of 3000 chariots and 6000 charioteers and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore” (1 Samuel 13:5). The Israelite soldiers tried to hide anywhere they could find, including large cisterns. Some soldiers crossed the Jordan River to get away from the Philistines. Overwhelmed by fear, the Israelite warriors were unwilling to let Saul wait for the full seven days as instructed by Samuel, so they could burn sacrifices to God and seek His guidance and blessings for the impending battle. Saul decided he would offer the sacrifices to God since Samuel did not arrive before the end of the seventh day, the amount of time Samuel instructed Saul to wait in chapter ten. Samuel arrived in Gilgal just as Saul was finishing offering the sacrifices (1 Samuel 13:10). His reaction to seeing that Saul had acted beyond his authority from God—by acting as a priest—was to say with righteous indignation, “What is this you have done?” (vs. 11) Samuel continued in verses thirteen and fourteen, “How foolish! You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end.”

What happened? Why did Saul disobey God’s instructions through Samuel, God’s prophet? Saul succumbed to his soldiers’ pressure, wanting to be like other kings. He trembled at the idea of losing their trust and loyalty. Saul's focus was on people, not God. He took his eyes off God and focused on his situation. God punished Saul by removing the kingdom from him. He also removed His Spirit from Saul and left a distressing spirit in him (1 Samuel 16:14-15). The first sin of Saul’s, that of disobeying God and taking His glory, led quickly to other sins. He decided not to kill all the Amalekites and their livestock (1 Samuel 15:1-19). Saul walked to Carmel after defeating the Amalekites to set up a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15:12). The Lord outright rejected Saul and had Samuel declare it in 1 Samuel 15:23. When the Lord rejected Saul, He sent Samuel to anoint a man after His own heart, David, in 1 Samuel 16. In this same chapter, the writer of 1 Samuel tells us when the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, a tormenting spirit filled him with depression and fear. A void of God’s Spirit in a person leaves a vacancy for an evil spirit to enter that person. In summary, Saul disobeyed God by taking on the role of priest. God anoints and prepares men to be His priests. He anointed Saul as king, not as a priest. Saul stole God’s glory. He set up a monument to himself because of his pride and allowed the Israelites to give him praise instead of directing the praise to God. For this, God rejected Saul and took His Spirit from Saul. The latter led to a tormenting spirit living in Saul.

Saul was impatient. He received the Spirit of God because of God’s choosing him. He did not use the power and guidance God offered through the Spirit by waiting for guidance and obeying God. Consider Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. For Christians, God’s power and guidance are available to each person. God offers it to each of His children. Christians can choose to receive and use it or not. When believers accept each piece of armor with prayer and then walk with the knowledge, power, and wisdom of God imparted by His truth, righteousness, and salvation, then they can battle Satan and evil spirits. God does not just save people and abandon them to fight alone in life. He wants to journey with each believer and to guide, teach, protect, encourage, and empower them to live life victoriously. Jesus died to give people who believe in Him victory over more than death. Christians can have victory over sin, too.

Consider now, what is your sin today? What was your sin yesterday, this week, this month, this year? Did you live with the power God gives and with His armor received and on you?

To be transparent, one of my recent sins was about to be impatience. Despite not hearing from God, I wanted to make a decision after praying for three days. I desired to accept an opportunity without God’s confirmation. Fortunately, I pray and read my Bible daily. One day, God aimed at my heart with this reminder from Saul’s life. God asked me, “Are you going to be patient or be like Saul?” Ouch! Now, I wait and keep praying. I still ask God want He wants me to do about this opportunity. He reminds me that He does not have to make a quick decision, even though I experience internal pressure to make it. Saul sensed a similar pressure from his soldiers about the choice between fighting the Philistines or running away. God knows what is best for me and for His ultimate plan. He knows what is best for you, too.

Praying for days and not getting an immediate answer is hard. God’s non-answer could mean He is saying, “No,” or “Not yet.” The hard part for me is the "Not yet". I am impatient at times. Will I be like Saul or wait? I am choosing to wait.

Will you wait on God or be like Saul? God is asking you.

The In-Between

 

The In-Between

Living in the in-between

Hard times between life and loss

The time between these

Joy of former, tears are the cost.

The wish for life once again

Feels labored and long

Yet is no greater than a breath

Yet harder than a song.

 

Beating of a heart

Whisper of a voice

The rattle and silence

What more can be lost?

 

Life’s glimmer passed into night

Life’s hope faded fast

The reason and purpose

Seemed empty, useless.

 

Day after day

Darkness, a heavy load

No joy only sorrow

No reason, no hope.

 

Plodding through darkness

Whisper of breath, no sound

Blankness and pain

Without hope, silence resounds.

 

Eyes open as slits

Wait, breath makes sound

Shimmer like mirage

Where is it found?

 

Deeper and wider

Breath, eyes open

Sounds come, recall hope

Heart’s pump sound begins.

 

Days without number

Soundless, no light

Makes heart yearn, grasp

For hope and sight.

 

Slit opened wider

Ears perk, attune

Life enters slowly

Heart yearns, makes room.

 

Darkness will not linger

As Hope enters with love

Hope does not leave

Resurrected from above.

 

Darkness without victim

Loss has no gain

Hope has no strangle

Life comes with pain.

 

Joy ,Life from Hope

Life born anew

Death cannot conquer

HOPE LOVE gives you.

 

Hope in the morning

Peace for the day

Guide for the footfalls

Life eternally.

 

Faith brings renewal

LOVE conquers all

CHRIST resurrected

KING overall.

 

Death has no power

That Christ cannot end

For people who choose HIS

Life HE offers them.

 

Death of a loved one

Painfully dark

Comes with joy for believers

Whose family, friends know HIM.

 

Dark though it seems

Presses down does death’s day

LIFE’S gift of salvation

Redeems, saves from life’s pay.

 

Salvation free

Sin’s judgment paid

Jesus’ death paid ransom

Believers are saved.

 

Battle HE fought

Behind solid stone

JESUS emerged

Now sits on His throne.

 

Victor o’er death

Sin, pain, and grief

Conquering HERO

Our LORD is HE.

 

Dying, HE saved me

Risen from the grave

JESUS HE paid

My redeemer HE saves.

 

HOPE everlasting

JOY without end

Now and always

My SAVIOR my FRIEND.

 

Dying, HE saves.

JESUS, HE reigns.

Death now defeated.

Victorious KING without end!

 

Gail Suratt Davis

March 30, 2024

Choices of Life

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14

God told Joshua to call the Israelites to himself. He told Joshua his death would be soon. The Israelites needed to be reminded of who God is, has been, and will be, as well as what He has done for them as His people. In Joshua 24:14, God, through Joshua, challenges them to recommit themselves to Him.

As we consider this verse, we must notice all the imperatives—fear, serve, cast aside, serve (again). For one verse to have so many commands, this should cause us to ask some questions. The questions that come to my mind are the following four.

·       Who gave these commands? God gave them.

·       Whom did God command? He commanded His people, Israel, and, by forward-pushing, His children by faith.

·       How were God’s people to keep His commands since humanity is sinful and unfaithful? God would give them the will and ability to do what He commanded. God gives absolutes. His ways are bigger than people’s. People must have the desire (will) to follow God through their daily growing relationship with Him, which makes His desires theirs. People also receive God’s empowering to do what He commands, asks, and lays out.

·       What did God command the Israelites to do? He gave four commands by using three words and used one of them twice. God emphasized one command because it was a very important imperative.

God’s first command to the Israelites was to “fear the Lord.” Fearing God comes from the Hebrew word yare’. It means to revere and honor. God commanded the Israelites to revere and honor Him above all else. He would give them the ability to do this. The Israelites would be in awe of God and could only worship and revere Him solely if they grasped onto His power to forsake the self-concerned murmurings of their fickle hearts and minds. God does not require what He does not give the ability to do. People must want to be close to God so that they receive His enabling because of their hearts and minds being attuned to His. God said, “Fear the Lord,” to the Israelites. Draw near and worship God.

God commanded the Israelites to “serve Him.” Again, what God commands people He enables them to do. It requires selflessness, which will lead to godliness. God commanded the Israelites to serve Him, Yahweh (the always existing One), not other gods. Those other gods, which Yahweh said not to serve, include manmade things, self, or other God-created things. He told the Israelites how to serve Him—"in sincerity and truth.” People have a faithlessness that allows them to perform worship acts without involving their heart, mind, and soul. God told His people to serve Him with their whole being (sincerely) and faithfully (in truth). These descriptors of the worship God requires may have caused the Israelites recall what Moses told them. He said in Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 22:37. So, God commanded the Israelites to grasp His enabling of them faithfully to serve Him sincerely with their whole being.

God gave a third command in verse 14. He demanded they “cast aside the gods your fathers served.” Cast aside means to put away, remove, turn aside from. God commanded the Israelites to grasp the power He gives them to turn away from the false gods the Egyptian, Abraham, along with his ancestors, venerated. Do not worship them; intentionally turn away from worshipping created things. Instead, be in awe of Yahweh and worship Him, the One who was before time, is now, and will be even beyond time. Choose to revere and serve Yahweh faithfully (singularly) and completely, with your heart, mind, body, and soul.

That third command in this verse leads to God’s final command. The final command is a reiteration of the second imperative. He commanded the Israelites to cast away the gods of their forefathers and the Egyptians and “serve Him.” Serving God requires exclusivity, serving only Him. It requires oneness of being and faithfulness. Serving God requires awe and reverence of Him singularly daily. God enables His people to serve Him completely and exclusively. People are fickle and unfaithful. Yet God does not command of people what He does not enable. God gives His people the ability to have a close and personal relationship with Him. From that relationship comes the will and desire to be closer to God and to honor Him with their lives by word, action, attitude, and exclusive worship.

Even today, God enables people to serve Him completely and selflessly. He does this by bringing a sinful person into a close and personal relationship with Him through Jesus. Because of God’s great love for people, He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born in human form, live sinlessly, die unjustly, and arise from death victoriously. Jesus died for our sin punishment, which we deserve, so that whoever believes in Him will be saved from their sin and given eternal life with God in His kingdom (John 3:16). For anyone who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the grave will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Anyone who is God’s child can obey His commands in Joshua 25:14 with His enabling. Trying to live as God’s child without His strength, power, and enabling, leads to sinning--missing the mark. God expects His children to live by His enabling them with ability, power, and strength. Anything less than exclusive and sincere worship of God is unacceptable. They become tepid water He spits from His mouth (Revelation 3:15-16).

Today, I encourage you to consider your relationship with God. Do you have a relationship with God by believing in Jesus? Is your worship of God true worship—done with your whole being? Do you worship God faithfully daily and weekly? Do you grasp God’s gift of enabling you to worship Him in these ways? Have you turned away from other things in your life that had more importance to you than God and returned to worship Him wholeheartedly and singularly?

“Choose you this day who you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15a)

 

Laugh Aloud

 

“During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.” (Hebrews 5:7)

Jesus cried and prayed for people lost in a sinful world.

He cried and prayed because He understood the pain His human form would endure because of dying to save these lost people.

The Father heard Jesus’ prayers and provided the way to save people from the chaos of lostness. The death of Jesus’ human form.

He heard Jesus’ prayers and provided a quick end to Jesus’ suffering while hanging on the cross. The death of Jesus’ human form.

People could have been left in the world’s chaos and Satan’s endless torment. They would understand they would never have the chance to get God’s help once they died. But God, in His love and mercy, made the way for people to receive His forgiveness and cleansing from their sins—-because of His love. By the death of Jesus’ human form.

Jesus could have hung on the cross alive for a day and suffered the agony of suffocation, pain, and thirst. But because of the Father’s love and mercy, He caused Jesus’ suffering in human form to end quickly. Jesus’ human form died.

God’s hearing and intervening in both situations occurred because of His love and mercy, since He is Sovereign and omnipotent.

Look back at the intended bleakness and torment that Satan intended, and LAUGH. Laugh at Satan’s impotence when faced with God’s omnipotence. Laugh at Satan’s small claims of importance when faced with God’s sovereignty.

Laugh because God loves you and has saved you if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior. Satan does not win; God wins in your life because you have believed in Jesus. Because Jesus’ human form died as the necessary sacrifice for the sins of each person and Jesus’ human form arose from death because He is God incarnate. Victor over sin and death. For YOU. For ALL who will believe in Jesus, the Son of God.

Know GOD HEARS you when you pray.

GOD ANSWERS your prayers.

And GOD WINS in the end.

LAUGH

Laugh Because...

 

“Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.” (Psalms 143: 8)

One possible personal translation of this might be,

“God, cause me to hear Your devoted love of Your redeeming (rescuing) me from my enemies at daybreak, for I have put my total trust in You alone. Teach me know—to perceive, recognize, acknowledge, and confess—You and Your ways in which I should live, for I give You my soul—my whole being. I desire to come before you in total faith, with love, by confession of Your might and sovereignty, so I offer myself to You as Your servant and child.”

The psalmist stated his enemies pursued him, wanting to kill him. Because of this, his inner being fainted in fear. The psalmist grew weary of his enemies’ dogged pursuit of his life. Then he remembered Yahweh God, whom He knows intimately, and His works. This recollection and the writer’s circumstances compelled him to seek God. The writer acknowledged only God could rescue him. None surpasses Yahweh, thus he raised his hands in petition, offering, and praise.

What did the psalmist want? To escape the fear of capture and death. To have peace. How can we be sure of this? Read the rest of this psalm. His requests to God included:

First, in verse nine, the psalmist wrote, “Deliver me from my enemies.” His request came from recognizing God is almighty. The psalmist understood that God is the only being who can rescue him in totality—in heart, mind, body, and spirit. Ultimately, only God had the power to redeem him from every enemy.

Second, in verse ten, the psalmist said, “Teach me to do Your good will. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” The writer wanted more than bodily and emotional redemption. He wanted to know Yahweh better. He acknowledged the existence of the Holy Spirit and requested God's constant presence. The Spirit would teach and guide him to know God and to live his life for God and His purposes. The psalmist asked God to lead him on level ground, without difficulties. Avoiding life’s struggles is a human inclination, but don’t we often learn more by walking with God “through the valley of the shadow of death?” The crucible of fire in our lives grows us. Those are the times of testing, of practicing what we have learned, so we reinforce the lessons taught. The psalmist acknowledged God with his whole being in this verse. He wanted to learn (head and spirit) from God so he would live (body, mind, heart, and spirit) for God.

Third, with verse eleven, the psalmist appealed to God’s reputation. People had heard about His mighty acts and His children. The writer said, “So that people continue to see You as almighty and sovereign over Your people and creation, revive me.” By “revive me,” the psalmist meant more than just for others so they would remember and/or see God. He asked God to show Himself to him so he would not fear that his enemies would overcome him. The psalmist asked God to revive him by the fullness of His favor and love because of God’s righteousness. (God alone knows the right course of action.) The writer stated and requested, by God’s rightness, by His omniscience and omnipotence, to bring the psalmist’s soul (his being) out of distress. The psalmist recognized God’s rescuing of him in his time of distress, which affected his heart, mind, body, and spirit. This rescuing of his life, the writer stated, affected his eternal being, his soul, too. According to the psalmist, God rescues his entire being, not just a portion. God’s righteousness and redemption affected his eternity. God is sovereign over time, including before it begins and after its conclusion. He rescues people from trials and redeems them from eternal separation. God is the God of time, including before and after time. To this eventual and eternal future, the writer stated his hope and his faith in Yahweh God, the self-existent One.

Fourth, because of this recognition of God’s sovereignty and might and his confidence in God, the psalmist repeated his plea in verse twelve. “Because of Your loving devotion to Your people, to me, remove my enemies from chasing and harming me.” He emphatically repeated this by writing, “Wipe out (exterminate) everyone who harasses me.”

The psalmist recognized, remembered, acknowledged, and confessed God as Sovereign and almighty. By his plea, he proclaimed that God, in His omniscience and omnipotence, possessed the ability to rescue him mentally, emotionally, bodily, and in his spirit. This psalmist explained God could redeem him beyond temporal time—for eternity. This man wanted rescuing from his current enemies and believed God could and would fully redeem his being eternally by saving his soul.

In remembering Yahweh God, the psalmist may have laughed, knowing within his entire being that his enemies were incapable of ever separating Him from God (Romans 8:31-39). When your enemies harass and afflict you, do you laugh because you know God with your heart, soul, mind, and body and believe He has redeemed you for eternity as His own child?

Laugh in the face of your enemy.

How? Profess faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and your Savior and be saved.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

The psalmist recognized God’s might and sovereignty and offered himself to God as His servant and child because of his trust and belief in God. Do you?

Reciprocating

”The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.“

Psalm 145:18 AMPC

 

Notice, the independent clause states a fact: God is near. He stays near His beloved creation, in this case, people. He is the initiator of this relationship.

 

The dependent clause shows a slightly different nearness. The Lord is near to anyone who calls upon Him truly, with their whole being. The initiator of this closer relationship is the person who earnestly sought God for himself or herself.

 

The first clause explains a bit of who God is—Creator, Protector, Provider. The second clause explains the growth of the person because of his or her understanding of who God is. The person recognizes and believes in God as Yahweh—I AM, the One who was, is, and forever will be. God does not change, but when the person truly seeks God, in that person’s heart, soul, body, and spirit, that person gives God a fuller/complete role in his or her life. That saved person accepts God for all He is.

 

When a person seeks God, God becomes more than Creator, Protector, Provider. In his or her mind, heart, body, and spirit, God becomes Lord, Yahweh, and Savior.

 

Is your relationship with God one sided where He is the only one to actively be in it? Or, is your relationship two-sided, where you acknowledge God’s presence and sovereignty and worship Him and He guides you in His ways for your benefit and His purposes of love—love for you and other people?

 

Have you initiated a relationship with God by believing in Jesus as your Savior?

That’s the first step of a lifelong reciprocal relationship with God.

 

Know and Be Still

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10a)

Often people quote this phrase of the verse. I call it a phrase because two other parts combine with it to make the whole verse. Contextual reading of each verse in the book is crucial. We should not consider solely one part of a verse.

Historically, the Korahites, descended from Korah, the son of Levi, wrote this psalm. During King David’s time, the Korahites were the choral and orchestral music writers, singers, and musicians. They wrote Psalm 46 for the Israelites about Yahweh God to tell of His might, sovereignty, and care for His people. When we read Psalm 46, we must look for what it tells us about God. A verse is not the complete lesson of a chapter or book. The psalmist unfolded for the congregants and his later hearers and readers a reminder of God to help each person understand God is greater than anyone or thing we could ever imagine. He is beyond our imaginings.

The psalmist began by stating in verse one, “God is our refugee and strength.” When does a person need refuge? When that person is facing an enemy or a seemingly insurmountable problem. During those crisis times, God provides safety from danger. He is our hope of shelter and the One whom we always can trust, according to this Korahite psalmist. Beyond protecting and providing for His children, God gives His strength for His children to endure, press on, draw closer to Him, and become victor over trials. The Korahite writer reminded the Israelites that God gives them strength and hope from His storehouses. God also is our defense. He can and often fights our battles Himself and provides shelter for us to rest and recover.

With verse one, the writer reminded the readers and hearers God is and gives us hope, refuge, strength to fight, and/or becomes our defense against our enemies. The psalmist also wrote, “He is an ever-present help in times of trouble.” God is omnipresent. That means He is everywhere at the same time and sees everything that happens. God is beyond time and breaks into time to be our loving, protective Father, who is sovereign over all created things. His help is always available, ever-present. God's help is constant and ever-present, never coming and going. His ever-present help supports, assists, and gives aid, relief, shelter, comfort, guidance, and defense in our times of trouble. The psalmist reminded the Israelites of God in their past when He reminded them of who God He had been to and for them. He assured the Israelites and assures us we can always turn to Him for our needs, crisis or not.

Verses two and three relay God’s stability and forever-ness. The psalmist showed this by writing about natural calamities. The writer said we need not fear when anything comes against us. He gave a list of intense events, like landslides, earthquakes, storms, and raging seas. God remains ever-present, sovereign, and almighty. We can trust that He will protect us and carry us when necessary.

With verse four, the psalmist spoke of the hope of gladness God’s people, His children, will experience in God’s kingdom. God’s river of gladness, of joy, will give delight to its inhabitants. His people shall fear no more since they will live in His kingdom. God reigns in His kingdom. Nothing can cause calamity there, like the earth changes mentioned in verses two and three. Its inhabitants will have stability, peace, and joy. Joy will flow like the river running through it.

The psalmist stated explicitly in verse five about what he reminded the Israelites in verses two and three. He wrote, “God is within her (His kingdom and His children); she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.” That last sentence reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is constantly present, faithful, and loving. He never leaves His kingdom or His people. Because of God’s reign and supremacy, His kingdom and people will never be moved or removed from where He established it. This verse sums up what God wants His children to remember. Fear not, for God is with you; He is sovereign.

With verse six, we find the writer used a clever writing technique. The psalmist compares nations and kingdoms with earth’s calamities of verses two and three. In verse six, He wrote, “Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when God lifts His voice.” Just as God masters the earth, mountains, and water (all creation), so He masters nations and kingdom (again creation). Like God causes the earth to crumble, mountains to slide into the ocean, and seas to roar violently, He can cause this to nations and kingdoms. He can cause them to fear and become faint with the sound of His voice against them. These nations and kingdoms the psalmist wrote about are the enemies of God’s people. These unsaved people will recognize their sin when faced with God’s righteousness, omniscience, and power. For the Israelites, those nations and kingdoms were Gentiles. For God’s saved children, the Gentile nations and kingdoms are unsaved people unsaved, those who have not believed in Jesus as the Messiah.

The psalmist, in verses seven through nine, refocused the readers and hearers on who God has been and will be for them. He penned,

“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come see the work of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth. He makes wars cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.”

Yahweh (I AM) of Hosts is with His people now, just as He was for our forefathers. For the Israelites at the time the psalmist wrote, God’s people are “Jacob” in these verses. I AM will use all of creation—spiritual and earthly—to defend you, keep you safe, and, by it, give you peace in the tumult and in the calm. Recall what God has done in the past, the psalmist wrote. God commanded desolations and the destruction of nations and kingdoms who rose against Him or His people. And, just as God can destroy His enemies. He can break and burn the tools of war. God does not just intervene in our battles and fights for us, causing us to have peace. He uses non-aggressive means to end wars and battles that strike and batter us.

Because you know of God from your forefathers and personal experience and, because of the truths about God that people taught to you, you can have confidence God is for you. He will help in whatever way He deems is best for your whole being. Knowing (yada’) God like this leads to your stillness. Only when you have peace from knowing that God is for you can you have the peace to be still and know God deeper. We must know God to have stillness of heart, mind, body, and spirit, regardless of opposition. This stillness instills peace. This statement is circular. To know God, we must be still. To be still, we must know God. From knowing God and being still with Him, we have peace. In verse ten, the psalmist succinctly restated the most important point of this psalm, knowing God.

Know comes from the Hebrew word yada’. Yada’ means more than that of our English verb to know. It includes perceiving, recognizing, acknowledging, and confessing. Notice each level of knowing is part of a continuum of progressing closeness in relationship, in this case, of knowing God. With human relationships, we meet someone and grow in our connection to the person to perceive he or she is in the room. This leads us to recognize the person in a group. Our growth in relationship with that person eventually leads us to acknowledge our relationship to the person. Finally, our relationship with the person leads us to a confession of our closeness to the person. The Korahite who wrote this psalm led the readers and hearers to recognize and/or remember mighty occurrences from the past were by God’s hand. Next, He led the worshippers to know God has the best in store for His children in His kingdom. God’s mercy and salvation of His people comes with His victory over sin, guilt, and death. The psalmist next led people to recall God is mightier than unsaved nations and kingdoms. He reminds the readers and hearers God is sovereign over the spiritual world, unbelieving people, and earth. This Korahite brought to the minds of his congregants that God is supreme; no one is greater than Him. He is ever-present and almighty. God interacts with all realms of creation since He is supreme and Creator.

When we readers and hearers perceive, recognize, acknowledge, and confess God and His sovereignty, then we can be still in our heart, mind, body, and spirit. We perceive God is near and have peace, then declare His covering over and guiding of us. Perceiving God is near leads us to recognize and acknowledge with our mind, heart, and spirit that God moves in the world and our lives. Ultimately, our growth in knowing God leads to us confessing with our mind, heart, body, and spirit that God saved us from our sins, guilt, and death. Before achieving stillness, we must know God in this way. Our relationship with God should be one of growing closer to Him daily. Without our daily living out our personal knowledge of God in our heart, mind, body, and spirit, a storm could toss us. That storm could cause us to feel desperation, depression, anxiety, fearful, chaotic, sad, morose, and overwhelmed. It could cause us to feel like quitting. For this reason, the psalmist reminded us in verse one that God is our refuge and strength. God is “an ever-present help in times of trouble.”

God used the psalmist to lead worshippers. Those worshippers were the children of Israel. Today, believers in Jesus are the worshippers. With the psalmist’s words, we grow to worship Him, our Rescuer, as verses ten and eleven state. Verse ten is God declaring worship of Himself as our own King, Savior, Rescuer, Defender, Provider, Shelter-giver, and Victor. Verse eleven is each of God’s children proclaiming their testimony of Him.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth. 

The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

What is our response?

God is my strength and fortress. All my hope is in Him. No need to fear; God's exceedingly abundant love is more than sufficient. God is Sovereign of creation—tangible and intangible—and is worthy of all my praise and proclamation.

Imitators not Imitations

 

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2, NASB)

Before we jump into the two verses above, we must understand the first word we read in verse one, the word, therefore. Some Bible translations put this word after the word imitators. This verse’s word placement does not matter. The important part is that Paul wrote it, and we need to understand what Paul intended with this conditional word. Therefore implies that an action or statement will result in something happening. This tool is a literary technique used to help a person consider what the speaker states next when considering his previous statements.

To help us understand what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, let us grasp what he wrote before chapter five. Chapter four told the Ephesian believers and later believers, there must be unity in the body of believers, the body of Christ. Verse one said believers must walk in a manner worthy of their calling by Christ. What is this manner? The manner of Christ is one of humility, gentleness, and patience (4:2-3). This manner includes bearing with each other and being eager to keep the unity. Paul reminded the Ephesians they are one body and spirit made so by having the same Lord, faith, baptism, God, and Father (4:4-6). He reached the heart of the matter. Paul said God’s grace gives gifts to Christians through the Holy Spirit (4:7). These gifts equip saints for ministry, building up the body of Christ (4:13). This enables all believers to reach the pinnacle of the unity of the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ and to become a mature believer to the full measure of the stature of Christ (4:7-13). For the rest of chapter four, Paul said by growing toward maturity and unity among the body of Christ, each believer will speak truth and be kind, which shows itself in tenderheartedness and forgiveness toward others of the body (4:25 & 32).

Paul wrote, because of this unity and growing maturity of Christlikeness, believers can, therefore, be imitators of God (5:1). He wrote the word, therefore, to show the result of maturing and being united. Every believer should and will resemble their Father God. The tender image Paul gives is of a loved child’s relationship to his or her father. People can relate to this image of a loving father. For those who cannot for whatever reason, the love of a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, or church member can understand. For others, the relationship of the heavenly Father to him or her is very close because of His protection and provision before he or she became a Christian. Whoever was in your life and deeply touched your heart, consider that relationship like the relationship of the Father to His beloved child.

To extend this comparison, what does a child aspire to become as they mature? Often, he or she will want to imitate the person with whom their heart intensely connects. My mother was a nurse. As a child, my first aspiration was to become a nurse. Why? Because my mom was very loving, caring, and compassionate. This image portrays part of what Paul tried to explain with his analogy. A child desires to imitate their Father. The Father (or the analogized parent, grandparent, etc.) takes great pleasure and honor in the child looking up to Him. He desires for His child to become ever more like Him each day. The Father wants His children to mature into Christlikeness.

What does it mean to be imitators of God? Paul began explaining it in chapter four. He said He wants His children to reach full maturity in likeness to Christ so that they have unity among their brothers and sisters and are kind (tenderhearted and forgiving) and speak truth (the truth of God, not the world’s idea of truth). Paul continued this thought in chapter five. He said imitators of God walk in love (5:2). Paul did not mean phileo love, a brotherly love a person has for his or her close friendships. He wrote saying imitators of God will walk in agape love. Agape is the love shown to people by God. This love is sacrificial love, beyond mere feeling. Sacrificial love intentionally chooses (wills) to act. Agape love shows a preference for the other person over oneself, no matter what the cost. Most parents willingly would risk their lives to save their child’s life. They prefer the life of their child over their own. This love is about what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:2. God’s children are those who mature and become imitators of Him. This means they will live out this preferential love toward their other brothers and sisters in the faith. These believers prefer to help one another grow, survive, and receive forgiveness. They make the choice to ensure the unity of the body of Christ, regardless of the personal cost to themselves.

That sacrificial love made Jesus' offering of Himself in our place a fragrant aroma to God. What parent, when seeing his or her child do a kind and selfless act, does not beam with pride and love for his or her child? God beams with pride at His children when they become imitators of Him in this way, when they love as Jesus Christ loved them.

The Holy Spirit, by God’s grace, gives each believer gifts to equip himself or herself to mature in Christ and to aid in bringing unity as God designed for His body. This unity builds the faith of other believers, speaks truth in love, and is kind—tenderhearted and forgiving. This unity in the body causes each believer to be imitators of God. Each believer will desire to be so close to God that they reflect the presence and love of Christ, allowing others to see God. Those imitators of God are true. They are not an inferior imitation; one the world says is sufficient. The believers who radiate the presence and sacrifice of Christ are imitators of God, not imitations, like faux leather. These believers desire to be closer to God. They crave it. Believers want everyone to know about God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They care that the truth gets out and all experience life-changing and eternal forgiveness. These Christians are tenderhearted and dedicated to spreading the message of Jesus and His salvation. God's children, imitators of Him, aspire to be nearer to and resemble Abba, the one who never gave up on them and offered forgiveness. Their goal is to be like Jesus, regardless of sacrifices. That is agape love. Agape love is a love that prefers to benefit others instead of oneself.

“Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Will you live out what Jesus Christ put in you—the new person—by His Spirit when you believed in Him? Agape love requires action. It prefers other people over oneself. Consider what Jesus would do?

Be imitators of God, not imitations.

Bearing and Forgiving: The Example

 

“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)

Bearing means to endure or tolerate a person and his or her actions, opinions, etc. It is a stance of not judging because of your respect for him or her as a creation of God, one loved by Him. Bearing comes from living out visibly and tangibly what God has put into you from His being and His indwelling Holy Spirit. Because we are “raised with Christ,” as Paul stated, we are enabled to bear with each person if we are willing to do that which God compels us. We can simplify this action and attitude of bearing with a slogan from the 1980s-2000s, “What would Jesus do”—WWJD.

Paul wrote we are to bear each other, our brothers and sisters in Christ—their various attitudes, actions, thoughts, words, etc. Still, he added to that. He specifically added that we are not only to bear but to “forgive any complaint.” Forgiveness is hard for any person, especially the unsaved. It should be easier for a Christian because he or she recognized and recognizes daily his or her own sins. Still though, without humility, forgiveness is hard to give. Without a willing heart, the forgiveness God puts within you will not be extended to others.

Bearing a person is easier to do. Sometimes we just grit our teeth and put up with a person (“grin and bear it”), probably while interacting very little with the person. Forgiving requires more of a person to be done. It requires humility, understanding, mercy, compassion, kindness, and acceptance of that person with whom you bear his or her opinions, actions, attitudes, etc. Forgiving is freely, willingly, and graciously extending favor, kindness, and pardon to a person who has harmed or offended you or someone else. 

Paul said forgiveness is a refusal to cast blame for “any complaint.” Forgiving is totally removing a harm from your memory of offenses, not harboring any grudges for later quarrels or arguments. Paul also recognized that forgiveness is a two-way street when he wrote, “against one another.” It takes at least two people for an offense to happen. The offense of one person by another may occur from interactions between those two people because of attitudes, words, or actions misunderstood or misstated. Therefore, forgiveness often needs to be extended by each person in the equation of offense and hurt. 

In considering offense and forgiveness, Paul summed up the ultimate example of forbearing and forgiving, in case anyone forgot and in hope they will remember it in the heat of the moment. Just as the word “bearing” should cause us to consider the ultimate reason to bear with another person and just as the word “forgiving” should cause us to think of the ultimate reason to forgive, Paul explicitly stated as reminder and prime example Jesus’ bearing with and forgiving of us, His followers. 

Even if you are so hurt or offended that you do not want to be with or think about the person by whom you took offense, remember, but for Jesus, you would not know or have freely received forgiveness. You would not have received salvation and the promise of eternal life. Your interactions with God read like a litany of charges of offense and rebellion against Him, but He extended and extends undue grace and forgiveness to you. He bears with and justifies you. God removes your sins from your name as far as the east is from the west. 

God did not have Paul write and teach that we are to do something impossible. He bore and forgave all your sins. God gave mercy and grace to you and pours into you the ability to be merciful and gracious toward other people. You can bear and forgive because of His love, of which you are the recipient and the channel to other people. 

So, be like God. By the love of God within yourself, bear with and forgive any complaint you have with one another. Are you willing? 

 

Are you forgiven and saved by Jesus? If not, now is the time to believe in Jesus, confess your sins, and receive His forgiveness.