If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied

I have heard many people (Christians) say that if it wasn’t all true, they would still live the Christian life. I could not do that! I could not base my life on a lie, or a delusion or whatever it was if it was not all true. It’s not that there are not wonderful and amazing teachings and great wisdom that comes out of the Scriptures, but I know enough about delusion, to know that it’s always destructive.

Take for example the hope of the afterlife that is mentioned in today’s heading. Christ teaching about the afterlife contains statements that imply that there are only two eternal destinies, either heaven, or hell. And the same statements imply that in the end we choose. Knowing what I know, and believing what I believe, causes me great anguish at times. Jesus taught that the way to eternal life is narrow, and there are few who choose it. On the other hand the way to eternal condemnation is broad and there are many who find it. If this is not true, then it is a huge guilt trip. But if it is true, and I believe that it is, then many many people that I know are likely to end up in the wrong place. At times this is unbearable. I know it’s not ultimately my responsibility, but it is my responsibility to speak when I am called to speak, to give an answer for the hope that is within me, and to live a life that adorns the gospel. This is greatly humbling because, as the scripture says, in many things we all fail (James 3:2).

So coming to the verse, if our only hope is in the here and now, then we are indeed deserving of pity. But in this quote from 1st Corinthians 15, Paul goes on to say that Christ has risen from the dead, implying the fact of resurrection. In fact the resurrection of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most important tenant of Christianity. If it’s true, then we can believe everything that he said. If it’s not true then we can dismiss it.

In fact the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, is the most well attested fact in history. Here is not the place to go in any depth into the apologetics of this, except to ask what was it that changed the disciples from cowards that ran away, into men that turned the world upside down. And also to ask if they knew it wasn’t true, why would they die for a lie, as most of them did?

I have made it a point to study the various debates about science and faith. And I can see that many have believed the myth that science has disproved God. And it is a myth, those who believe it are greatly myth-staked (sorry). The Scripture clearly says that the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen by the things that are made (i.e. us - Romans 1:20), and for this reason we are without excuse. In the words of Paul, I beg you to be reconciled to Christ. Lord have mercy on us all. Amen

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You

Who do you go to when you when you are hurt? I think we must all have this tendency to lash out when we are hurt. The saying that hurt people, hurt people seems to be true. I recently got some insect bites, and it was driving me crazy with the itching. I picked at it and picked at it, and continued to pick at it, scratching the scabs off and making a wound out of my hurt. Eventually I found a cream that I could apply that stopped the itching, and it’s now starting to heal.

If I have found the cream earlier, my hurt would have been healed earlier, and I found the Lord speaking to me through this simple experience. In the physical, it’s more than possible to take a hurt that the body could easily heal, and by failing to take care of it turn a tiny wound into a major problem. As in the physical, so in the spiritual.

What I am trying to say is that the way that we deal with what life throws at us can hurt us, but if we deal with it in the right way, will not ultimately harm us. I am using hurt here, by analogy with the physical, as a wound that easily heals, and I am using harm as a wound that could become permanent. So how are we to deal with what life throws at us without it becoming a permanent wound?

The promise of perfect peace is given a) to whose mind is stayed on him, and b) who trust in him. This last week for me, has had elements of both joy, and pain. My initial tendency always seems to be to concentrate on the pain, and forget the things that brought me joy. The Lord brought this verse (Isaiah 26:3) to my mind this morning, and I at once sought to align my thinking with what he is telling me through it. Since I have learned to trust him, this is much easier than it used to be. God is always, and has always been trustworthy. This is not the issue, the issue is my experiencing his trustworthiness. And it starts with choosing to trust him, and in this way little by little, gaining the experience of his trustworthiness. It builds and builds in my life and, as I say, with the ongoing experience, it has become easier to trust him. In addition, it has become easier to take authority over my thoughts, and bring them captive into obedience to him, and so to claim his promise.

Father, I thank you that you are always trustworthy, and that as I choose to trust you, I increasingly experience your trustworthiness. This draws me closer to you, and helps me when life gets hard to choose to look to you, to look above the circumstances, and to increasingly come into the peace that passes understanding that only you can give. In Jesus name amen

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This morning I want to protest the way that some people interpret the Bible in general, and this verse in particular. So let me ask for example, is it possible for me, through Christ, to jump high enough to join the cow that jumped over the moon? Clearly not, and if you dispute this, I probably had very little to say to you.

This is not to dispute the existence of miracles, but what I’m trying to say is that an over literal interpretation of this verse can lead a person into trying to do the impossible. In particular I have heard, as an application of this verse, that through Christ I can restore any broken relationship. But this is not right. First of all, if the Lord were into restoring all broken relationships, He would have to violate many people’s self-determination. We can choose to reject Him, for example, and He will allow that! It would also violate Scripture. We are told for example, that as much as possible within us to live at peace with all. The clear implication, is that this is not always possible even with the help of Christ.

So what does it mean? The mistake that many people make, is to take a verse out of context. And the above false application of this verse, is doing just that. In the context of this verse from Philippians 4:13, Paul is saying, that he has learned in whatsoever state to be content (verse 11). He goes on to say (verse 12), that he knows how to deal with life when it is full, and he knows how to deal with life in the midst of suffering.

So what Paul is saying here, is that through Christ who helps and strengthens him, he is able to handle, and handle all that life throws at him. It’s encouraging to me, that Paul tells us that he had to learn this. You and I may not have arrived at this state yet. But as for me, with the help of Christ who strengthens me, I am learning, and I will learn to not only survive, but to thrive, and to be content, knowing that as I turn everything over to Him moment by moment, He will guide lead, and direct.

Father, the serenity prayer is so appropriate here. Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference in Jesus name amen.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths

We can take it for granted that God is far more willing to lead, guide and direct us, then we are to be led, guided and directed. But He will not force His guidance on us, we have to acknowledge Him in all our ways. But what does this mean?

The previous verse, verse 5 of Proverbs chapter 3, admonishes us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, and to not trust in our own understanding. So part of what it means to acknowledge him in all our ways is to trust that He knows best, and to yield to the guidance that He is so willing to give us.

I remember a young lady years ago now, who had just become a Christian. She told me she was willing to trust God in everything except her relationships. In fact she had set her heart on hooking up with a man who in fact had no interest in her. And of course it turned out badly. So we need to trust him in all, underline all, our ways.

Part of what I’m illustrating here, is that many times we think we know what is best, but his ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Jesus told us that unless we become as a little child we cannot enter the kingdom. He is talking about the trust of a little child, and the willingness to follow and obey even when they don’t understand.

I have found that I need to be particularly careful when I want, or don’t want, something. And I have found the best way to acknowledge Him in this particular instance, is as much as is possible within me, to put my will into neutral. That is I wrestle with the problem until I am wiling to do, or not to do the particular thing I am wrestling with. When I do this I don’t always get what I would prefer, but in the long run it always seems to turn out for the best.

Father, I need your help in acknowledging you in all my ways. It is very easy for me to fool myself into thinking I know what you want in a particular situation. Holy Spirit, I give you permission to interrupt my life. Help me always be willing to fulfill the condition of this promise, in order that I may claim your direction in my life. I choose to trust that you know best in Jesus name amen.

you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

If you are a Christian then, according to this verse from Romans 8:15, you have received the Spirit of adoption. Like any other gift, it has to be received in order to be appropriated. For many of us, this is no small task, since it involves overcoming the orphan spirit which is well established in our hearts.

There are a number of things that conspire together that lay behind this phenomenon. First of all we live in a very fragmented society. Divorce is rampant, single-parent families are the norm rather than the exception, children are alienated from their fathers, and fathers from the children. Conventional wisdom, the spirit of the age if you like, basically says that fathers are no longer needed. The only thing that the male is useful for, according to this wisdom, is for impregnation of the female! But it’s a huge lie!

And many of us have bought into this lie, so if we are not needed, then there is no need to take responsibility for our offspring! The result is that the children feel abandoned by their father, and what tends to happen then, is that inner vows are made such as “I choose not to need my father,” and the rift is never healed.

Psychologist tell us about our inner child, the little boy or the little girl within us that cries out for acceptance and love, but doesn’t find it. I myself had an orphan spirit for the first 20 years of my Christian life. I sought my identity in terms Christian service. I can look back now and describe myself as a Christian workaholic. This, together with a number of things I don’t need to go into here, resulted in a breakdown in 1995. This was followed by the breakdown of my 2nd marriage and my geographical separation from my children.

I would never have chosen this to happen, but if I had not, then I would not have discovered who I am. In other words since that time through much trial, temptation and pain I eventually threw myself onto the Lord. It is said that you don’t know that God is all you need, until God is all you have. And he is all I need, and through it all is working all things together for good for me. This meant that I came home to my father, not my earthly father, but my heavenly father, who gives me strength, hope, love, joy and peace as I wait for the fulfillment of his promise, that he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and hearts of the children to the father before the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Father, I thank you that your promise is true, that you truly do work all things together for good for those of us who love you called according to your purpose. Thank you Jesus that you came to seek and to save the lost. That was me, even after I got saved. You continue to seek me until I came to the place where my spirit cries out Abba, Papa, and I know deep in my heart that I am your son and dearly loved. Thank you in Jesus name amen

you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 1 Cor 6:19,20

There’s a lot around of what Dietrich and Bonhoeffer used to call “cheap grace.” The idea, in some circles, is that because Christ has paid the price for all of our sin, then it really doesn’t matter what we do. In other words we can do what we like and it’s all covered by the blood. But the New Testament does not teach this, not at all! In the title of our post today, Paul tells us very clearly that we are not our own. What does he mean by this? Well he goes on to say that we are bought with a price, in fact we are bought with the blood of Jesus Christ through his sacrificial death on the cross. Paul goes on to say therefore glorify God in your body.

In Romans 12:1 he tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice holy, and acceptable to God. This is our reasonable service. In other words the only reasonable response to the tender mercies of God is absolute surrender. So the question we need to ask ourselves, is does my conduct glorify God?

There’s a story in C.S. Forrester’s Hornblower series that illustrates this well. At this point Hornblower was a sea captain tasked with the recovery of gold from a sunken galleon. Since the water was deep the task had required the help of a Philippian diver who, because they had dived for pearls, had learned to hold their breath for up to 5 minutes. But on board was a hot tempered surgeon, and he and Philippian diver had got into an argument and the surgeon had challenged the Philippian diver to a duel. Long story short, the surgeon had shot the Philippine diver, who was in danger of dying, and thus imperilling the whole operation.

Hornblower of course was furious, and he told the surgeon “If this man dies you will die too.” Several days later the surgeon knocks on Hornblower’s door and tells him that he needs to take the bullet from the diver if he had any chance at all of living. Hornblower repeated his threat, and trembling the surgeon asked to be released from it. “Sir”, he said “if you do not, then at the moment I am performing the surgery, my hand may tremble remembering your threat. So what you intend to make me do my best, could actually lead to my undoing.” Hornblower in his wisdom released the surgeon from his threat and of course everything turned out well.

So the question to ask is “would it be reasonable for the surgeon to have a lackadaisical attitude to performing his task?” Of course not, if nothing else out of gratitude he should give his best performance. But this is precisely what Paul is telling us to do.

Father, please let me never, never take for granted the incredible sacrifice of your Son on the cross. Father please forgive me for the times that I have given less than my all for You, and for Your Kingdom. Help me father to glorify you in my body. In Jesus name. Amen.

He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him Hebrews 11:6

Elsewhere the write to the Hebrews tells us that God is not unjust to forget or overlook, our labour of love. Paul in 2 Corinthians 3, talks about the rewards in terms of building upon the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. In particular, we build with gold, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, and he says if our building is wood or hay or stubble, then we will lose our reward, but we ourselves will be saved. Otherwise we will receive our reward.

My thought is that human beings need motivation. For some being good has a lot to do with fear of the consequences of not being good. I mean we do reap what we sow whether good or bad. But in this world of instant gratification, the delay of gratification is an act of faith. So whether our reward is in the here and now, or in the hereafter we are promised a reward for our labour of love. We may feel that that is unspiritual to feel this way, but this seems to be wrong.

For me, one of the greatest rewards that I look forward to, is hearing His commendation “well done good and faithful servant.” There are many times in life that I feel unappreciated, overlooked or taken for granted. My consolation in all of this, is knowing that He sees, and that He is not unjust, to forget or overlook, and on that day every wrong will be made right. He puts it this way “Every valley will be exalted and every mountain brought low.” He also tells me in psalm 37 that those aspects of my character and my works that can rightly be described as just will be revealed like the noonday sun. So I don’t need to fret, I don't need to feel slighted when I am, because I know that He knows, and I choose to rest in that.

Father, help me to continue to live what I have just written. It says again in your word that without faith it is impossible to please you, and Father, I choose to choose to please you this day keep me close Lord, in Jesus name Amen

He chose us in Him …. that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love

The Lord tells elsewhere, that we did not choose him but that he chose us. The full version of the above verse from Ephesians 1:4 is “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” These aspects of salvation are mysterious, since we also know that we have a choice, that He he will not force himself upon us. The only way I can get my head around this it is to think that when He, in advance, knew that I would choose Him, then He chose me.

But more important than trying to understand this mystery, is to notice that he has a purpose in choosing us, and His purpose is that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. He calls us saints, and then calls us to be saintly. I think it’s true to to say that all of us struggle at times in our relationship with Him. Sometimes we are more intentional in seeking to please Him and cooperate with him in the just mentioned purpose. And, at least in my own life, there are times when I am less than successful in this endeavour. At such times I thank him for his Mercy and Grace, and for His promise that when I confess my sins He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Father, I thank You that you call me a saint, and You call me to be saintly. Thank you for the times that you forgive me when my life fails to live up to your high calling. Lord I want to respond to your love in a positive way. I know you don’t want me to strive, but to operate out of rest even in this. Thank you that Paul goes on in verse 6 of this same chapter to tell us that we are eternally accepted In Jesus. Amen

Let us therefore with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In this passage from Hebrews 4:16, the author has just been telling us of Jesus our high priest, who is not unable to sympathize with our weakness, but was in every respect tempted as we are, yet without sin. In particular He understands our weaknesses, and is ready and willing and able to give us the mercy that we need, and the grace, that is the wherewithal to help in time of need. So the therefore in this verse, connects it with this thought. In other words, it is for this reason that we can come with confidence before the throne of grace.

In a related verse we are told that when we come to Him, He will in no wise cast us out. God is not like us, He is willing to forgive over and over and over again. In fact this is the very reason the Father sent the Son. As the ancient hymn has it Jesus knows our every weakness. Of course in order to receive His mercy and His grace, we do need to admit that we have sinned, and we do need to repent and turn from it. When we do this we can come confidently, or boldly as another translation puts it , unto Him knowing that He will forgive us and that He will help.

Sometimes the greatest difficulty we have is in forgiving ourselves. The guilt and the shame can overpower us, and levers without relief, since we feel the need to punish ourselves by not forgiving ourselves. The problem is that this leaves us hurt an isolated. And it gives the accuser of the brethren, the opportunity to further kill and to steal and to destroy in our lives.

There is a sense in which it is false humility to refuse to forgive ourselves. This is because, whether we realize it or not, we are saying that the sacrifice of the perfect Son of God was not enough to cover my odious sin. And when we do this we disparage the incredible sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us on the cross. This is surely part of what it means to trample the blood of Jesus Christ under our foot (Hebrews 10:19). So we need to see our self unforgiveness as sin. I say this not to lay further condemnation on us, but rather to see that when we see this as sin, then the way is clear as to what we need to do. In particular that we need to repent and turn from the sin, that is we need to forgive ourselves. And then we need to come boldly before the throne of grace that we may receive mercy an grace to forgive ourselves and so begin the process of becoming whole.

Father I thank you this morning that your grace is greater than all my sin. I thank you that you have promised that when I confessed my sin, you are faithful and just to forgive me forgive me my sin, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Lord let me never ever take this for granted, let me ever come before you morning by morning in thankfulness. I receive again this morning your mercy, your grace and your life, and I choose to be thankful for all that you are, and all that you do in Jesus name. Amen

A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offence. Pr 19:11

There is something seductive about wanting to hang on to an offence. I mean, if I let go of it, he or she will get away with it. And if I hang onto it, I can show them clearly how I feel about them. At the very least, they deserve my punishing silences!

Well maybe, but many times they may have no idea why we are annoyed, and when we make decisions based on moments of deep hurt or anger, we can permanantly poison a relationship. I have been there and done that, and well probably we all have!

This is not to say that we should let people walk all over us. But I find that if I am wanting to give someone a piece of my mind, that I need to wait, to process it and to make sure my ultimate motive is to bring peace, and not just to show them that I am right and they are wrong!

It’s complicated, because there are certainly times when it is not good either for the other person, or for the relationship, to let them get away with things. This is especially true when the offence happens over and over. On the other hand, I sometimes find that my emotions want to overrule the command to, as much as lies within us to live at peace with all (Romans 12:18).

And this is where wisdom comes in. I find that when I surrender the offence to Him, get my will in neutral being willing to let go, or to gently and humbly bring it to the other person’s attention (Galatians 6:1), then the Lord always guides and leads me into what He wants me to do, and His solution is always the best one.

That’s not so say that it is easy, or that it might not end as we would wish it to. The point is there are some situations and relationships that, for whatever reason, are intransigent and immovable. And you know that if you bring the issue up it will not go well, at least in the short term. This does not mean it should not be brought up, we may need to do this for our own sanity. But if, in such circumstances, we do decide to go ahead, we need to be prepared for the pushback and be willing to accept the consequences. In all of this we need wisdom, but as the verse says when we decide to overlook the offence, and I would add, if we are not doing it out of cowardice, then is it to our glory.

This morning the Lord brought the verse of this heading to my attention. It was a word in season! In doing so, He clearly showed me what He wanted me to do in this instance. In my own human wisdom (and probably because of my hurt) I would likely have rationalized using Galatians 6:1, rather Proverbs 19:11. Clearly we can’t do both, but He will show us which principle to use if we ask Him.

Serenity prayer: Father grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search them out (Pr. 25:2).

It is the glory the privilege and the right of God to conceal what he wishes to conceal. But why would He do this? In particular why does He hide himself from us? The counsels of God are mysterious. The Scripture tells us that His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts!

One aspect of this has to do with our responsibility to act on the knowledge that we have. I’m not saying that He necessarily excuses ignorance, especially willing ignorance, but it’s a relief to me to know that there are many things in my life that I am unaware of, and that need to be changed, and to know that he will deal graciously with me in these things.

Another aspect of why He conceals things, is that he actually wants us to seek and to search Him out. This is part of the great romance, as I have said in another post He hides for us, not from us.

The second line of this verse indicates that it is also the glory and the privilege the right, of kings to search out the mysteries of God. In the Old Testament the king would be the reigning monarch. In the new testament we are called kings and priests Revelation 1:6;5:10). In other words this applies to those of us who know Him, it is our glory to search for Him and for His wisdom.

God reveals to backsliding Israel in Jeremiah 29:13 that they would search for Him and find Him when they searched for Him with all of their hearts. It’s the same with us, whether we are backsliding, or living for him, there is always more. The picture in revelation of the twenty four elders constantly falling down and worshiping Him, is not a picture of boredom. But rather it is a picture of awe and wonder, as moment by moment new facets of the glory and beauty of our God are being revealed. So that they cry out over and over “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come.”

Father, Lord it is so easy for me to come to the place where I’ve heard it all before, where I think I have arrived, where I know what I believe and feel that my systematic theology has the answer to every question. But if and when I arrive at such a place, I need to be reminded of verses such as this, and to meditate on the fact that your glory is hidden for my protection but also for my provision, and that my provision, more often than not, comes in searching out your praise and your glory and your presence. Father give me a passion to know you more, increase my hunger. I need you to do this, because from the beginning to the end you are God, and whether I know it or not I have a desperate need for you. You have made me to be fulfilled only in fellowship with You. Father forgive me when I have allowed the things of earth to dim your beauty and your glory. Thank you for this verse this morning in Jesus name amen.

As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds in us by Christ. 2 Cor. 1:5.

Peter, in his epistles asks why we consider it such a strange thing that we find ourselves in various trials and temptations. In other words we should not be surprised by suffering. Paul is saying something different, something deeper. He is saying that when we allow our Christ into our suffering, that the comfort and consolation that we received from Him is directly proportional to the level of suffering.

In Philippines chapter 3 Paul talks about the fellowship of his suffering. The picture I have that I think best illustrates this, is of two buddies in a war. The friendships that are forged under such circumstances, are life long friendships. In the end these friendships can go so deep each of them is willing to die for the other.

So Jesus calls us his friends, and we are in a battle. Paul again, in Ephesians chapter 6, tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. In other words the person or circumstances that are hurting us is not the enemy. Of course Satan uses other people, who more often than not are operating out of their own woundedness. What the Lord is impressing upon me this morning, is the verse that says that when He was reviled, he reviled not again. To put this another way, if somebody attacked Him or was mean to Him, he did not respond in kind, rather he responded with grace in love.

In other words He operated in the exact opposite spirit from that which he was receiving. It hurts of course when somebody is mean to us, or accuses us especially if it’s unjust. But we can turn this into the sufferings of Christ when we respond to such things as He responded. And when we do this, the second part of the verse in our heading kicks in. In particular, it draws us closer to Him in the same way that buddies are drawn close to each other in a war.

Father, I need your grace to respond in the opposite spirit. And I can’t do this unless I stay close to you. So Father please remind me when I am hurt, of this teaching. I remember Jesus when they drove cruel spikes into Your hands and Your feet, Your response was “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” This is more times than not, is not my reaction, I am not like you, but I want to be. I can’t do this with You Lord, but thank You that you have begun a good work in me and will bring to fullness and completion in the day of Jesus Christ. I give you praise and thanks in Your Holy and in Your precious name. Amen

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned Is 43:2

In my daily readings yesterday, this verse stood out to me. What I did not know was that an old emotional wound was going to be triggered by a small injustice. My emotional memory kicked in, and I found myself overwhelmed by hurts from the past. And I thought that that had healed!

As is my habit at times like this, I journaled. In psalm 142:2 David says “I poured out my complaints to the Lord.” As part of this journaling and as an attempt to get the obsessive thoughts out of my head I would write letters, and in fact I spent most of yesterday writing an email I would never send.

I often look at a daily prophetic word that comes automatically into my inbox, and this morning the word was “Breaking out of old thinking and habits will be necessary, but not necessarily easy.” I immediately wanted to apply this to my protagonist, but the Lord had other ideas. He was showing me that I was not pouring my complaint out to Him but to the one who had offended me (but they would never hear it). Long story short, had I poured out my complaint to Him and heard what He was trying to say to me in the verse He had brought to my attention, I would not have wasted so much time, energy and pain on email writing.

What He was wanting me to hear was “Yes this hurts Phil, but it will not harm you, it is a fire, but it will not burn you.”

There is a huge difference between hurt and harm. When we go to the dentist it can hurt, but the short term hurt brings long term relief. If we (I) say that we (I) truly believe that he is actively at work in all things for our good (Romans 8:28), then we (I) need to show this by choosing to trust him. When we (I) do this then though things hurt, they cannot ultimately harm us. In fact each trial has the capacity to grow our faith and strengthen us.

So His word to me, breaking this old habit is necessary, but not necessarily easy.

Father I choose to trust You, I choose to cast all my cares upon You. I know that You care for me, help me to do my part in strengthening the weak hands that hang down, so that I may bring honour and glory to Your Name. In Jesus name Amen!

We no longer see anyone according to the flesh

You have probably had the experience of doing ten things right, and one thing wrong. And what do people remember? The one thing wrong of course! When they and we do such things, we are seeing people according to the flesh.

So then if we don’t see people according to the flesh how are we supposed to see them? The answer is that we need to see them as God sees them. In fact we also need to see ourselves as God sees us. In other words the “anyone”, includes ourselves. If you are in Christ, then according to the Scriptures you are a saint! In other words if you are in Christ, God see you as a saint. Now you and I may not be saintly, our lives may not match what God calls us. But what He does is to call us to be what he says we are. In other words he calls us to be saintly.

The verse following the one quoted above is verse 17 of 1st Corinthians 5. It says “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”

This verse has been misapplied in many christian circles, it has been understood to be saying, that I don’t need to deal with the past, because all things are become new. But what the verse is saying when we take it in context, is rather than not needing to deal with the past, we need to deal with it in such a way that our future does not become our past. In other words he calls us into our new destiny as new creations in Christ.

So the admonition at the title of this post has to do with seeing others and ourselves as God sees them, us. And so we need to be looking for the treasure in others, and indeed in ourselves, rather than looking for the trash. It is not hard to find the trash, especially in others, but God calls us to see the treasure. The intent of course, is to call us into the high calling that each one of us has in Christ Jesus.

And we cannot do this without dealing with the past. In particular we cannot put off the old man, we cannot crucify the flesh, without dealing with it. He has given as many tools to do this in his Word. In particular, it cannot be done in isolation, it has to be done in community. For example we cannot confess our faults one to another in isolation. Most of our difficulties are relational, and it is His intention that we work through things in the furnace of our interactions. This is exactly what it means when he talks about iron sharpening iron. And and in the midst of this often difficult interaction, we are to continue to see the treasure in ourselves, (i.e. no beating ourselves up), and in others, (i.e. not putting them down). In other words bearing with each other and love one another, just as Christ has done for us.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

As can be seen from the the context of the verse at the head of this post, Matthew 6:33, the phrase “all these things” is talking about our basic needs. Jesus is telling us not to worry about these things, since our heavenly father knows that we have need of them. In fact God has promised to supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. The above verse stood out to me from my daily readings this morning, because the Lord had brought it to my attention recently. When I came back from my Vacaville trip, it looked like I had brought bedbugs back with me. When I discovered bites and looked it up in the Internet confirming that they were bedbug bites, I bought spray, powder and a cover for my mattress. I washed my bedclothes, etc.

There is a principle here, and that is that we needed to do everything that is reasonable on our part, and then to leave it in His hands. It would have been easy to worry, and as I was tempted to do just that, the verse at the head of this post came to mind. And I chose to concentrate on the kingdom, and when I did, I had peace, and I have had no new bites since that time.

Some would say that the command not to worry, is easier said than done. But the Lord never gives a command that He does not with the command also give the wherewithal, the grace if you like, to do what he is commanding. It’s all about faith, and faith is a muscle, it needs to be exercised. So we choose to trust him.

Lord, there are a number of things happening at the moment, that could go badly wrong. But I am choosing to trust You, and to seek You first, and to bring it to You in prayer. Over and over I have seen You work it out for Your praise and for Your glory.

Lord I thank You for Your faithfulness, I thank You for Your grace, Your grace to trust and to believe. I choose to trust that You are actively working all things together for my good, and I praise and thank and worship you, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I love You Lord Amen!

He is our peace, who has broken down every wall

This slight misquote from Ephesians chapter 2 is, nevertheless true. The same passage say is that he has abolished the enmity between us. So any enmity that it still exists between us, any wall that still exists between us is not only man-made, but it is contrary to his expressed agenda that in the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him (Ephesians 1:10).

In fact we are commanded, as much as it depends on us, to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). Since it is his heart for us to live at peace with each other, if we truly desire to please him, we should be willing to go the 2nd mile.

The phrase the 2nd mile, comes from Matthew 5 and verse 41. It says “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” The background to this command is of course 1st century Palestine. A Roman soldier had the right to demand anyone he chose, that he carry his load for one mile. He could not compel him to go two. In obeying Jesus’ command, the Christian would be walking in the opposite spirit from the normal spirit which would be resentment.

Walking in the opposite spirit is the path to freedom, because it is walking in the light of his word. It also facilitates peace.

Father, your commandments go so contrary to the world. But the upside down kingdom is designed to set us free. Father when we seek to live at peace with everyone, forgiving them, loving them, serving them, then we are walking in your steps. And when we do this, we receive your grace and love and comfort. Help us to see that father, and to get on board with it. In Jesus name amen.

He will make my feet like hind’s feet

Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like hind’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high mountains.

According to Mike Bickle, one reason why God allows pressure is because it 
refocuses our souls on reality, but what does he mean? If the reason we fail to enter into rest is because of unbelief and disobedience, then it is for exactly these same reasons that we fail to enter into the reality of the abundant life, the life that Jesus promises to those who truly follow him.

The “yet” of verse 18 can be understood as “in spite of this,” I will rejoice in the Lord. But in my own experience, it is not so much in spite of all that is going wrong that I enter into the abundant life, but rather because of it. It is my contention that our loving heavenly Father allows the trials and tribulations and temptations in order to help us to choose Him. In fact these things are crossroads in most of our lives. Will we choose to believe that God is actively at work, even in these things, for our good, or will we give in to the pressure and allow it to drag us down? Or to put it another way, is this faith thing real, or have we believed cunningly devised fables? Or yet another way, is God, the Christian life and the things we read in the Bible, are they real, or is there nothing really there?

What Mike Bickel is claiming, is that reality, hope, peace, joy etc., are to be found in our relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So the question we need to ask ourselves, when all hell breaks loose around us, is “will I stand, or will I fall, will I put my trust in the ultimate reality, or will I choose to allow the trials and temptations of life to be my reality?”

The Scriptures tell us that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). So again in the difficulties, in the trials do we ask “Where are you God in this?” We need to seek Him in the trial. And when we do, when we choose to trust Him to the extent that we even choose to rejoice, then He lifts us out of the pseudo-reality, above the trials and seats is with Him in high heavenly places. He makes my feet like Hinds feet.

A hind, is a female dear, and Habakkuk has in mind the kind we see in the picture. The hinds feet allow her to stand in impossible places. So too we, when we choose to rejoice in the Lord, and to joy in the God of our salvation, will be able to stand firm and secure in the high places of His shelter and love.

Father, I choose today to rejoice in you, to joy in you the God of my salvation. I need your help even in this, even in choosing to do this. I know I will need to do this over and over until the reality of heavenly things becomes my present experiential reality. Thank you that you have promised to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I can ask or imagine, even in this. The father I believe that when I do my part, you will do yours. In Jesus name Amen