Awed To Contentment

“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” (Ps 4:4 AV)

 

There is a relationship between standing in awe of God and being honest with one’s own heart.  As Cambridge Bible notes states, “Let wholesome fear, continues David, deter you from persisting in this course of action, which is nothing less than sinful.”  The awe spoken of here is not an awe of admiration only.  It is not the awe we feel when we go to the circus and see some great act do the impossible.  It is not the awe we feel when we watch some athlete accomplish something no one else has been able to do.  It is not the awe we feel when we read the works of a brilliant writer and wonder where he or she came up with those thoughts.  This awe is a healthy and pure fear of one infinitely greater than self.  It is the awe one feels while at the foot of Niagara Falls and hearing the roar and crash of the water on the rocks.  It is the awe one feels when he or she sees the power of a tornado.  It is the awe one feels when he hears and feels the roar of a lion go into his ears and through his bones.  This awe is not a terror.  As long as the observer keeps his distance, he is safe from the crashing water, the power of the tornado, or the appetite of the lion.  He is safe because that which produces the awe does not present itself as a threat.  Although David is addressing the men of verse two who would challenge his office as king, and the possibility of judgment is raised, the saint is not in such a case.  At least as it pertains to eternal judgment.  The saint should stand in awe of the greatness of the Almighty and, in response, commune with his or her own heart.  The result is to be still.

The stillness of which David speaks is the opposite of the agitation his enemies exude towards him.  If they would simply stop and realize just who and what God is, then their agitation and rebellion would cease.  But the saint can take away something a bit different here.  Stillness is the result of a proper view of the person of God.  The opposite of stillness is fear, agitation, impatience, anxiety, envy, or any host of evil dispositions of the heart.  To be still means to be quiet.  It means the heart is brought under the discipline of the truth of God’s person and nature.  The saint is cumbered about much.  He or she is stirred by the demands and circumstances of life.  Our minds are undisciplined and often lead our hearts to places it does not need to go.  The command to stand in awe of God means that God’s presence and person are greater than anything that might enter our minds and hearts.  To stand in awe of God means we allow the person and presence of God to be the most significant thing in our minds and hearts.  To stand in awe of God means nothing comes between the saint and He.  All these things that bother us may still be there, but the presence of God is greater.

To give an example, one cannot transverse the cave of the winds and experience the Falls crashing almost at your feet and be bothered by anything else in life.  We could be going through the depths of trials, but if we stand at the water’s edge and feel the earth move beneath our feet; feel the mist hit our face; hear the roar of the water so loudly one cannot carry on a conversation, all our troubles become secondary to the experience.  We could stand at ground zero where fighters do a flyover and go vertical, feel the sonic boom, and feel the concussion go through our bodies.  I’ve mistakenly done that!  I can tell you at that time, I wasn’t thinking of the utility bill that was past due, the doctor’s appointments we couldn’t afford, or the three jobs I was working at the time.  This is the thought here.  David advises all of us to stop and stand in awe of God.  Commune with our own hearts and allow the majesty of God’s presence and person to fill the heart that we might be still.  To stand in awe is to let God be bigger than any and all that is in our lives.  It is allowing Him to fill both void and volume.  He must increase and all we think and feel must decrease.  Then we can be still.

An Invitation to Invite

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Re 22:17 AV)

 

Him that heareth are those who have received Christ as their Savior.  The Spirit and the bride say, Come.  The bride is the Church.  As a whole, the church extends an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as both LORD and Savior.  Note here this is an exchange between the willing.  There is the one who hears and the one who realizes he is thirsty.  The invitation to the one who heareth is to extend an invitation to the one who is thirsty.  This takes a willing servant to extend the invitation.  There is the thirsty one who must, by an act of his own free will, accept the invitation and take of the water of life freely.  He must accept Christ as his Savior.  The Spirit and bride can extend the invitation in a general way to the multitude of humanity.  But it still takes an individual to extend that same invitation to another invitation.  The one that heareth is asked to invite another.  This is the way of evangelism.

Thirty-five years ago this past October, my wife and I were married.  Like all couples preparing for the day, we sent out hundreds of invitations.  We shopped for the right ensemble.  We signed each one.  We placed each one in an envelope.  We addressed each one individually.  We placed a first-class stamp on each invitation.  As we did so, we placed them back in the boxes in which they came.  We did them all as a batch.  We didn’t do one at a time.  They were all neatly stacked in boxes.  Then came the day that we mailed them out.  We carried the boxes to a post office and went inside.  We tried to give them to the clerk, but he said to simply place them all in the general mailbox located on the wall.  So, we marched over and emptied all our boxes of hundreds of invitations into the wall slot.  They went out as a batch.  From there, someone behind the wall sorted them by zip code.  Then someone else sorted them by route.  From there they were canceled and sent to the mail carrier assigned to the route in which they were going.  Many left our city and went to other states and cities.  Many were local.  But each invitation, no matter to whom it was addressed, was carried by an individual to another individual.  The invitation had been extended from an individual by way of another individual.  This is how invitations work.

The bride and groom are the Spirit and Church.  There is a general invitation that goes out.   The mail carrier is the one who hears.  He or she places the invitation into the mailbox through a person-to-person exchange.  There is no other way in which God has ordained that those who are thirsty must come to the river of life and drink freely.  God has ordained person-to-person disbursement.  If we are saved, the Spirit and Bride extend an invitation to the thirsty to come.  But they also extend an invitation to those who have heard to extend that same invitation on their behalf.  Like many post offices today, ours is tremendously understaffed.  We get our mail about every other day.  Sometimes it is mixed with mail belonging to our neighbors.  Sometimes, we don’t receive our mail at all.  There aren’t enough people who want to serve their community by getting the mail out.  If our churches fail, they will fail because those who have heard are not sharing the invitation to come.  If our churches shrink, it is because too many of those who have heard are silent.  If there ever was a time when the world needed the gospel, now is the time!  We need those who have heard to tell those who are thirsty that Christ is the answer to their situation.  We need those who have drunk of the river of life freely to share with those who have not.  We need this or else the church has no reason for existence.

God's Faithfulness

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal 3:6 AV)

 

A proof text often used to prove the immutability of God.  God does not change.  He is eternal and the ever-present I AM.  His immutability is often overthought.  The character of God does not change.  The attributes of God do not change.  However, His actions may.  Merely because God acts does not necessitate a permanent change.  The immutability of God is a great comfort.  He is predictable and stable.  The LORD does not go off in an undisciplined manner.  He does not intimidate or cause anxiety in those who fear Him.  He is not like that.  The verse above is often used as a general statement of this attribute.  However, the context helps us see a specific way in which God does not change.  To what the prophet is referring is God’s covenant with Jacob.  More specifically, His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and David.  Jacob is used here to mean all of Israel.  When the LORD says He changes not, in this passage the LORD changes not when He makes a promise.  God is faithful and nothing we can do will change His relationship with us.  He is our eternal Father.  He loves us with an eternal love.  Even when we are not faithful, He abides faithfully.  He does not change towards us.

What a God we have.  When we are afraid, He is there.  He is there to remind us of His omniscience.  He knows what we face.  He knows the future.  He knows how we feel, for the in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, He felt what we feel.  When we are uncertain, He reminds us of His providence.  He reminds us that from eternity He has designed our lives to play out exactly as they are.  Nothing happens without His approval and involvement.  When we are tired and don’t think we can go another day, the Spirit reminds us of His omnipotence.  He is there to strengthen us and enable us to face whatever it is that tires us so much.  When we are cast down in our spirit because we have failed Him time and again, the voice of God speaks of His forgiveness.  We rest in the fact that God’s patience never runs out.  When we are irritated, envious, or feel as though life is not fair, the LORD reminds us that when He was reviled, reviled not again.  When we face one trial or difficulty after another, the nature of God answers our challenge.  But all of this would not matter unless we could count on His faithfulness.  For, when we needed Him and He was not there despite His attributes, our faith would fail.  The attributes of God are only as comforting as His faithfulness remains.

God’s faithfulness is not something we should presume upon.  Yes, He never changes.  Yes, His faithfulness never ceases.  But that does not give license to test it.  The faithfulness of God should be a great comfort.  He will never leave nor forsake.  He will never abandon.  He remains faithful.  He is the keeper of our soul as a faithful Creator.  He is there when we need Him.  He is there when we think we don’t need Him.  He is not about to ask us to enter a trial of faith without His hand holding us up.  He is there regardless of our awareness or lack thereof.  Like a loving Father towards his infant son, the LORD knows our frame and how weak we are.  He knows our flesh and how prone we are to sin.  He knows it all, yet He never gives up on us.  Praise the LORD!

He Included Them

“And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.” (2Ch 34:6 AV)

 

“And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.” (2Ch 34:9 AV)

 

At this time, Israel had been removed from their land into Assyria.  This happened several decades ago while Hezekiah was king of Judah.  Apparently, there remained a remnant of the ten northern tribes to care for the land.  Judah, under the leadership of Hezekiah’s son, fell into idol worship and was the last straw for the LORD.  He pronounced judgment on Judah by the hand of Babylon as the ten northern tribes fell to Assyria a few decades earlier.  Josiah, Hezekiah’s great-grandson took the throne at the tender age of eight years old.  The book of the law was discovered and he went about to cleanse the land of all idol worship.  He hired workmen to repair the temple.  In doing so, he took up an offering to complete the project.  What we see above is the Judean king included the remnant of Israel in his revival.  For several hundred years they had been at odds.  Even though they were all the people of God, they could not always get along.  Having been judged by God and carried away, Josiah would naturally not have included them in their revival.  But a funny thing happened.  Humility!  Josiah realized they were all condemned.  It wasn’t just the ten northern tribes that failed.  It was the whole nation.  By cleansing the entire nation and extending an invitation to participate in the revival, this godly young king associated himself with all who had failed God.  He did not marginalize those who had failed worse than he did because there was no such thing.  They were all condemned under the hand of God’s judgment.  So all are in need of revival.

This really spoke to my heart this morning.  Sometimes we can fall into the temptation of comparing ourselves against ourselves.  Paul warns against that.  Sometimes we can see a situation as worse than our own and we become a bit secluded in our attention to circumstances.  We can begin to think our situation is worse than another so we do not cast a care their way.  Or, heaven forbid, we begin to think that others deserve the unfortunate circumstances of their own making and we have no obligation to pity them.  This is not true.  We are all in the same boat.  We simply are not sinking at the same rate.  But we are all sinking.  It doesn’t matter if we poked a pinhole in the bow or put our foot through it.  There is water coming in and eventually, we will all go down.  Our nature looks at the hardships of others and assesses whether those hardships deserve our compassion.  Not Josiah.  He looked at the condition of all.  Not just those for whom he was responsible.  He looked at his estranged brethren and was moved with compassion to do what he could for them.  He did not assess whether they were worse off than he because their sin was of a greater degree than his own.  As far as Josiah was concerned, the entire nation was at fault.  The degree didn’t matter.

The human race is in sad shape.  We all are!  We can look at those who are suffering for their rebellion against God and react one of two ways.  We can either react self-righteously and take no care to help, or we can do what we can to reach them with the love of Christ.  We are not suggesting tolerance for evil, but rather, compassion that can overcome it.  We do not need to hold back in declaring the truth of the word of God.  These things are truly wicked.  But what we need to do is open our hearts and allow God’s love to change that evil into good.  We are all on a sinking ship.  We have all poked holes in the hull.  Some larger, some smaller.  We are all responsible for the mess we have created.  The degree of fault matters not.  What matters is seeing what lies before the human race and doing what we can to be an instrument of revival.  What will we do?  How far will we go?  What will our testimony be?  Who will we extend a smile to and attempt to win to Christ?  What are we willing to do seeing as we are also responsible?  We were condemned before the grace of God through the blood of Jesus saved our wretched souls.  Now, there are untold numbers in the same situation.  They need our help.  They need our love.  They need our concern.

What To Do With An Open Door

“But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.” (Joh 18:16 AV)

 

Sometimes, we need someone who has an inside track to get us closer to Jesus.  I know, we are going to spiritualize this verse this morning.  But you can adjust.  The other disciple was John.  He was related to the high priest and was allowed admittance into the courts.  His relationship to the high priest helps us to understand why he, of all the disciples, was spared execution and sent to an island for imprisonment.  This John has access to wherever the high priest resided.  This is why he was on the inside and Peter stood without.  Two points could be made this morning.  The first is utilizing an opportunity provided by someone who seems to be more intimately involved with the LORD as an invitation to do the same.  The second is far more pertinent.  Given that opportunity, what will you do with it?  Peter was granted access to the presence of all the proceedings.  Yet he used his close proximity to the Savior as an opportunity to deny Him rather than support Him.  Given the opportunity to walk more intimately with Christ, how will we use it?

When we stop and think of Peter’s shame, the magnitude of it might escape the mind.  It would be one thing to deny the LORD in passing.  Quite another to do so when given the express opportunity to support Him.  This is what made the denial all the more difficult to bear.  Lest we beat up on Peter too much, Peter did repent of it.  He did feel shame.  He did come away with a deeper sense of commitment.  And outside of Paul, Peter produced more for the ministry than any other Apostle.  Peter more than made up for his failure.  So, there is always hope.  If we want to be closer to Jesus and have put ourselves in the position of getting closer, there is always someone there to open the door.  It might be a pastor.  It might be a good friend.  It might be an author.  It might be a relative.  There will always be someone in the place we want to be to show us how to get there.  Wanting access is the beginning.  Peter stood without.  He didn’t scatter like all the others.  He followed behind because he wanted to get closer.  He simply did not realize the cost of getting closer.  There stood John.  One who knew the way to pull Peter in.  He was in.  He was close.  What was he going to do?  When asked if he was a disciple, he denied it three times.  This would be hard to do seeing as he was the one who drew his sword and cut off Caiaphas’ servant’s ear.  People would remember him.  Peter had to cease to be who he was in order to deny Christ.  He got close and he blew it.

These opportunities do not happen often.  And, they only happen in proportion as we use them.  If the preacher shows us how to be more intimate with God and we do not take it, there may never be another revelation.  If we do take his advice, there will follow more opportunities.  As we respond to one door, another awaits.  The question remains.  Given the keys to more intimacy with God, how will we use them?  Will we stand up for Jesus, or will we deny Him?  Will we please the flesh by staying by the fire?  Or, will we proceed into the judgment all with Christ and stand by His side?  Will we cower at the opinions of others, or will we throw caution to the wind and go all in with Jesus?  The door is open.  What will you do?

Be Ready To Apologize

“Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.” (2Ch 32:26 AV)

 

Hezekiah was one of the best kings Judah ever had.  Perhaps behind David, Solomon, and his own grandson, Hezekiah did more for the spiritual welfare of his nation than all other kings but the aforementioned.  Hezekiah cleansed the land of all types of pagan worship which his father and grandfather introduced and promoted.  His predecessors intermarried with the house of Ahab and Jezebel.  Jezebel was the daughter of a pagan king to the north.  It was this relationship that brought the wrath of God by the Assyrian army on the ten northern tribes during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah.  It was primarily because of the wrath of God that Hezekiah brought revival to his nation.  God blessed him and Judah because of their repentance and also prospered them financially.  It was this prosperity that resulted in personal and national pride in the hearts of Hezekiah and his people.  So much so that he let his guard down and invited Judah’s eventual captors into the riches of Judah so that he and Judah might brag about all they had.  They did not give God the glory.  They failed to brag on God.  The wrath of God fell on Hezekiah.  He was told to get his house in order.  Then we read of the above reaction of this king.  He humbled himself and all the people.  This stayed the wrath of God on Judah.  The key to a proper relationship with God is that we walk in obedience.  If we fail, the key is humility.  To be intimately close to God requires humility and repentance.

It is hard to admit when one fails.  But it truly feels good afterward.  We see a dearth of this kind of humility as of late.  Our leaders are sending the wrong example.  No one does anything wrong anymore.  No one apologizes.  No one admits it was all their fault.  Passing the buck is so common, we have sore arms.  This reluctance to admit one’s own fault has resulted in failed relationships and extrapolated out to failed nations.  Humility is absolutely necessary for a relationship to work.  Seeing as we human beings are not perfect, humility and apology are natural, even though uncommon.  For a husband and wife to dwell in peace and intimacy, “I am sorry” had to be quick on the lips.  For a child and parent to be close, humility must be in both parties’ hearts.  “I am sorry, that was my fault” is seldom never heard.  In fact, I can remember the last time someone said that to me after an unintentional accident occurred.  I was at the grocer’s and going up and down aisles.  Meaning to turn into an aisle, a lady rapidly came out.  She saw that she had cut me off in the middle of my turn and profusely apologized.  “Nothing to be sorry for, Ma’am.  You have a wonderful Thanksgiving.”  No one does that anymore.  Everyone is entitled and no one is sorry for anything.

That will not work with God.  God knows what is on our hearts and He is not our equal.  Hats off to Hezekiah for recognizing he has worked too hard and sacrificed too much for the pride of his heart to ruin his relationship with God.  Hezekiah may have had faults.  He occasioned the judgment of God on Judah.  But at least he knew he could not go on with God without some humility.  It is obvious this was his nature.   When he humbled himself, the people of Jerusalem did the same.  The challenge lies at our feet.  Will we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that we might walk with Him again in obedience and faith?  Humility does not come easy.  There is honesty and anguish of heart that precedes it.  Humility is the missing ingredient to an intimate walk with God that can come no other way.  Therefore, when the prophet comes and reveals to us the secrets of the heart, be quick to run towards humility.  Not to escape the chastening of God.  Rather, to have a relationship with God deeper than we ever have had before. 

THANK YOU

“And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.” (2Ch 31:10 AV)

 

Hezekiah, king of Judah, brought revival to his kingdom.  They repaired the house of God, provided for the priests once again, and re-established the feasts according to Mosaic law.  In the process of repairing the temple, an offering was taken.  This offering was also to provide the means for the Levites to serve the LORD and provide for their families.  The Bible tells us the offering was so great the provision lay in heaps on the temple grounds.  Azariah testifies to the king that since the people began to bring tithes into the house of God, not only did the servants of God and their families have plenty to eat, there were literally heaps of leftover gifts piled on the ground.  Those who served God were taken with humility and gratitude by the gracious gifts of God’s people.  They gave praise to God for all that He had done for both them and the nation.  They rightly gave God the credit for the prosperity of God’s people that, in turn, fell upon them.  We have a lot for which to be thankful.  Among them is the prosperity of God’s people that is shared with those who have given their lives to serve God.

It does not escape this preacher that the food in his pantry and the meal on his table are provided by the generous gifts of God’s people.  It humbles our family that the people of God would love us so much there isn’t a day that goes by that we worry about our next meal, our lights staying on, and our medical needs being met.  We know if there was any genuine need, the people of God would sacrifice that the preacher and his family do not suffer want.  I have been serving the LORD full-time for almost twenty years and part-time for much longer than that.  I can honestly say, even though there were some lean years, none of my family ever suffered from malnutrition.  We have had to work several jobs while also serving the LORD in a local church, but God’s people gave us that our needs were met.  We labored among God’s people with no formal salary, then a small allowance until God provided a real full-time wage.  Yet in all that time, we paid our car insurance, and cell phone bill, and put food on the table because God’s people snuck under our door gifts and left food at the front door that we might eat.  In all my years of ministry to God’s people, I have never known a time when we worried about our next meal.  God prospered His people and His people cared for the preacher.

It is with this in mind that I can share with all the generous sheep that I pray for you at each meal we enjoy.  I thank God for you and your generosity in recognition of your love toward us.  I pray for each of you, individually and ask God’s blessings upon you as reciprocation for your love for us.  It amazes me that people would love such a one as me, and give of their hard-earned wages for our needs.  Your needs are at the top of my list.  Your gifts are one of the primary reasons for God’s grace in your own lives.  As you sacrifice, God takes note.  Your needs become His priority.  Your cures, your provisions, your blessings, and your success are a direct result of your generosity towards the man of God.  So, on this special day of thanksgiving, I wish to acknowledge the heart of God’s people towards those who serve them by keeping their lights on, keeping them protected from the elements, providing health care, and seeing to it that is a roast in the pot.  THANK YOU!

No Value In The Dirt

“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (Joh 15:6 AV)

 

There is a dispute if John 15 refers to salvation or if abiding in Christ is for the believer.  The verse above is often used to support the view that abiding in Christ is another way of saying one is saved.  However, verse ten of the same chapter would cast a bit of doubt on that understanding.  Abiding in Christ means living in obedience to His word.  John further pens the truth in his first epistle that love for God is first and foremost marked by obedience.  Note above that it is men that gather the withered vines and not God.  The Holy Spirit does not gather the unfruitful branches.  Nor does the father.  It is men that gather them and dispose of them.  John fifteen is not referring to salvation.  It assumes it.  The unproductive branch is that branch that does not desire to abide in the vine by striving after obedience.  The withered branch is not reproducing itself.  It is bearing no fruit.  Note also it is not other branches that dispose of the unfruitful ones.  The withered branch does not abide in the vine.  It has fallen to the earth.  It identifies with the world.  The men of the world are far better acquainted with the unfruitful branch than the other branches are.  Therefore, it is they that dispose of the withered branch.  In short, the world will dispose of a withered Christian who has no interest in living for the LORD.  If the branch sees no value in abiding, the world sees no value in him or her either.

What struck me is the world has no use for a disobedient saint.  The backslidden saint believes he or she has found friends in the world.  Just the opposite is true.  They are not friends.  They are examiners.  If the saint continues to profess a relationship with Christ, yet does not walk with Him in obedience and faith, then the world has no use for him or her.  They are not after a half-hearted Christian.  They are after those who will completely disown the Savior.  My mind goes to the vast majority of those who profess Christ and try to live in the world while being part of the world.  It may work in the short term, but in the end, the world will have no use for a withered believer.  There is no halfway place where the lukewarm believer can comfortably live.  What speaks volumes to me is the men do not remove the branches from the vine.  They still have value.  The men of the world remove the unfruitful saint because they see no worth.

I can understand if the vine or other branches see no worth.  That would be expected.  A branch that has ceased to produce fruit is of no use to the vine and other branches.  I would expect the vine and branches to separate and cease to nurture a branch that refused to produce no fruit.  I would expect the vine and branches to see the lost potential in the withered branch.  The vine and branches do everything they can to bring that branch back to fruitfulness.  However, once it has fallen to the ground, it will never be restored.  It has totally associated itself with the world.  But the men of the world see no worth, either.  The unfruitful branch is in a most miserable situation.  The vine and branches cannot help it.  Those whom he thought would value him simply cast him to the fire with never another thought.  The best thing an unfruitful branch could do is be grafted back into the vine and branches so that it might be fruitful.  It must seek restoration.  It must desire the fellowship of the vine and branches.  There is no middle ground of survival.  He either abides in the vine, or he is rejected by those whom he thinks are his friends.  There is no other option.

Do We Really Know Him?

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (Joh 14:9 AV)

 

What a loaded question.  The question does not suggest Philip was ignorant of the person of Christ.  No doubt, spending every day with someone for three years affords a certain level of intimate knowledge.  I am sure Philip knew Jesus as best he could in the circumstances in which he lived.  He saw firsthand all the miracles Christ did.  He got a front-row seat to every sermon or lesson Jesus gave.  He has unabated access to Jesus and the privilege of asking questions at any time.  No, Philip knew Jesus.  He just didn’t know Jesus as much as he could.  The context is proof of Jesus’ divinity and His relationship to the Father.  In particular, the need to know Jesus in order to know the Father.  It is that relationship that escaped Philip’s mind.  He saw a miracle-producing Messiah.  According to Peter’s confession in Matthew eighteen, all the disciples agree that Jesus was the Messiah.  What Philip lacked was a deeper understanding of what that meant to him personally.  Knowing Jesus as God meant knowing the Father.  Although we could spend our devotional time speaking of the divinity of Christ, a truth that no one here would doubt, we will spend it on more practical pursuits.  That is, how well do we really know Christ?  Is our knowledge of Jesus commensurate with the length of our salvation?  Or, given how long we have been saved, should we know Jesus better?

There are levels of knowledge one has with another.  A couple that is recently married may think they know their spouse, but as the first year of marriage will show, they really didn’t know the person they married.  They thought they knew their spouse because a favorite food, color, or music was discovered.  Likes and dislikes are often seen as the measure of knowing someone.  Perhaps the newly married couple has learned of habits or patterns of life.  But as they begin their lives together and adjustment to one another is necessary, two people learn more than they already learned to that point.  After a few years, shared trials and blessings, and shared goals, the two people begin to know each other at a deeper level.  They can anticipate what the other would think or feel.  This knowledge goes way beyond likes and dislikes.  Or, even a worldview.  Then there comes the deepest knowledge of all.  We begin to sense and know before there is any manifestation, how our spouse sees life and its circumstances of it.  We can communicate without saying a word.  The more one knows another, the more each heart is in tune with the other.  The more intimate one is with another, the more vulnerable each is to the other.  The more intimate two are, the more they trust one another.  Just because we know things about our spouse does not mean we really know him or her.

If we have been saved for any length of time, we can ask ourselves the same question.  Just how well do we know Jesus Christ?  Do we know Him so well that we know exactly what is on His heart at any given moment?  Do we know Jesus Christ to the point that if we disappoint Him, we immediately feel it?  Or, better yet, do we know what will disappoint Him and choose not to do it?  Do we know Jesus Christ so well that our heart aches because we cannot see Him face-to-face?  Do we know our LORD so well that we are offended each and every time someone dishonors Him?  How well do we really know Him?  Do we know Him simply by the facts of His ministry while here on earth?  Is the familiarity of Him as a person go only so deep that we cannot perceive a real and vibrant being who is far more than the facts which we know?  How well do we know Him?  If He were to appear in His unglorified state and stand among others, could we pick Him out from a crowd?  How well do we really know Him?  It is suggested the greater we know Him, the greater we will know the Father.  And that is the point.  This is the meaning of eternal life.  That we might know the only True God and Jesus Christ whom the Father hath sent!

Humility Accepts Humility

“Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” (Joh 13:8 AV)   

 “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” (Joh 13:10 AV)

Peter expressed a noble but misguided and obviously wrong reaction to the humility of Christ.  In one sense, we get it.  There isn’t a saint who hasn’t, and still does, express an attitude that is uncomfortable with the humility of God.  We are to worship Him.  We are to serve Him.  We are to do as He asks.  We are to wash His feet.  It is awkward when someone whom we hold in very high esteem condescends to our needs.  I can certainly understand Peter’s apprehension.  I would have reacted the same way.  The meaning here is clear.  Even though Peter could wash his own feet, the LORD humbled Himself to prove a point.  Unless the Savior cleanses us, we are not clean.  Not because there might be means to cleanse ourselves.  Rather, in doing so, He requires we humble ourselves.  What a picture of Spirit-led and Spirit-accomplished sanctification.  In Christ, He washes us clean for all of eternity.  It is something only He can do.  We might be able to clean most of what sullies us, but we cannot get those areas we cannot see nor reach.  He must clean us every whit.  Only by the humility of Christ can we be cleansed of all our sins.  Our responsibility is to exercise the same humility as Christ did by accepting His humility towards us.

The other day, some men my age joined me in reminiscing our childhood memories.  We remembered the way it used to be.  Somehow, we got off on the topic of field hygienics.  You know, those times when one needs a bit of hygiene yet the bathroom or sink is nowhere to be found.  We were talking about camping, I think.  I shared an experience at Boy Scout camp.  My father would not allow the camping experience to be an excuse to be filthy.  One summer, we camped at a site that was the furthest from the camp’s communal showers.  The powers that be erected a watering trough.  They had welded a few barrels sawed in half, put a drain at one end, and installed some faucets.  My father had us strip down to our underwear and sponge-bath ourselves.  I remember this because the water was freezing!  As bad as that was, there was one field cleansing that grosses me out to this day.  It is known as the spit-and-wash.  That is when your mother notices a smudge on your face, spits on a Kleenex, and wipes it away.  GROSS!  I know they are called facial tissues.  But I am unaware of any directions for use that says to spit on it and wipe someone’s face with it.  What is worse is when your mother does the same for multiple children without changing the facial tissue.  The point was, there were spots we couldn’t see or didn’t recognize.  We needed someone older and more concerned to wash our faces.  We needed to yield to the hand of our Mother, no matter how humiliating, then go out into public with dirt on our faces.

Jesus wants to make us clean.  We can only do so much.  We can read the Bible.  We can evaluate our lives in light of what the word of God says.  Be we cannot cleanse ourselves.  The humility required for cleansing is the missing ingredient.  Walking humbly with our God means we accept the work of the Holy Spirit in cleansing us from all that displeases God.  If we do not allow the work of the Spirit to cleanse us from all filthiness, then we have no part in Christ.  This starts at salvation.  He is our satisfaction for our transgression.  Christ has paid the penalty for all our sin.  He alone has satisfied the wrath of God.  That complete dependence upon the work of Christ must continue in our daily sanctification.  We must yield to the grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit that makes us who and what God wants us to be.  If we will not accept the grace of God through humility of the soul, then we have no part with Him.

To Serve, One Must Follow

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” (Joh 12:26 AV)

 

The context of this truth is Greeks came to where Jesus was to see some miracle by which they professed to believe.  The LORD gives a small parable wherein He speaks of a seed falling to the ground and dies.  The seed cannot produce fruit unless it first falls to the ground and dies.  Then it springs forth and produces fruit.  It is this dying of the seed which is the backdrop of following Christ where He is.  The Greeks physically came to where Christ was.  They kept company with Him.  They spoke with him.  However, just because they were physically in the same place as He did not mean they were where He was.  Jesus was heading to the feast with His disciples.  He would soon be taken and crucified.  Only John remained until the very end.  All others fled.  The Greeks would do the same.  Perhaps they would see Jesus.  But associating with His death and learning to die to self is something far more serious.  Of note here is no one can truly serve Christ and follow Him at the same time without sacrificing everything he or she is.  It is also interesting to note it is possible to serve Him without following Him.  It is also suggested that serving without following is only temporary.  Those who do not serve and follow will eventually cease to serve.

Serving our military men and women was a great honor.  One of the perks was getting to know some very special people along the way.  One of those men was Pete.  Pete was a Corpsman with the U.S. Navy attached to a Marine Unit from Camp Lejeune.  I had the privilege to attend his commissioning service when he made Chief.  It was a short ceremony, but profound nonetheless.  When he passed under the outstretched swords of his peers, it was something to behold.  I was truly honored.  When he was stationed at Great Lakes, Pete served as an instructor.  I can’t remember exactly what he taught, but what I do know is Pete never asked his students to do what he himself wouldn’t or couldn’t do.  This included PT.  Because of his age and tenure, the PT requirements of his rank were less than that of his students.  However, Pete would have none of that. He would join his class and match step for step;  mile for mile;  pushup for pushup; and pullup for pullup.  In fact, he would often exceed what his class could do to prove a point.  If someone twenty years older could do it, then they could.  Pete never asked them to push themselves beyond what he couldn’t do.  If they were going to be led by him, then they had to match his commitment and effort.

Jesus’ words were to His disciples.  The Greeks asked permission to see Jesus.  Andrew was the one who made the request.  We don’t know if they ever did see Jesus.  The words our LORD spoke He spoke to the group of men who were the most dedicated of all.  The suggestion is up to this point, they served Jesus but would be challenged to follow Him in ways they were never asked to before.  If we are truly going to serve Jesus faithfully, we have to go where He went.  We have to go to complete self-sacrifice.  If not, we will eventually bail as most of the disciples did at the cross.

Believe And Work

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.” (Zec 8:9 AV)

 

Israel had returned from captivity and began the work on the temple.  In the interim, Cyrus, king of Persia died.  He was the king who ordered the Jews released so they could return and rebuild.  Darius became king and knew nothing of this edict.  Through manipulation by the enemies of Israel, Darius halted the work.  He wrote to those who would oppose the rebuild and gave them the authority to stop the work.  Haggai, a prophet at the time, encouraged Israel to continue the work because the law and God were both on their side.  Now, Zechariah gives his supporting opinion and sheds light on the reason the work stopped.  He declares to the works to “let your hand be strong” and reveals the reason their hands were not strong.  They lost faith in the prophets.  From Isaiah to Jeremiah to some of the other minor prophets, it was told to them the work of rebuilding the temple would come to pass.  Yet, they allowed a misguided edict to stop the work.  They focused on their own homes and lands and neglected the work of God.  When we stop believing the word of God, we become far less industrious to see the work of God continue.

When we stop believing in something greater than ourselves, then our commitment drops off.  Even if the end of the thing is guaranteed.  My wife and I watch a lot of cooking competition shows.  Master Chef was one of them.  Junior Master Chef was even better.  We watch them to learn and grow in our own confidence when it comes to cooking.  There are two dishes that almost always make the competition.  These two dishes take attention to detail and patience.  The first is a souffle.  The other is risotto.  We cringe anytime a competitor deliberately chooses risotto.  Risotto is an Italian rice dice that takes much finesse.  I’ve never cooked it and probably never will.  There are instructions and techniques that must be followed to the letter.  There is no room for artistic license.  It must be cooked a certain way with no variation.  Otherwise, the texture will completely fail.  Failure by the competitors usually comes because they do not trust the process.  They lose hope that when followed, the recipe and process will yield perfect risotto.  I cannot tell you how many times a chef presented his or her risotto to the judges and apologized for it before they tasted it.  They gave up on generations of wisdom and technique and failed.  Knowing the dish would be a failure, some cast it aside and never used it.  They lost commitment to making it work.

Israel stopped the work because they failed to believe Isaiah and Jeremiah.  They gave up hope the temple would ever be rebuilt.  The church has many promises.  Our work is not in vain.  We will be part of the greatest harvest of souls that comes during the tribulation.  We won’t be here to see it, but in large part, our soul-winning efforts will impact that harvest that we will not see.  Jesus is coming back and it will not matter who wins or loses an election.  The King of kings and LORD of lords will reign and it will be the end of God-hating governments.  If our hands have dropped off the work, it is because we have failed to believe.  Time to ask the Spirit to grow our faith again.  Time to commit to what the scriptures reveal.  Time to believe in the prophets again.  Time to take the hammer back up and commit to the work.

Not a Hireling

“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (Joh 10:12-14 AV)

 

Men will disappoint you, but Jesus never will.  This is not a criticism of the failure of men, but rather, extolling the loyalty of Christ.  Verse thirteen is used towards those who seem to show a lack of loyalty towards those to whom he ministers.  But this is not Jesus’ intent here.  Our LORD specifically identifies himself as the good Shepard who will lay down His life for His sheep.  The reason why is, they are His sheep.  The sheep do not belong to one another nor do they belong to another shepherd.  They belong to Jesus.  The hireling cannot love the sheep as deeply as the good Shephard does.  The good Shephard came to this Earth to live among us and to die for us.  His love is matchless.  Although we as God’s people strive to match that love, we cannot.  We are not capable of it.  The lesson here is that no one will care for us like Jesus.  No one.  The hireling did as he was supposed to do.  He did as he was hired to do.  Only Jesus can do what a hireling cannot do.

People will disappoint.  It is important not to expect of them that which we expect from Jesus.  This is the point here.  Jesus is promising to his disciples that no matter what life might bring, He will always be there.  There is no trouble nor threat that can do Him any harm.  He is by their side through thick and through thin.  He will be there when others cannot.  The good Shephard bought us with His own blood.  The hireling did not.  Jesus is our friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Brothers and hirelings may love us, but they can never love us as Christ loves us.  The good Shephard lays his life down for His sheep.  Most people will not.  This is not a reason to excuse away a lack of loyalty.  Sometimes the sheep require more than the hireling can ethically or possibly give.  He or she simply cannot meet expectations.  Sometimes the sheep expect the hireling to replace God.  He or she cannot.  She or he can only do what God equips them to do.  They are not a replacement for God.  They are the hireling.  Jesus is not.  He is LORD and Master.  He is the Almighty and Omnipotent God who holds all things in His hand.  There is no need He cannot meet.  There is no threat He cannot defeat.  There is no expectation He cannot fulfill.

Israel was used to placing its faith and trust in a manmade leadership.  From the time they rejected Samuel and the office of judge, Israel has fallen to the limits and faults of human leadership.  From their very first king to the Pharisees who now lead Israel, they have fallen victim to poor leadership.  They could blame the kings, priests, and Pharisees, but the fault lies with them.  They were the ones who rejected God in favor of a king.  The LORD is trying to remind them all human leadership has limits.  None can take the place of God.  God may use them, but they do not replace Him.  I am thankful I have a Savior who will always stand by my side.  He will always be there.  He will always see me through the hardest times of life.  He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Flip The Light Switch

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Joh 9:5 AV)

 

Ironically, Jesus says this just before he cures a man born blind.  The truth is obvious.  As long as Jesus Christ is a major part of the human race, then there is always hope and life.  To the degree the human race wishes to extinguish the LORD is the degree of hopelessness and darkness it will suffer.  This truth is lost on the majority of the world.  They cannot conceive how much God means as the source of life and happiness.  They cannot understand the more they allow Christ to influence the world, the better off the world is.  Even if they do not personally accept Him as their Savior, His influence from the people of God is still beneficial to all.  The light of the world is indeed, Jesus.  There is coming a day when the world will totally remove the influence of the LORD.  In those seven years, the human race will suffer as it never has before.  Rather than see the error of their ways, they will blame God for their circumstances.  Never will it cross their mind they removed the source of life and contentment because they refused all of His ways.  Only when Jesus is lifted up will the world have light and life.  This truth must permeate the life of the saint.  He or she must resolve to share the love of Christ even if rejected.  The more it is shared, the more influence Jesus has.  The more influence Jesus has, the more light and life will come into this dark world.

Recently, I bought a rechargeable lantern.  I use it when I walk the dog at night.  Our street lights are not all that bright and when the sky is overcast or there is rain on the streets, it can get pretty dark.  Most would consider my lantern overkill.  I originally got the lantern for nighttime soul-winning.  The intention was to carry it lit onto unlit porches so those answering the door would not be alarmed.  That never materialized, so I use it primarily to walk the dog at night.  Until the snow comes and amplifies the ambient light, I will use my lantern.  An amazing thing happens when I carry this light.  I am blessed with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  A Cav, for short.  My Cav, like all Cavs, is cutter than a button.  It never fails that someone passing by in a car will smile at the sight of my dog.  If they only knew!  Anyway, that lantern does an amazing thing.  It adds to the charm of my Cav.  At night, a passing car may slow down because the light illuminates the dog above me.  How dare he!  He gets more attention than I do.  I am lost to the darkness.  The sidewalk and ground are dark.  My little Toby is mostly white.  So, when that lantern shines, he becomes the center of attention.  Just like he likes it.  Those who slow down to look at my dog may not be dog people.  They may never have one of their own.  But my contrasting white dog against a dark night brings a bit of joy to those passing by.

This is what we do not understand.  I experience this each and every time I go door-knocking.  Almost all those to whom we speak will reject Jesus.  They want nothing to do with Him.  Yet, speaking to them briefly and wishing them well spreads a little bit of the love of Christ.  They may be offended the LORD requires their repentance and humility.  They may be set in their ways and attend a house of worship that leads them astray.  But to say a kind word and love on them despite their rejection and hatred is spreading the light of Christ.  As long as we do this, He is the light of the world.  As long as believers continuously and infectiously spread the spirit of Christ to a lost and dying world, there will be hope and light.  We are coming up on Christmas time.  We have lost the meaning.  It is about presents, Santa, and other less spiritual traditions.  This year, perhaps the saints of the world will give the gift of love and appreciation to our fellow human beings.  Maybe if we remind others that Christ and His love is the message of the season our sorry planet will be a little lighter.  It may become a little more hopeful.