Instead of trying to figure all this out in my mind, I just let the words today swirl around me and soak into me. Don't you just love the visions of the Lord here, how He stands out with such magnificent beauty and glory? The visions of judgment can create an overwhelming fear in people sometimes, but in these passages we are given such a clear vision of the Lord and His indestructible kingdom, that if we keep our eyes on Him we will be able to stand and trust Him until it is all accomplished. Seeing Him in this way reminds me of what the three Hebrew men saw in the firey furnace: the Lord Himself present among them. They came forth without even the smell of smoke on them. When we are in the Lord, this is what our experience will be. Whether we are being persecuted by the wicked, or the fires of judgment burn, we will be preserved and protected by our Savior when we are standing with Him.
Weighed in the balance:
HYPOCRISY
"Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites," Isaiah 33:14
We may be fooled by false righteousness, but it will not hold up against the fire. If we have a fear of judgment, we may want to examine ourselves and see if we are walking in hypocrisy. It can sneak up on us even when we are serious about walking with the Lord. The sure way to stay secure is to
WALK IN THE SPIRIT. Because God looks at the heart, there is no "formula" for living that is fireproof. Good behavior can be hypocrisy when it covers up hidden lust in the heart (and lust is simply whatever is motivating the flesh at the time). God is so good to bring things about in such a way as to reveal to us what we thought was the fruit of the Spirit but was only our own effort at being good.
Only the fruit of the Spirit can hold up under pressure, and fire. There is no reason to worry about this: walk with Him and trust Him to reveal what needs to be revealed. A desire to walk in the Spirit, and humble prayer for the Lord to teach us how, will set us on the path. His voice is always leading us, so all we must do is listen and obey. The Word is our guide as well; if we neglect the Word, it's harder to hear Him speak to us in our heart. The good news is, if you are born again, it is natural for you to walk in the Spirit! The more mature you get, the more swiftly you will run. You are free to BE in Him, you see!
Questions to ponder:
What fruits of the Spirit have you been able to see in your life lately? How about in your spouse, child or friend? Have you ever thought about mentioning it to them? How would you feel if someone pointed out a fruit of the Spirit that they saw growing in your life?
What is it about hypocrisy that bothers you the most? In yourself? In another? What is your response to it? What did Jesus say about it?
What would hypocrisy look like on a national level? What should our response be to hypocrisy in the government or in our leaders?
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
September 14, 2010 Hastening Righteousness
As I read the O.T. prophets I sometimes wonder what kind of relevancy there is in them (for myself, for us right now) . I love to find the passages that speak directly of Christ, so of course I'm always looking for that. But what of the rest of it? It's easy to want to pass over it. Today though, since the coming elections are on my mind (I've been seeking the Lord for ways to pray for the nation), these prophetic words take on a poignant application.
One thing we can see in the prophetic writings, especially the ones of judgment on particular nations, is what is it that pleases God in a nation, and what brings His anger and judgment? I see a clear "compare and contrast" of the rulership of Christ vs. the rulership of earthly kingdoms. If we're open to it, I think we will be able to see our nation, with its government and leadership, as God sees it. We will have a clearer vision of what we should look for in our leaders, and we will be able to see what the future outcomes will be of the decisions made in our government. As the constituents of a democracy, the responsibility for these falls on us.
Rather than attempt to tell you (or myself) what to think or pray, I'm simply going to point out the sides of the "balance" that I see. I don't want the proclamation on us in the heavenlies to be you've been weighed in the balance and found wanting. On God's right hand is Christ, the King, and His righteous character. On the left is that which, eventually, will be separated out and destroyed.
In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.
Isaiah 16:5
We know that Jesus Christ is returning to reign on Earth, and that His reign will be just, righteous and true. But anyone who wants to can willingly give up the throne and allow Him to rule right now (in the future, it will be mandatory). This is simply recognizing the reality that Jesus is actually Lord. "All authority in heaven and earth is given to me." The truth is, there is only one throne. Anyone in it other than Him is a usurper and will be overthrown. It is easy enough to tell who is on the throne-- in my own life and in the nations.
PRIDE
We have heard of the pride of Moab—
He is very proud—
Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath;
But his lies shall not be so.
Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab;
Everyone shall wail.
Isaiah 16: 6-7a
Pride is what brought Satan down, and what will bring every nation and every individual to a fall.
The first and best thing we can each do for our nation is to go before the Lord and allow Him to reveal Himself to us. In His presence, our own pride and haughtiness are revealed. The places where we do not allow Him to rule are revealed. If we allow Him to take the logs out of our eyes, we may, with His grace, have a clear enough vision to see the faults of our nation and take them before the Lord in humble intercession.
Questions to ponder:
We often hear the statement God Bless America! Do you say it?
Have you ever taken for granted the fact of God's blessing the nation?
What do we need to do as a nation to reap God's blessings?
On what is the Lord dealing with you today to help you be a better citizen:
1) of the Kingdom of God 2) of the country you live in?
One thing we can see in the prophetic writings, especially the ones of judgment on particular nations, is what is it that pleases God in a nation, and what brings His anger and judgment? I see a clear "compare and contrast" of the rulership of Christ vs. the rulership of earthly kingdoms. If we're open to it, I think we will be able to see our nation, with its government and leadership, as God sees it. We will have a clearer vision of what we should look for in our leaders, and we will be able to see what the future outcomes will be of the decisions made in our government. As the constituents of a democracy, the responsibility for these falls on us.
Rather than attempt to tell you (or myself) what to think or pray, I'm simply going to point out the sides of the "balance" that I see. I don't want the proclamation on us in the heavenlies to be you've been weighed in the balance and found wanting. On God's right hand is Christ, the King, and His righteous character. On the left is that which, eventually, will be separated out and destroyed.
In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.
Isaiah 16:5
We know that Jesus Christ is returning to reign on Earth, and that His reign will be just, righteous and true. But anyone who wants to can willingly give up the throne and allow Him to rule right now (in the future, it will be mandatory). This is simply recognizing the reality that Jesus is actually Lord. "All authority in heaven and earth is given to me." The truth is, there is only one throne. Anyone in it other than Him is a usurper and will be overthrown. It is easy enough to tell who is on the throne-- in my own life and in the nations.
PRIDE
We have heard of the pride of Moab—
He is very proud—
Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath;
But his lies shall not be so.
Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab;
Everyone shall wail.
Isaiah 16: 6-7a
Pride is what brought Satan down, and what will bring every nation and every individual to a fall.
The first and best thing we can each do for our nation is to go before the Lord and allow Him to reveal Himself to us. In His presence, our own pride and haughtiness are revealed. The places where we do not allow Him to rule are revealed. If we allow Him to take the logs out of our eyes, we may, with His grace, have a clear enough vision to see the faults of our nation and take them before the Lord in humble intercession.
Questions to ponder:
We often hear the statement God Bless America! Do you say it?
Have you ever taken for granted the fact of God's blessing the nation?
What do we need to do as a nation to reap God's blessings?
On what is the Lord dealing with you today to help you be a better citizen:
1) of the Kingdom of God 2) of the country you live in?
Monday, September 13, 2010
September 13, 2010 Dissolved Into Strength
Every once in a while, I find myself in a place of absolute inability to function. Whether it's my own fault or it's something that God is doing is impossible for me to tell, but I always come to the same conclusion: I am nothing without Him. I could relate very much to this verse today: For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.
2 Corinthians 13: 4
I decided a long time ago that there isn't any point in trying to do something in my own strength. What little natural strength I have is easily used up, and what meager things I can do on my own are nothing compared to what the Lord can do through me. I have learned (more than once) that the world goes on without me. This can come as a big shock to anyone who has finally believed that "I am the only one who can be me and do what I do." As true as this is, we still must accept that it is up to God to empower us. He is Life, and there is no substitute for waiting on Him.
I see myself as a sailboat. My gifts and talents are like sails. When the wind blows I will go somewhere as long as my sails are oriented to being filled with the wind. Just as in the natural world, sometimes the wind is just not blowing! A sailboat cannot control the wind. It cannot fake wind either. Why do we Christians think we have to fake the wind? Do we control the wind? No. We don't control the Holy Spirit, and we do not fake His activity. We just wait. We actively wait, for at the first sign of movement, we get our sails hoisted and ready to be filled.
It is the times that I am forced to rest that I see how very weak I am. I feel overwhelmed at the idea of doing any of the things I had previously been doing with ease. How much I need the Lord! There is no shame in this. If Jesus accepted this place of total dependency on God, then it good enough for me. In fact, it is the only safe place to be. I am reminded, with force, to be constantly dependent on Him and His strength alone so that I do not fall into pride and self-will. Stripped of all that makes me feel acceptable to Him, I discover once again that He loves and accepts me "just because." Everything gets distilled down to having a relationship with God and a more pure desire to please just Him. Of course, this is the place of inspiration, where exploits are born.
Questions to ponder:
Are you naturally a "be-er" or a "do-er"?
What word-picture would you use to describe the way God empowers your life?
Do you ever feel you are trying to "do" your life on your own? What do you do about that?
Have you ever felt a sudden shift in how the Holy Spirit was moving in your life? How did you feel about that? What was your response to this change?
2 Corinthians 13: 4
I decided a long time ago that there isn't any point in trying to do something in my own strength. What little natural strength I have is easily used up, and what meager things I can do on my own are nothing compared to what the Lord can do through me. I have learned (more than once) that the world goes on without me. This can come as a big shock to anyone who has finally believed that "I am the only one who can be me and do what I do." As true as this is, we still must accept that it is up to God to empower us. He is Life, and there is no substitute for waiting on Him.
I see myself as a sailboat. My gifts and talents are like sails. When the wind blows I will go somewhere as long as my sails are oriented to being filled with the wind. Just as in the natural world, sometimes the wind is just not blowing! A sailboat cannot control the wind. It cannot fake wind either. Why do we Christians think we have to fake the wind? Do we control the wind? No. We don't control the Holy Spirit, and we do not fake His activity. We just wait. We actively wait, for at the first sign of movement, we get our sails hoisted and ready to be filled.
It is the times that I am forced to rest that I see how very weak I am. I feel overwhelmed at the idea of doing any of the things I had previously been doing with ease. How much I need the Lord! There is no shame in this. If Jesus accepted this place of total dependency on God, then it good enough for me. In fact, it is the only safe place to be. I am reminded, with force, to be constantly dependent on Him and His strength alone so that I do not fall into pride and self-will. Stripped of all that makes me feel acceptable to Him, I discover once again that He loves and accepts me "just because." Everything gets distilled down to having a relationship with God and a more pure desire to please just Him. Of course, this is the place of inspiration, where exploits are born.
Questions to ponder:
Are you naturally a "be-er" or a "do-er"?
What word-picture would you use to describe the way God empowers your life?
Do you ever feel you are trying to "do" your life on your own? What do you do about that?
Have you ever felt a sudden shift in how the Holy Spirit was moving in your life? How did you feel about that? What was your response to this change?
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