Up at 3am. Got out of bed at 3:30am. Prayer and promises... a good way to start the day...
I like how David Wilkerson organized 'The Jesus Person Pocket Promise Book'. He breaks the book into three sections.
- God's Promises for your Spiritual Needs
- God's Promises for your Personal Needs
- God's Promises for your Future Needs
Then he has Key verses with supporting passages for a list of topics in each section. It is very well done.
I think I am going to incorporate a study of God's names in the Hebrew and Greek into my promise book study. God's character is intertwined with his commitment. One hinges on the other. His commitments show something about His character and His attributes (names) prove that He is capable of keeping His commitments.
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." - Psalm 20:7 KJV
"Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 124:8 KJV
I also like the idea of knowing the context of the promise. Who is speaking? Who is the speaker addressing? I don't what to quote Job's friends and say that God is speaking when God says Job's friends have wrong ideas. (see Job 42:7)
On the other hand, we can quote passages that are in the scriptures and say, 'God dealt with this person in a certain way...' and then make the claim that God may very well deal with us in the same way as long as it is in the context of grace.
God clearly deals with corporate entities (Isreal, the Church, foreign nations, etc..) differently than He does with a person. I think it is a mistake sometimes to quote a passage directed at Israel or the Church and claim that it is a personal promise or provision. The Church is not Israel and we are not structures with a mission statement. We are sons and daughters and God has mercy for us that He does not have for groups per se. A King deals differently with His child than He does with a foreign nation and with good reason.
Grace isn't for good people or nations. It is for God's people. It is for heirs. The Gospel is a grace initiation to an individual. Salvation then puts people in a place to receive grace. God's holiness and justice are going to be seen clearly by all. If salvation hasn't placed us as individuals into God's kingdom then mercy is going to be far removed from a person's experience. God has promises about that also.
"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail." - 1 Samuel 2:9 ESV
'Ouch.' But also 'Praise God'. He is just. He is gracious. He is precise. He communicates is a way we can understand if we incline our ear to hear.
Thank You God for Your wonderful book. Thank You for your lasting commitments. You are the Alpha and Omega. You will be around to see every promise fulfilled. You have the power. You are The faithful and True One. We worship You for who You are and Thank You for all that You have done and will do.
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Showing posts with label Commitment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commitment. Show all posts
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Friday, March 25, 2016
Water Droplet Unions
What binds us to one another in groups is like surface tension. We gather in groups like a droplet of water gathers but we also can be scattered easily.
"For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' " - Matthew 26:31b ESV
Leadership can be a gathering force but it can also be a scattering one.
"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply." - Jeremiah 23:1-3 ESV
We see loving families that are tightly joined and it is a beautiful union based on love and commitment.
"He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' " - Matthew 19:4-6 ESV
This is a great union.
"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." - 1 Samuel 18:1 ESV
Jonathan was a friend to David when David was in trouble. David was anointed to be king but was hounded by Jonathan's father for years and years. King Saul was a scatterer but Jonathan was bound to the friendship.
"But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." - 1 Corinthians 6:17 ESV
The Greek word translated joined is Kollao (Strong's G2853) and it speaks of a vegetable glue that was used in making sandals. Once this glue was applied the leather of the sole and material used to touch a person's foot was fused together so strongly that you would destroy the parts if you tried to remove them from each other.
As individuals we become fused to God in our human spirit at a certain moment in time.
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " - Hebrews 13:5 ESV
"...you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree..." - Romans 11:24a ESV (a part of verse)
Israel is the cultivated tree that is connected by a heritage. Israel holds the bloodline of Messiah and the Church has been grafted into the base. The Church is not Israel but it is nourished by the root and the fruit is a result of being grafted in.
I have seen leadership that produces unity and it is beautiful. I have also experience leadership that divides and it is brutal. Nothing can separate us from God once we have been joined to Him. The moment we mix faith with what Jesus has done for us on the cross spiritual glue is applied to us and we have a new root system that will never fail us.
David was anointed to be king but when he was poor and needy Jonathan was a person that treated him like a king. David's mighty men got a reflection of the investment that David got from Jonathan.
I think this morning of our many group attachments that are like water droplets... family... work... groups of friends... Church life... let's be people that gather and not scatter. There may be real scattering forces in the mix but we can be ones that have a 'seek and save' mentality because God sought us and saved us.
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"For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' " - Matthew 26:31b ESV
Leadership can be a gathering force but it can also be a scattering one.
"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply." - Jeremiah 23:1-3 ESV
We see loving families that are tightly joined and it is a beautiful union based on love and commitment.
"He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' " - Matthew 19:4-6 ESV
This is a great union.
"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." - 1 Samuel 18:1 ESV
Jonathan was a friend to David when David was in trouble. David was anointed to be king but was hounded by Jonathan's father for years and years. King Saul was a scatterer but Jonathan was bound to the friendship.
"But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." - 1 Corinthians 6:17 ESV
The Greek word translated joined is Kollao (Strong's G2853) and it speaks of a vegetable glue that was used in making sandals. Once this glue was applied the leather of the sole and material used to touch a person's foot was fused together so strongly that you would destroy the parts if you tried to remove them from each other.
As individuals we become fused to God in our human spirit at a certain moment in time.
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " - Hebrews 13:5 ESV
"...you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree..." - Romans 11:24a ESV (a part of verse)
Israel is the cultivated tree that is connected by a heritage. Israel holds the bloodline of Messiah and the Church has been grafted into the base. The Church is not Israel but it is nourished by the root and the fruit is a result of being grafted in.
I have seen leadership that produces unity and it is beautiful. I have also experience leadership that divides and it is brutal. Nothing can separate us from God once we have been joined to Him. The moment we mix faith with what Jesus has done for us on the cross spiritual glue is applied to us and we have a new root system that will never fail us.
David was anointed to be king but when he was poor and needy Jonathan was a person that treated him like a king. David's mighty men got a reflection of the investment that David got from Jonathan.
I think this morning of our many group attachments that are like water droplets... family... work... groups of friends... Church life... let's be people that gather and not scatter. There may be real scattering forces in the mix but we can be ones that have a 'seek and save' mentality because God sought us and saved us.
--
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Grace In Staying And In Going
Choose life.
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV
God puts a strange choice in front of us. A simple choice that the world and circumstances have made complicated.
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.'
And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'
And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God." - Acts 16:25-34 ESV
The same jailer that beat Paul earlier now had the tables turned on him. He was anticipating taking a beating Himself but God gave the jailer an opportunity to choose life. The jailer knew what a great hardship he and his family would face because this happened on his watch. One family was saved spiritually. They became people who believed earthquakes could work in their favor also.
Later we find out that Paul was a Roman citizen and he likely didn't use that card because Silas would have gone to jail alone. Here in Acts 22 we see proof of that...
"But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?'
When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, 'What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.'
So the tribune came and said to him, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?'
And he said, 'Yes.'
The tribune answered, 'I bought this citizenship for a large sum.'
Paul said, 'But I am a citizen by birth.' " - Acts 22:25-28 ESV
Grace had taught Paul how to choose life and Silas was likely saved because of it. Silas had a man to sing songs with. Silas had fellowship and divine perspective. Then the dominoes of God's gracious plan continued to fall and the jailer was saved also.
Did God send the earthquake to save Paul or did God send Paul to save the jailer from the earthquake that would ruin the jailer's life? Maybe a combination of both but earthquakes happen when they happen. I like to think God was saving the jailer.
Are you 'taking a beating' from someone? It would be natural to rail against them for the ill treatment but just maybe God has you there so that they can be saved. Maybe it is some one else in the situation. Who knows. The earthquake (or whatever else God has planned) will free you and I in good season but grace can have us singing in our cells right now.
I'm not telling anyone to stay in abusive relationships or situations no matter what. That is not sound biblical counsel. In Acts 22 Paul sidestepped the flogging he was about to get. We are not gluttons for punishment. We are people who look for redemptive purpose and stay longer than we have to for Sila's sake and find that God can use our discomfort in far reaching ways. Meanwhile we can look for that chance to reveal Jesus to someone in it. When the redemptive purpose is gone we have no reason to stay.
Grace has taught us to choose life over comfort and that will give us opportunities to open our mouth and talk about Jesus in places where His name would otherwise not be heard. Then others can also choose life.
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV
God puts a strange choice in front of us. A simple choice that the world and circumstances have made complicated.
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.'
And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'
And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God." - Acts 16:25-34 ESV
The same jailer that beat Paul earlier now had the tables turned on him. He was anticipating taking a beating Himself but God gave the jailer an opportunity to choose life. The jailer knew what a great hardship he and his family would face because this happened on his watch. One family was saved spiritually. They became people who believed earthquakes could work in their favor also.
Later we find out that Paul was a Roman citizen and he likely didn't use that card because Silas would have gone to jail alone. Here in Acts 22 we see proof of that...
"But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?'
When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, 'What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.'
So the tribune came and said to him, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?'
And he said, 'Yes.'
The tribune answered, 'I bought this citizenship for a large sum.'
Paul said, 'But I am a citizen by birth.' " - Acts 22:25-28 ESV
Grace had taught Paul how to choose life and Silas was likely saved because of it. Silas had a man to sing songs with. Silas had fellowship and divine perspective. Then the dominoes of God's gracious plan continued to fall and the jailer was saved also.
Did God send the earthquake to save Paul or did God send Paul to save the jailer from the earthquake that would ruin the jailer's life? Maybe a combination of both but earthquakes happen when they happen. I like to think God was saving the jailer.
Are you 'taking a beating' from someone? It would be natural to rail against them for the ill treatment but just maybe God has you there so that they can be saved. Maybe it is some one else in the situation. Who knows. The earthquake (or whatever else God has planned) will free you and I in good season but grace can have us singing in our cells right now.
I'm not telling anyone to stay in abusive relationships or situations no matter what. That is not sound biblical counsel. In Acts 22 Paul sidestepped the flogging he was about to get. We are not gluttons for punishment. We are people who look for redemptive purpose and stay longer than we have to for Sila's sake and find that God can use our discomfort in far reaching ways. Meanwhile we can look for that chance to reveal Jesus to someone in it. When the redemptive purpose is gone we have no reason to stay.
Grace has taught us to choose life over comfort and that will give us opportunities to open our mouth and talk about Jesus in places where His name would otherwise not be heard. Then others can also choose life.
---
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Touch Not The Unclean Thing
I awoke this morning with a singular idea...
'Touch not the unclean thing.'
This was not a moral commandment. In the Hebrew scriptures it is primarily contact with things that made you unclean. It was not something you did that was wrong... it was exposure to something.
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.' " - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV
I made separation between verses 14-15 and verses 16-18 because the first part is talking about contractual involvement and the second part is conceptual involvement. Contractual involvement may very well to lead to conceptual involvement because of continual exposure. These concepts are not moral in nature per se.
Jesus touched the leper but He did not fellowship with the lepers around their leprosy. He touched an unclean person and made that person clean the unclean thing never touched Him.
I don't want to touch the unclean thing. I hate idolatry because it it a substitute for intimacy. The lottery won't save me. God will deliver me. Pornography is a substitute for intimacy and I won't let my eyes touch it. How many people have been infected by that unclean thing. Liquor is an unclean thing to me. Why? Because at first it does what something else should do then changes and weakens a person. It is a mocker. These are idols, fake Gods, and very common ones among those who don't believe in the God of all grace. These are just things, like idols are just things, but God has come to dwell here with me. He is clean and holy and hates all that would interrupt my relationship with Him.
Modern day yokes are marriages or business partnerships. You may already be yoked to someone who does not see clean or unclean. Why would they if the holiness of God isn't convicting them. Unclean concepts seem useful. They do the job. They don't seem to be hurting anyone if used 'responsibly'. If you are linked long term in this way then you know how hard it is to get away from these concepts you hate. The row needs to be plowed and you are hooked in to someone whose need for God is hidden from them. They already have something to worship and something to put a momentary fleeting hope in. God has a way of escape for you inside each situation. God has mercy and a way for you to touch the person but not be touched by the idol.
For those who are not yoked this way yet... don't be. Righteous lot was vexed because of his long term exposure. He does not even appear to be righteous to us. We have to be told he is righteous (see 2 Peter 2:7).
God has come to be with us. He is our father and He wants to meet our needs. That is what I want today. I want mercy. I want love. I want intimacy. I want the power of an unending life (see Hebrews 7:16) to be on display and not hidden.
--
'Touch not the unclean thing.'
This was not a moral commandment. In the Hebrew scriptures it is primarily contact with things that made you unclean. It was not something you did that was wrong... it was exposure to something.
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.' " - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV
I made separation between verses 14-15 and verses 16-18 because the first part is talking about contractual involvement and the second part is conceptual involvement. Contractual involvement may very well to lead to conceptual involvement because of continual exposure. These concepts are not moral in nature per se.
Jesus touched the leper but He did not fellowship with the lepers around their leprosy. He touched an unclean person and made that person clean the unclean thing never touched Him.
I don't want to touch the unclean thing. I hate idolatry because it it a substitute for intimacy. The lottery won't save me. God will deliver me. Pornography is a substitute for intimacy and I won't let my eyes touch it. How many people have been infected by that unclean thing. Liquor is an unclean thing to me. Why? Because at first it does what something else should do then changes and weakens a person. It is a mocker. These are idols, fake Gods, and very common ones among those who don't believe in the God of all grace. These are just things, like idols are just things, but God has come to dwell here with me. He is clean and holy and hates all that would interrupt my relationship with Him.
Modern day yokes are marriages or business partnerships. You may already be yoked to someone who does not see clean or unclean. Why would they if the holiness of God isn't convicting them. Unclean concepts seem useful. They do the job. They don't seem to be hurting anyone if used 'responsibly'. If you are linked long term in this way then you know how hard it is to get away from these concepts you hate. The row needs to be plowed and you are hooked in to someone whose need for God is hidden from them. They already have something to worship and something to put a momentary fleeting hope in. God has a way of escape for you inside each situation. God has mercy and a way for you to touch the person but not be touched by the idol.
For those who are not yoked this way yet... don't be. Righteous lot was vexed because of his long term exposure. He does not even appear to be righteous to us. We have to be told he is righteous (see 2 Peter 2:7).
God has come to be with us. He is our father and He wants to meet our needs. That is what I want today. I want mercy. I want love. I want intimacy. I want the power of an unending life (see Hebrews 7:16) to be on display and not hidden.
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
A Simple Mission Bathed In Prayer
In my reading this morning I landed on 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and a couple of concepts stuck out and ministered to me. One is the way we pray for one another and the other is the simplicity of functioning in grace toward one another.
"Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia... You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." - 2 Corinthians 1:7-8a, 11 ESV
"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." - 2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV
Paul shared his difficulty and asked the Corinthians to help the mission by prayer so that it would be successful. Paul refused to leave the simplicity and sincerity of grace. He would not employ worldly methods. The work was to be a work of God and not of men but still Paul asked for the 'help of prayer'.
Paul knew he could do nothing of Himself but He needed to rely on God. But, He also knew that just him alone believing was not enough either for the work to function. There are shared comforts and shared sufferings in a work of God.
I am thankful that Paul went out on the mission field. I am thankful that people built the Church where I found Christ. I am thankful for the simple clear message I hear and the people that just won't know me after the flesh.
Prayer helps in what is happening right now in the present. It is mystical but real. 'Them' becomes 'Us' when we partner in prayer.
God, Teach us to pray. Not just how to do it but to live a life of seeing and praying with discernment. Not in striving but it proactive involvement.
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"Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia... You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." - 2 Corinthians 1:7-8a, 11 ESV
"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." - 2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV
Paul shared his difficulty and asked the Corinthians to help the mission by prayer so that it would be successful. Paul refused to leave the simplicity and sincerity of grace. He would not employ worldly methods. The work was to be a work of God and not of men but still Paul asked for the 'help of prayer'.
Paul knew he could do nothing of Himself but He needed to rely on God. But, He also knew that just him alone believing was not enough either for the work to function. There are shared comforts and shared sufferings in a work of God.
I am thankful that Paul went out on the mission field. I am thankful that people built the Church where I found Christ. I am thankful for the simple clear message I hear and the people that just won't know me after the flesh.
Prayer helps in what is happening right now in the present. It is mystical but real. 'Them' becomes 'Us' when we partner in prayer.
God, Teach us to pray. Not just how to do it but to live a life of seeing and praying with discernment. Not in striving but it proactive involvement.
--
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Birth Place Of Decisions
"But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." - James 5:12 ESV
It is a beautiful thing when our heart does not condemn us isn't it? There is the active smiting of our conscience but then there is the more passive idea that if the gap between our expectation and reality begins to widen we can become disillusioned or disappointed or conversely driven and determined.
Everyone knows that commitments should be kept. The smallest child knows that. I love these verses because We have a God that removes condemnation... the active kind and the passive kind.
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;" - 1 John 3:18-21 ESV
If we have a heart that doesn't condemn us it is for one reason only. Our eyes are fixed on God... God's greatness and God's commitments.
"He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " - Hebrews 13:5b ESV
God's faithfulness makes God's perfection always close at hand. That perfection is not intimidating because of knowledge about God's grace. God the Father has hidden each believer in the perfection of His Son.
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." - Ecclesiastes 5:2 ESV
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody... For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!" - Psalms 57:7, 10-11 ESV
We say 'yes' and 'no' all day long. Some of those short statements have very long range consequences. We want to be aware of that and have wisdom and function from a place where there is no condemnation. A condemned heart make decisions tainted by a need to compensate. It it tries and often fails to fill the gap of expectation and reality. Only God can fill that gap. Only Jesus HAS filled that gap. He was and Is all that the Father ever wanted. He was, Is and will be all that we ever need if our mind comes into alignment with divine reality.
The cross takes care of active condemnation because of transgression. The resurrected Christ and a new creation self image take care of the passive condemnation of living in a fallen world.
"A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved." - Psalms 15:1-5 ESV
The law made provisions or 'substitutes' if commitments couldn't be met. It was not rigid beyond reason.
"And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean." - Leviticus 12:8 ESV
"And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford." - Leviticus 27:8 ESV
Provisions can be made for many things with people. The 'price' of salvation is to high for any man but other things have room for battering as long as it is a clean dealing.
"You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog (male prostitute) into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God." - Deuteronomy 23:18 ESV
So today I will do what I said I will do (or make a sufficient substitute provision) and take care of what I will commit to in the future but I will do it as a reflection of a risen Christ... I will walk in the world as an ambassador and minister of reconciliation not as a slave but as a person made free because of the perfection of Christ.
--
It is a beautiful thing when our heart does not condemn us isn't it? There is the active smiting of our conscience but then there is the more passive idea that if the gap between our expectation and reality begins to widen we can become disillusioned or disappointed or conversely driven and determined.
Everyone knows that commitments should be kept. The smallest child knows that. I love these verses because We have a God that removes condemnation... the active kind and the passive kind.
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;" - 1 John 3:18-21 ESV
If we have a heart that doesn't condemn us it is for one reason only. Our eyes are fixed on God... God's greatness and God's commitments.
"He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " - Hebrews 13:5b ESV
God's faithfulness makes God's perfection always close at hand. That perfection is not intimidating because of knowledge about God's grace. God the Father has hidden each believer in the perfection of His Son.
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." - Ecclesiastes 5:2 ESV
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody... For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!" - Psalms 57:7, 10-11 ESV
We say 'yes' and 'no' all day long. Some of those short statements have very long range consequences. We want to be aware of that and have wisdom and function from a place where there is no condemnation. A condemned heart make decisions tainted by a need to compensate. It it tries and often fails to fill the gap of expectation and reality. Only God can fill that gap. Only Jesus HAS filled that gap. He was and Is all that the Father ever wanted. He was, Is and will be all that we ever need if our mind comes into alignment with divine reality.
The cross takes care of active condemnation because of transgression. The resurrected Christ and a new creation self image take care of the passive condemnation of living in a fallen world.
"A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved." - Psalms 15:1-5 ESV
The law made provisions or 'substitutes' if commitments couldn't be met. It was not rigid beyond reason.
"And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean." - Leviticus 12:8 ESV
"And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford." - Leviticus 27:8 ESV
Provisions can be made for many things with people. The 'price' of salvation is to high for any man but other things have room for battering as long as it is a clean dealing.
"You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog (male prostitute) into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God." - Deuteronomy 23:18 ESV
So today I will do what I said I will do (or make a sufficient substitute provision) and take care of what I will commit to in the future but I will do it as a reflection of a risen Christ... I will walk in the world as an ambassador and minister of reconciliation not as a slave but as a person made free because of the perfection of Christ.
--
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Grace In Psalm Sixty Five: Vows Performed
"To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed." - Psalms 65:1 ESV
That phrase 'shall vows be performed' caught me this morning... Neder (Strong's H5088) Shalam (H7999) the second word Shalam is the verb from of Shalom (H7965), the noun, translated peace and completion.
"O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas" - Psalms 65:2-5 ESV
Vows performed make peace.. but whose vows?
"the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." - Psalms 65:6-13 ESV
It is true that by making a promise we plant something in the ground and by keeping it we reap a harvest. It is investment that brings a return. No investment no return.
What investment does grace make? It is the investment that makes the hills 'gird themselves with joy' and the flocks and grain 'shout and sing together for joy'... true Shalom... complete peace in prosperity. Not just a handshake that forms a bond that turns into a lasting relationship... that and more... much more.
"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow... The sower sows the word... But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." - Mark 4:3, 14, 20 ESV
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NKJV
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" - 1 Thessalonians 3:12 KJV
Jesus paid His vow on the cross. Now grace make a vow that the relationship will be based on a gift and not performance. Jesus kept His vow and grace gives an increase from God's supply.
Being unequally yoked in marriage or business makes a commitment that can not be followed through on. You shake on it but it many times turns to vanity.
Grace makes a one sided commitment that it can follow through on. It doesn't shake our hand. The Father lays His hand on us because of what Christ has done and commits to us. That commitment will bear fruit.
That phrase 'shall vows be performed' caught me this morning... Neder (Strong's H5088) Shalam (H7999) the second word Shalam is the verb from of Shalom (H7965), the noun, translated peace and completion.
"O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas" - Psalms 65:2-5 ESV
Vows performed make peace.. but whose vows?
"the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." - Psalms 65:6-13 ESV
It is true that by making a promise we plant something in the ground and by keeping it we reap a harvest. It is investment that brings a return. No investment no return.
What investment does grace make? It is the investment that makes the hills 'gird themselves with joy' and the flocks and grain 'shout and sing together for joy'... true Shalom... complete peace in prosperity. Not just a handshake that forms a bond that turns into a lasting relationship... that and more... much more.
"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow... The sower sows the word... But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." - Mark 4:3, 14, 20 ESV
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NKJV
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" - 1 Thessalonians 3:12 KJV
Jesus paid His vow on the cross. Now grace make a vow that the relationship will be based on a gift and not performance. Jesus kept His vow and grace gives an increase from God's supply.
Being unequally yoked in marriage or business makes a commitment that can not be followed through on. You shake on it but it many times turns to vanity.
Grace makes a one sided commitment that it can follow through on. It doesn't shake our hand. The Father lays His hand on us because of what Christ has done and commits to us. That commitment will bear fruit.
--
Monday, July 29, 2013
I Was Brutish
"Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:20-26 ESV
God is truly our friend.
When we act rudely and we are insensitive God never says, 'They are not worth it.' He does not shun us.
Have you every woken from the dream of your emotional state and wondered at the strange conclusions you came to during that time. The things you did and said are like a strange did them and said them. Anger can prompt responses that cause regret later. We say words that we can't take back.
God also says words that can't be taken back. He has no regret about any of them. God's counsel becomes our guide even when we go away from Him and sulk. God's Word's still shine somewhere in our minds walking patiently for our own fire to dim enough for them to be seen and heard in quiet.
Our strength is not in our perfect behavior. It never was. It is in God's loving commitment to us.
"For he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?' " - Hebrews 13:5a-6 ESV
God is truly our friend.
When we act rudely and we are insensitive God never says, 'They are not worth it.' He does not shun us.
Have you every woken from the dream of your emotional state and wondered at the strange conclusions you came to during that time. The things you did and said are like a strange did them and said them. Anger can prompt responses that cause regret later. We say words that we can't take back.
God also says words that can't be taken back. He has no regret about any of them. God's counsel becomes our guide even when we go away from Him and sulk. God's Word's still shine somewhere in our minds walking patiently for our own fire to dim enough for them to be seen and heard in quiet.
Our strength is not in our perfect behavior. It never was. It is in God's loving commitment to us.
"For he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?' " - Hebrews 13:5a-6 ESV
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