“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” - Psalm 55:22
We have in this very simple verse some profound strengthening for the day, for the week or for the years.The timing of when this verse impacts you is not up to me; nor is it up to you.You may merely need these words to undergird you for what comes your way in the next twenty-four hours.It is possible that these statements of Scripture may be necessary for you from today and unto weeks ahead.I will confess to you that these truths have been my own strength on a daily basis for nearly two years.May I break it down for you today?
A command – I am herein told by God what to do with that which burdens me.He does not ask me to rearrange my burden so that I may carry it a little further.No advice is granted concerning how to position myself properly under it in order to stand longer.God tells me to drop it at His feet.Even stronger, I am told to cast it upon Him.Utilize the last of your strength to unburden yourself in holy obedience by flinging that too-great-of-a-thing upon God Almighty.Seeking to prove your ability by going a step further is nothing but disobedience.Not wishing to trouble the Master is pride posing as piety.God’s word indicates that there comes a time when the burden has gotten the best of you that you must use holy discernment to recognize that it is time to admit that you are not fit for it.You win by virtue of your weakness.Give that thing to Him as He commands.
A comfort – We most often wish for deliverance above and beyond a sustaining.Whole ministries are founded upon the truth that God delivers.Conspicuously absent are ministries who declare that God also sustains.Is there not glory in both?We are conditioned to believe that true victory is only found in the problem disappearing.The absence of pressure, pain, discouragement, depression, persecution, misunderstanding and resistance – the absence of these things is the narrow definition of victory.Yet would we not rob God of His due to fail to be comforted that He may leave some lingering trouble in order that we may experience the depth of His sustaining grace?He says in the verse above that, when we roll our burden upon Him, He shall sustain us.Whatever dent the heaviness has left upon us, God will administer both comfort and power.Jacob walked with a limp – but, indeed, he walked.David’s failures as a husband, father and king haunted him unto the grave.Yet his glory goes on today.Paul seemed to wrestle with the damage he inflicted upon Christ’s bride in his pre-conversion persecutions.Was not Paul the greatest champion of Christ to have ever lived?Yes, we are dented, damaged and often drained.But I awoke today to see that another sunrise would reveal that I am still sustained by Omnipotent Love.
A commitment – He shall NEVER allow His righteous ones to be removed.There is a point on your horizon where you will truly believe this.I have an elusive trust in a promise like this.I would be eager to post that I never struggle with the concept of NEVER being moved but I do not wish to deceive myself or the reader.When we truly believe this commitment from God we will experience a relief from dread and fear to a degree that we never have before.The ultimate reason that we fear is due to the fact that we truly believe that some things are greater than God.Enemies.Sickness.Loved ones.Hurts.Financial woes.Persecution.Earthquakes.Our own sin.The list might well go on forever because there is no shortage of things that we fret over.God has stopped being immense to many of us.He’s a wisp of spiritual thought floating around our minds.He’s a dissipated thought that floats on the currents of our emotions.He no longer thunders as He seemed to during days when we didn’t quite sense our need to be sustained.Now He is entrusting you with things that threaten to move you.These things growl at you.They hiss in your direction and you interpret that hiss to signal that a defeat is your destiny.God still says, “NEVER!”The problem, if there is one, lies in the fact that we improperly define victory.For most of us, the process of victory is never enough.We seem not to breathe easily until we drop anchor in the harbor of happiness.Until then we grind our teeth away, close our eyes tight, and wish much more often than we pray.This is when I am so grateful for the inspired reminder which instructs, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13).He promised it so I assure you that is what settles it.
I love you today.I thank God for the privilege of potentially encouraging you today.I point you to Him and encourage you to acknowledge the weakness that welcomes the sustaining.Consider whether or you might already be a possessor of triumph in that His abiding strength has allowed you to see another day of grace.The anchor will indeed drop in the harbor of happiness some day.Let us please honor our Captain by appreciating the voyage which gets us there.
"Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living." –Jaroslav Pelikan, (1983) Yale University professor and Christian historian.
Though he never knew of me and he made this statement when I was in junior high, I’m unsure if I’ve ever read a more succinct summation of my own personal thoughts on the issue of legalism.Up until today the name Jaroslav Pelikan was unknown to me – so was his quote.In my twelve years of holy rebellion against the dry sand of traditionalism and the bottomless pit of legalism I am astounded that this quote never became a part of my arsenal.I’m grateful to God for having passed it my way.
I used to be angry at legalism.Fighting mad, I wanted to eradicate my heart of every vestige of it.It took years of methodical, penetrating examination into all my “religious” activities and attitudes.Every month in the process uncovered more for me to mourn over in regret:messages preached, callous words to other believers, moldy pride coating the walls of my heart, and a smug confidence that I (and those in my camp) was a better believer than most.Even typing it today makes me cringe to know that these things were a large part of my walk with God.The horror of it all is that I was completely ignorant of how wrong it was.Saved by grace? Of course...but I was competent enough to take it from there, thank you. Some people presume that God is desperately searching for some shiny trophies down here amongst His people and I was one of those who certainly thought he knew how to polish himself for the Lord.Somehow I missed the truth that God was not looking for brilliance but, rather, brokenness.God doesn’t long for His followers to be masters of the rules – He wants us to be hungry, contrite and poor in spirit.Our confident laughter must become mourning over sin and consequently result in a longing for holiness and depth.Legalists shout the rafters down and usually their shoutings are occupied with some outward badge of presumed spirituality.Christians are different than legalists; they still have something to shout about but their voices magnify the Lord Himself rather than some tag of religious achievement.
I’m not old yet but I am older than I once was.Things look different to me now than they did when I was twenty-five.I love people intensely and long to help them in their journey with Christ.However, I’m over the need for them to think positively upon me.It sounds flippant but I mean this in a truly consecrated sense:I am further learning to truly be unmoved by people’s opinion of me.My testimony is important because it is a reflection of Christ, but I’m speaking about the ridiculous desire to fit into someone’s concept of what being a Christian is.My Bible is sufficient to affirm or convict me; there is simply no need to exercise time and energy seeking to please the unpleasable.I simply don’t care what folks think or say any longer.Nor should you.
So I’m wondering out loud today if we have committed to the way of living faith or dead faith.Dead faith is easy and fruitless.Read a few books, master a few practices, commit to a handful of duties and scheduling slots…poof!Congratulations, you have become religious.For those of you who cannot walk that potholed way anymore, here’s something to consider:bleed in your spirit, rupture your own heart, cultivate an insatiable appetite for the presence of God, and starve yourself from horizontal elements which rush to satisfy you prematurely.Somewhere around the next bend there likely waits some unexpected nugget of gold from the mine of His sovereign goodness.He is still a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and I’m seeking to spur you onward to the delightful shore of “I’m content in Christ but thirsting for more from Him.”Is your God explosive?Do you see Him as willing to bring a potentially radical transformation to your life…today?Does that potential thrill you or threaten you? God’s best works in your life are unanticipated and impossible to pencil in.He’s the God of holy ambush – ask Moses, Abraham, Paul, Esther, Joshua and a host of others in our Bible.May He so grace us today as to thunder into our lives and rearrange our assumptions to the point where they become delightful surprises.
Let’s not creak our way through this life.Tradition is dusty.Grace pulses.
Music, as all other things, was created for the glory of God.Few gifts given to us are greater than the concept of music which originated in the infinite heart of God in eternity past.The people of God have always been singers and much of God’s revelation is written in the form of songs sung by His followers unto Him.There are times in our Christian journey when we are too taxed to benefit from our minds being stirred by preaching.Other times we find ourselves too restless to listen to the counsel of a well meaning friend.When heaviness of heart settles in for a season it can feel so wearisome that we are unable to fulfill our disciplines and duties.Then, when we were not quite expecting it, a song finds our ears, traces its way to our hearts, blossoms in our souls and invigorates our spirits.We have then discovered the medicine that we needed and God remedies whatever was ailing us in the moment.Music has its own way of ministering to us when God deems it the chosen tool of the hour.I am called to be a man of the Word – constantly studying, preparing sermons, pouring over the writings of other believers, and bringing forth messages to benefit, instruct, provoke and encourage God's people.More often than you might imagine, however, it is not my Bible that God uses to convey His reassuring presence to me; He often sings me a song.
Landon and Amy were in the van together sometime last month.She relayed a story to me back then that, up until yesterday, I had forgotten.My pensive four-year-old was practicing a rare moment of quietness as he and Amy traveled down the road.They were listening to some Christian radio station which, according to Amy, played three worshipful songs in a row.Somewhere in the midst of the third song, Landon’s little voice squeaked, ‘Mommy, these songs help me believe in God.”Not wishing to address the profundity of what he had just communicated, Amy simply encouraged her son that he was exactly right. Music helps us believe in God.
To all of you who have been graced of God with some musical ability I address a couple of thoughts.First of all, an expression of gratitude is due those of you who are using your gift purposefully for the glory of Christ.Many humans have been sovereignly chosen as a depository for this particular gifting.Very few of those so gifted are using it for Him on a regular basis.Thank you to every one of who sing or play or conduct for Christ.Your ministry deeply enriches us and I pray that God will increase your tribe in these last days.I suppose that there should also be a word of exhortation to you:hone this gift until it can become no better.Sacrifice time in order to craft your singing (or instrument playing) and resist the urge to take it for granted.It’s not just singing, just playing or just conducting.You have been gifted, dear one.Forbid yourself from comparing yourself to those who are more capable with their own musical ability.Use the gift that He has given you and don’t let the enemy discourage you.Some conservative scholars believe that Satan may have been involved in some form of musical ministry before his falling from Heaven based on the interpretation of Ezekiel 28:13 which mentions his tabrets (tambourines).Would it not stand to reason that he would now resist anyone who dared to succeed where he previously failed and was therefore evicted from his heavenly ministry?Satan hates the glorifying of God through music and I certainly believe that he and his demon servants have a strategy to resist the powerful medium by which God is exalted.Maybe he is seeking to discourage you in order for there to be one less voice than there was yesterday among God’s singing redeemed.Maybe you should sing louder and more often in response to his attempts to dissuade you.Let that diabolical enemy become silenced again – this time by your own committed praise.
Yes, Landon, music helps us believe in God.Songs of faith express our deepest sentiments.We are moved by the melodies, harmonies, lyrics and choruses.We feel our faith profoundly when the right song meets the right moment in our lives.God speaks mightily through His Word to us, no doubt.But is there not a call for something in addition to the objective Word of God when it comes to the expressing of our souls?Never supplanting His truth, but in addition to it, we are greatly benefited by musical expressions concerning the greatness of God.He is far too great simply to be spoken of!He must be sung!Songs of His power, His might, His love, His grace, His understanding, His blood, and His return – these must fill our souls and escape our lips.May God grant us today to be moved by His Spirit as we engage our spirits in musical worship.Let us remember preaching, evangelism and discipleship come to a halt when earth comes to its end. Butsinging is forever.
“And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” – Mark 10:22
Picture the scene: a man who has it made in life has been sensing that there is something missing.He has authority in the synagogue as one of the rulers.He has the vigor of his youth and all the benefits of a fresh and functional body.The sky is the limit for this man as he awakens each day to an extremely favored existence.He never has to be concerned about material needs because he is quite wealthy.This man is the envy of the town.There is a problem, however: he is troubled by this nagging sense of something still missing.He’s a happy man but there exists an inner gnawing that not everything is quite as it should be.He does a regular inventory and finds that his sincere approach to God has resulted in an outstanding morality.He knows that he is setting a good example and is quite confident that God will continue to bless him as long as he continues to good.He must be good to be blessed so he is highly committed to doing the right thing.He’d never say it out loud but he has no doubts that he is a much more committed believer than anyone around him.Yet still…something’s bothering this man.
Jesus comes to his town and something compels the rich, young ruler to go and see him.If anyone can help him with this trouble spot of his soul then it would be the miracle working rabbi from Galilee.He truly wants to get this taken care of so, after waiting patiently for an opportunity, the young man questions the Lord about what is needed to have assurance of eternal life.He needs to make sure he has his ducks all in a row. Jesus gives this seeker a recount of some of the commandments and, with each one mentioned, the rich man’s heart begins to sense relief.When Jesus pauses His speaking, the young ruler declares joyfully that He has carefully fulfilled these obligations since he was a boy.By Jove, he has found his assurance!How well he will sleep tonight after receiving confirmation from this rabbi that he has done all that is expected!Just to seal the deal, the rich young man asks, “Is there anything else that I lack?” {Mt. 19:20}
Jesus gazes upon the man in dramatic pause.With penetrating omniscience the Son of God unilaterally declares that there is, indeed, one thing that this particular man is lacking.One might assume that the rich young ruler’s breath caught in his chest when he heard that.He needed to know what Jesus would say but dreaded to know what Jesus would say.There had been a problem all along – he had not been imaging things.That gnawing dread in his spirit was not mocking him; it was warning him that something was wrong.This would not be the day that he was excused, assured and confirmed after all.There was a problem and he would no longer be able to deny it.He couldn’t bring himself to ask what the one thing he lacked was.He stood there and awaited the verdict concerning his standing with God.
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” – Mark 10:21
There it was.Hidden deep under the cover of his religion, lurking in the dark shadows of a self-deceived heart, anchored securely in moral veneer of the soul lay the problem.There was an idol of gold seated on a throne of pearl wearing a crown of platinum in the royal place of his heart.The rich young ruler just found out that his real god was his money.Jesus quietly commanded that the god of wealth be dethroned and evicted.It was an uncomplicated command but one that tore at the fabric of the young man's life. He then told the young man to commit to a life of self-denial and enter into a journey of renunciation of suffering {take up thy cross}.Now he had to make the choice: the cash or the cross.The ruler had already proven that he was rich and young – herein, however, he was unable to prove that he was wise.
As the young man walked away from Jesus that day he declared by his actions that he would stick to his former god.He was sad but sadness and repentance are not the same thing. He was unable or unwilling to love Christ more than this world.Jesus did not pull any punches with this man.The Son of God went for the spiritual jugular and told this self-confident man that the call to the life of faith is an all-or-nothing calling.Jesus placed His finger upon the one thing that the man was unwilling to forego.He called the rich young man out and said that the days of him meeting God on his own terms were over.Remember, it was the young man who wanted to know what he was lacking.He found the answer and walked away from it.
Dear friend, I want you to wrestle with this today.The passage is not about money per se.The passage is about the Lordship of Christ.This man had placed something behind a barrier and would not welcome Christ to cross that line and own the protected portion.His particular issue was his wealth.For others it is their career.Some today will entrust God with everything except their family.They lack this one thing.The nature of Christ’s Lordship is that you truly recognize that you have no sole rights to anything in your life. He may require it all and not ask for your input concerning what He does with your prized treasure.How does that make you feel?If you sense dread then you should be aware that you have undeniable trust issues with God.If you fear what He will do with what you treasure then you have not yet been made perfect in love because perfect loves casts out fear (1 John 4:18).The rich young ruler did not simply value money over trust; he valued CONTROL over trust.Trust releases.Trust waits.Trust observes.Control promises a more favorable outcome.Control requests for Faith to move on to somebody else because it is not needed here.Control often masquerades as faith but it is only a sham.Real faith is only validated when total control is released.God wants that for you.God requires that from you.
If His finger has been on the “one thing thou lackest” for a bit, then it safe to assume that He will not remove it.Trust Him with it – He’s more capable than you.Repent of any unbelief regarding this one thing.Cry aloud and confess the struggle you are having.But don’t stop with the crying – move on to the releasing.Great things await those with opened hands.Spiritual blisters await those with clenched ones.He’s worthy of your absolute confidence.Don’t be like the rich young ruler; he walked away rich, he walked away young...he walked away very sad.
Regret is my least favorite aspect of life. It's like seeing a delicious cream filled chocolate éclair sitting on a silver platter (I’ve not eaten any breakfast today).You reach for that golden morsel; sink your teeth into the moist and velvety dough, anticipating the delicious and creamy center…only to discover that the chef filled it with hand lotion instead of sweet cream.To me, this is how regret feels.Something looks good, wise, true and certain as it approaches you.As it passes it turns out to have been a mistake.This is where the great minds of our day echo in unison, “Bummer.”
The winter weather moved in late last week leaving some in Meadow’s leadership team in a dilemma.Do we proactively cancel Sunday services on Saturday when the snow is deep and the ice formidable?Do we stand stout in resolute faith (presumption?) that our great God will melt that rebellious snow with a blast from His nostrils?Oh great quandary – what shall we do?
We canceled church after concluding that nine meteorologists couldn’t all be wrong.We sent out the automated message on Saturday afternoon canceling all the services for the following day.The éclair was looking great.Then, when we arose on Sunday morning, we discovered that the hand lotion had replaced the sweet cream as all the ice and snow had dissipated and we were left at home. Nine meteorologists, three ordained men and two heads of security all had mouths full of lotion.
Bummer.
On Sunday afternoon I spent an inordinate amount of time wrestling with the decision, trying to encourage myself that it was still the right thing to have done.Then I got a couple of emails from Meadow folks talking about their visits that morning to other churches and how nice it was.Bummer.I got the obligatory email or two second guessing the decision to call off church services for the day.I hit my delete button and pretended those notes never arrived in my inbox.Retracing the steps we took in the decision making process I rationalized that we had done a thorough job of compiling objective data, taking into consideration the safety of our church members, getting input from our security team at Meadow and…..WE STILL MADE THE WRONG STINKIN’ DECISION!!!
Double-bummer.
Today is Tuesday and the éclair has been digested, hand lotion and all.It’s a new day with a new box of doughnuts and I’m choosing one which has a raspberry filling.Today is my raspberry-doughnut-do-over-day.One might say, ‘Jeff, you are setting yourself up for another round of regret.Why not choose a pastry with no filling; something you can see inside and out.Why risk another disappointment of failure?Play it safe, preacher – go for the simple glazed doughnut wherein there lies no hazard of hand lotion!'Friends, at some point in life we all have to roll the dice.I don’t want to fail often but sometimes you have to risk a mistake in order to pursue what is right.Some of us stand around intimidated by the threat of failure and therefore never end up risking anything to succeed.Glazed doughnuts are decent but they are unfilled.What kind of life do we want anyway?Any of us can have a glazed life but how many of us are willing to be hollowed out and then filled up?I know I’m taking this doughnut metaphor too far but I’m really trying to help some of us here:time is short and opportunities are getting fewer and farther between.An un-utilized opportunity always leads to regret.Don’t live your life in the paralysis of analysis.Do something.Pay to God as you must but please recognize that eventually you must pull the trigger on a decision.What are you waiting for?A guarantee that it will be creamy and not hand-lotiony?C’mon, take a bite, friend.Risk it.
My motto for the day:I’ll risk taking a bite and having to say Bummer if that is what it takes to have the opportunity to take a bite and say Delicious.
I had a good time last night sharing from Matthew 15 with the church family.Beginning in verse 21 the passage of Scripture recounts a very uncomfortable scene wherein Jesus seemingly ignores the pleas of a mother whose daughter is demon possessed.This lady was a Gentile from the region of Tyre and Sidon on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and had found Jesus as He was retiring away from Galilee to catch a break from the religionists that had been hounding Him.She persists in her heartbroken requests for Him to set her daughter free and Jesus is anything but eager to immediately meet her need.His methods of interacting with this woman serve to prove her faith and she ends up drawing in more intently with every discouraging word that she hears.In the end, the Savior strengthens her faith through a series of delays to answering her request and she finds great humbling and brokenness.There is no other passage in Scripture where I find that Jesus takes this approach with a person.When it is time for her to go home, Jesus tells her that her faith is great and that she can go home to her newly-healed daughter.It’s a profound passage of Scripture and I encourage you to listen to the message (An Uncomfortable Encounter With Jesus) if you’ve ever wondered why God doesn’t jump when you snap your fingers through prayer.
My sweetie, Amy, has had a rough ten days.Going back two Sunday nights ago she and the kids became ill and had to stay home from church.School days were missed, doctors were visited, and plans were adjusted.As it always seems to happen, this dilemma fell on a week when I was extremely busy which caused Amy to basically handle the load alone.When she and my little ones were finally able-bodied and the kids were getting back to school, another blow was landed.While sitting still at our neighborhood stop sign awaiting an opportunity to pull out on the main road, an oncoming car lost control, fishtailed into wet grass, straightened out just enough to head straight for the side of Amy’s van where she and Landon were idling.The impact struck just behind the driver’s side passenger door where Landon was buckled in.The driver bounced off of Amy’s van, up into a neighbor’s yard and struck two vehicles parked there.
Every morning while my truck is warming up in the driveway I take that time to pray over my family’s safety for the day.My eyes look at the front of the house and I move from bedroom window to bedroom window and pray for the ones I love who are asleep in their beds.The last thing I do before I pull away to begin my day is to look at Amy’s van and pray a simple request for divine protection on my family as they drive the busy (and dangerous) roads of our city.These prayers are nearly the same each morning, non-creative in flow, and embedded in my mind as nearly memorized.The only thing that keeps them from being routine is the object of those petitions- the three I love the most.They are the same words almost every day, but they are never prayers without substance.If God does not protect my family from the enemy, evil people, and circumstantial harm…then who will?
The impact of the van lifted it up spun it around slightly and then dropped it back down.Landon was screaming, Amy was quite shaken and the van was badly damaged.I raced home after the frantic call from Amy’s cell phone.In five minutes I was on scene and assessing the damage.My wife and son were in the back seat of the van and I saw in Amy’s face the admixture of a mother’s desire to convey calmness to her little boy and her own private need to fall apart after a very frightening incident.By the way, the prayers from ten hours earlier for their safety had been obviously affirmed as neither of them was harmed.God had allowed the difficulty, but delighted in denying the catastrophe.Everyone was fine.
May I encourage you to begin each day earlier than you have to?Allow me to spur you on in the area of prayer and intercession.Sleep is necessary but prayer is more so.Who is dependent upon your intercession for them?Which unsaved friend of yours has no other Christian who knows to call out their name to God?There’s that one in your life who is immensely struggling under the burden of ongoing sickness – is your voice among those who are petitioning God for grace in their hour of need?This world is an evil and dangerous place; don’t fall into the trap of assuming that all will be well with your children and grandchildren.Cover them, soak them, drench them and lift them in prayer unto God.Resist the urge to overcomplicate the issue by focusing on the sovereignty of God to the extent where you come away with the cop-out that “He is going to do whatever He is going to do regardless if I pray or not”.My friend, our bibles command us to pray without ceasing so begin with some heartfelt intercession today.
That mother in Matthew 15:21 and following came with nothing to offer, no ground to stand on, and no invitation to approach.She was discouraged by the silence of Jesus, the abrasiveness of His disciples, and the uncomfortable words that Jesus later shared.She just kept drawing nearer.She knew that a handful of crumbs from the Master were all she needed. He gave her the buffet instead.
She went home and looked into the face of a daughter who might never have discovered what her mom did for her that day.Thanks to the effort of her desperate mother, the little girl got a second chance at life. I'm glad she prayed for her girl. It reminds me to always do the same.
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” – Isaiah 46:10
Were I not fully given to absolute certainty that God is sovereign I believe that I would live out my days in quiet desperation.My God is an Awesome God whose unfathomable ways cannot always be fully understood but can always be fully assuring.There is nothing incidental with the Almighty and we must embrace the truth that much of the adventure of the Christian life is to joyfully abide as He makes His will and ways known unto us.Our foundational conviction is that He is fully good and cannot err.We move from that foundational understanding and discipline ourselves to interpret all that happens in this world and in our own lives as being part of His impossibly vast blueprint for the ages.There is a context to what is happening in your life today!That context is the unwavering perfection of God Himself!That is why Romans 8:28 is far more than a Scriptural pat on the head; that verse is biblical bedrock from which we spring into action.My God rules and not in some flowery, sentimental sense – I tell you that He alone is Ruler of all.He commands and it will be done.He designs and nothing will short-circuit His schematic.The end has been engraved before the beginning began.His excellence cries out from the prophet Isaiah, ‘I will do all My pleasure.’Nobody can object to that declaration and still finish a winner in the end.
I will confess that my residual carnality is not always in favor of the particulars of what God ordains for me.I’ve not reached the place where all is smiling and satisfied exhales of blissful rest.I find myself resisting His plan – not in a spirit of rebellion in most cases, but in the sense of a child squirming when he sees the Physician approaching.The child may understand that what is about to happen to him is for his good but, nonetheless, the process has no appeal whatsoever. This child believes that the best thing would be to get back in the car and leave this Physician to some other patient. Yet that child must realize that it is indeed time for their own appointment with the Doctor. There is a need in the child that only the physician can remedy.
Christians should never become stoic and unmoved when we conclude that God is Sovereign over all (and I do mean ALL).It is not that we become fatalistic or defeated as we recognize that there is Another calling the shots.The Sovereignty of God (the fact that He alone rules) should result in a great comfort and rest in the disciples of Christ.The burden for life to fit nicely together is removed when we conclude that we serve a God with whom tidiness is not a major priority.He will give absolute understanding in the end to all our demands of Why? When? and How? that fill His omniscient ears each hour.He expects us to wait for this vapor of a life to dissipate and then, in the grand conclusion, there will be a soul-exploding awareness that will forever banish our mistrust of our King. Faith seeks to banish that mistrust in this present day. We will, in the end, know as we are known and when we see Him we shall be like Him.There will be no lingering questions in eternity.We will fully comprehend then what we accept now as truth by faith.All eyes will be affixed on Him and we shall declare through the ages that this one and only God has always been worthy of our deepest praise and highest trust.
I can honestly say that I do not understand all of what God is doing in my own life today.Why things are not as I wish they were is a mystery to me.I desire good things, sensible things, upright things, eternal things, profitable things, and edifying things.Yet, often, God stands sovereign, still and silent.
Do you feel that here-comes-the-weekend surge on Thursday mornings?Let me explain:Sundays begin for me at 3:15 AM when my alarm clock intrudes into my sphere of peace; after about ten seconds of trying to remember my name and why it is that I have been jolted awake, I place my feet on the floor and begin the marathon that does not end until sometime Thursday afternoon.Sundays move from mark to mark:arrive at the office by 3:45 AM, study and pray until staff meeting at 7 AM.I preach at 8 AM, am a student in a Sunday School class at 9:15 AM, back in the pulpit at 10:30 AM and enjoy a quick lunch with my family around 12:30 PM.After lunch it is back to the office to edit the morning audio and video, post them to our websites and then place final touches on the Sunday evening message which I preach at 6 PM. For the past few months, most Sunday afternoons are requiring an administrative meeting of one sort or another at 4 PM. The Sunday evening services are my personal favorite and I try to pour out my remaining spirit and strength before the close of that service. Meadow's people are worth my best and I never wish to short change them in the last service of the day. I never take a Sunday evening invitation for supper after church because all I would be able to do is blankly stare at people as I seek (but fail) to match their energy level. It is highly likely that I would end up drooling or crying into my plate of food so I elect to politely decline any sit-down meals with friends at the end of the Lord's day. By the time I arrive home it has been a non-stop sixteen hour race. I eat a quick supper and fall into bed around 9:30 pm knowing that my Monday will begin at 4:15 the next morning.
So then comes Monday.And Tuesday.These two days are pretty funny because they are one-part recovery and reaction to whatever proceeds from Sunday and the other-part is preparation for the Wednesday message and the following Sunday services.I try to squeeze in some counseling sessions, hospital visits and administrative needs on these two days. Staff meeting takes up the majority of Tuesday morning as me and the fellas try to find the best ways to steward the growing workload here. I see all of this in my mind as a one-armed juggler riding a unicycle uphill with a flat tire who is trying to get change out of pocket for the toll booth in front of him.Somehow, each week, God gets me to the top of the hill and teaches me some valuable things along the way.It might be a good time for me to add that I strangely enjoy the pace and pressures of my calling so I certainly do not wish for sympathy from anyone.I’m just amazed that each week somehow it all gets done despite my flashes of panicky certainty that it is impossible for it to ever be accomplished. God is very patient in seeking to instill in me the permanent ability to release myself fully to His care. I'm one of those people who prefers not to bother the Father as I seek to "handle things" on my own. Do you know anyone like that?
Continuing: Wednesday welcomes me with an ignorant smile and says to me through a cheesy grin, “Shall we tackle today with great zeal?”I’m already worn out so I take a swing at Wednesday’s chin but it ducks and carries me forth reluctantly into the foreordained duties and delights of the day.By the time the mid-week evening service rolls around I’m eager to preach and see the church family whom I’ve missed since the Sunday before.Now here it comes…when Wednesday evening services are complete I finally get to exhale for the first time since the previous Sunday.I smell a Thursday on the horizon and my hope begins to emerge from the cocoon again. Though I still come into the office on Thursday I do so with the deep satisfaction that the summit has been conquered and now it is time to enjoy the view.There is no other day besides Sunday that I enjoy the presence of God on more so than Thursday.If I had to put a word-picture to it I would say that there are two recliners sitting next to each other.My Lord is in one and I am in the other.He is at rest and therefore so am I and we simply recline and enjoy one another.No irreverence is intended here by picturing my King in a recliner; Jesus said He would give me rest and I enjoy it thoroughly on Thursday.
Christian friend, I often struggle with longing for my reward before a process is finished.I want the deep satisfaction of a job well done prior to the doing of the well done job.I think that we sometimes secretly long for the blessings to come with an exemption from the burden.It is not that we are selfish or mercenary but, rather, that we are at times a wee-bit presumptuous and spoiled.Isn’t it supposed to require of us some exertion and effort?Can we fight in a war for the glory of our King and never break a drop of sweat?Have we declined to carry our cross further because it isn’t cushioned?Though our labors require much of us (as they should) I am convinced that it is so very WORTH IT that I find my thrill in the resulting fruit.One bite of Canaan’s grapes makes every moment of combat worthwhile.Our God is great and He has seen you through many battles and here you are…still standing.And I hope, still smiling.
Today is Thursday and I’m at ease.Sunday’s around the corner and I’m confident that I will experience fatigue from taxing endeavors.May God grant us the ability to resist focusing on the price and keep our hearts affixed to the prize.There is coming a glorious moment when we will enter into a permanent rest.Heaven’s glories come with an accompanying rest and reward that is unparalleled on earth.We are investing today and we will receive the fruit of it in and through eternity.Jesus accompanies us now in the labor and will be preeminently present with us in the day of reward.He has sent us forth to work for Him but, please remember, He has accompanied us each step of the way.We must remember that He not only commissions us to go FOR Him…but He also commissions us to go WITH Him.
He is my companion.That is why everyday is a good day.Especially Thursday.
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, until He come and rain righteousness upon you.” – Hosea 10:12
Amy and I were speaking over the weekend about the desire of most women to be pursued by their man.I had made a comment in a recent sermon that most men are at the top of their game romantically in the “pursuit stage” of their future wife.It would seem that the pattern is that the majority of men lessen the emphasis on romance once they have “captured their prey”.For many women this comes as a shock and sense of loss after the marriage is official.We understand that there are exceptions to this rule but I stand by my observation that there is typically a decrease in this area for most men after the “I do’s” have become “It’s done”.
During our conversation Amy referenced the Book of Hosea and how the prophet pursued his renegade wife even after she had betrayed him in unfaithfulness.Not only did Hosea pursue Gomer, his bride, in the initial stages but he also chased after her when she least deserved it. This lady broke her vows and ran off from her husband to other lovers. Whatever may have gone on in her head, Gomer knew that she was desired when she saw Hosea's committed pursuit of her to bring her home again.Though Hosea’s book stands highly symbolic concerning Israel being pursued by her God, there stands undoubtedly the clear element of a husband persistently following after his bride to bring her fully back to himself.She was his precious one and Hosea could not relent.
I found myself reading through much of his prophecy this morning and finding many verses that I had notated, underscored and highlighted years ago.The verse I referenced above (10:12) spoke to me again this morning as it must have many years ago when I first underlined it in blue ink in my bible.Is there a more appropriate exhortation for the American church today than this one found in Hosea 10:12?What about the church in Great Britain? Hungary?Ecuador?Canada?I think all of the professing church at large should stop and remember these words from 740 B.C. Let’s look at it again in the ESV:
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
The command from God was for His people to recognize that it was time to prepare for harvest.They had fallen back in their faithfulness (4:16) and God was summoning them to return to Him.The nasty seeds of idolatry and sensuality and unfaithfulness must be discarded in favor of the seed of righteousness.If they would do this in faithfulness to God they would reap a bumper crop of the benefits of God’s mercy and steadfast love.They had been running from Him for far too long and had deprived themselves of the benefits of His commitment unto them.What they had embraced in place of Him only brought shame and defeat to their lives.He was giving His people another chance as the God of all grace often does for us. How priceless is His pursuit of His blinded, backsliding bride.
Yet Israel had some clear commands to obey.God had told His people that they needed to turn the soil of their hearts.To “break up the fallow ground” indicates a need to dig down, exert some energy and bring from underneath that which is fit for seed planting.The soil on top had grown hard and dry but the necessary moisture still lied within.They just needed to dig and turn to break up that which had become hard, and find that which was awaiting seed.That’s why God put the onus on them to prepare their own hearts.Why didn’t He do it for them?The reason is clarified by our own experience:if you aren’t willing to prepare your heart after God beckons you in grace to return, then you aren’t worthy of what He would have planted anew inside of you.God qualifies the breaking up of the soil with the phrase, ‘it is time to seek the LORD’.Truth be known, Israel had stopped looking for God to be God.They had no anticipation that He would be coming in grace and therefore they had gone fruitless for quite some time as the soil of their collective soul had become hard and dry.God was saying that He would bless them anew if they were willing to believe Him and prepare themselves in humility, repentance and faith.Would the tines of their tillers turn?Would they trust in a second-chance God?Or…would another layer of dust settle upon their already hardened hearts?
Friend, I want to stress to each of you that God will replenish if you will till.He will even empower you to break up that tough heart-soil if you will simply lay your hand on the plow.He has good seed prepared uniquely for you and desires to bless you with a bumper crop of His goodness.The enemy is the one who throws last year’s dust in your face to testify of what he has planned for your future.God says that it need not be that way.As a matter of fact, He ends the verse we have been looking at by promising to “rain righteousness on you.”Will you trust Him today?If you have wandered then, by all means, return.One step is too far when we move away from God.I am told that if I will draw near to Him then He will close the gap even tighter (James 4:8).He is not running from you at all.Gomer, your Hosea is running to you, to you, to you!!!!Stop where you are, turn towards Him, open your arms of grateful faith and enjoy His grace-embrace like never before.That’s what you have been missing.
By the way, He has been missing it too.That’s why He hasn’t given up on you.
Transforming Truth | 1446 Calvin Davis Circle | Lawrenceville, GA 30043 | Phone: 678.551.7333
Email: info@transformingtruth.org
This ministry is funded entirely on the freewill offerings of those who are being nourished by it. If you are able to invest in the raising of funds, please acces our donation page by clicking below. You may also donate by phone at 1.800.930.5194 or by mail at the above address. All online donations will generate a receipt for IRS purposes from Transforming Truth.
Please click below to donate using your PayPal account or any major credit or debit card.
