October 16, 2010 The Merciful Conscience

It's the insights we receive in our quiet study of the Word of God, and the applications we see as we internally meditate on that Word during our day, that prepare us for the things we face, day in and day out.  We don't suddenly decide what we believe and how to react when someone accuses us falsely to our face, or when our child throws a temper tantrum in the middle of Walmart.  We don't have time to think then-- we just react.  Or better yet, respond.  Responses we'll be happy with, and that will please the Lord, will be determined in the quiet times we spend with the Lord, not on the fly.

Reading Paul's instructions to Timothy today sounded so much like a loving father getting his son ready for dealing with people-- maybe some really obnoxious people-- getting him ready for times he'd more likely react than respond.  It's like he was saying to him, "Son, when you're studying the Word, make sure you study how to be merciful."  Paul gives us some tips. 

He was telling Timothy that as much as we hate evil and want to teach people the right way, we first must be patient and merciful.  The key to this is to remember how we've been in the past.  "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," said Paul, who went on to express his appreciation for the mercy that Christ had shown him.  I know we can all relate.  The Lord expects us to take this mercy and pass it on.  Without mercy, we are not instructing people, we are setting ourselves up as their judge.  "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith," Paul explains.  Without mercy, we will not have any of these, for we will not even forgive ourselves. 

Our biggest incentive to be merciful, rather than legalistic and vengeful, is that God is:  "O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." Psalm 86: 14-15 NKJV

As hard as it is to swallow sometimes, we must be merciful with sinners, because if we're not, we're "rejecting conscience."  God will eventually punish the wicked.  For now, it is our job to instruct in righteousness and to offer the saving grace of Christ. 

July 10, 2010 A Little Lower Than God

A big difference, you'll notice, between godly people and the ungodly, is the people of God honor people; the ungodly do not.  Although people who don't fear God will idolize others, they'll just as soon tear them down with ridicule.  God's people will honor others, whether they deserve it or not, even after they're dead.  A key reason for this is that people were made by God in His image, and are His property.  If we dishonor others, we dishonor God.

Psalm 8 is one of the most "incredibly" edifying Scripture passages I know.  It really does seem incredible to us to think that God would think of us at all, much less visit us, speak to us, and crown us with honor and glory.  It is so difficult for fallen humans to accept that He made us "a little lower than God," that the word elohim is often translated here as "angels," even though it's the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1-- God created the heavens and the earth.  Yes, we had fallen below the angels, but Jesus Christ has been raised up above all, and we are part of His body, even if we are only His feet.

God has always given honor to even the lowliest of positions in service to Him.  I hadn't really taken notice of this verse before:  "Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans." 1 Chronicles 9:31 NKJV  Whatever we do, God sees and rewards faithfulness when we're doing it as unto the Lord.  Giving others appreciation and affirmation is a way of thanking and praising the Lord.  When we consider that each of His children are part of His body, it is easier to honor and affirm them. 

Even the ungodly carry the image of God in them, no matter how sullied and twisted, and they might still become part of God's kingdom.  It is extremely unbecoming of God's people to put others down in a disgusted fashion, but I see this happening so much in the name of "righteousness."  How are we ever to win the lost to Christ if we do not treat people with respect, even if they are sinners?  Hating sin is not the same as despising people.  God so loved the world. . .

The Apostle Paul was a faithful watcher, even on a tempest-tossed ship.  He apparently interceded for everyone, not only to save his own skin.  He was visited by an angel to bring the answer to his request-- everyone's life would be spared.  There were sailors, soldiers, prisoners, a Roman centurion-- 276 people in all.  Many of these must have given their lives to the Lord after that. To me, now, this number will always signify that God values life, even the life of unbelievers. 

It is up to us, His people, to watch and pray.  The world system is a sinking ship: but God already has a plan in place to save as many souls as will cling to His saving grace. 

June 18, 2010 Persecution and Ministering Angels

There are two parallels with the Old and New Testament readings today that stood out to me: 1) the activity of a major demonic spirit, and 2) the activity of ministering angels from God.  We call this particular evil spirit "Jezebel", after the queen who allowed it to control her.  I see the same evil spirit working in Herod as well, as the evil spirit can work through men as well as women.  It seems here that it tries especially to control the person in charge.  Keep your eyes open for the workings of this devious spirit, as it is very active at this time in history. 

One of the marked traits of the Jezebelian spirit is persecuting and killing the prophets of God (and anything to do with prophetic ministry).  It's always good to see the end of a road so as to decide whether we want to be on it or not.  Personally, I wouldn't want to be following the same path as a Jezebel spirit, even in a small way.  Since we're in the last days, and we've been told that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and that there would be a lot of prophesying going on (Joel 2: 28-32), I think we should be careful not to be party to an evil spirit who would wish to stop this.  It's also good to beware of counterfeits: but if you know the Spirit of Truth, it's pretty easy to spot something that's not Him.

Even though I'm not excited about going through more persecution (although Jesus did say it was coming), I am very much looking forward to seeing more angelic activity (God's ministering angels).  As we see in today's passages, when the persecution level goes up, so does the level of angelic ministry.  I've personally experienced some angelic ministrations, although I have not "seen" the angels (with my natural eyes).  I would certainly like to be aware of more. 

If you're not used to (or don't like to be) thinking about supernatural things, you might want to ask the Lord to change your viewpoint.  You might find this kind of help to be very much needful in the future.  Probably none of us would be alive today if it weren't for the help and protection of God's angels.  I'm grateful indeed for a God Who loves us so much that He created a multitude of powerful and holy beings who are willing to serve Him and us!  And in God's mercy, He didn't allow Satan, and the other rebellious angels, to run around on Earth without making sure that God's loyal and powerful angels were right there to help us always have the victory.

P.S. I'm reminded of Rick Joyner's little book, When God Walked The Earth-- and I'm wondering how an angel might feel if they were not allowed to save someone, such as James, who was called to be martyred and was killed for the sake of the Gospel.  They would then minister a different kind of grace. 

May 19, 2010 People Living Up To Their Names

Nabal's name, of course, means "fool," which is explained in Scripture.  He thoroughly lived up to his name.  Why would someone name their kid that, I wonder?  If you call someone "fool" over and over, they'll probably believe it!  In contrast, Abigail (whose name means "father" and "rejoicing"), was surely a delight to her father, to her heavenly Father, and to David. 

A person who knows they are loved by the Father can be an effective intercessor and a blessing to all.  Her wisdom is a great contrast to her husband's brute foolishness.  The verse in Proverbs today was very fitting: 
"A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother."  Proverbs 15:20 NKJV  It's not unfitting to say that a wise daughter makes her father glad; a foolish man makes his father miserable, and also that he despises his wife as well as his mother.  Abigail was merciful and interceded, and this was rewarded greatly.  The fool has no fear of God, and that received its reward as well.

Saul's name means "asked for" or "desired", and the people got what they asked for and desired, but not what they needed.  David's name, in contrast, means "beloved."  He was beloved by God and the people, and most assuredly my Abigail, (even though she had to share him).  When we allow God to give us what we need, rather than demanding what we think we desire, we will truly love what we have been given!  Because God knows how to give good gifts to His children. 

Only a fool would turn down the opportunity to have that kind of Daddy!  Nevertheless, we should be like David, who spared Saul when it was in his power to do him ill, and Abigail, who took upon herself the burden of her foolish husband's sin, even though she probably would have loved to get rid of him, and may have been tempted to let David take his life.  The end of the story leaves no doubt that she took the proper course!

God calls us "beloved"!  He calls us "Father's delight!"  If we keep listening, we'll eventually live up to everything He sees in us-- the likeness of Christ.

May 14, 2010 God Looks on the Heart

“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7  I am so very glad that God looks at the heart, and that when He looks at me, He sees Jesus, and me in Him.  After reading this part of Saul's sad, sad story, I was very grateful to read of Jesus' mercy with the woman caught in adultery.  He saw a heart of repentance.  If there had been true repentance in Saul, he would have been accepted. 

No amount of bargaining with God can bring about a truce with Him; only accepting His way, and that Way is Christ.  But His love covers a multitude of sins-- things that couldn't be wiped out with any amount of tears or efforts at restitution.  We need Him.  We need to fear Him and obey Him, which can be hard until we know Him better.  Once we know His love, we would go through flames of utter destruction to get close to His heart.

Samuel was still learning lessons about discernment and seeing the heart, not just hearing words or seeing masks.  Jesus quoted what the Lord said to him, too, about not judging by appearances.  We need to know that God sees our heart: there's nothing we can hide from Him, but there's also nothing that God is hiding from us.  If we want to know Him, He is more than willing to reveal Himself to us.

I have never been the person the world would choose (funny, but I was really the proverbial person no one wanted on their sports team, at least until later on in highschool), and you probably aren't either.  But that's OK, because God chooses us.  He loved us before we knew Him, called us and accepted us.  I don't want to be unchosen for the things He's called me to do.  That keeps me on the straight and narrow.  He's not going to entrust anything to me if I'm untrustworthy.  I'm glad though, that He's not going to "unchoose me" from being His child, or "unfriend me" because I mess up.  He knows my weaknesses, and He helps me (and disciplines me sometimes).  Jesus said He'd never leave us or forsake us.  We would have to totally reject Him and leave Him completely to end up like Saul, which is, I guess, what Saul did.  I'd much rather be the one on the healing end of the harp than the one with a tormenting spirit because I rejected the Spirit of God.

 

May 12, 2010 Bullies in a Battle of Words

We're always going to get tested to see what our true motivations are.  King Saul was tested, and he flunked.  If we look at the story only in the natural we might want to take Saul's part; but if you see what Samuel saw, you'll realize what went wrong, and why the kingdom was to be taken away from him.

The king and his son were the only ones who had swords!  The oppressive enemy had seen to it that the people had none (and they put up with it!)  In the spiritual sense, Saul was the one who had the word of God-- and he disobeyed it.  His explanation sounds plausible, but Samuel says other wise.  Saul was not "a man after God's heart," and therefore his kindgom would not continue.

David, on the other hand was a man after God's heart.  He knew not to fight the enemy without the Lord going before him:  "Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.  Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 108:12-13  Saul sought his own glory, but David sought the glory of God.

Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." John 7:18
Jesus said only what His Father told Him to say.  He only sought the glory of the Father, and now the kingdom of Christ has been established over all.

We get tested when the enemy is there taunting us and making threats, and we think the Lord isn't doing anything about it.  Sometimes He doesn't "show up" fast enough for us.  If we don't have the Word in us, we're going to go run and hide in a cave, and the bully gets a victory.  If we do have the Word, but we don't have God's heart, we will speak and act presumptuously.  We may have been better off running and hiding.  When we speak the Word or do an "obedient" action out of God's time, and with a selfish motivation, we can easily become a weapon in the hands of the enemy.

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 15:4

I think we know, by now, that the perverseness is in the heart (if it were in the physical tongue, we could all cut out our tongues out and be very righteous indeed!).  Words can be swords.  How many times have our rash words broken another's spirit, and, in turn, our own?  I cannot begin to count the times I have done this.  But it happens less often now, because I'm tired of hurting others and suffering the pain of it myself-- and I'm tired of grieving the Holy Spirit. I want a wholesome tongue.  I want a whole heart after God.

Powerlessness is a bad thing, and God wants to deliver us from it.  But power without godly authority is deadly.  We cannot inherit the kingdom of God by walking in power without love and submission to God.  We can't beat the devil with the devil's attitudes.  For one thing, we must realize that Satan is already defeated; but we still must destroy his works.  God will help us destroy the works of the enemy if we have God's heart and are seeking His glory and not our own.

Jesus is the Tree of Life.  The more we yield to the Spirit and allow Him to grow that Tree in our heart, the more life-giving our words will be.  This is God's heart for you, and for all His children.  Some of Satan's strategy would be to irritate you so much that you hack away at the Tree growing in someone else's garden.  Let's be patient with one another, and look for and nourish that Tree.  At this moment, it might be just be a seedling that needs to be nurtured and protected.  Someday, it will be a great Tree that will offer shelter to the lost and dying.

February 20, 2010

I was thinking about God's statement "You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean." Leviticus 10:10. And then, there it was again in the New Testament reading! These Scriptures together made me wonder if the concept of "clean and unclean" has to do with "what the Lord will inhabit and what the devil will inhabit."

Jesus delivered the man with the legion of demons, and when He cast them out, they went and inhabited a bunch of swine ("unclean" animals by Mosaic law). The man was converted and became an evangelist then. Jesus delivered him and he became clean. Jesus called him into cleanness, a habitation for the Lord.

What happened to Aaron's sons, then, in Leviticus? Apparently, they weren't clean, although they had been consecrated with all the ritual. God looks at the heart. It's His heart of compassion to see us delivered from evil. The priests of God had all the advantages, and yet they didn't love God. The man among the tombs was an abused outcast, and yet his immediate response was to be devoted to Christ. The priests were common then, and the delivered man was holy.  I think it's very interesting to see the contrasts in these chapters today, and the judgment and mercy of God.

February 17, 2010

When I read all the descriptions of sacrifices in Leviticus, which all seem quite gruesome to me, I get a feeling for how much God hates sin, and how often I miss the mark. But more than that, I am struck by the love and mercy of God. He has always been about making a way of atonement and forgiveness, and Jesus finally paid the price, making all the killing of animals unnecessary.

Jesus showed the Father's heart for forgiveness and His purpose of redemption so often, how could we miss it and become sin-worried as if we lived in the Old Testament? Jesus got criticized for eating with sinners (Mark 2:16), and for breaking the Sabbath (in the Pharisee's mind), but He was in redemptive, restoration mode at all times. "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath." (NRSV) And what He's doing with us now is getting us ready for new wine. vs 21

January 8, 2010

I am always impressed with Abraham's conversation with God. I'm sure Abraham was aware of the great evil in that place and was habitually interceding for Lot and his family. I always thought "how could Lot offer his daughters to those evil men?" but today I realized that the ladies weren't in danger from those guys. He included it to let us know clearly what those men were up to and what the Lord thinks about it.

I found myself comforted and warned by the Scripture selections today. Warned, because I saw how easy it is to become compromised in righteousness when we're in close contact with and influenced by the world, judging our own condition by comparison with what's going on around us. Comforted, as I also noticed the reference again in Proverbs 2:7 to the Lord being our SHIELD, and the references to God's justice.

It's also like Wisdom and Prudence, verses 10 and 11, are guarding us in the Way, and they will lead us out if need be, to protect us--like the two "men" did (I'm assuming they're angels)--from judgments to come. If I'm seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness first, Matthew 6:33, I will have my eyes on God and won't look back. Genesis 19:36