Longsuffering As Hope For Success

“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1Ti 1:16 AV)

 

Of the underlined phrase, let me submit some quotes.

“It was shown by his example that the Lord Jesus could evince any possible degree of patience, and could have mercy on the greatest imaginable offenders.” – Albert Barnes

“the whole (of His) long-suffering,” namely, in bearing so long with me while I was a persecutor.” – Jamieson-Fausseo-Brown

“The whole fulness of His patient, pitying grace was lavished upon him.” – Alexander MacLaren

The context is divine longsuffering unto salvation.  Paul is grateful God put up with him and brought him to a place of salvation when he considered himself the least of all creatures to attain it.  The purpose, rightly so, for the longsuffering of Jesus on Paul was so that he could be an example to all sinners.  If Jesus could save him, then Jesus could save anyone.  However, I want to consider this as a principle of God’s dealing with all men.  Not just those who will come to Christ.  What I notice is the forbearance of judgment is an indication of what God knows is possible.  That is, if God is longsuffering with us, He must believe that given time, we will walk closer with Him.

I know I use this as an example for a lot of life’s lessons, but it was a major part of my childhood.  My father was a self-taught musician.  In fact, he was a self-taught individual in a lot of things.  If he wanted to learn something, he gathered information and sat down to learn it.  As a musician, he required all his children to learn music to a point we could be somewhat proficient, but more importantly, appreciated music on a level higher than mere entertainment.  I began on the piano.  We were all required to do so.  Then I transitioned to the guitar.  Four finger chords were especially difficult for me.  The ‘F’ chord in particular.  B7 also comes to mind.  My father was very patient.  We practiced and practiced.  Our lessons required we learn a new chord or skill and practice it for one to two weeks depending on the difficulty.  Our father would then test our skills with an exam of sorts.  We would play with him some song of his choosing while he watched our fingering.  As is my way, if there is an easier way to do something, I will find it.  He taught his way of making the ‘G’ chord, which by the way, is the most popular.  However, I discovered if you made it a different way, transitioning to ‘G7’is only a matter of picking up one finger and putting another down in its place.  His way, all three fingers would be repositioned.  In his patience, he allowed that fingering.  But when it came to the ‘F’, there was no bending.  He was after me to make that chord correctly.  He never lost his temper.  He never chastened me.  But he was after me.  His longsuffering was based on his belief that given enough time and opportunity, I would eventually make that chord correctly.

God is the same way.  We can look at the longsuffering of God purely as an exercise of His grace and mercy.  But it is also an exercise of conviction.  He knows what we are capable of.  He knows that given enough time and opportunity, we just might straighten out.  The fact that God has not severely corrected the saint beyond his ability to get right is an indication God still believes getting right is a real possibility.  The longsuffering of God is not limited to benevolence.  The longsuffering of God is a statement of hope.  Hope that we will eventually get it and that God will do a tremendous work of grace in our hearts and souls.  So, the next time you wonder why God hasn’t punished you to the extent you would punish yourself, remember He still believes in His ability to change your life.  The longsuffering of God is His statement of hope for you!

Problem With The Two-week Notice

“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” (2Th 3:13 AV)

 The Thessalonian church was facing false teaching that the LORD’s return was most certainly imminent.  Paul gives the church several things to look for before the rapture of the church occurs.  Two of them in particular are a great falling away of the church and the revelation of the Antichrist.  They were being taught the return of Christ could happen at any moment and in response, they were busybodies not providing for their own and stirring up trouble in the church.  They had become poor testimonies to other believers and to the world because they were responding incorrectly to the promise of Christ’s return.  To not be weary in well doing here means to do as we are called to do patiently and with the hope of Christ’s return, not in anticipation of it as a release from all duty.

Waiting for liberty can be tiring.  When the LORD finally opened the opportunity to go into ministry full time, the weeks leading up to that event were the longest weeks of my life.  One must understand, it took 18 years for the LORD to open the door of full-time ministry.  God called me to preach in 1982.  I enrolled in Bible college the following spring.  Thirteen years, a wife, and three children later, I finally graduated.  It would be another five years after my graduation before the LORD called me into a full-time situation.  During all that time, the fire never went out.  It was always there.  The LORD moved me from several churches into other churches that, to my chagrin, were going through severe trouble of which I was not aware.  I yearned for my own ministry.  When the call finally came, I was working at a factory.  We manufactured plastic food packaging and plates.  When the call came, I had finished an assignment in a new plant startup.  It was going to get boring all over again.  But the call came and plans were laid for my move to a new city and church to be a full-time assistant pastor.  I gave my two-week notice and settled in to wait out those two weeks.  It was the longest two weeks of my life.  The responsibilities that I had done for several years all of a sudden became tedious.  What I thought was boring and easy work now became difficult.  What was not a big deal to do, now became annoying.  The promise of liberty made present duties hard to bear.

It is very evident the coming of Christ is just around the corner.  If it were not tonight, I might be surprised.  The great falling away has happened.  What the church was fifty years ago has greatly changed.  The church has changed with the culture. It became post-modern.  It is now woke.  Separation is non-existent.  Doctrine is no longer tolerated.  Feel-good sermons with vague principles sprinkled with enough anecdotes are the norm.  We have fallen away.  The only remaining event to look for, according to our passage, is perhaps the Man of Sin is revealed.  Perhaps the church we see who that Antichrist is and then the trumpet will blow.  We have that assurance of deliverance.  This is wonderful.  But it is also challenging.  There are still souls who have not heard the good news of the gospel.  There is still a great commission to fulfill.  There are still things we can do for the glory of God.  These things have not changed.  We have the promise of the rapture.  We will be caught away.  These things will happen but let us not allow this hope to make our present responsibilities any more tiring than they actually are.

Facing A World That is Falling Apart

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Th 5:8 AV)

Paul is speaking of the end times and the general demeanor that should be our constitution.  Paul mentions soberness, faith, and hope.  Soberness is to be calm and collected in spirit.  It means an even-keeled emotional state.  A state of temperance not thrown about by uncontrolled emotion.  This is good advice regardless of the day and age we live in.  Emotional discipline is in short supply today.  Faith is a belief so strong, one is compelled to act upon it even amid obscurity.  Faith withstands challenges to it.  This is why faith is compared to a breastplate.  A coat of arms that can withstand a dart of doubt from entering the heart.  Faith is that which causes us to take the first step in the right direction.  The helmet protects our thinking.  The hope of eternal life should bring the balance to our thinking that makes the other two commands a bit easier.  The above challenge covers the mind (helmet), will (breastplate), and heart (soberness).  As we approach the second coming of Christ, to do as Paul suggests becomes ever more difficult.  But absolutely necessary.

In our younger parenting days, we did not always show our sons a heart of faith and hope.  Temperance was not always in great supply.  Raising a young family is a very stressful endeavor.  Especially if you do not have a great job with a very good salary and awesome benefits.  Such was our case.  It has been our modus Operandi to live paycheck to paycheck.  At least until our middle-aged years.  When God calls you into His work full-time, finances can often become a struggle.  Our situation was no different.  Add to that the challenges of ministry itself, and one can only imagine the non-stop assault on peace and tranquility in the home.  Too often Mom or Dad would be at the end of our ropes and the boys had to suffer for it.  We didn’t beat them.  We didn’t abuse them.  We didn’t mistreat them.  However, we were not the example of hope and faith that we could have been.  A little bit short-tempered or anxious about bills that were piling up, our sons got what was leftover rather than what our best was for them.  We didn’t respond to trouble as we should have.  Learning how faithful God truly has been becomes the method of building that faith.  Over the years of walking with God, we learn that our problems are nothing in comparison to what God can do.  We learn to trust because God has a track record of getting us through the things that concern us the most.  Over time, the challenge listed above becomes a bit easier to accomplish.

We live in an age where things are changing at warp speed.  Our nation is sliding further and further away from God at an increasing pace.  It has changed so much that I don’t even recognize this world anymore.  There is nothing that remains from my childhood.  The instability of our world seeks to work the same in my own heart and mind.  Panic is all around us.  We see every shred of morality cut and burned.  The consequences of turning our backs on God are coming home to roost.  We can look at all the changes and postulate what tomorrow, next month, or next year might look like.  No politician can fix this mess.  We are too far gone.  The only thing that remains is the coming of Jesus Christ and His rod of iron that will fix all this.  In the meantime, we are challenged to get control of ourselves.  To exercise mental, emotional, and physical discipline in the face of all this turmoil. Oh, and by the way, Paul says to love one another.  The believer who can weather the storm and control his or her being is the one who will draw others to Christ.  As the world is agitated and anxious, the believer who stands in faith, nothing wavering, is the one who will show the way of salvation to a lost world looking for answers.

Faith And Affliction

“And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.” (1Th 3:2-3 AV)

Living life by faith is not for the faint of heart.  Living by faith is the only way in which to please God.  We have no other choice.  We have it in our minds that living by faith is living with the blessings of extreme miracles every waking moment.  We read the biographies of great men of God whose lives were filled with one miracle after another.  Or, we read of all that God did through Moses, David, and Paul and we think that was an everyday occurrence.  We do not realize that in between all the miracles, there were regular days.  Days of everyday things of life that sapped strength from the heart and soul of the soldier of Christ.  Living by faith means we are put into situations that require risk.  If there is no risk, it takes no faith.  This risk of persecution is the affliction mentioned above.  Paul sends a preacher to the church at Thessalonica as a means for encouragement.  The sending of Timothy is a reminder that a life of faith means a life of affliction.

Going into surgery is not the most comfortable of all things to do.  I have had to do that a few times.  A couple of colonoscopies, shoulder surgery, and tonsillectomy are all in my medical records.  Going under anesthesia takes a lot of trust.  I still remember the very first time.  My pediatrician recommended my tonsils come out.  I was probably around eight or ten years old.  I remember the hospital.  It was Niagara General.  I remember the OR.  I remember how white it was.  I remember waking up and throwing up into a bedpan.  I remember the torture my bunkmate was to me.  I remember the harassment my siblings gave me for eating baby food out of a jar until my throat healed up.  I remember quite a bit.  But the one thing I remember the most is my resolve not to succumb to the gas pumping into my mouth.  The anesthesiologist told me to take normal breaths and count backward from 100.  I wasn’t going to go under.  No way.  I held my breath and counted backward.  I was going to get all the way to zero and they would have to give up.  No tonsillectomy today!  Didn't quite work out as I planned.  The next surgery was on my shoulder.  A thought occurred to me as they were preparing to wheel me down.  What a way to go.  Completely pain-free and in my sleep.  It took faith to surrender to the gas, but much less than the first time around.  Relinquishing control is a hard thing to do.  This is what faith requires.

Paul, of all saints, knew what it meant to live by faith.  His whole life was defined by that very act.  If you read of his trails of faith in his second letter to the Corinthians, one would understand that affliction and faith go hand in hand.  There is no avoiding it.  How we respond to the trials of life determines whether we are saints of faith or saints of comfort.  If we are willing to grow in faith towards the Creator of all things, then we will be willing to go through some very deep waters.  These waters are overwhelming from time to time.  They exact a cost that at times, seems too steep to pay.  But God is faithful.  He will not allow us to be tempted above that which we can get through with His help, guidance, and strength.  Thessalonica was a great church.  They were birthed and grew to maturity in a very short time.  They were able to mature at the rapid pace in which they did so because they were willing to endure trials of faith.

Walking Worthy of God's Person

“As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” (1Th 2:11-12 AV)

 That is a precise and beautiful phrase.  Paul’s desire for the church of the Thessalonians is that they walk worthy of God.  Paul uses a similar expression in Ephesians.   “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” (Eph 4:1 AV)  In this use, Paul is exhorting a church to walk worthy of a position or name.  They are to live up to that which God requires of them.  In the use of the phrase above, it is the very presence of God.  Now, I know what you might be thinking.  How can anyone walk worthy of the presence of God?  No one can.  We are all sinners in the worst possible way.  How can anyone walk worthy of the presence of a holy God who does not dwell with unrighteousness (Ps 5:4,5)?  The moment we sin in any way, which is pretty much non-stop, we are no longer walking worthy?  Or can we?  If it was not possible, then Paul would not have mentioned it.  Therefore, we should walk worthy of the presence of God.  But how?

We think of worthiness like a uniform one puts on.  It reminds me of a skit that Harvey Korman and Tim Conway performed in the Carol Burnett show.  It was always a great laugh watching them work a skit because Tim could get Harvey to lose it.  In this particular skit, Tim plays an officer who is drumming a soldier played by Harvey out of the corp.  The skit is set back pre-WWI.  As Tim enters, he calls his disgraced soldier to attention.  As the skit goes, the officer is laying out all the charges leveled against this soldier and tries to remove items from his uniform.  He is only moderately successful.  As he struggles to remove badges, patches, cords, and other accessories, the officer is losing much more from his own uniform.  By the end of the skit the soldier pretty much still has all his uniform while the officer is reduced to slacks and shirt. In exasperation, the officer gives up and walks off stage.  The intimation to the skit is as long as the soldier’s uniform remains, he continues to serve in the corps.  This is how we see the phrase above.  Walking worthy means to wear the uniform.

However, as part of his personal testimony before salvation, Paul made the following statement.  “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Php 3:6 AV)  When Paul is claiming to be blameless, he is not claiming perfection.  The law was more than rules for living.  The law also contained provisions for failure.  When the Jewish worshipper fell short of the law of righteousness, he offered sacrifice and made atonement for that sin.  There was confession and the death of a sacrifice.  Blameless does not mean sinless perfection.  What blamelessness means is correct in the law.  The same is true of the New Testament believer.  We are not perfect.  Practically speaking, we will not live perfectly sinless.  There will always be choices we should not make.  Walking worthy of the presence of God means we confess and forsake that which offends Him.  This, everyone can do.  The question is, do we wish to?  Do we really love the LORD with our whole heart, mind, soul, and body?  Or, are we carnal and only go so far as to repent from sin in general and accept Christ so that we do not suffer eternal hellfire?  Walking worthy of God is walking right with God.  This we are commanded to do.

The Old Can Be New

“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.” (Ps 149:1 AV)

Our church hymnal has about 500 hymns.  Many of these hymns we have sung multiple times.  Some of them we sing rather often.  During my single days, I was part of a singles class whose pastor loved Victory In Jesus.  We must have sung that hymn every other week.  Victory in Jesus was hymn number 223 in our hymnal.  Others were favorites of our church.  Like Amazing Love, or Nothing But the Blood, or Hallelujah For The Cross.  Then I have favorites of my own like When I Survey The Wonderous Cross, or Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, or The Old Rugged Cross.  These are old songs.  They were written many decades ago.  The reason they have not gotten old, however, is the doctrine contained therein is fresh with every generation that comes to Christ.  An old song can be a new song.  And it can be a new song every day.

As I wrote a day or two ago, I sat and watched a production of F. Handel’s Messiah.  In my much younger Christian years, I wore that album out.  This was before CDs and MP3s.  My copy was on a cassette.  I must have listened to that work at least once a month for almost a decade.  I have to admit, for all that time I enjoyed this work for the music’s sake and the words of each movement.  I was raised on rock-and-roll and Handel’s Messiah is about as far from that satanic music as one can get.  It was like a shower to my soul.  I don’t know what took me so long, but this year the Spirit finally helped me connect the dots in how the different pieces were placed in sequence to tell a story.  The story of redemption, judgment, and glorification becomes evident in the entire work.  I don’t believe in second inspiration, but Handel’s Messiah is perhaps one of those works which can claim a leading of the Holy Spirit in assembling this work.  I must have listened, as I said, hundreds of times.  I went to live productions several times.  The course of our world and what I see for it in the near future made me appreciate this work to a depth I had never understood before.  What changed?  Was the work new?  Was it a new song?  No, the circumstances of life and God’s hand in it refreshed the meaning of those words so it was as if I heard it for the first time.

Paul equates singing to prayer in one of his letters to the Corinthians, in Ephesians, and Colossians.  Singing is indeed a type of communication to one another and ultimately to God.  When we sing we are testifying to the congregation and the LORD all that He is and has done.  That is the difference between modern Christian music and old-fashioned hymns.  The older songs are God and Chris-centered.  The newer stuff is narcissistic and stresses how life and God affect the believer.  When we sing, the words which come from our lips should reflect new blessings or, at the very least, a remembrance of what God has done in a new and refreshing way.  A new song every day does not need new words or a new melody.  All a new song needs is a new, or renewed, appreciation of God and what He means to the soul.  So, do I think in heaven we will be learning a new song each and every day?  Perhaps.  But it does not need to be so.  Do I think that believers need the newest release for the most popular Christian songwriter?  No.  It is not necessarily wrong to enjoy and use new sacred pieces.  But what is more valuable is a new or renewed sense of gratitude and worship as we sing those songs whether they be old or new.  It has always been the heart more than the words.

Joy To The World

 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Mt 2:10 AV)

 This can be a puzzling statement seeing as how these wise men followed the star all the way to Bethlehem.  The meaning could be several things.  It could be a general statement as to their reaction at seeing the star in the east and following it all the way to Christ.  Or, it could mean they rejoiced when the star came to a rest and they realized they would see the fulfillment of that prophecy of Numbers 24:17.  Which, by the way, is the first mention of a single star in scripture.  Or, as I think it is, they rejoiced in seeing Jesus Christ for they equated the star in the sky with equal significance as the fulfillment of that star in the person of Jesus Christ.  Regardless, they rejoiced when they saw the promise made to mankind of a Jewish Messiah who would save the world from their sin. We have a lot for which to be thankful.  The greatest of which is salvation in our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.  When we think of all that the wise men gave up to see the Christ child, yet still choose to rejoice exceedingly, perhaps we can appreciate all the more how precious the gift of eternal life truly is.

Because Herod killed all the children two years old and younger, it is assumed the wise men saw the star two years before their arrival.  We do not know if it took these men two years of travel time, but we do know it was a great distance.  It is also assumed they traveled mostly at night.  This may or may not be true because they knew the star was out of Jacob.  Or, out of Israel.  For the most part, they could have traveled westward towards Israel during the day and worshipped the God of the star in the evening.  As they came closer to Israel, they more than likely traveled as night because they did not know exactly where in Israel the star would rest.  Being Gentile in nationality, they would have suffered some consternation for their desire to recognize a Jewish king.  Being under Roman control at the time, these wise men would have had to be stealth in their aspirations because there would be questions among the Romans as to this prophecy.  As is evidenced by Herod’s reaction, this was a concern.  These wise men left family and occupation to make this trip.  They did it at a substantial cost to themselves.  In other words, they went through great hardship and personal risk to experience the Christ child.  Perhaps this is why they rejoiced exceedingly.

The depth of our personal cost and risk is commensurate with the joy we receive at the remembrance of who and what Jesus Christ is to us.  Those who have paid little will appreciate Jesus very little.  Those who have remained committed and suffered loss because of that commitment will rejoice at the meditation of and prayer to their great God and Savior.  Today really isn’t about all those traditions.  It is not even about family, per se.  This day is a day to be exceedingly filled with joy because we have eternal life through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ!  We are raptured with joy that warms the heart when we see that Star!  He truly is the reason for the season.

Fear and Faith

“The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” (Ps 147:11 AV)

 I find it fascinating that fear of God and hope in His mercy can dwell together.  Even more than that, they seem to be mutually dependent.  In my limited human way of thinking, I would assume them to be the opposite.  If one fears an authority figure, he would naturally try to avoid him.  Not run to him for mercy.  But according to our passage, this is not the case.  If I fear a judge, I may go to him seeking leniency.  But I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to assume he would show any.  The hope for mercy stated above is faith in His mercy.  It assumes mercy to be possible and probable.  According to our writer, who is probably David, he groups the fear of the LORD and faith in His mercy together.  They go hand in hand.  This is a mystery that needs further meditation.

As stated in other entries, I have had to stand before a judge several times.  Three to be exact.  In one of those cases, I had a lawyer present.  When we went to court, we were hoping for mercy, but not necessarily presuming upon it.  The lawyer’s job is to use the law to my advantage and ensure a fair trial.  One of those cases was speeding in a park.  The speed limit sign was obscured by trees so I never saw the law posted as it should have been.  The law is clear here.  I could have been fined and points added to my license, yet the judge showed mercy.  He showed mercy because the law was not clearly stated.  He found equal fault with the state.  I should have known the posted speed limit regardless of the visibility of the sign.  It is my responsibility to know the law.  However, the lawgiver cannot make it difficult to attain the law by neglect or malice.  Therefore, I had redress and the judge dropped the ticket to a non-punitive level.  I received mercy from the court while fearing what the court might decide.

This is not so with God.  We have no redress.  We have no relief.  There are no arguments we can make to absolve ourselves of guilt.  Outside of the blood of Christ, we have no claim at all to mercy.  The Psalmist mates the fear of God and faith in God’s mercy together.  How is that possible?  Unlike the above judge, God is the final authority.  The judge is guided by the law.  The law is his authority.  There is no authority above God.  So, if we fear Him, then we have a reasonable expectation of mercy.  If we show the proper respect and hold God in awe, then He reveals his kindness to us.  Faith in mercy is two-sided.  We have faith in the attributes of God.  We have faith He will exercise forgiveness.  We believe He will show mercy when justice is warranted.  Secondly, we have faith the Holy Spirit has humbled us to the point we have no other hope but in His mercy.  We are totally emptied of ourselves or any and all other options.  This is the humility and fear God honors with His mercy.

Praise Is Not Circumstantially Based

“While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” (Ps 146:2 AV)

This is a remarkable vow when one considers all the Psalmist might face.  This vow is an immense and challenging one.  We do not know who the writer is unless we adhere to the Jewish tradition of ascribing the psalm to the last listed writer.  If that is the case, then this psalm is a psalm of David.  David, as we know, had a hard life.  His troubles are too numerous to list.  His trials included moral failures, threats on his life, abandonment of his most loyal servants, betrayal from his own family, and battles too frequent to not be considered normal.  As we said before, David had a hard life.  We do not know when he penned the above words.  My inclination is a bit later in life.  When he finally accepted that trouble was the way of life and that God was more than capable to see him through it all, he settled his heart and praised the LORD no matter the circumstances.  This vow above is one of the mature believer.

As I write this, I am sitting and watching a production of Handel’s Messiah.  I remember first hearing this production the year of my salvation.  As everyone is, I was familiar with the Hallelujah Chorus.  We have all heard it either in pieces or in its entirety without even knowing from where it came.  There is great tradition around this one movement.  It is said that a king rose to his feet in honor of the LORD Jesus Christ and that is why we still do practice this custom hundreds of years later.  I love the Hallelujah Chorus.  However, there is one movement I like above all others in the Messiah.  Based on Revelation 4:11, Worthy is the Lamb moves my heart more than others.  The production I am watching at the moment is the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society.  The Choral Society numbers in the hundreds.  Perhaps close to three hundred.  One of the reasons I love listening to this work is the unity of voice between so many.  They sing as one.  You cannot pick out one voice over another.  What strikes me is there are three hundred plus hearts all combining with one voice to praise God for the provision of Jesus Christ as our Messiah and Savior.  Those three hundred plus voices and accompanying orchestra have their individual struggles in life.  Watching the production, one would never know who was going through hard times and who, at the moment has a relatively stable life.  There could be loss of life, loss of health, loss of financial well-being, or a family that is falling apart.  Yet, they sing.  There could be a horrible diagnosis, a handicap, and a fit of deep depression.  Yet, they sing.  They could have had a falling out with a best friend, their children leaving the nest or a very sick spouse.  Whatever the case, they sing. In fact, this production features a chorus of deaf interpreters who are signing the entire work.  Imagine, not being able to hear what we take for granted.   Yet, they sing on.  What they are going through may add to the depth of their singing.  It probably does.  What they are singing could also be therapeutic.  It probably is.

The application is sure and plain.  I do not write this lightly.  For I, like everyone else, have a hard time praising God with my whole being when my world is falling apart.  The point to which David arrived was a maturity to accept life as God had designed it to be, relying on Him to get him from one stepping stone to another.  What he had decided not to do was allow the problems of life to rob God of the praise He deserves.  This vow, although serious, is also liberating.  When we praise God in both good times and in bad, life seems to even out a bit.  Trouble doesn’t seem so severe and we take blessings as a normal part of life.  The vow above is a serious one.  But it is a good one.  If our focus is on the goodness of God, we can endure quite a bit!  Let us raise our voices with one another regardless of what life has brought and praise the LORD for all of life’s blessings and challenges.  After all, we have eternal life and all that we experience in life will be but a distant memory a million years from now.

I've Fallen And I Can Get Up

“The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” (Ps 145:14 AV)

In reading the commentaries, they believe the ‘falling’ and ‘bowing’ are weariness caused by the burdens of life.  One thinks of a beast of burden who is carrying a load a bit more than he can.  He struggles and often takes rest.  He may fall to his knees.  Yet, he rises again to carry the burden assigned to him.  ‘Upholdeth’ and ‘raiseth’ are two degrees of the same thing.  ‘Upholdeth’ is to prop up as one is moving.  To raise up is just what one might think it is.  Once the beast has fallen, he is raised up again.  The promise here is that no matter what we might be facing, the LORD will sustain us through it all.  He will not remove the burden.  That burden is ours to carry.  Whatever burden we are asked to carry, it is for His glory and our growth.  Burdens, if yielded to, will grow one stronger.

This morning, very early, the LORD woke me up to pray for some families going through very difficult times.  Some I knew exactly what to pray.  Others, I didn’t know the particulars of what might ease their burden.  The outcome is clear.  What the LORD desires for them was not in question.  However, when praying for things that involve the choices of others, the clarity for exactly that which we must pray can become clouded.  One common need in all of these situations was the truth above.  Each has their burden to bear.  Each is overloaded with that burden.  Each needs the LORD to uphold them or perhaps pick them up so they can continue on their life’s journey under the load assigned to them by a God who knows far better than we what we need and what He desires.  What is particularly hard is the timing of all of this.  There were several who have lost someone close to them.  This will be the first Christmas without someone who was the life of the family.  It will be particularly difficult.  Some suffered great loss from the tornado that went through Mayfield, KY.  They have absolutely nothing in their possession this Christmas.  Others have health issues, financial issues, and relationship issues.  Each has their particular burden to bear and they believe it is too much. 

It is easy to say the words above.  Especially when you are not the one going through deep waters at the time.  But it is still nonetheless true.  So, what is the point of today’s devotion?  Maybe you and I have a light burden at the moment.   Perhaps we are walking under our load just fine.  Or, it could be the LORD is upholding us and our burden only seems as light as it is because the LORD is there with us.  There are, however, dear saints who have troubles we can only imagine.  What do we do?  We can offer words of encouragement.  Sometimes that works.  Somethings it has the opposite effect.  Perhaps we can offer a hand by making something for dinner or offering to run an errand.  We can offer counsel if asked for.  There are several things we can do that we might be the hand of the LORD that upholds or raises up.  There is one thing, however, we can all do and that is to pray for one another.  We can go to the LORD and even if we do not know exactly what the answer might be or how to get there, we can pray the LORD of all creation would uphold or raise up those who are struggling under the burdens of life.

Grateful for Divine Acknowledgement

“LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” (Ps 144:3-4 AV)

That underlined phrase literally means He knows of and takes account of our existence.  Not only does God know us, He knows of us.  This knowledge is an act of His omniscient will.  He could choose to take no knowledge of us.  God could have created the biological processes by which we come into existence and then let nature take its course without any proactive act of his will to acknowledge that we exist.  Theologians call this deism.  That is, the idea the Creator ceased to interact with His creations and steps back to allow His creation to take its course naturally and without His direct interference.  This is not the theology of the Bible.  God knows us.  He chooses to know us.  He chooses to know that we exist.  To this truth, the psalmist is moved.  He stands in astonishment that the God who created all would take the effort to know someone as insignificant and he, let alone even acknowledging his existence.

As someone who came from a large family and who was the runt of his class, alone time was not hard to come by.  Or at least the absence of direct affirmation from those who would have made me feel like I was important to someone.  It is hard to have the attention one craves from his parents when he has to share that attention with ten other siblings.  Compounded to that reality was the fact I was the class runt.  Or, putting it another way, I was the one everyone else picked on.  My school days were a nightmare until I reached my senior year.  We moved to a new city with a new set of people and it was much easier to fit in.  All this history did damage to my self-worth.  When I received Christ as my Savior, the LORD put into my life that changed all that.  Pastor Hal Roscoe, the Singles Class pastor, showed affection and respect for me that no one else had ever shown.  I felt humbled that someone would take notice of me.  I felt like I had nothing to offer in return.  There was no skill, trait, ability, or resource I had that could ever match that which this pastor showed towards me.  I was floored that he remembered my name and the details of my life.  The fact he recognized me at all as a person rescued me from a life of depression and perhaps even a tragic end.

Our own unworthiness is at the heart of the statement above.  It is a good thing to think such things.  Unless such things have an adverse reaction that causes more harm than good.  Our psalmist states the truth above as a statement of appreciation and opportunity.  In other words, he is so thankful that such a great God as our God would even take notice of us.  He sees this as an opportunity to walk with God.  However, the arrogantly humble person will react in just the opposite way.  He will see the affirmation of God as the means of more self-abasement and flee the attention showered by grace as a means of self-mutilation.  He will crawl away from the LORD because he does not feel worthy of God’s affirmation and in the process, seek to punish himself for the unworthiness he feels.  He will escape to a private place and emotionally and mentally flog himself when he compares his state with the holiness of the God who desires to know him.  He will torture himself because someone dared show him some attention.  This is nothing more than pride.  When we read of the truth of God’s affirmation above, we need to see it as David saw it.  If God is going to acknowledge my existence despite what and who I am, then I am going to take that overture and get to know Him.  All the while I am very humbled and grateful for His love towards me!

Portion Perfection

“I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.” (Ps 142:5 AV)

 A portion is exactly what we need and all that we need.  There are several things mentioned as our portion in this life.  Judgment is called a portion from the LORD to the wicked in Job 27:13.  The LORD is the portion of the inheritance to the righteous in Psalm 16:5.  In Psalm 73:26, the LORD is our everlasting portion.  The word of God is our portion in Ps 119:57.  To enjoy profit is our portion from labor in Ecc.2:10.  And in Ecc 9:9, our spouses are considered our portion in this life.  There are resources God supplies for our health and happiness.  These portions are meted out according to His divine plan and hand.  In the above passage, God is our portion for refuge.  In other passages, the LORD is our portion for another need of life.  When God told Adam it was not good that man should be alone, He created a portion for Adam in this life which God Himself could not meet.  She was a help, meet for Adam.  Portions are predetermined and allotted.  Portions are not relative.  They are absolute.  Portions are exactly what we need.  No more and no less.

I know a bit about portions.  Having been raised in a family of eleven children, and having a father who loathed both leftovers and throwing away food, my Mom needed a doctorate level degree to figure out how much food to make at any given meal.  She knew just how many potatoes to boil, how much corn to thaw, and just how much bread and butter was placed on the table.  When we were done, all the serving dishes were completely empty and none of us was starving.  However, this precise movement of the universe could not happen unless Mom watched each and every child pile his or her plate.  “That will be enough” was heard multiple times.  Even mile was doled out.  One glass per meal.  If we were still thirsty, water was readily available.  One roll.  On pate of butter.  One spoon of corn.  Two spoons of potatoes.  And about one to two ounces of meat.  That was it.  When dessert came, it was no different.  One scoop of ice cream.  On scoop of Jello and, we had to eat it or we got a spanking.  The only way we could get more is if we went out and bought our own food.

We can approach life as we do eating.  We look at the package and read the carbohydrates or calories according to the packaging’s determination of what a portion would be.  Then we decide whether that is truly a portion.  Who eats just two Oreos anyway?  We look at the carbohydrates and do our own figuring.  After all, that cereal is really good for me.  Just because it has a lot of carbs doesn’t mean I should starve, should it?  When it comes to life, we are not content with the portion on the package.  We want more.  Or, like the prep I drank a few months back, we want a whole lot less.  Our wise and benevolent God has determined exactly what we need.  No more, no less.  I like what Agur says in Proverbs.   “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” (Pr 30:7-9 AV)  When it comes to our most needful portion, it is the LORD Himself.  As long as we have Him, then all other needs are secondary.  This is our comfort and this is our patience.

The Awesome Privilege of God's Presence

“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” (Ps 140:13 AV)

 At first glance, I was drawn to the second half of the verse.  A reminder that we will dwell in the presence of God for all of eternity is the hope of all who endure the hardships of life.  However, after looking at the verse, the Spirit reminded me the purpose of dwelling in the presence of God is to thank Him for all that He is and has done.  When we appear before our God, it will not be solely for our benefit.  We will not spend eternity basking in the glory of His love, consuming that love as we are the center of our existence.  Neigh, neigh.  We will dwell in the presence of the Holy because we wish to share our deep and humble gratitude for all that He is and has done.  Starting with our very existence.  We may have troubles, but they pale in comparison to what awaits us in glory.  Even if we loathe our existence now,  and wish we had never been born, that will all change when we arrive in glory.  With our troubles over, we will stand in the light of His glory with thanksgiving in our hearts that we get the privilege of existence in His loving presence.

I have been reading a few books on marriage lately.  Upon reading them, I realize just how much I have failed the one that I love the most.  Humanly speaking, that is.  She is such a treasure I cannot find the words to describe her.  My Lisa is a phenomenal person in so many ways.  She has the glory of God’s life in her soul.  She is amazing.  Among those areas I have failed her over the years is not appreciating what she is and who she is to me.  Especially in our younger years, I didn’t always treat her like she deserved.  Taking a person for granted is one of those things we often do and seldom recognize.  In reading those books, the authors regularly pointed out to appreciate one another as a pattern of life.  It wasn’t that I was a monster or anything like that.  It is simply that I didn’t share with her as much as I should have how unique and special she was.  And is.  As we age together, we are growing closer at a much faster pace than we did when we were busy raising a family.  Now, when I dwell in her presence, it is to remind myself just how blessed I am.  The LORD could have given me a wife like the one in Proverbs.  Not the Proverbs 31 woman.  The other one.  The contentious one.  The brawler.  But He didn’t.  As far as I am concerned, He gave me the best woman He has ever created.  Near perfect.  I love her so much!

As much as we love our mates, our love for the LORD should be infinitely greater.  We often dwell in His presence because we need something.  Perhaps we have a physical need of this life.  So, we go to God and refuse to remove ourselves from His presence until that need is met.  Perhaps we need affirmation or security.  We need to be loved and feel safe.  So, we go to the LORD has we stay in His presence until those feelings of love and security flood our soul.  Perhaps we need encouragement or we need instruction.  So, we open the word of God and read until our eyes go bonkers listening for the voice of the Spirit to grant those things.  None of these is wrong.  We need all of them.  What the Spirit is challenging our hearts on this LORD’s day is to seek the presence of the LORD for no other reason than to thank Him for everything.  Starting with our existence, then our salvation, and ending with all the blessings He has bestowed; thanking Him for it all sure would keep the ambers of His presence burning brightly!