Our Portion In Bleak Times

“The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” (La 3:24 AV)

The real beauty of this verse is the surrounding context.  The weeping prophet is speaking for an errant Judah.  She now stands desolate, completely burned to ruins by Babylon.  She finds herself in captivity hundreds of miles from her land and in complete misery, all because she walked contrary to the will of God.  The surrounding context paints a dire situation.  There is no hope for the current generation.  Most will perish in the land of the Chaldeans.  Most will never see the temple project once they return from their years of slavery.  The prophet mentions repentance, but they know even if that were to occur, their situation would not change.  Even the pagans to whom they are held captive will not pity them.  They live in a cloudy day.  There are no rays of sunshine.  In the middle of all this doom and gloom, the prophet tells himself to remember just how good God is.  No matter how dire our situation, even if self-inflicted, God is our portion and is ever-present.  Because He is, there is always hope.

Note the direction of the conversation.  It is not the LORD speaking to the prophet.  It is the prophet speaking to himself.  The soul is speaking to the spirit.  The soul knows the truth of the statement.  The soul knows God is its portion and that with God as its portion, there is hope.  This is true of everyone who can claim the name of God.  All His children have the same truth.  Regardless of our situation, God is our portion.  He is that which we need for every single moment of our lives.  We are overwhelmed and forget this.  We suffer from trouble or trial and forget God is always there.  The LORD may have allowed the nation of Israel to be carried away captive, but that does not mean He abandoned each individual soul.  As they sat around their family table on the evening of the Sabbath, they sang the psalms written to their fathers as they worshipped the God who loves them.  Their lives may not have been perfect and there may have been many obstacles to overcome, but the LORD was there each step of the way.  He was and still is their portion.  Like Daniel who bowed his head three times a day in prayer toward his beloved Jerusalem, the people of God did not forget that God was still their God.  No amount of trouble or trial would ever change that.

Years ago, God gave me a profound thought that persists even today.  I was about nine years old and it was gym class time again.  For me, that was my living nightmare.  A nerdy clutz, I was always the last to get picked for a team, the first one out, and the one they picked on in the locker rooms.  It got so bad that I became physically ill when gym time came around.  One afternoon, as the rest of the boys were starting to pick sides, I found myself in the bathroom becoming sick to my stomach.  Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and gave me a question.  “What is the worst thing they could do”?  I thought they could torture me to death.  Then I was reminded the result of that would be heaven.  No matter what happened, they could do no worse than graduate me to glory.  Carrying that same thought forward, there is nothing that will separate me from the love of God.  NOTHING.  Whether it be my disobedience or trials of faith, there is nothing that can drive a wedge between me and my God.  He is my portion no matter how dark the days may be.  He is my portion and therefore my soul has hope.

No Matter What

“For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.” (Jer 51:5 AV)

This doesn’t seem fair, does it?  That is, it doesn’t seem fair to the LORD.  We are no different than Israel.  We may have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit wherein most of them did not, but when it comes to sin, we truly are no different.  They had the law and protection from unbelievers.  Their outward environment we separated and holy.   Yet they were prone to sin.  We have a different inward environment.  We have the new man.  We have the Holy Spirit.  The outward is surrounded by wickedness at every turn.  We still fall into sin just like the Israelites did.  And habitually so, too.  Yet, God is faithful.  He will not forsake that which He has paid a dear price to attain.  The precious blood of Christ has bought us from sin and death.  Because the price was so steep, and the love of God so deep, He will not forsake the works of His hands and the apple of His eye.  We do not deserve such grace.  Not one iota.  Even though we are filled with sin, God does not forsake us.  What love and mercy!

The timing of this statement is important.  Jeremiah preaches this word at the same time Babylon is taking Judah.  The city is invaded and the king carted off.  A few years later, the remainder of those left in Judah are taken and the city and temple burned to the ground.  Having suffered so much and knowing the affliction was caused by disobedience, the temptation might be to think God has once and for all had it with the nation.  They could look at their city in utter ruin and think that God was done with Judah and Israel.  They could wallow in their misery while captive in Babylon, thinking God would never visit them again.  That would be the temptation.  But the LORD did not renege on his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and David.  There would be a nation and the Messiah will rule over it.  God made unconditional promises and He intends to keep those covenants even if Israel fails to be the people God deeply desires of them.  God loves Israel with an everlasting love.  His mercy fails not.  One day, Jesus will return and set up a kingdom with Israel as they reign with Him for one thousand years.  No matter how much sin is in the nation, God will not turn His back on them.

The same can be said of the New Testament saint.  We fail the LORD more times than we can humanly comprehend.  Even if we do strive to live in righteousness and holiness, we still fail.  Often, we fail in the same areas time and again.  God will not turn His back on you.  He will not write you off.  He will not forsake you any more than a parent forsakes an erring child.  It goes contrary to the natural love a parent has for his or her child.  I have seen it many times.  A seriously erring child estranges his parents.  But Mom and Dad keep the line of communication open.  They want that child to return.  Like the prodigal, the gate is left open on the outside chance he returns.  If we feel abandoned, it is not because God did so.  We have left Him.  He has not left us.  He is where He always was.  There He is, with open arms, waiting for you and me to come to the end of ourselves and return.  He has never forsaken us.  And He never will.  He waits for Thee!  Won’t you return?

Watch Your Step

“Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.” (Pr 28:18 AV)

We tend to think of uprightly as on two feet as opposed to being on all fours.  Being upright has more to do with the quality of walk, not a position while walking.  The word ‘upright’ means, “entire; whole; sound, healthful; what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact.”  Conversely, ‘perverse’ means, “to knot or to distort; to be crooked.”  The above proverb is not hard to understand at all!  It is rather simple.  The salvation to which the writer refers is not spiritual salvation resulting in eternal life.  This type of salvation comes not by our own works.  Walking uprightly will not result in our spiritual salvation because the times we have not walked uprightly, which is almost all of the time, must be forgiven.  They cannot be paid for by walking uprightly when we should have been walking uprightly all along.  Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our perverseness.  The salvation to which Solomon refers is salvation from circumstances as a result of walking perversely.  If we live right, we will not fall by the hand of our own wills.

A few weeks ago, our family went to this place that had all sorts of discovery exhibits for the kids.  One of which was a rope jungle.  You know what I am talking about.  It is a series of ropes and rope bridges suspended in the air.  There are different levels.  My son wanted me to try it out and all I can say is one must be forty years younger and one hundred pounds lighter to even think about going up.  As was expected, he laughed at me.  What he doesn’t know is the difficulty of walking on uneven ground while wearing trifocals.  Those who do not wear them have no idea.  They are not like progressives.  They are immensely harder to work with.  The seams which separate one magnification from another get in the way.  I have to tilt my head until my chin is in my chest before I can clearly see my feet.  The two and four-power lenses make everything distant, out of focus.  Walking down steps can be a challenge.  Trying to walk while looking at a distorted picture is difficult.  I have misjudged the depth of the step.  I have missed the joint between the step and the riser.  Not a pretty picture.  Walking according to what is really there makes falling much less possible. 

Age has a way of slowing you down and making sure of the steps you take.  Age has a way of elevating discernment and limiting risk.  When we are young, we don’t mind taking the risk.  The consequences can be overcome.  When you get older, a fall is far more painful and the recovery is much slower.  So, we are far more cautious.  This often is met with scoffing from those who don’t know any better.  We have learned that if we walk upright, then our falls will be far less.  We know walking with a cane so we have three points of contact is safer.  It may take a while longer to get where we want to go, but we will arrive in one piece with no injury to tend to.  The same is true with all of life’s choices.  Walking circumspectly, as Paul puts it, will save us from unnecessary harm.  Walking in the wisdom of the word of God will keep us from avoidable disaster.  Walking upright will save us while walking perversely will cause a fall.  And sometimes, the fall can be great.

How's That Slap on the Back?

“As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.” (Pr 27:21 AV)

This verse is taken two ways.  A man is defined by how he reacts to the praise bestowed upon him and he is known by the praise he bestows upon others.  Is his praise, given or received, self-serving?  The distinction is in the little word ‘to’.   This suggests the man is the fining pot and furnace.  He is the one who purifies praise.  The praise that goes forth from his lips must be pure.  It must be free from ulterior motives.  It must be truthful and not an exaggeration.  His praise should be to encourage and acknowledge one who has done much for him.  Or, it should be given to someone who means a great deal.  The praise he offers must be free from all uncleanness.  Not that Solomon is referring to divine praise here, but the same rings true of it.  Only pure and truthful praise is worthy praise.  In the same vein, the man who receives praise should weigh it carefully.  Praise heaped upon the arrogant only makes them more so.  Praise offered to the humble will also make him more humble.  How we receive praise is often a mark of our heart’s condition.  If we seek praise, this tells a lot as well.

Many years ago, I had a paper route and deliverer along Maple Avenue and Main Street.  There were several houses I remember to this day.  I remember delivering to a fella who knew Jim Henson, inventor of the Muppets.  This gentleman was a college roommate of Jim’s and helped create the idea that would eventually become the Muppets.  On of the houses I delivered to was a green house.  I cannot remember what street it was on, but I remember what was in the front drawing room.  The walls were lined with trophies.  Bowling trophies.  Bowling was a big thing in the seventies.  Everyone bowled.  Some took it very seriously.  Even my mom was on a game show called Bowling for Dollars.  This house had bowling memorabilia all over the place.  Every trophy my customer earned was in that room and spilled out into the living room.  In the whole scope of things, success in bowling is not of any eternal value.  This customer wanted everyone to see his success.  You could see these trophies from the sidewalk.  There was no getting around what others thought of him.  He was the champion.

Paul tells us, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Ro 12:3 AV)  We are admonished against pride in the heart.  This is especially difficult when others pay us compliments.  We react to these acknowledgments in the manner in which we think of ourselves.  It tells a lot about who and what we are according to our own opinion.  That is not to say we have accomplished that which others recognized.  We have.  But it is all in how we take that recognition.  Solomon is trying to show his son a bit of modesty.  When complimented, he should take it graciously.  Even if he has done all the wonderful things others see, grace and modesty are the better part of valor.

God's Best is What Works

“So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.” (Jer 38:11 AV)

When the Bible tells us a detail more than once, it would be good to stop and think about it.  The clouts and old rage is mentioned twice in connection with the cords being the means by which Jeremiah was hauled out of the dungeon.  Why the detail?  What would it matter?  Amid this small detail is a great truth.  But first, let me give you a bit of information.  Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, by the command of the leadership of Judah, was let down into a slimy and mud-filled pit they called a dungeon.  I got a glimpse of what that might have looked like when I visited a castle in Ireland.  They showed what the castle considered a dungeon and it was a hole barely big enough for one person.  It was usually dug into a wall that went down at an angle into the ground.  Not quite wide enough to sit, the prisoner would stand most of the time up to his mid-calf in silt, slim, and human feces.  Cast clouts were strips of leather or cloth used with cattle.  The rags were worn out and useless garments were worn by people.  We all have that collection, don’t we?  We have a large bag filled with old towels, t-shirts, or other cloth whose only purpose is the grimiest of all jobs.  What the men did was they either wrapped the cords with these old, worn-out, and smell rags or they tied them together.  These make-shift straps would keep the ropes from digging into the armpits of the prophet as he was hauled out.  The point to be made here is these men use worn-out, smelly, rejects means to deliver the prophet.  We don’t need the best.  We need God’s best.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown references, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1Co 1:27-29 AV)  A very apt application indeed.  God uses imperfect people to reach the rejected souls of the world.  They are tied to the perfect Holy Spirit and His word, making the connection to the sinner in order to pull him from the pits of a sin-sick life.  This is certainly an encouraging application to all who wish to make a difference in the world.  God will use that which man and beast have cast off and the means of deliverance for those who have no other choice.  God can and will use You if You allow Him to.

However, would rather look at this from Jeremiah’s point of view.  Looking at his condition, I don’t think he was too picky with the means by which he was pulled out.  I don’t think he really cared if the harness that touched him was manufactured with rejected material.  I don’t think he cared how they smelled because chances are, he smelled worse.  I don’t think he cared if they held together and were guaranteed to be safe.  The risk was well worth it.  I don’t think he cared if the old leather touched and unclean animal according to the law.  The means of deliverance was what God had sent to him and he will take it.  It is hard to accept what God sends, sometimes.  We want a perfect answer for a horrible situation and sometimes, God does not send the answer we want.  We want brand-new straps that are OSHA certified and have never been used by another human being in the same predicament.  Sometimes, we cannot choose between the better of two evils because we think we can have the best.  The problem is, the best is not available.  That which works is.  Being satisfied with the means of God’s deliverance is something we can work at.  God always provides for our needs.  Even if it isn’t what we truly wanted.

Foundation for Obedience is Honor

“The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.” (Jer 35:14 AV)

Jonadab commanded his sons to refrain from wine, not build houses or estates, not plant vineyards or crops, and dwell in tents.  This was contrary to the entire tribe of Judah.  They were doing just the opposite.  Therefore, the sons of Jonadab would not fit in with regular society.  These commandments were not without purpose.  Jonadab knew Babylon would eventually invade what was left of Israel.  By his wisdom, if his family were nomads with nothing worth taking, Babylon might leave them be.  His commandments were extreme by the standard of the day.  But they were different enough to dissuade the Chaldeans from taking them into captivity.  God’s point to the rest of Judah was the sons of Jonadab were willing to live an extreme lifestyle by commandment from their deceased father, yet they were unwilling to live by the commandment of the one and only living God.  The sons of Jonadab showed more honor to a human authority who had passed away several years ago than God’s people would the God who loved them and took care of them.

The point is not that the sons of Jonadab were willing to follow a human authority but not a divine one.  We don’t know for certain how godly these men were.  All we know of them is they were willing to honor their father and obey him in his absence wherein the tribe of Judah was not willing to follow God.  The motive here is the lesson.  The sons of Jonadab obeyed their father because they honored him.  There may have been other factors such as the practicality of his advice.  But when push came to shove, they obeyed because they honored the authority over them.  This is where Judah failed.  They walked in rebellion because they did not value the LORD and considered Him worthy of honor.  They did not consider Him worthy of their devotion.  They did not think God was more important than their neighbors, flesh, or material things of life.  To them, God was a convenience.  He was a tradition.  He was a definition of what they should be, but there was no pressing need to be what they should be.  In short, Judah did not value and honor God nearly as high as the sons of Jonadab did their father.

This morning, my mind went to another passage of scripture.  The king of Judah called for the confiscation of the word of God from Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch.  Upon hearing the prophecies of Jeremiah, Jehoiakim had the entire book burned.  The idea of burning God’s word stuck in my head.  Then I began to think of my current wide-margin Bible.  I am transferring electronic notes into it so that I can leave it to my sons to do with it what they will.  I have four of these Bibles.  Two of them are full of notes.  One of them is too large of a physical book to do anything with.  My current one is the one I am transferring notes into.  I thought of my school Bible.  It is held together by black duct tape.  I wonder what would become of it.  How does one dispose of a Bible that is falling apart?  Then I thought of the US flag.  It is burned.  This burning is an honorable thing.  Not like the king of Judah who meant to forever destroy the word of God.  You cannot!  It will be preserved for all of eternity.  It would be the honorable thing to burn it in some type of prayerful act rather than throw it in a dumpster to rot in a landfill somewhere.  It would be an honorable thing.  We have lost this sense of honor.  The reason we do not live in obedience to God is we lack the honor we once had.  This is what the sons of Jonadab had and what Judah lacked.  This is why God protected these men and sent the dishonorable to their land of captivity.

Too Much To Handle

“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.” (Jer 31:14 AV)

What a promise.  The God of correction is also the God of restoration and blessing.  Not just restoration.  Beyond that.  The context here is the restoration of Israel after all the correction is done from Babylon to the AntiChrist.  The LORD promises to restore Israel beyond the covenants promised to their forefathers.  The word ‘satiate’ is perfect to describe how the LORD treats those whom He loves.  I have a hydrangea bush in the front yard.  I used some stone pavers to make a little planter for it.  The name of the bush indicates how much water it needs.  So, I go out there every day and dump gallons of water onto the planter.  It takes about three gallons before it cannot take any more water.  Then the water leaks over the lip and begins to erode some of the soil.  It is satiate when it can hold no more water.  When God restores, He does so to the point we cannot stand it any longer.  His forgiveness and mercy are great.  His kindness is unfathomable.  God will satiate the soul of those who are penitent.  He will rain showers of blessings on those who are humble and contrite.  He will give so much we cannot contain any more blessings.

Isn’t the above verse incredible?  I mean, really!  Why would God do that for us?  We fall so short of His expectations.  We do not come even close to what He deserves.  Our troubles seem so drastic we don’t think we can ever recover.  Yet, He satiates the soul!  We run on empty all the time.  Whether from our own choices or from the trials He asks us to endure.  We are empty.  But He satiates the soul!  No matter how drawn out we might be, there is nothing too big God cannot heal.  There is no depth from which we cannot recover.  There is no trouble so deep we cannot come back from it. God is able to do above all that we ask or think.

I was reading this passage this morning and the whole chapter is about how God will restore disobedient Israel to a degree they cannot understand.  They will be returned beyond their former glory because Messiah will reign.  What a day that will be.  The psalmist speaks of this day as greater than a dream.  He tells us when the people return from their captivity, it will be so great they will not believe it to be real.  I wonder if that is what glory will be like.  I imagine going into surgery, going under anesthesia, and the LORD calling me home.  I don’t think at first it will dawn on me where I am.  We are so temporal-minded, the sight of glory may startle us the first time we see it.  This is what it means to have the soul satiated.  Beyond our comprehension.  This is how good God is.

God Can Get Upset

“Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” (Jer 25:7 AV)

We seldom think of sin in this way.  That is, how it affects God.  The words ‘provoke to anger’ are actually one word in Hebrew and have the idea of a continual vexing resulting in anger.  When we live in habitual sin, this is exactly what we are doing.  We tend to depend on the mercy of God, which is a good thing, but to the exclusion of the reality of His anger.  We don’t like to think it is possible to make God angry.  We think if we are saved and a child of God, He puts up with all that we are and do because He is our Father.   And our Father would never be angry.  God is love, isn’t He?  What ever could we do to make Him mad?  The thing is, if Israel could do it, we can too.  Israel repeatedly went after the gods of the nations around them because they wanted their favor.  It is a repeat of the sin of the Garden of Eden.  Adam chose Eve over God.  He wanted the favor of the one who he could see rather than the acceptance of the One he could not see.  For centuries, the LORD showed great restraint.  He pled with them.  He sent His prophets and warned them.  He brought His anger back when He would have been justified in expressing it.  Yet, they never got it.  They never understood grace and were presumptuous in their sin.  This is not good.  And we are not beyond doing the same.

This morning, I went to the grocers for some planks for grilling.  I want to try my hand at doing fish on the grill.  It will be much healthier for us.  As I was walking through the store looking for the right aisle, I heard a toddler wailing so loudly it could be heard from one corner of the store to the next.  We are talking a good distance with twenty or so aisles to dissipate the sound.  When I heard her, I had walked in the front of the store which was as far away as one can be to where that toddler was.  I could hear every word! Apparently, this little brat didn’t like something his or her parent picked out for them.  All I heard, over and again was, “I don’t want that one.”  It was super loud.  And my new hearing aids had nothing to do with it.  Although a child should never throw a temper tantrum, I understand it happens.  This wasn’t that.  As they say in the South, this child was having a come-a-part.  This child was losing his or her ever-lovin’ mind over something they didn’t want.  Now, if you are the parent of such a child, your patience will run thin.  At some point, you are going to get angry.  At some point in time, that child we receive correction commiserate with his or her transgression.  Love may be present.  But anger is in the forefront.

Now, God is not us.  He has infinite patience and we do not.  Which should give us pause.  If God is angry with our persistent sin, this is a deliberate choice on His part.  We did not get on His last nerve.  We did not entice Him to react in anger because He couldn’t control Himself.  When we vex the LORD to anger, as a matter of choice, He lays aside His grace and assumes the demeanor of anger.  This should be a warning flag.  When God gets angry, He does so on purpose.  When it comes to our persistent sin, it should terrify us that God can and does get upset.  We take sin and grace too lightly.  God takes both very seriously.  Heaven only knows how gracious the LORD has been to us as we fail to please Him time and again.  His grace is without measure.  When the LORD is angry, we should stop dead in our tracks and pay attention.  We do not have to fear Him as the lost must fear Him.  He will love us no matter what.  But when my Dad was angry with me, it hurt.  It hurt more than any spanking he could ever give.  The same is true of God.  His anger should upset us.  Not for the consequences that might come, but at that moment, He is not happy with us.  May we remember our sin does affect God.  It does have more repercussions than unfortunate or undesirable consequences. Sin can, and often does, make God angry.

Presumption In Prayer

“Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.” (Jer 21:2 AV)

These words are from Zedekiah to Jeremiah regarding the state of Judah and the invasion of Babylon.  What makes these words astounding is the apparent oblivion in which they are spoken.  There is no reference to past sin which God is bound to judge.  There is no humility.  There is no repentance.  Zedekiah assumes God will honor His covenant with Israel regardless of how they live.  Furthermore, there is no consideration for the ten northern tribes that have been taken.  Zedekiah assumes since the promise of a king on the throne of David was made to David and Judah, they were immune from judgment.  The presumption in this request is overwhelming.  To assume the grace of God would continue separate and apart from what they had done and were doing was greater than an insult.  It was a slap in the face of a great God who demands respect, glory, and honor.

One of the problems of working in the factory was the near impossibility of firing an employee.  It wasn’t a union plant, but it had much of the same tendencies and even more so.  The only recourse a manager had to fire someone was either gross negligence that endangered fellow employees or a lapse in attendance.  That was it.  Someone could come and sit on a bench all day, do nothing, and go home at the end of his eight hours and he would still have a job.  Policy was a great idea.  Best practices ensured quality control.  Manuals gave guidelines that made everything run as smoothly as it could.  But there was no enforcement.  If an employee faced a reprimand, it had to go before a counsel of his peers and an employee rep had to sign off on it.  The continued grace made for lazy and ineffective employees.  There was a presumption of non-existent consequences for one’s actions.  For those who took pride in their work and wanted to provide quality product in a timely fashion for our clients, this was beyond frustrating.  Then a change took place.  New management came.  They were not afraid of the threat of unionization.  They began to clean house of ineffective employees because they tended to have the same attendance patterns.  They tended to max out their sick days, personal time, and vacation time with no wiggle room for a genuine emergency.  They severely curtailed the liberty of calling in.  Those who were there but didn’t want to work were also those who took as much sick time as possible.  Now that it was shortened, they found themselves without work.  They expected the grace to continue regardless of how they were working, or not working.  The presumption was astounding.

But we do the same thing when we are caught up in presumptuous sin.  When we are in a pattern of unrepentant sin and expect God’s grace to continue unabated, we do the same.  We are no better than Zedekiah and just as brash if we go to God for anything while knowing we have not repented of known sin.  The above passage may shock us.  It should.  The arrogance and naivety Zedekiah displays boggles the mind.  Yet, we do the same thing.  Our goal should be to walk in obedience and faith with God and when we do not, confess and forsake.  This should happen no matter what our needs may or may not be.  He deserves our contriteness.  Confession and forsaking should be done immediately and completely.  We shouldn’t wait for the show e to drop before we are willing to get right and stay right with God.  Let us keep short accounts with God lest we be like Zedekiah.  By the way, God ignored him and brought judgment anyway.

Blind to Blessings

“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.” (Jer 17:5-6 AV)

We have to be careful in what or whom we place our trust.  Put our trust in the wrong thing or person, and we will not see the direction or answer we need the most.  The word ‘heath’ comes from a word meaning a juniper tree.  The juniper tree does not have all that much foliage compared to other trees.  The same word implies nudity.  Someone scantily clad while wandering in the desert would be destitute and overburdened with the heat of the sun.  He would be parched.  He would be so overcome with the difficulties of life, it would be hard to see the oasis on the horizon.  All because he chose to put his trust in anything other than God.  Herein are several lessons.

First, the good comes.  God does not always withhold or obscure blessings.  It is almost always there.  Like Abraham who passed by the ram while going to the place of sacrifice, we often miss God’s best for us because we trust in the wrong thing.  The answer to life’s challenges is not hidden where they cannot be found.  As one of my former pastors used to say, “God is infinitely more concerned that you find His will than you are.”

Second, God does not always answer when we think we need Him to.  The good comes in His time.  Not ours.  “When good cometh”, not the good that is present.   If the good is always present, then there would be no need for faith.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  There is an element of future tense here.  Faith is exercised on a future hope and what will be seen.  Those who panic and do not wait on God will never see the good that will come whether we see it or not.

Fourth, and probably the most dramatic of all applications, note the permanent state of the person who places his trust in someone other than God.  He shall inhabit the parched places and a land sown with salt.  This place has no hope of bearing any fruit.  This place has no future.  Yet, he shall dwell there.  Even though the good comes, he cannot see it.  Because he cannot see it, he cannot accept it.  Because he cannot accept it, he is destined to live in an arid and dry land with no hope of a future.

There is no way around living by faith.  This is what makes us different from the angels.  They live by sight.  We live by faith.  If we refuse to trust God above all others, we will live an unproductive life that has no future.  What concerns me the most is missing God’s best.  It will come.  But it will come and go if we do not look for it.  If we are not trusting the LORD first, then the blessings of life will pass us by.  We will be stuck living an empty life that amounts to very little.

God's Consistent Mercy

“Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.” (Jer 14:21 AV)

What a prayer request, huh?  Especially the underlined portion.  But when you need mercy, you need mercy.  This is for what the prophet prays.  It references the throne of God’s glory for two reasons.  In context, Jeremiah speaks of the covenants God made with Abraham and his descendants.  If God were to destroy Israel for their disobedience, it would reflect on the word of God to their ancestors.  Complete annihilation is not an option here or God’s word cannot be trusted.  Hence the last phase of the prayer request.  Secondly, the throne of God is known as a throne of grace.  The ark of the covenant bore on its top a mercy seat.  That mercy seat received blood once a year to atone for all of Israel’s sins.  The seat is known as the mercy seat because that is where one would go to find the mercy of God.  If God does not show mercy from His throne, then it would indeed be disgraced.  In essence, what the prophet is asking is God deals with Israel consistent with His character.  He is not asking for the absence of all rebuke.  Rather, for it to be applied in measure according to His faithfulness and mercy.

I have seen an unfortunate event occur more than I would like to admit.  It goes something like this.  A teenager rebels against his parents and runs away.  He doesn’t like the rules.  He doesn’t like the control.  So, he flees to a friend's house but it is no better there.  He ends up on the streets until he can get himself a place.  Barely eighteen, he finds a job and a room at the local YMCA.  They ask him no questions and he does not offer that he is underage.  Drugs enter the picture.  Before he knows it, he cannot pay the minimal rent the YMCA asks for, and finds himself living in his car.  However, a few months of addiction takes its toll and he has to sell his car to feed his habit.  Reduced to petty thefts and begging to get his fix, he sits on a street corner and rooms neighborhoods looking for anything profitable so he can buy his next dose.  A loving saint speaks with this young man and asks why he doesn’t call his dad to come to pick him up.  The young man doesn’t because he thinks he has done too much for his father to forgive him.  He has gone too far down the road of vagrancy for his parents to ever love him again.  He is mistaken.  His father hasn’t stopped looking for him.  His mother cries herself to sleep every night over their wayward child.  It remains so because this wayward child simply doesn’t believe in his father’s character.  He doesn’t believe his father will ever love him again.  The truth is, to not love your child is a disgrace to the privilege of parenthood.

We can do the same with God.  We can cut Him short when it comes to His character and faithfulness.  The prayer of the prophet is one that will be answered.  There are no ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘buts’ about it.  God is faithful.  God is merciful.  God will not forget His covenants with Israel.  God does love His children without hesitation or reserve.  He loves us unconditionally.  Sometimes we can get into something where we think God will cease to be gracious.  Not so.  That would disgrace His throne.  Sometimes we think we have fallen so far that God would never restore us.  Not so.  That would disgrace His throne.  Sometimes we think our situation is so hopeless that not even God can fix the mess we have created.  Not so.  To not restore the sinner to usefulness would disgrace His throne.  Jeremiah is asking for that which he knows he will receive.  God will show mercy to erring Israel.  God will keep His promises to the people of God.  To do otherwise would be to disgrace His own character and honor.

Of Turkeys and Eagles

“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.” (Jer 12:5-6 AV)

That first question caught my eye this morning.  If the people of God are entertained and run with others if simple means and abilities, how can they possibly withstand a greater enemy when he arrives?  If they have run with those who never concerned themselves with the possibility of war, how can they withstand a force when it comes and overwhelms them?  That is the question posed to Judah.  They had kept company with, and emulated, their neighbors right down to the gods they worshipped.  They had downgraded.  At one time, Israel was the nation-state that ruled the near east.  By David and Solomon, Israel was the force to be reckoned with.  They ruled all the way from Egypt to Assyria.  And everything in between.  Then, beginning with the ten northern tribes, they began to incorporate the religion and lifestyle of those whom they conquered.  Slowly, over time, they went from horses to being on foot.  They sold away the royal armament.  They accepted any and all means of peace even if it meant a surrender of some of their sovereignty.  In short, Judah and Israel took steps backward because they desired the company of their neighbors and when Assyria and Babylon came, they were woefully unprepared to resist these invading forces. 

Years ago, I knew of a man who decided to take an easier path than God intended for him.  During high school, he had expressed a calling to go to seminary and study for the ministry.  He was a leader among leaders.  He commanded respect from his teachers and fellow students.  So, when he surrendered to the ministry, no one was surprised.  Everyone saw it coming.  The fall after graduation saw him enroll in a Christian university and begin his undergraduate work towards a degree in Christian theology and service.  The university he chose, however, had many different disciplines.  It didn’t matter what one felt called to do, there was a program for whatever career path the student desired.  This university was not limited to theological and ministerial studies alone.  The rigors of studying for God’s service took its toll.  After three years of study, this student felt the LORD no longer wished him in the ministry and decided to back off a year.  He went from being a Junior to a Sophomore with an emphasis on a much easier discipline.  After graduation, he found a job at a Radio Shack as a salesman and then a manager.  He got married and began to have a family.  The problem was, his new life’s direction left open more attacks from Satan than he would have had if he has stuck with the ministry.  Never home to tend to his children, he lost them to the world.  Limited by advancement and the fact Radio Shack went bankrupt and closed, he lost his job and home.  He suffered because he sought an easier path which ended up being harder than if he abode faithful.

We cannot expect to win the battles that will eventually come if we settle for what is easy or preferred.   We cannot run with those on foot if we are eventually going to have to deal with those on horses.  We cannot seek peace as our ultimate goal because there will always be those who will not settle for peace.  No one likes trials.  No one looks for trouble.  Striving to avoid it at all costs, however, only makes it worse.  Running with turkeys prevents us from soaring with eagles.  Or, so the saying goes.  Being naïve regarding what life will bring will only make it worse.  Such is the case with Lisa’s cancer.  I have learned that being naïve regarding the possibilities of the future only makes the possibilities of the future a whole lot harder to deal with if they come.  Better to run with God and prepare for life than desire peace and contentment above all else.  If we do not, when the enemy does indeed come, we will not be able to withstand his attacks.

The Power in a Name

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Pr 18:10 AV)

Have you ever wondered how a name could give you strength and safety?  After all, what is a name?  Is it not a simple arrangement of letters to form a phonetical sound by which we identify people, places, or things?  Names are just words, aren’t they?  What can a name do, anyway?  A name cannot come to our defense.  A name has no arms or legs.  A name has no inherent power that succumbs an enemy.  A name is just a word.  Or is it?  Is a name merely an inanimate identifier that has no other ability than to point out what makes one thing different than another?  What possible strength can the saint derive from letters that form a word?  It must be a name is more than mere letters that form a word.  Perhaps there is something a word can accomplish.  Maybe there is strength in the name of God.  After all, a name differentiates one thing from another.  In doing so, a name has meaning beyond the letters that form it.  A name, by virtue of it being different from all others, describes and labels those differences. An apple is not an orange.  An apple is an apple not because it is called an apple.  It is an apple because it is not a banana.  An apple is round, sweet, grows on a tree, and is either red or green.  An orange is an orange because of its color.  Therefore, there must be something about the name of God, apart from His actions, that gives the saint strength.

The names of God are many.  In our text, the name to which Solomon refers is the name Jehovah.  The name means, “the self-existing one”.  This name suggests God is eternal, self-sufficient, and the possessor of all strength.  This name is the primary name used for God in the majority of biblical texts.  It is the name used when the word LORD is written using all capital letters.  The name of the LORD reveals His true nature.  That being, God is not a finite being susceptible to the forces of natural and unnatural forces.  He is the greatest of all beings, all-knowing, and controls all things.  The name, LORD means something to those who call upon Him.  The name, LORD brings with it a whole host of truths that apply to the saint at every moment.  This is not a nickname to be thrown around for no apparent reason or with little meaning.  The name LORD describes the LORD in a way no other name could.  But the question remains.  Practically speaking, how can a name give strength?  We can understand how the person of God can. But what of His name only?

Words affect us. We say the words ‘joy’ or ‘hope’ long enough, we will begin to feel that way.  We talk of depression and sadness, this too will become our demeanor.  Words have a way of changing us.  They have a way of guiding us.  And, they have a way of encouraging us.  Words, or names, have a way of speaking to us that motivates us.  They will either change our course or push us forward in the direction we are going.  When it comes to a name, we can be spurred on to action we would otherwise not take.  Such is the case of the name of the LORD.  When we feel weak or overwhelmed, remembering the name of the LORD can keep us from giving up.  When we are tasked with duties beyond our abilities, rehearsing the name of the LORD will bring to memory we serve a great God who enables where He leads.  The name of the LORD is a strong tower.  His name alone may not heal.  But what His name represents will.  Remembering the name of the LORD is what strengthens the spirit.  It gives life to the soul.  Therefore, when we are at the end of our ropes, just rehearse the name Jehovah.  His name will bridge the chasm between our fear and His ability.

A Little Weeding

“For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” (Jer 4:3 AV)

 One thing I know about weeds is they end to grow faster than fruit baring plants.  The dandelions in my yard grow much faster than the grass.  Crabgrass grows in adverse conditions and out-grows my fescue.  It makes no sense to sow crops in a field filled with weeds.  Even after the ground is broken up and tilled, it is not prepared to efficiently produce a harvest.  There is some weeding that needs to be done.  Jeremiah, by the voice of God, encourages the people to soften their hearts to the work of God.  Let God break up their rebellious and hard heart. But that is only part of it.  Once the hard ground is broken, then there needs to be some weeding.  We can do this.  We can be humbled by the almighty God, repent of our sins, and desire to walk right, but the weeds remain.  The seeds of sin are still there.  They may have been turned over for the moment.  They may have been cut down at the root.  But the growth potential still exists.  There needs to be a total and complete eradication of that which offended so fruit unto God can be sown in the heart.

The first time I realized how important this was, was when I noted the field preparation a friend of mine applied to his farm.  In particular, one field had to be converted to a plantable field.  This field was committed to habitat reclamation.  That is, the government paid farmers to let their fields lay fallow for a decade or so.  After the term was up, they returned the land to productive farmland.  The thought was, allowing fields to law fallow encouraged wildlife to increase.  I hunted those fields.  The field in which I speak had ten years of growth.  There were locust trees and sumac bushes that had started to grow there.  When he told me he was converting it back to farmland, I wondered how on earth he was ever going to clear it.  First, he bush-hogged it.  That means for the unfamiliar, he attached a serious mower on the back of a tractor that could cut through small trees.  Then he tilled it with discs.  After that, he attached a rake-like tool that dug beneath the surface and brought up root systems as well as larger rocks.  They were dumped in the middle of the field and burned.  But he still wasn’t done.  The next application was something I had never seen before.  One spring morning, I was walking across the fields to get to the woods and turkey hunt.  The brown dirt looked white.  Being in the South, I knew this wasn’t snow.  What was it?  The farmer has spread some type of chemical that would kill everything that grew there.  This was done about three months before planting.  Even though my friend had raked out all root systems and weeds when preparing the wilderness for planting, there had to be something added to the dirt so weeds wouldn’t come back.

There is a lot of work breaking up fallow ground.  Weeding it is one of the easiest things to do.  In the old days, they would spread salt.  This would make a field implantable for a longer period of time, but when the salt dissolved deep enough into the soil, planting could resume.  What we need is a little salt added to our hearts.  We need something that kills the ability for sin to return.  Being humbled isn’t enough.  The cleansing operation of the Holy Spirit and His word must complete the project.  We need to get some weeding done.  We cannot stop at the dramatic breaking of the hardened heart.  There has to be a cleansing.  The stony heart has been reduced to smaller rocks that need raking out.  There are still issues remaining that make sin attractive.  The soil of our hearts needs more work.  Don’t stop at that revival meeting where God dramatically met you.  That was the beginning.  Not the fruition.  Don’t stop at the altar call.  Once arising, there is still work to be done.  God is not finished.  He just started.  Get that salt ready.  Spread it to kill the remainder of your rebellion.  Don’t let it come back or you will have to start all over again.

As Sure As the Grass Grows

“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” (Isa 61:11 AV)

There is a reassuring and profound truth here.  God has designed His creation to follow the natural laws of life and reproduction.  As much as the climate alarmists want to put everyone in a panic, the Creator has instilled unchangeable laws into this world. Noah’s flood could not destroy life.  If we believe the unbelieving scientists who purport an ice age, even that could not wipe out life on this planet.  In other words, life as we know it may change.  But life itself will not.  As long as there is an Earth, life will go on.  This is how God created our world to exist.  The same is true of holiness and righteousness.  God did not create so that unabated desire could reign.  He created mankind to live in righteousness and holiness.  This is our most natural and logical existence.  The more we live in righteousness, the longer, happier, and more productive we are.  This, too, is how God designed mankind to live.  If this is true, which it is, then righteousness and praise will naturally occur.  Eventually.  Wickedness will not continue.  Forget what you see transpiring all around you.  Do not become discouraged.  The LORD did not make the earth and those that dwell upon it to be as they are.  It will change.  Just as natural as biology will spring forth life, mankind will eventually live in righteousness and praise to God.

A few years back, I discovered something rather unexpected.  We had Barberry shrubs on the front of the house.  These shrubs grow exceedingly fast.  They have to be trimmed several times a year.  Especially in the early spring and summer. One year, I let them go a bit too long.  Trimming them became a chore.  I got my trimmer out and cut them back by at least a half.  This left a pile in my front yard that had to be tended to.  Since I was going to get to other bushes the next day, I left the pile standing.  When my son came home from work, I grabbed a wheelbarrow and enlisted his help in getting all the shrub clippings to the dumpster.  Much to my surprise, when we removed the clippings from the yard, it left a dead spot.  These clippings killed everything underneath in less than 36 hours.  It was bare dirt.  Nothing more.  I was amazed.  From that time forward, I left the clippings underneath the bushes and it killed everything but the bush.  Apparently, there is an oil or something that kills all other plants.  The thing is, I didn’t think that spot was going to come back.  I thought I would have to leave it for a year or two until all the barberry poison dissipated by rain or snow.  But lo and behold, it all came back.  It took most of the summer, but the yard restored itself to its original condition.

The verse above gives us hope.  Patience with the world, as it is, will get us through much.  It will also make us better soul-winners.  There may not be much we can do to change the course of this world.  Man has, and always will, fallen away from God more and more.  Noah’s flood, the tower of Babel, and slavery in Egypt never changed mankind.  Why do we think the grace of God in Christ will?  Mankind will reject the free gift of salvation because they do not want God to rule over them.  Things will get worse and worse.  That is until Jesus comes back.  Righteousness and praise will happen.  There is nothing rebellious mankind can do to stop it.  As hard as they try, Jesus will make it all right again and the entire population of the world will praise Him for it!  What a day that will be!  Just as sure as we are that our lawns will come back, Jesus will come back and restore this world to the way it was prior to Adam’s rebellion.  Bank on it.  This is inevitable.

'Cannot' Is Not in His Vocabulary

“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:” (Isa 59:1 AV)

What a verse considering the circumstances.  This statement is written to a nation that seemed like it would never get it.  Israel was backslidden and stubborn.  A nation that had the foundation to know a follow the LORD, but choose not to, is a nation that many would think would be without hope.  Yet, this verse and others like it are sprinkled throughout the book of Isaiah.  No matter how far we have slid or how deep we are in or how anxious we may be, God is still God.  His hand is not shortened that He cannot meet us where we are.  He has not closed off His ears so that He will not hear our cries.  This verse is not limited to reconciliation and restoration alone.  No.  This truth applies no matter what we might be going through.  God is still God!  Even when we think our situation is beyond even the LORD’s hand, He shows Himself faithful.

There is one word that strikes me this morning.  Cannot.  In other words, there is nothing too big or ambiguous that He cannot address.  The word ‘cannot’ is not part of the divine Godhead.  Although we know God cannot lie, fail, or be taken by surprise, there is nothing too great for God.  Nothing.  There is a children’s song we teach them.  The words go something like this:  “My God is so big; my God is so great; There is nothing my God cannot do.”  We teach this to give faith and courage in the hearts of our little ones.  But how soon do we forget this when we grow out of it?  When we were children, everything was bigger.  Our parents were bigger.  Our teachers were bigger.  Our houses and cars were bigger.  Safety was all around.  Then the world began to get smaller and smaller.  Our problems became bigger.  In childhood, a skinned knee sent us to mom’s lap and she could make it all better.  We knew this.  When our first romance ended in disaster and we felt like we could not live another day, somehow, a day with Dad made it all better.  Then life happens.  Sickness or financial collapse invades our otherwise perfect life.  We don’t know where to turn.  As we age, fear becomes more of a monster than it ever was in our twenties and thirties.  We didn’t know any better back then.  Now, we face permanent change and there is nothing that can stop it or alter our course.

The above verse is one of those verses worth memorizing.  It will be a constant reminder of just how good God can be and is to us.  It is a steady rock upon which to latch when life throws a curve ball and we don’t think we can hang on one more day.  This is one of these verses that can never be overused.  It is a verse that makes the sun shine again.  It is a verse that enables us to take one more step.  It is a truth that rings true in every life of those that walk with God by faith.  This verse had brought comfort to countless overburdened souls and emboldened the fearful.  This truth has motivated great missionary endeavors.  It has been the verse that brought hopeless sinners to their knees and stricken saints to victory.  It is and was the verse of many burned at the stake, sailing to a far country, or simply trying to eke out a living big enough for their family to survive.  This verse is more than a simple childhood song.  It is the anchor to a weary soul, a standard to carry for the battle weary, and a rock of confidence to those who would slip into defeat otherwise.  This verse is a great one.  It is a necessary one.  It is a life-changing one.

Have Patience. It Works.

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:11 AV)

I have repeatedly used this verse to encourage those who sow the seed to the souls of others.  I use this verse to prove their labor is not in vain.  No matter the response, the word of God is effective.  It will either drive people to God, or it will drive them away.  One way or another, sowing the word of God will have an effect.  Yet, the context of this verse is the rebellious house of Israel and their eventual salvation transformation at the return of Christ.  Promises were made to Israel of a coming kingdom wherein Israel would walk with God in faith and obedience.  Something that has challenged them since the days of Abraham.  Therefore, this verse is a promise to those who know God, yet are challenged in their walk with them.  Which is the hope for us today.

If you have ever been tasked to do something which seems impossible, you know what the promise above means.  This is especially frustrating when the task is something you absolutely want but it doesn’t seem possible.  Compounding the problem is when we cannot see the small improvements we are making in our journey to be successful.  We learn.  We practice.  We fail.  Then we try again.  We know we have what we need.  We know the skills taught to us are sound.  We simply don’t have the skill or discipline to conquer the task.  Our failure is not a matter of information.  We wonder what our problem is.  We think we will never be able to master the skill.  We get discouraged because others can make it happen, but we seem to lack something they have.  For example.  I did not learn how to spell phonetically.  This puts me at a large disadvantage.  If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably have noticed a typo or two.  In my defense, most of the typos are not ignorance, but poor muscle memory.  I type away and invert letters or vowels because a more common word sharing the exact same letters is a habit.  Then God invented automatic spell correction.  What a wonder!  Then came Grammarly.  Another God-send.  I learned all this in grade school.  There is nothing new I can learn.  But these two tools have slowly improved my skill level and my goal is to be able to type one complete blog without any funny lines underneath the words I use.  I am hoping to eventually fire Grammarly.

This is true of our walk with God.  The word of God works miracles in our hearts.  Many go unnoticed.  We are slowly converted into Christlikeness and we look back and cannot see the major changes that have occurred over a great length of time.  This also gives us hope as we struggle with those stubborn issues that seem to plague us.  In time, they two will disappear.  How do I know?  Because as long as I stay in the word of God, study it, and allow it to work on my heart, eventually the seeds of truth will germinate and the peaceable fruits of righteousness will abound.  I can place my hope and trust in the promise God made to Israel as my own.  What was and is true regarding the word of God for Israel is true for you and me today.  So, do not become discouraged by failure.  Be patient.  Strive for Christlikeness and hope to the end for salvation!

Separation for Another Reason

“Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.” (Isa 52:11 AV)

This verse is echoed in the New Testament.  Paul's states, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,” (2Co 6:17 AV)  The application is different.  Paul’s advice is advice for godliness and the glory of God.  Isaiah is completely different.  Paul is concerned about the testimony of the Corinthian church and their usefulness to Him.  We often use this verse to correctly admonish the saved to refrain from marrying those who do not know the LORD.  A home built on inherent adversity will not be a home where God is the center.  It is Isaiah’s application that we want to consider this morning because it has a broader application.  Isaiah’s admonition is also echoed in the New Testament book of Revelation.  Specifically in the twelfth chapter.  The event spoken of here is for Israel to depart from Jerusalem as God prepares to judge it.  Sometimes, separation is not limited to the glory of God alone.  God must judge evil.  Regardless of where the saints are or with whom they consort, the LORD would not be righteous if He allowed wickedness to continue without judging it.  If we know the LORD will eventually judge wickedness, why would we not depart from it?

There are so many examples of this throughout the word of God.  Israel learned this rather vividly as they suffered through the aftereffects of judgment on Egypt.  Not all of the plagues affected them.  But some did.  God judged Pharaoh and his nation. As a result, Israel suffered somewhat before God brought them out.  Then there is Lot, his family, and his wife.  Because of the influence Sodom and Gomorrah had on his family, Lot lost most of them to hellfire and brimstone.  His own wife was turned into a pillar of salt because even though she physically left Sodom, her heart remained there.  Eventually, Lot became father to the two nations who would eventually be Israel’s greatest enemies.   Noah and his family may have been saved by water as others were destroyed by it, but the memory of all that death drove Noah to drink in his own tent.

Separation is a matter of our own sanity as well.  The hand of God will not rest idol.  There is wickedness all around.  God must and will judge this nation for their treatment of the most helpless of us all.  Murdering babies in the womb or mutilating them in the name of perversion cannot go unanswered.  A generation ago, we saw the pornography industry as the lowest mankind could ever go.  But today, we stand dumbfounded as the world makes victims of the hopeless and helpless.  Be warned.  The hand of God is coming.  He will judge what we have come accustomed to.  The shock of what the wicked are doing is too soon replaced by complacency.  We no longer react as we used to.  The ‘in-your-face’ attitude of the callous murderers and depraved perverts has made us hardened to the severity of what they do.  Yes, they need Jesus.  We should work to that end.  But there must be a balance.  There cannot be an acceptance of what is happening because reacting seems like an overreach.  We must come out from among them and be separate because the hand of God is coming.  When it does, we will be affected by it commensurate with how closely allied to it we are.  Come out from among it or suffer loss in the process of God’s almighty hand.

Being OK With Belonging To Another

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isa 48:10-11 AV)

These words are spoken to Israel in the context of Babylon’s invasion and Persia’s rule.  The furnace of affliction for Israel was meant to refine them to holiness so they might be restored to their beloved land.  Israel and Judah had tarnished the name of God by going after other gods.  Judah exceeded the sins of their heathen neighbors.  God could do no other than to bring this upon them.  Partly because He is just.  But more so because He loved them, and continues to love them, with everlasting love.  It is not so much the correction that we want to contemplate.  Rather, let us consider the motive here.  God does what He does for His own sake first.  Not ours.  He does what He does so that He might have the glory.  He does what He does because He is God.  And we have to be ok with this!

My wife and I have been on vacation in Tennessee this past week.  We spent a week in Pigeon Forge and most of that time was at a place called The Island.  It is a small collection of shops and amusement park rides.  We shopped a little but mostly entertained six grandchildren.  There were many experiences from which one could glean examples of spiritual truths, but this one will do for this morning.  I noticed it was not uncommon to see a group of people wearing the same t-shirts or clothing identifying themselves with one another.  One of the most intriguing was a group of grown men wearing leather.  I tried to see what group they were associated with, but never got a clear view.  Some of the groups simply stated a common identity like a church group or kid’s club.  But there was an occasional group that went above and beyond.  Their identity was rather small compared to the message displayed prominently on their shirt. A few had a slogan. A few more and contact information.  But there were a small number that had a message of who and what they were, and what they wished others to know.  These people were not ashamed to advertise what was important to them.  They may have been there for fun, but their cause and purpose were front and center.  They belonged to the group they represented and it was this purpose that found them where they needed and wanted to be.

I could use the example of military personnel, but I have used this example much. The point is this.  Whether we like it or not, by virtue of God being our Creator, He has the right and responsibility to do with that which He created as He pleases.  We do not belong to ourselves.  We may have the ability of self-determination, to s small degree, but we belong to God and all that we do must be for His glory.  Our will must be His will.  Our choices must consider Him first.  Our lives must reflect the glory of God.  This is why He created us.  It is not enough to comply because we fear the consequences.  Our actions might be submitted.  But our hearts are not.  We have to be ok with the truth our lives are not about us.  They are about God.  Our lives are not our own.  They belong to the God who made them.  This complete and enthusiastic surrender to the will of God is what He asks and deserves.  We have to be ok with the truth our lives are about God and not us!