THE RIGHT HEART

Psalm 50:14-15  Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15  and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

In the Old Testament God gave Israel laws that guided them in their offering of sacrifices and the celebration of feasts.  In this psalm, God made sure that the Israelites understood the heart of it.  There always was the danger of Israelites performing sacrifices and celebrating feasts without really realizing what God desired from them, and what He wanted to see in their hearts.  Eventually this was what happened to most of them.

We, Christians, have the same tendency to fall into the same trap of doing the externals without really understanding what God desires from that action or work?  How many of us attend Sunday thinking God is pleased with attendance, and forget that He checks the heart.  How many still serve the Lord in ministry, hoping to gain “plus points” with the Lord, and not with the right motive?  This is, what I believe, the Lord was dealing with in this psalm.

Psalm 50:7-13  "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
8  I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9  I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
10  for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11  I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
12  If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

God was not after their bulls or goats, for every animal of the field is His.  And God did not eat what they brought to the temple.  God has, and will always be, after the heart of the worshipper.  everything we do externally – attend Sunday, give our tithes, serve in ministry, give to the poor – all of these are useless without the right heart.

And what heart was God after?

Psalm 50:14-15 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

SACRIFICE THANK OFFERINGS TO GOD.  As they were offering sacrifice, their concern was not that they were doing it, but in their hearts they were coming with thankful hearts, thanking the Lord for who He is, for His faithfulness and goodness in their lives.

Giving thanks to God acknowledges His presence and His working in our lives.  We recognize that He is the source of all blessing, that He is the One who gives us strength to accomplish things, and that without Him we would have nothing.  This is why thanksgiving, as simple as it may sound, is pleasing to the Lord.  It is acknowledging that our trust and dependence has been in Him all along.

FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE MOST HIGH.  I think all of us have made a vow to the Lord at one time or another.  It usually comes with an “offering” or prayer.  “Lord, if you grant me this desire I will…”; or “Lord I will serve you with all my heart, wherever and whenever…”.  Sound familiar?  I’m sure the Israelites came to their temple and celebrated feasts with the same heart, offering vows to the Lord.  But the question is – did they fulfill them?

God is not concerned with a vow in itself, but in a heart that is sincere and true when the vow is spoken.  How many of have sincerely come to the Lord and offered our time, money and strength for Him?  Fulfill it.  That’s all God desires.  Why?  He deserves it.

CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE.  Another thing God asks – total dependence upon Him.  Many call upon the Lord when they are in deep trouble, because there are some troubles that they feel they can solve on their own.  But God wants us calling upon Him every day, for all troubles, big or small.

It shows our dependence upon the Lord.  And He is pleased with that.  He sees our hearts and knows that we won’t last a day without Him, and that we don’t depend on anyone or anything else in this world.

God’s promise: I will deliver you, and you will honor me."  And this is what pleases God the most – that we honor Him, above all, above everyone else, above all things!  Giving God the honor that only He deserves, for every victory, every vow fulfilled and every blessing!

This is how God wants us coming before Him.  These are what God wants our hearts filled with when we come to Him.  Everything else external does not matter unless we come in THANKSGIVING, we FUFILL OUR VOWS, and we CALL UPON HIM IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE.

Love One Another

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:8  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

This is a passage full of love, written by the apostle who was called “the one who Jesus loved” – John.  A number of times in his first letter John calls on his readers to live the teaching of his Lord, echoing the very command that Jesus gave them:

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Verse 35 always strikes me…this was the proof that someone was Christ’s disciple – if he loved as Jesus loved.  The love of God in the heart of a man, expressed to all men, everyone between a loved one to an enemy, was proof that someone was His disciple.  Not the knowledge of doctrine but the practice of doctrine.  Not the claim that one knew Christ, but the life that proved that one knew Him.  It is no wonder that John reminded his readers again and again.

The passage is full of love.  From the first word, “beloved”, to the last, love is there.  Christians were to live with this one command in their hearts – love one another.

Who are we to love?  Everyone between A to Z, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, the love of Christ should be expressed.  All in different ways, of course, but each one should be loved.  How should we love?  The Lord made it clear – “as I have loved you…”.  The Lord was not going to give a command that He Himself did not show us.  The command to love is founded on the believer having experienced the love of Christ for him.  Love is not something that God is requiring from everyone in the world.  But it is expected from those who were recipients of His gracious love, His unconditional love, poured out upon us in the cross of Jesus Christ.  This is why, if we are Jesus’ disciples, loving one another is expected.

THE SOURCE OF LOVE:  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God.  Love is from God.  True love is from God.  The world, with Satan behind it as usual, has twisted and perverted the expression of love.  The world has succeeded to fool many today concerning love.  From a cute emotion, to a fiery sexual lust, love today is expressed in so many ways contrary to what true love is.  If we want to know true love, God is always the answer.  He is the source of love.

And because God is the source of love, and Christians claim to be “of God”, then it is expected that we, too, share the same love that He showed us.

BORN AGAIN WITH LOVE.  And everyone who loves is born of God.  Everyone who loves as God loves has been born of God.  Love, true love, is not inborn in us.  We are born self-centered, selfish, thinking highly of ourselves.  When God brings new birth to a heart He changes that, bringing His love into us.  When He does that we are given the ability to love, through the changed heart that He has wrought.

TO LOVE IS TO KNOW GOD.  And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Everyone who loves is someone who knows God.  Our knowledge of God shapes the life we live.  If we believe God is a faithful God, we will not always worry or be anxious about life.  If we believe God is sovereign, we will live knowing God is in control, and not trust in the government or in the economy.  If we believe God is love, then we will also love as He wants us to love, bearing with each other and forgiving each other, just as He did us.

Many claim to know God, but their actions contradict that knowledge.  As we get to know God’s love in His Word, and in our everyday life, that same love we share with others.  When we realize what wretched sinners we are, and yet God, in His grace, shows us His love through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, this breaks our heart, breaks our pride, and gives us the freedom to love others in the same way.  Everyone who loves knows God.

GOD IS LOVE.  1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is love.  Love is not just a teaching of our Lord.  It is not just a command that He wants us to follow.  It is a life that He lived.  It is His character.  It is God.  God is love.

As we love, we are not just obeying a command, we are allowing God to reveal His life through each one of us.  We become His witnesses of this love.

Rom 13:9  The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Rom 13:10  Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Humility, Brokenness, in Prayer

Psalm 61:1  For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2  From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3  For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
4  I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

It takes a lot of humility to come to the Lord in real prayer.  I say “real prayer” because there are some who come in prayer out of tradition, or out of a “bahala na” attitude with God.  There are even some who pray not because they truly trust in the Lord, but because they know they have the situation in their hands – they just need the Lord’s “help”.  True prayer is one that shows total dependence in the Lord, that there is no one else, nothing else, that will bring the answer except God.

In David’s psalm 61 he gives us hints of how he was humbled, broken enough, to come to the Lord to seek Him.

Hear my cry, O God.  David’s prayer was a cry.  Whether this means a shout, or a weeping, he was in a position where he needed the Lord to hear, to listen to his prayer.  When we pray our hearts silently cry out to him to help us.  For some of us the “cry” is literal, as we pray privately.  What is important is our hearts cry to the Lord.

Have you noticed that God brings us to circumstances that cause us to cry out to Him?  This happens especially when our hearts get used to the quick, rushed and summarized prayers.  But when we are in dire circumstances notice how we begin to really cry out to the Lord.  That’s the prayer God seeks from us, good or bad circumstances.

From the ends of the earth I call to you.  David felt as if he was in the farthest side of the earth, crying out to heaven.  Of course scientifically there is no such gap that exists between the earth and heaven, for God is everywhere, beside us even when we pray.  But this was how he felt.

There are times when the Lord has to let us feel this – that even if we are surrounded with all the technology, all the science and human wisdom…even if we are surrounded by friends, loved ones and people of influence – yet there will be times when even when we have all these we will still cry to the Lord, and it will seem as if we’re so far.  Especially if we have been depending on these things or people for so long.

I call as my heart grows faint.  The KJV version says “when my heart is overwhelmed”.  That’s when we’re faint – when we are overwhelmed by all the circumstances that surround us.  And yet, even with a faint heart, David garnered all his strength to call upon the Lord.

God, in His wisdom, knows what we need to be overwhelmed, when our hearts need to grow faint, before we truly call upon Him.  He will always be there to answer.  He just needs to humble us sometimes, make us realize that we cannot trust even in our own hearts.

There are many self-reliant people in the world.  When their hearts grow faint they feel it is the end of the world.  For the Lord it’s the beginning of true faith and trust in Him, for we realize that, though we grow faint and tired, our God is strong and does not slumber or sleep.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  The key word here is “higher”.  It is when we finally believe that there is a rock that is higher than us that true prayer flows from our hearts.  Many have called other people their “rock”, their strength, and humanly speaking they may have been…for a while.  But for us to truly come to the Lord, trusting Him in prayer He must be the higher rock that we can cling on.

For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  When we finally admit that we are a people who run away, who hide, in a strong refuge and tower – and not in ourselves – that is when we are truly coming to God.  It is His tent, His dwelling place, that gives us security, not ourselves.

What a beautiful place to be in – a place of total humility, trust and dependence upon God.  May this always be the atmosphere that surrounds our prayer to the Lord.

A Fatal Mistake

Jeremiah 42:19-20  "O remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today
20  that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, 'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.'

Why was it a fatal mistake for this remnant of Judah to have asked Jeremiah to pray for God’s will for them?

It’s easy to pray for God’s will.  It’s another thing to sincerely, truthfully, approach God with the desire to follow His will.  God doesn’t just honor the fact that we pray.  What He honors more is the desire of our hearts to know and obey His will.

The remnants of Judah who stayed after the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem asked Jeremiah to pray for them, what God’s plans for them were.

Jeremiah 42:1-3  Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3  Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.

It sounded sincere, right?  They even assured Jeremiah of their intent to obey. 

Jeremiah 42:5-6  Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us.  Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God."

They “promised” that they would act in accordance to whatever the Lord told them, whether it was favorable or unfavorable.  In words they sounded right, sincere, willing to follow the Lord.  If you think about it this is the right approach, the right attitude of heart, when coming to the Lord seeking His will – we will act in accordance to what the Lord reveals, whether it is favorable or unfavorable for us.  It is the Lord’s will that counts, that matters, not what we feel is good for us – right?

Well, as they say, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.  Did they really mean what they said?

Jeremiah 43:1-2  When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God--everything the LORD had sent him to tell them--
2  Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'

What Jeremiah revealed to them as God’s will was very unfavorable for them.  And because it was unfavorable, they automatically concluded that Jeremiah’s words were not God’s will.  So, they were not sincere after all.  They did not really mean it when they said they would act in accordance to what the Lord says, whether it be favorable or not.  This was their grave mistake – they came to the Lord with a deceitful heart.

Do we make the same mistake today when praying for God’s will?

Do we cry out to the Lord for His will for our lives, and yet have already made up our minds as to what or how we want Him to answer?

Are we coming to God with truly sincere hearts, with the utmost desire to obey the Lord according to what He reveals to us today in Scripture?  And are we willing to obey the Lord’s will whether it is favorable or unfavorable to us?

Many of our prayers are actually requests of God favoring what we want, rather than really coming to the Lord with a desire to know what His will is.  Many today look at God as someone we can “bribe” – through our prayers, offerings or service – so that He will answer our prayers, or bless us, with what is favorable for us.

God is God.  He is Sovereign.  He is King.  He is Lord.  He is the One to be obeyed.  He is the One we submit to.  Not the other way around.

Let’s make sure we do not commit the same fatal mistake as the remnants of Judah did with Jeremiah.  When we come to the Lord seeking His will let us come with a heart that is truly ready to obey His will, what is favorable to God.  And when God’s will revealed seems unfavorable to us, let us bow before our Master, our holy and righteous God, with complete trust, that His will, His wisdom, is also holy and right.  We need to die to our emotions, our dreams, our desires, and live according to how God desires.

2 Corinthians 5:15  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Like Zacchaeus

Luke 19:106  Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2  A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3  He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5  When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Zacchaeus is one of the favorite children’s story that you hear in Sunday School.  And usually the lesson they teach is that we must be like Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus, who made that extra effort to seek the Lord.  So, we, too, are to climb our trees and do our best to seek Jesus.

But is this what happened?  Was it Zacchaeus’ effort that brought his new relationship with the Lord, or was it the Lord’s working?  Let’s take a look at his story.

2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

Zacchaeus was corrupt.  And because of his corruption he was wealthy.  He is an example of many people today – people who are corrupt, rich and do not need God.  There is no indication in the story that Zacchaeus was someone who felt that he needed the Lord.  Usually people who are corrupt and rich do not feel they need the Lord.  They may have religion, but they do not need the Lord.

3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd

Zaccheaus was not seeking the Lord, he just wanted to see who Jesus was.  This was simple curiosity at the most.  All he wanted to do was to have a glimpse of this “new kid in town” who was making waves in their society at that time.

Why did he climb the tree?  So he could cry out to the Lord?  No.  He was short, and so couldn’t see through the crowd.  There was no desire at all to call upon the Lord, or for the Lord to take notice of him.  He just wanted to see who this Jesus was.  It was out of curiosity, not out of spiritual need.  But the Lord turned a simple curious moment into an encounter with Him.  In fact, I believe this was God’s appointment with Zaccheaus.  What was simple curiosity for Zacchaeus was actually God setting an appointment.

Even if Zacchaeus was not after the Lord, it turns out the Lord was after him.  Those “curious” moments in your life, when you’re wondering about the Lord and His teachings and what He can do in your life – those are actually God’s appointments with us, and He uses them to call us to Him. 

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."

When Jesus reached the spot He looked up…was this coincidence?  No, it wasn’t.  For we see that when Jesus looked up He called Zacchaeus by name!

He knew Zacchaeus, just as He knows us.  He knew Zaccheus by name.  He wasn’t “creation X”, or exhibit A.  God knew who he was.  He knew he would be on top of the tree.  And God had plans for him, which is why He called him.

He knew who Zacchaeus was – a rich, corrupt tax collector.  And yet He called him.  That call did not mean He was condoning the sins of Zacchaeus.  Jesus’ call to sinners is a Savior’s call, a holy God’s gracious hand reaching out to bring us to a new life, His life.

Zaccheaus responded.  It is hard to turn away from God’s invitation.  Sadly some do.  But there are those who respond to His grace, just like Zacchaeus.

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Not only did he welcome Jesus, but the presence of the Lord brought a change in his heart!

Luke 19:8  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

Zacchaeus wasn’t looking for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for him.  When Zacchaeus realized it he welcomed Jesus, and allowed Him to bring a change to his life. 

Repentance from sin is not us trying to change our lives so that we can come to the Lord.  Repentance is a response to the grace and love that God shows us through Jesus Christ.  When we realize it is God calling us, bringing us to a new life, then our hearts begin to long for the change God desires.

When Zacchaeus realized that the Messiah actually called him by name, despite of who he was, and wanted to enter his house, this was what brought the change in his heart. 

Many of us can relate with Zaccheaus.  I know I can.  I wasn’t looking for the Lord, and yet He came after me.  And I’ve been thankful for His grace ever since.  I don’t know where I would be now if not for His grace in reaching out to me.

Some of us reading this may be exactly at that moment.  You’ve been curious about what Jesus has done, has been doing, in the lives of people you know.  You’re climbing up a tree.  When you hear Christ call you, come down and welcome Him into your home.  It’s His divine appointment.  You will not regret it.  Be like Zacchaeus.

Faith in a Great God

Luke 17:5  The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Luke 17:6  He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

The apostles approached the Lord with a request that many of us ask – “Increase our faith”.  Many of us struggle with this.  We look at our small faith and feel inferior to those who testify and seem to have such great faith in God.  We feel frustrated, for we pray with faith, but our faith does not seem to get things done.  And what does not help are those preachers who tell us to “just believe”, and our prayers will be answered.  And when they’re not, we just tend to feel that our faith was not great enough.

Is God asking us to have greater faith, to exercise a more aggressive “faith”?  What many don’t realize is that they’re beginning to put their faith in “faith”, rather than in the Lord Himself.

Jesus’ answer to His apostles was plain and clear - "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.  Our Lord was obviously not focusing on the “size” of our faith, but on the object of our faith – Him.  It’s not about how much faith we can build up in us.  It’s about how much we know about our Lord, for that is where we put our faith in.  Many Christians mistakenly look at faith like the “force” of Star Wars.  But faith is not about a force, it’s about the object, the focus – who we’re putting our faith in.  Are we putting our faith in a great and mighty God?

Many also make the object of their faith the answer to their prayer, or their request.  “If we have just enough faith”, they say, “our prayers will be answered”.  But the object of our faith is not what we will get, or our prayer being answered.  The object of our faith must always be our Lord Himself.  Many mistakenly live for what God can do for them, rather than simply for God.  And when we live for what God can do we either become frustrated, or we live by faith for the wrong reason.

The Lord was correcting the request of His disciples.  It wasn’t about increasing their faith, it was about increasing their knowledge of who He was, who He is.

Luke 8:24  The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.
Luke 8:25  "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

The answer to the Lord’s question “Where is your faith” is found in the answer to the disciples’ question “Who is this?”.  Do we know who we are praying to?  Is the question “who is this?” what drives us to pray, to read His Word – that we may know Him more?  That’s what walking by faith is all about – not just about getting what we want, but about knowing God more and more, trusting that our life in the hands of a great God, with a great love, a great faithfulness, and a great wisdom.  That’s when our faith is great, even if it’s as small as a mustard seed.

The Soul-full life.

Are we living “soul-full” lives?

Psalm 63:1  A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Is the world still a source of satisfaction for us?  Do we still run to the wells of the world and drink from the water that it offers us, or do we now realize that it is a dry and weary land where there is no water?  Then, and only then, will we earnestly seek God and our souls thirst be quenched.

So many Christians bring partial worship, partial desire, for the Lord because they still seek other sources to quench their soul’s thirst, not realizing that it is only the Lord who can truly quench our thirst.

John 4:13-14  Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14  but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Have we not realized that yet?  That if we allow the world to quench our thirst we will just keep looking for more, and will never be satisfied?  But the water the Lord gives us is so satisfying to our soul that we will not look for any other source.  Something that is eternally satisfying quenches even our temporal thirst.

Psalm 63:2-4  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Have we seen the Lord?  Maybe not an actual vision, but with the eyes of our heart - do we actually see God alive, working in every area and aspect of our life?  Is His love really better than what this life has to offer, better than any other love?

Then, and only then, can we claim to be glorifying and praising God.  To many the world, and what it has to offer, is still so alive and enticing that we don’t realize that it robs us of the joy and peace that comes from knowing, seeing and experiencing God alive in our lives.  Very often I still pray “Lord, show yourself alive to me”, because I know that the gold and glitters of this world still shine bright before me.  God must be so real, so alive, and His love so rich and refreshing that it pushes away the things of the world.

Psalm 63:5  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

We must be so satisfied with God, that we just sit back, relax and say “Aaaahhhh”…to the point that anything else offered to us by the world we reject.  No matter how tasty, how enticing, the offer may be, because we are so full of God, of His love and goodness the offer of the world does not mean anything to us anymore.

May all our souls be filled today.

Satisfied in the Morning

Psalm 90:14  Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

The morning is always a good time to be satisfied.  Have you ever been one of those people who woke up “on the wrong side of the bed”?  Well, the right side is always to wake up with a heart that is satisfied.  It’s like having a hot cup of coffee, a great breakfast, and nothing hindering or disturbing your “good morning”.  Everything just falls into place.

The satisfaction that Moses, the writer of Psalm 90, was after was more than just good coffee or a great breakfast.  It was a satisfaction that his heart longed for, hungered for, each morning.  Moses prayed “satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love”.

The word “satisfy” in Hebrew means “to fill to satisfaction”, “to have enough of”.  Moses wanted to be satisfied with God’s unfailing love.

Does God do that automatically every morning?  No.  Though His unfailing love is there for the giving, and for our taking, yet it is not felt to satisfaction until we long for it, seek it, meditate upon it and be thankful for it.  I am a strong believer of morning prayer because I believe that this is the best time for us to meditate on His unfailing love for us, to worship Him for who He is, and to have Him fill our hearts with HIs love.  When God satisfies us in the morning with His unfailing love we are able to sing, with joy and gladness, in our hearts.  We are assured that the whole day He is there to guide and guard us in His love.  It’s like what David said in Psalm 23 – surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life!

What a feeling to be satisfied with His unfailing love.  I believe the reason many of us are tired, frustrated, stressed, worried, anxious during the day is because we seek satisfaction in other things, rather than in God and in His unfailing love.  We seek satisfaction in a “good day” with no problems…but problems do come.  We seek satisfaction in things happening according to how we desire…but that does not always happen.  But if our hearts are filled with God’s unfailing love, and we know that He is with us, no matter what circumstance we may be in – it just makes our day.

Let us spend our days in song, with joy, and with gladness in our hearts as we long to be satisfied with God’s unfailing love.

Life with a Shepherd

‎Psalm 23:1  A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

David was not asking the Lord to be his shepherd.  He was not even claiming, or hoping, that God would be his shepherd at that moment only, or for a specific situation.  David was proclaiming, affirming, or confirming that the Lord was His shepherd, has always been His shepherd, and will continue to be his shepherd.

This is why he was not “in want”.  He wasn’t after anything, because he was not his own shepherd.  The Lord was His shepherd.  He trusted that the Lord would provide, always.

This is why in David’s life he let the Lord MAKE HIM lie down in green pastures, LEAD HIM beside quiet waters, and RESTORE him, and GUIDE him to paths of righteousness.  The Lord was his shepherd.  He did not seek green pastures and quiet waters by himself.  He did not choose his own path.  The Lord was his shepherd.

Even through “valley of the shadow of death” experiences David did not fear, because the Lord was his shepherd.  He knew that the Lord’s would protect him (with the rod), and guide him (with the staff).  It wasn’t where he was that mattered, it was all about being with his shepherd.

He would be protected, even in the presence of enemies.  He would always be refreshed and filled.  He was sure that goodness and love would follow him.  The Lord was his shepherd.  He made sure that His sheep were cared for always.

Are you still hoping that the Lord will be your shepherd?  Is it only in certain circumstances that you seek His guidance?  Or is He already our shepherd?  Have you made the decision to make the Lord your shepherd?  The only way we will enjoy the same assurance, security and faith of David is if the Lord IS our shepherd.

Like An Olive Tree in the House of God

Psalm 52:7  "Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"
Psalm 52:8  But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

How is someone like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God?  To best understand this let us take it in the context of the preceding verse.

"Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"

This man did not make God his stronghold.  A stronghold is “A strongly fortified defensive structure”.  A place of refuge, or protection.  Man, in general, depends on other things except God.  He trusts in his great wealth.  His acquiring wealth, His hoarding wealth, is what makes him feel protected, safe.  This is why man, in general, lives to make money, to have money.  His security, his identity, is all connected to money.

Because of this, he thinks only of himself.  “…and grew strong by destroying others!” True, isn’t it.  When someone is in the way of our making money, we destroy them, we get them out of the way.  This is the root of what we call “crab mentality”, pulling down others while we’re on the way up.

David, on the other hand, said that he was like an olive tree.  “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever”.

1. First, look where the olive tree is – in the house of God.  The olive tree was not planted outside the house of God, but inside.  The presence of God was David’s stronghold.  It was in God that he felt protected, secure, from all his enemies.

Is this also where we feel secure, safe – in the presence of God?  We live in a world of evil, chaos, selfishness…a place where we cannot find safety and security.  We, like David, like an olive tree in the house of God, are to feel secure and safe in our stronghold – the presence of God.

2.  The olive tree is flourishing in the house of God.  It is not flourishing in the world.  The man of the world flourishes in his wealth, and flaunts it to all.  The olive tree flourishes not in the world, but in the house of God.

Our Lord taught a similar lesson when He said “do not lay up treasures on earth…but lay up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).  What do we consider our treasure?  Where are we flourishing – in the world, or in the kingdom of God?  What is it that our lives flaunt before others?

3.  The olive tree was in the house of God to give.  So unlike the man who trusts in wealth and thinks only of amassing and destroying, the olive tree in the house of God exists only to give to the Lord.  It’s fruit was for the Lord.

Olive oil was essential in the house of God.  It was used for the light of the lamps, for anointing and for incense.  The fruit of the olive tree in the house of God was all for God, all for His use, all for His glory.

Are we like that olive tree, using the fruit that we flourish with for His glory, for His work, for His pleasure?  Or are we like the men of the world who think only of amassing wealth and using it for our own pleasure and enjoyment?

4.  The olive tree trusted in the Lord.  An olive tree outside the house of God was dependent on man to tend it, care for it, and take it’s oil.  An olive tree in the house of God is dependent only in the Lord. It gives knowing that the Lord will tend it, care for it and use it’s oil for His glory.

There are many who are afraid to devote their time and strength to the Lord, anxious of how they may provide for themselves or their family.  But, like David, who gave himself to God and trusted in the Lord, we, too, are to give our all to the Lord believing that He will take care of us.

Can we declare, like David, that we are like an olive tree in the house of God?  Do we bask in the Lord’s presence, living in His kingdom, daily?  Do we flourish with the things of God, or with the things of this world?  Do we exist to give, give to the Lord, allowing Him to use the fruit of our lives for His glory?  Do we trust that, as we live for Him, He will take care of us?

Backsliders

Revelation 2:4-5  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Backslider.  It’s a term we use for the lowest of the lowest of states that a Christian can find himself to be in.  When we use this term we use it for those who used to be active, used to be “on fire” for the Lord, used to walk in righteousness;  but they turned their back on the Lord, stopped attending Sunday services, no prayer, no bible reading – just enjoying the life of the world once again.  This is the common understanding we have of a “backslider”.

And it’s a right description of what a backslider is.  I was a “backslider” once, and what I described is actually who I was at one point.  But the Lord graciously brought me back to Him.  So I agree that this is a valid definition.  But it’s not the only definition.

We are so quick to judge Christians to be backsliders, when we don’t realize that we could be in a backslidden state ourselves!  A web dictionary defines a backslider as “Someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior”.  The key to understanding backsliding is in understanding “undesirable patterns of behavior”.  When we go through a day without prayer, or meditating on God’s Word, isn’t that backsliding?  When we allow our fleshly, or worldly ways, to rule our behavior, and we don’t immediately deal with it, isn’t that backsliding?  When we go to a Worship service with our hearts and minds focused on other things aside from the very reason we are in the service – to worship and listen to the Lord – isn’t that backsliding?

Take a look at what the Lord’s message to the church in Ephesus was in the book of Revelation:  “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love”.  After commending them for their standing for truth, and for persevering for His name, He found one thing that He held against them – they had lost their first love. 

Here is backsliding in it’s most subtle state.  This is a backslidden state that many Christians are in.  And it’s difficult to detect because those who have lost their first love have perfect attendance in church services, they serve the Lord in ministry, they even walk in righteousness.  But they have lost their first love.

The moment someone, or something, steals the total devotion and love that we are to be showing the Lord, He loses His “first love” position in our hearts.  When anyone, or anything, hinders us from enjoying our prayer time, our meditation on His Word, serving Him, following Him anywhere He sends us, and our enjoying Him in righteousness – they take His place as our first love.  It could be a person we love, a friendship, our work, our career, our business – even our ministry.  Have they now become our first love?God will never settle for being even our second love. There is no other relationship He desires than having Him as our first love.

5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

If we have lost God as our first love we are backsliders.  God is not pleased.  He holds it against us.  But He doesn’t want us to remain that way.  We are to remember the height from which we have fallen.  Many who lose God as their first love look at it as a trivial matter, like tripping on a stone.  But for God it is a FALL.  We didn’t just trip, we fell off a cliff!  And He wants us to remember the height from which we have fallen, to look up in pain from the fall, and see how far our God is.  But He wants us back, and He wants to be our first love again.

So, we are to repent and do the things we did at first.  The order is important.  We can’t just go back to doing what we used to do.  We need first to repent – acknowledge the sin of losing Him as our first love, and turning away from it.  Then we go back to doing what we used to do.

Have we backslid today?  Have we lost our first love?  God is waiting, and He calls – “climb back up”.

God’s Cure for Backsliding

Jeremiah 4:1-2  "If you will return, O Israel, return to me," declares the LORD. "If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, 2  and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives,' then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory."

Israel was in a backslidden state.  And God, through Jeremiah, was calling them back to Him.  All of us get ourselves in a backslidden state.  And it is important for us to realize it, and do something about it fast!  Our mistake is we wait for ourselves, or others, to stop attending Sunday services, or totally turn our backs and our lives on the Lord, before we use the term backsliding.  For me, just one day that we missed prayer or failed to read His Word, we are already backsliding.  The moment we allow our fleshly ways to reign, or allow a sin to become a habit, even just for a moment, we are backsliding already.  When the Holy Spirit prompts us, urges us, to come back, we need to heed His warning and do what God asks us to do.

What did God ask Israel to do?  First He said “If you will return, O Israel, return to Me”.  Now, we may think – isn’t that obvious, that when we return we return to God?  Actually, no.  Just like Israel all of us have a tendency to return to rituals, to sacrifices, to practices, instead of returning to the Lord Himself.  We make that mistake many times – to experience a “revival” we go back to being active in service, making sure our Sunday attendance is spotless, and we bury ourselves in Christian activities – study of Scripture, cells, bible studies, bible school.  But we don’t return to Him.

To return to the Lord is to go back to the devotion, the intimacy, that we had with the Lord.  It’s that one on one, personal and unbreakable relationship that we had with the Lord.  And this is not just about a “prayer time”…it’s about the 24/7 devotion of our hearts and fellowship with Him.  Yes our serving the Lord, our attendance on Sundays, our cells, bible studies and even deeper theological studies do help.  But these should be more a fruit of our devotion and fellowship, rather than the very root of our walk with God.

Let us return to Him, not return to “church”, or to Christian activities, return to our love, devotion and obedience to Him.

Then the Lord told them:  “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray”.  The Israelites allowed the idolatry of other nations to invade their hearts, their practices.  God wanted them out.

We may not have religious idols in front of us.  But we may have idols in our hearts – both physical and spiritual – that we need to get rid of.  An idol is an object of worship, something we bow down to, something that influences us the most.  Is there anyone, or anything, that is getting in the way of the intimacy that we should be having with God and God alone?  It may be an “answered prayer” – like an object, gadget, or even a person, that you prayed for and God granted…but is taking His place in your heart.  God asks us to get rid of them.

This may not necessarily mean literally getting rid of them (although sometimes that may be what we need to do!), but at the least, in our hearts, we are to make sure that God stays in His rightful place.  Allow the light of the Lord to reveal to our hearts the idols that have taken His place.

Lastly the Lord said:  and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives…  God was asking them to bring back to their hearts the reality of who He was.  It was easy for Israelites to include in their daily talk, or vows, the phrase “as surely as the Lord lives”.  Did they really believe that the Lord was alive?  Why were they not trusting in Him?

Has God been reduced to theological and philosophical beliefs and views in our mind?  Do we just know that our God is alive and well in our minds, but not in our hearts?  We, too, need to pray that God shows Himself alive and well in our hearts, and in our everyday lives.  What a blessed revival experience it is to see the Lord in every circumstance, every situation, every trial or blessing!  Do we truly trust Him, depend on Him, and acknowledge Him in everything in our lives?

It’s easy for us to say “praise the Lord”, or “God is faithful”.  It’s easy for us to sing songs of praise and worship, and even to talk about God.  But has the freshness and reality of God stayed real to us?  Call it “dryness”, or a lukewarm state – whatever it is, if God has remained “lifeless” – just a belief, a theology, a thought, we need to ask God to graciously reveal Himself to us alive and real, in our hearts and in our life!

Why don’t we receive everything we ask for? (Part 2)

(This is part 2 of a 2-part blog post;  please read the preceding post before going through this one to get the whole context.  Thanks!)

Mark 11:23-24 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

If I were to summarize the first segment of this message in my last post:  Why don’t we receive everything we ask for?  First, we put our faith in things, rather than in God.  God wants us to put our faith in Him, and not just for things.

Then, we believe He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.  When our hearts seek God, and nothing else, we have strong assurance that what we are asking is His will, so He answers.  But when our hearts are set on things, on what we want, rather than on Him, there will be times He will withhold the blessing, knowing that it will not be good for us.  God knows whether we are asking for bread or a stone, for fish or a snake.  We need to trust Him in that area.

And, when God does not grant us what we ask for we need to trust that He knows better than us.  There will be times what we will ask will just be opposite His will.

So, how then should we pray?  Many believe that when we pray we have to be specific, and that we should not say anything that makes it look like we’re doubting God, or else God will not answer.  It makes it look like God is beholden to our words and our approach, rather than answering our prayer according to His grace, His love and His will.

So, how should we bring our prayers to God?  Let’s go back to Mark

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

“Whatever you ask for IN PRAYER…”.  It does not say whatever you ask for BY prayer.  Many separate prayer from our relationship or walk with God, to the point that prayer just becomes a “power”, or a tool to get what we want.  Yes, the Bible does say that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16), but this is not the same as saying “there is power in prayer”.  Many take that out of its rightful understanding.  Prayer is not about words, it’s not about what we bring to God.  Prayer is about relationship.

A Christian prays not just to ask.  That’s a common mistake – prayer is only about asking for what we need, pleading for it to come right away.  But for 98% of our life we’re not communing with the Lord, there is no communication at all.  That is not what prayer is.  Prayer is fellowship with God.  Prayer is about God graciously allowing us to be blessed in His presence, it’s about realizing He has allowed us to have even just a glimpse of His presence, His wisdom in God’s Word, and the opportunity to pour out our hearts to Him.  Imagine the great and wonderful God allowing us to enjoy this.  And by His grace we take that offer to be with Him, and spend time with Him.  That’s prayer.

That’s why if you’re just praying to ask, you’re missing a major-major part of your walk with God!

So, whatever we ask for “in prayer”.  In other words, our asking must be in the context of our communing with the Lord, where we open our hearts to Him, allow Him to teach us, minister to us, and also for us to pour out our emotions and needs to Him.  This where the Lord sifts through the desires of our hearts, and gives us the assurance that He is there with us.

So should we be very, very sure that we are asking things that are according to God’s will?  Let’s look at what I believe to be the best example and answer to this question – our Lord Himself:

Mark 14:36  "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

First, Jesus expresses His belief, as I shared in the last blog:  "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you.  They say the term “Abba” is rightly translated “Daddy”.  Do we have the same understanding?  And He proclaimed “everything is possible for you”.  Do we believe this when we pray to the Lord?

Then Jesus asked – “Take this cup from me”.  Do we realize what Jesus was asking?  He was asking God the Father to change His mind, and not allow Him to suffer what He knew He was going to go through on the cross!  Jesus wanted out!  What was happening?  As human as He was then, Jesus was simply expressing what was in His heart.

When we are in prayer, it is only natural for us to express to the Lord what is in our hearts.  And we are to do that freely, sincerely and with faith even!  This is what communion does, what fellowship brings – an openness of heart.  Of course, God will do the same thing.

Look what Luke shows us concerning this prayer of the Lord:

Luke 22:42  "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Why are we so afraid of that phrase – “if you are willing”?  Many believe that when we say that we are expressing disbelief, doubt, and because of that God will not answer our prayer!  Again, God is not beholden to our words, or even our hearts, when we pray.  He answers according to His will, His pleasure, His sovereignty.

When we say “If you are willing” we are expressing our belief in Someone greater and higher than us, one that we do not fully know or comprehend, and Someone who knows so much better and who is so much wiser than us!  We would be spiritually arrogant to claim that we know all of God’s will all the time.  Yes, there are times it will be clear, but there will be times when we will want to be sure that what we are praying for is His will.  Remember, as Jeremiah tells us, our heart is deceitful above all else!

Our Lord was opening His heart – as human as He was then He did not want to die, He did not want to go through the pain, the humiliation.  For a while He wanted the plan of the Father to change.  What a blessed relief to know that we have a God who knows how we feel!  And we can have the boldness to open our hearts to Him in prayer.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

But notice how Jesus ended His prayer:  Yet not what I will, but what you will.  What was in His heart now became obvious in His prayer – that it was not what He wanted that mattered, but what God mattered.  And probably by this time the Father had made clear in Jesus’ heart that it was time for Him to suffer and die for all of us.  And Jesus gladly accepted.

That’s what the Christian life is all about.  It’s not about getting what we want, receiving what we ask for.  It’s not about God giving…it’s about God. 

If this is the state of your heart, then you have really prayed.  For true fellowship with God, true prayer with the Lord, brings a submission to a most holy and righteous God, a submission to a wise and loving God, who is our Lord and King.

Prayer is not just about asking.  It’s about enjoying God.  And if God will answer a prayer to allow us to enjoy His grace and presence, then He will grant it.  But if answering a prayer will simply please our flesh, our pride and our materialism, I will not question why the Lord does not give us everything we ask for.  We just need to trust and believe that our God is truly Sovereign over life, and over our life.

Why don’t we receive everything we ask for?

I’m sure there are many Christians who are asking this question.  We pray, we ask, we come in faith, we claim…but there are times that God does not grant what we ask from Him.  Sadly this has lead to a lack of faith, a wrong understanding of faith, or even backsliding.

Why don’t we receive everything that we ask for, when there are verses in the Bible that tell us that we will, as long as we believe?

Mark 11:23-24 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

1 John 3:21-22  Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

There are many who have prayed and have not received from the Lord.  Their usual question is “did I not pray hard enough?”.  “Did I not show or have enough faith for God to answer my prayer?”.

Now, lest we turn our God into a “genie” in a magic lamp, it is important for us to understand Scripture, like those above, and also other Scripture that compliment what God is telling us.  Sadly, many have diluted God into a “genie” without realizing it – that if we just say the right prayer, use the right words, the Lord will come and grant us what we wish.  There is more to prayer, more to faith, than just claiming a verse of Scripture.

FAITH IN GOD, NOT FAITH FOR THINGS

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him”.  Many have misapplied this verse and have recklessly gone out and tried to do something impossible without seeking God’s wisdom.  Our Lord here is talking about our approach to God.  We must come to God with faith.  Yes, faith is important.  But it is not faith FOR something, but faith IN Someone that is important.  We must believe that God can move mountains, and not just God will let us move a mountain.  Those are two different things.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

BELIEVING HE EXISTS…BELIEVING HE REWARDS

Here faith is defined, explained, so that we may know how to approach God.  First, we must believe THAT HE EXISTS.  We cannot come to God with a “I’m not sure if you’re really there…” attitude, or “My parents said, or my pastor said…” belief.  God answers prayer because we, personally, from our heart, truly believe that He is alive, real, and that He does answer prayer.  So faith is important.  We should have faith, but it is faith in Him that is our foundation, and not just faith for something to be given or done in our life.

Many Christians exercise their faith simply to get things, or to get things done.  Faith is more than that.  Faith is a lifestyle.  It is like our heart that is connected to every part of our body through the veins.  Faith is connected to everything we are, everything we do, everything we desire.  Because we believe He exists, it is He who give us life.  In Him we live, we move and have our being.  That’s the faith God looks for.

And look at the second part:  “…and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”.  Notice, God rewards those who EARNESTLY SEEK HIM, not those who earnestly seek THINGS.

Now why is this essential?  Because a Christian who earnestly seeks Him, and not what He gives, is someone who has the right foundation, the right inspiration for life and for prayer.  A Christian should not be consumed with how he lives, with what he has or doesn’t have, in his riches on earth, in material things, or in relationships.  What should consume a Christian is his relationship with God in Jesus Christ.  He earnestly seeks Him.

Now, someone who seeks only God can be assured that he will receive what he asks.  Why?  Because his heart is right.  It is set on the right foundation, it is focused on the right goal, it seeks the right treasure.  No wonder Jesus Himself will assure us that whatever we ask we will receive, as long as we come with the right heart.

When a Christian is only concerned about what he will get, what he will receive, there is a strong tendency to ask for the wrong things.  Why?  Because he is not seeking God, he is seeking what he wants from God.  And when that happens our hearts may deceive us.  This is why there are some things that we may be asking for that God may not be granting.  It could be His way of telling us that it will not be right for us.

But when our hearts are right with the Lord, earnestly seeking Him, we ask for what is His will.  This is when the Lord grants anything that we ask!

We put our faith in God, not only that He answers prayer, but we also put our faith in His wisdom, that He knows better than us, that He knows what is good for us.

Matthew 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Our Father in heaven gives GOOD gifts to those who ask Him.  If we seek Him and walk with Him earnestly we have a guard, a check in our hearts, whether we are asking for bread or stone, a fish or a snake.  Sometimes we don’t realize that we’re asking for something wrong, bad for us.  A right walk and relationship with God is essential to discern those things that are either useless or dangerous for us.

And sometimes we just ask for something that is opposite His will.  When we pray for the healing of a loved one who is sick, and God doesn’t answer, and he/she passes away, does this mean that God did not answer our prayer?  No.  It was just God’s way of telling us that His desire for us to live with Him eternally is greater than our desire to live longer in this earth.  It’s His way of reminding us of Eternity, and that this life is not THE life we are to live for.  Many times God’s will, His plans, will overrule ours.  And we have to trust Him for that.

When we pray for riches, for prosperity, and God doesn’t answer, and just provides what we need day by day, God is just confirming what He taught us in His Word – that we are to seek for our DAILY bread, not “yearly” bread that we can invest so we can have more.  He reminds us of the life of contentment, of living not beyond our means, but according to our means, according to what He provides for us day by day.

(to be continued in the next blog)

The Fruit of Forgiveness

Psalm 130:3-4  If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  4  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

Is God a “forgiveness” vendo machine that we can just come back to every time we sin? Can we, or should se, be going back to Him for the same sin again and again and believe that He forgives us?

The passage above sets the record straight.  Yes, the Lord is a forgiving God.  Actually, no matter how many times you go back to ask forgiveness the Lord will forgive.  Why?  He does not keep a record of sins.  The psalmist here proclaims that if the Lord did keep a record of sins, then no one could stand before Him.  We would all be enjoying eternity apart from Him – in other words, in hell!

But He does not keep a record of sins.  That’s how much He loves us.  With Him there is forgiveness.  It’s not that He does not know how many times we have sinned, because He does.  It’s not that He cannot remind us of the many times we have forsaken Him, because He can.  This just means that every time we come to the Lord seeking forgiveness, He will forgive.  He will not tell us “that’s the nth time you’ve done that!”.  No, He will forgive.  That’s God’s part.

But what is the expected result in our heart?  Can we sin, ask for forgiveness, then sin again, and ask for forgiveness again and again?  That’s the next thing the psalmist mentions – “4 but with you there is forgiveness; therefore YOU ARE FEARED.

When someone comes to God asking forgiveness he is not face to face with a giant vendo machine, that if you just put the right coin, the right amount, the softdrink comes out.  We don’t just say the right prayer, or utter the right phrase, and forgiveness comes.  God always sees the heart.  And a heart that stands before a holy and righteous God realizes who he has sinned against, and when that person receives His forgiveness, God’s forgiveness, he leaves His presence with FEAR.  That person realizes who has forgiven him, and he leaves that presence with the desire to sin no more.

Can we come to God anytime, again and again, to ask forgiveness?  Sure.  But anyone who comes before God with a right view of who He is, and with a right experience of that holy forgiveness, will fear Him so much that He will eventually leave his life of sin.  Realize who you have sinned against…and who is forgiving you…a holy and righteous, but gracious and merciful God.  You are a forgiving God…therefore You are feared.

Psalm 85:8  I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints-- but let them not return to folly.

A Christian Should Know

Christians are to live by faith, not sight.  That’s true.  But it doesn’t mean that God does not give us clear teachings, evidences and knowledge of who He is, and of who we are.  Many Christians assume that God answers prayer…but ask them where it says that in the Bible, they don’t know.  They assume He does.  Many Christians think they are living the life God wants them to live, but ask them to prove it according to God’s word, they cannot think of any verse to show as proof.  Many Christians have an idea concerning the end of the world, but they get their ideas from the movie “2012”, the Mayan calendar, or even Nostradamus.  Ask them where in the Bible it says that the world we live in today will one day be destroyed, and they don’t know where or what God teaches.  It’s sad.

Christians are meant to be a people who KNOW, not a people who assume, or who guess upon who God is and what He desires from us.  In the first epistle that John wrote he wanted his believers to understand this – that they should know.  All over the letter he reminded them of things that they should know, and it serves as a checklist for us today of how much we do know about our God and our Christian life.

1 John 2:5-6  5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

1 John 2:18  18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

1 John 3:10  10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:16  16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:24  24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 5:2   This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

How do we know we are “in Him”?  How do we know it is the last hour?  How do we know who the children of the devil are?  Or what love is?  That He lives in us?  That we truly love the children of God?

Sadly there are many Christians who do not know.  This is why God calls us to pray, to read His Word, meditate upon it.  This is why a Christian is to pursue every opportunity to study, learn, fellowship with other believers…so that we may know more about our Lord, and about who we are.  Many today limit their “study” to the Sunday sermon.  We know more of quotes and sayings in facebook , rather than the words of our Lord.

Isaiah 40:21  Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?…

I pray we all keep growing in the knowledge of who our God is, and the truth He desires we keep in our hearts.

1 Year and 17 days

Genesis 7:4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

I’m sure most of us, if not all, know of the story of Noah.  But in the Genesis account itself there are a number of details that reveal the quality of the faith of this man who obeyed God.  One such quality was his patience.  How do we know Noah was a patient man?

In the verse above, verse 4, God tells Noah that He would send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights.  That’s a long time.  But was this how long Noah actually stayed inside the ark?  I was one of those who thought that Noah stayed in the ark for forty days and nights.  Not bad, actually – one month and ten days inside an ark with noisy and smelly animals.  But how long did Noah, in obedience to God, stay inside the ark?

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

So he was 600 years old when the floodwaters came.  How old was he when he finally stepped out of the ark?

Genesis 8:13-14

13 By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

He was 601 years old when the earth finally dried up.  All in all, according to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Noah was in the ark for 1 year and 17 days.

Imagine being inside the ark, filled with animals, floating and moving with the waves, probably doing the same things again and again, eating the same food again and again, smelling the same animals day after day.  All this out of obedience to the Lord.

God told Noah to build an ark.  He did.  God told him to go in the ark.  He did.  And he waited, patiently, until the Lord told him to get out of the ark.  No questions asked.  No complaints.  He just waited patiently for the Lord to tell him to get out of the ark.

Now that’s faith.  It’s a faith that produces patience.  It’s a faith that trusts – if God said it, then it must be right.  And for a man of faith there is no other option, only obedience.

It’s a far cry from what people call “faith” today.  Yes, we obey, but we ask “for how long, Lord?”.  And when we start getting bored with our obedience, with our walk with God, we begin to complain, or we ask “Lord, when is this going to end?”.

But not Noah.  He stayed put, shut inside the ark for 1 year and 17 days.  He waited for the Lord to say that it was all over.

So, how are we doing in our “ark” of obedience?

An Anatomy of a Servant

Psalm 78:70-72  He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;
71  from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.
72  And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

What does it mean to be a “servant of God”?  Today many mistakenly make the term “servant of God” a title of position or of recognition.  We introduce someone as a “Servant” (the capital “S” intended) of God because of his accomplishments and success in ministry, failing to see that the real servant (small “s” also intended) does not look for accomplishment and success…all he wants is to obey and please his master.

In Psalm 78:70-72 I see an anatomy of a servant, through the call of David.  And I pray that as we study this anatomy we may pray that this also may be found in each one of us who claim to have a ministry or calling from the Lord.

He chose David His servant.  It is God who chooses His servant to be a pastor, evangelist, worship leader, teacher.  Attending Bible School does not make us a pastor.  Attending a Missions Training Institute does not make us a missionary.  Having an Education degree in college does not make us a bible school teacher.  It is the call of God in the heart of a Christian, an unmistakable call, to serve the Lord specifically in a certain area of His church, for the advancement of His kingdom.

Why is it important that our serving the Lord be God’s choice and not ours?  When we call ourselves to ministry we set our own standards, our own boundaries.  When God calls us it is His standard, His boundaries, that we submit to.

He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens.  We cannot begin to serve God fully unless we realize our nothingness before Him.  The shepherd was considered a very lowly work during early Israel, usually reserved for the youngest.  While the older brothers were soldiers, David was left to tend the sheep.  And yet God chose Him.

We are not deserving of the call of God.  God, in His grace, considers us worthy to be His instrument.  We are nothing.

1 Corinthians 3:5  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

Notice that Paul did not say “who is Apollos…who is Paul?”.  He said “what is…”.  They were ONLY SERVANTS.

And David kept this humility in his heart always.  When God revealed His plan for him, look at David’s response:

2 Sam 7:18-19  Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
19  And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

Do we keep this sense of nothingness the whole time we are serving the Lord?

From tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.  God’s call has no comparison to any other offer this world has for us.  From tending lowly sheep David was called to tend the people of God, Israel.

A servant of God looks at the call of the Lord as something so glorious, so magnificent, that nothing in this world can compare with it.  You may have work, or managing your business, but your heart and mind are so engrossed in what the Lord has called you to do, to be.  If you’re a full time pastor or minister there is nothing else that compares to the ministry that God has called you to do for Him.  No other joy, no other source of peace or satisfaction than fulfilling what God has called us to do.  Nothing the world offers – money, fame, position, or any kind of work, career and occupation, can steal us away from what the Lord has called us to do.

When Jesus called His first apostles, look what they did:

Mark 1:16-18  As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18  At once they left their nets and followed him.

Peter and Andrew were willing to leave their source of income, their life, for the Lord.

Mark 1:19-20  When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20  Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus’ call was so great James and John even left their father with the hired men!  Is this how great God’s call is to us?  Nothing should compare with it.

And David shepherded them with integrity of heart.  A servant of God knows that his life, his walk, his testimony is of utmost importance to his calling.  God is glorified not just in the results of our ministry but also in the testimony that our life brings to it.  Here is where, sadly, many have failed.

1 Timothy 4:16  Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Life must come before doctrine.  Our doctrine is useless unless it is first seen in our lives.  God’s servants and leaders in the church were always chosen because of their character, not their capabilities.  Many today put doctrine first without watching their lives.  As Samuel told King Saul “obedience is better than sacrifice”.

with skillful hands he led them.  The skill of a Christian worker does not come primarily from school or training, but from the gift of the Spirit given him and his practicing it.  It’s while we do what God has called us to do, and rely solely on His power and grace, that our skill is honed, polished.

But it doesn’t mean we cannot learn from others.  Here is where our bible school, our seminary training, and our personal study comes in.  We are serving the King of kings.  He deserves the best from us.  We are to train ourselves, and allow others to train us, so that we may serve the Lord with skillful hands.  Even after formal study a servant of God must continue to be a learner, learning from those who have gone ahead of us, and from those whose lives exhibit the working of God’s grace.

Of course, above all these things, is the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 15:10  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

May we all be servants of the Lord, desiring to obey and please our Heavenly Master.

An Oracle Concerning the Wicked

Psalms 36:1-4
An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 Even on his bed he plots evil;
he commits himself to a sinful course
and does not reject what is wrong.

There comes a time in a Christian’s life where he notices the life of the “wicked”, just like the psalmist in Psalm 36.  All of a sudden he noticed how sinful the wicked were.  And if you study in detail how he described the sinful you will notice that “sinners” have not changed!

There is no fear of God before his eyes.  In other words, the fear of God does not guard and guide his steps.  He just does what he wants.

He flatters himself so much, he loves and exalts himself so much, that he does not detect or hate sin in his life.

His words are wicked and deceitful.  He is not wise and does not do good.

Even on his bed he is plotting evil.  Evil does not catch him by surprise.  He plans it, plots it, carefully.  And he commits himself to it, and does not reject what is wrong.

And as a Christian continues in his walk with God all of these wicked ways are magnified!  We see them all around us…we deal with them in our work, see them on television, in senate investigations…hey, we even live with them sometimes.  And we notice their life, how they can disobey God and live lives as they please.  The only thing that probably holds us back from judging them is that we were just like them before, if not for the grace of God touching our lives.

But the psalmist has an answer to this.  As he observed all the wicked acts surrounding him, his heart was already “singing” the answer.  By the way, an oracle is – “an authoritative or wise expression or answer”, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  David had an answer to all the sinfulness of man surrounding him.

So what was his oracle, or his answer to all the wickedness around him?  You will notice that he did not say “As for Me…”.  He did not say – “that’s the life of the wicked, but if you look at my life…”.  The psalmist did not compare the life of sinners with himself, or even with other believers in God.  He compared them to God.

Psalms 36:5-9
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

In the midst of a sinful and wicked generation, what should a Christian be dwelling on, be meditating upon?  Upon God Himself.

His love.  His righteousness, especially the righteousness imputed upon us through Jesus Christ.  His justice.  His preservation.  His unfailing love.  His abundance.  His light.

If we counter the sinful life that we see around us with our own lives, or our own righteousness, we will end up either being frustrated, angry or even tempted to do what the world does.  We will be filled with envy, with bitterness, even towards God, and might even end up questioning why the Lord allows the wicked to prosper and we don’t.

But if we counter the sinful life of the world with the beauty, majesty and goodness of our God, then we will be filled with the joy and peace that only He can give.  He is the One we boast of in our life, He is the source of life, and He is the inspiration we have to continue in life.  Not what we have, not in our position or accomplishments.  Only in Him.

Psalms 36:10-12

10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen —
thrown down, not able to rise!

Seek First…

Matthew 6:33  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Here’s a teaching of our Lord that has been forgotten, or, at the least, placed on a shelf while we busy ourselves with other things.

It’s interesting to note that the context of this teaching is about worry.

Matthew 6:25  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
     And yet how many of us disobey this command of the Lord (He said “I tell you…”, not “I advice you”, or “maybe you can give this a try”) when we become anxious and worried about our life.  What occupies our life today is what we will eat, drink or wear.  Of course today we have extras like – when will I have my iPad, or buy a new car, house, etc.

In this verse our Lord reminds us of what is more important – our life more than food and drink, our body more than our clothes.  But today we have made the externals more important than our bodies.

The Lord continues further:

Mat 6:31  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
Mat 6:32  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
     Notice in verse 31 the focus on what we say – “what shall we eat?  what shall we drink?  This isn’t referring to positive confession, but to our words expressing what our hearts believe.  Do we still wonder where our food, drink and clothes come from?

And look at our Lord’s obvious comparison to pagans, people who don’t have a God – “for the pagans RUN AFTER ALL THESE THINGS.  Hmmm…I wonder, does this describe the kind of life we are living – running to and fro, here and there, back and forth for what we will eat, drink, use and wear?  Then, as our Lord says, we are like pagans.

His last point before verse 33 is a reminder of who our Father is – “your heavenly Father knows that you need them”.  He knows.  He is your Father.  He knows what you need.

So what should we be running after?  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

What are we seeking for in this life?  Is God just a means to what we are seeking for?  Or is He the One we seek, the One we cannot live without, the One who gives us life…real life.

God reminds us to SEEK Him FIRST.  Seek His kingdom.  Seek the reign and the realm of the King of your life.  Seek His righteousness.  What gives us joy, and satisfaction, is not what we have in this life, but Who we live it with, and how we walk in it.

God’s promise – “and all these things (what we will eat, drink and wear) will be given to us as well”.  Notice the “as well”?  If we seek His kingdom and righteousness first, God will give it to us.  He will allow us to enjoy the blessings and benefits of the kingdom and His life.  Plus, all that we need as well.  The things we eat, drink and wear – they’re just the bonuses of life.  Why run after them?  Why worry about them?  What we should be running after, living for and seeking in this life is to be with the King, live in His kingdom, and walk in His righteousness.

Running to Egypt for help

Isa 31:1  Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.

Israel was under attack from the Assyrians.  And though the Lord was reaching out to them through the prophets, speaking His word and making known His will, they ran to the Egyptians.  Egypt was the superpower then.  And it was easy for other nations to run for them for help, for they had the resources.  For this situation for Israel, Egypt had the army – the horses and chariots they needed, for help.  They had nowhere else to go.  Compared to the Assyrians they were nothing.  So they looked to Egypt.

This was what pained the Lord’s heart.  Israel was to be a people, a nation, who trusted and relied on the Lord, not on themselves or other nations.  Yet, when in trouble, they did not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from Him.  They had forgotten what the Lord eventually tells them:

Isa 31:3  But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.

He who helps will stumble…he who is helped will fall.  This has happened to a number of us already.  Instead of trusting in God, we trusted in others, even ourselves…and things eventually fell.  And even if there is a seeming temporary solution, yet in our spirit we have failed, for we have ceased to trust fully in our Lord.

Many times we are brought to those situations, similar to what Israel was going through – where we are pressured, being attacked, surrounded by problems, needs – financial needs, emotional needs, relationship problems…and we panic.  And instead of waiting upon the Lord, seeking His wisdom and help, we seek help from “Egypt”, from human or worldly sources, that temporarily answer our need, but eternally does nothing to our soul.

There are many in dire financial need who run to money lenders and borrow money knowing they cannot pay, who experience temporary relief, but in the long run put themselves in more dire situations.  There are those who have problems in their marriage, who seek the relief of the laws of our country, and spend thousands of pesos for an annulment, instead of seeking God’s will for them, and do what pleases Him.  There are some who have emotional needs, a need for love, a need for companionship, for recognition, who seek help in relationships with the opposite sex, thinking that they will bring the peace and joy their hearts seek.  And yet they don’t realize that this temporary relief does not give them the fullness of joy and peace that only God can bring.

Do not run to Egypt, and rely on chariots and horses.  We are to be a people who rely on the Lord for everything!  Do not be afraid to wait, to seek the Lord with all your heart, to ask for counsel from the godly spiritual men in your church, and find the wisdom God has for your situation.  Do not be satisfied with temporary solutions – seek the solution that satisfies your spirit eternally, and pleases God who sees your total trust in Him.

Come With Me

Mark 6:30  The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
Mark 6:31  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

In verses 7 to 11 of Mark 6 the Lord sent His disciples to minister to the people.  They went out and preached, healed the sick and even drove out demons.  You can imagine how tiring, exhausted but probably also pepped up having experienced the working of God through them!  Ministry does that.  Physically it may tire us, wear us out, but because of the working of God and the fruit that we see in the lives of the people we minister to, we long to keep serving, more and more.  In one sense that is commendable.  The harvest is plentiful, and we do need more workers and workings in the harvest field.  But many of us who minister forget one aspect of the Christian life that is essential to ministry – rest.  Spiritual rest.

When our Lord saw that the apostles were tired, and didn’t even have a chance to eat, and with the number of people coming and going around them, Jesus said:  "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."  Our Lord knew that they needed a revival, a refreshing.  And this wasn’t just physical.  It was more spiritual.

Jesus said – “Come with Me…”.  It is there that a Christian finds rest for his weary soul.  Jesus did not send them out to a nice quiet place.  He wanted them to be with Him.  The key to revival is not about the quiet place, or being by ourselves.  It is our being with the Lord.  This is why our prayer time is an essential part of our ministry, of our walk with God.  It is in our prayer time that we seek the presence of the Lord, where He ministers to us personally, and where His Spirit revives us.

Even the Lord practiced this Himself.  Look at a later verse in the same chapter:  Mark 6:46  After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Immediately after feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, the Lord sends out His apostles on a boat, and He goes by Himself to a mountainside to PRAY.

Whether you’re a pastor, evangelist, ministry worker, you always need that essential time of being with the Lord in prayer.  Or you may be an employee, or taking care of business or a career – you need the same break, a spiritual break, of being with your Lord, by yourself, in a quiet place.  Allow the Lord to bring that refreshing and revival that we all need, day by day.

The Offerings of Cain and Abel

Gen 4:3  In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
Gen 4:4  But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
Gen 4:5  but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Gen 4:6  Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
Gen 4:7  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

It is nice to note that one of the natural things that these two young men thought of doing was to bring an offering to God.  I would like to believe that this came from the influence of their parents.  Yes, Adam and Eve had sinned against the Lord, and were banished from the garden.  But remember they were covered by the Lord, and He graciously continued to be with them.  This would have lead them to worship Him.  Cain and Abel most probably followed their footsteps.

Cain brought fruits of the soil.  He was most probably a farmer, given a skill by the Lord to till the land and bear much fruit. Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.  He was obviously a shepherd.  The worship of the two stemmed from the “gift” or skill that the Lord had blessed them with.

How natural it should also be for us to worship the Lord through the giving of the fruit of the skill or work that He has graciously given to us.  This is why we give, or “tithe” – it is worship.  It is recognizing that “every good and perfect gift comes from Him”, and we return to Him as a reminder of this truth.

It is also hard not to notice the difference of the offerings – Cain brought the fruit of the ground, but Abel brought the fat portion of the firstborn.  Abel brought the best part of the best of the flock.  He gave the best.

Are we giving the Lord the best of the best?  Maybe this is why the New Testament is silent concerning the tithe, or ten percent.  Not so that we can give what we want, but that we bow our hearts to the Lord and give what is best, from the best.

Are we living a life of “offering” to the Lord, regularly and consistently giving Him of our life, our time, our strength and our finances?  Are we giving Him what He deserves – the best of the best?  This is what makes us cheerful givers.

Living with Thorns and Snares

Judges 2:1-3  The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, 2  and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3  Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."

The command of the Lord was simple:  the Israelites were not to come into any agreement, or form any connection at all, with the people of the lands they were conquering.  The only one they were to make a covenant with was the Lord.  Why?  Because God knew that the moment they entertained any binding connection or relationship with these nations Israel would easily be enticed to follow their ways.  The only way of life that the Israelites were to be influenced with was the life of God given to them in the law.

A similar command is given to Christians today.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18  Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16  What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 17  "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 18  "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

A Christian is not to have a binding relationship with unbelievers, with those who do not believe in our Lord and walk according to His ways.  Yes, we have acquaintances, friends and even family who are not believers.  We cannot avoid that.  But a Christian is to make sure that he is not to make any covenant or be in a league together with unbelievers, for eventually it will lead us to compromise our walk with God.  It is the binding relationships (like business partnerships, marriages, fraternities, and the like) that a Christian cannot get himself out of that are dangerous for him.

But sadly, for the sake of profit, for the sake of love, and for many other reasons, Christians place themselves in relationships that threaten their walk with God.  The lure of success, profit and comfort overcome the desire to please God.  And we all know how strong the pull of these things are.

This is why a Christian must exert all effort to keep away from these things, to yoke himself/herself only with people who walk the same walk, talk the same talk, as genuine believers in Christ.

The Lord warned the Israelites about the consequences of their making a covenant with other nations:

3 Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.

For so many years the Lord had protected and guided His people to the promised land.  But if they willingly covenanted themselves with other nations, God was going to just let them be.  The nations would be thorns in their sides, and their gods and other evil practices would be a snare to them, causing them to be caught in their evil ways.

Some of us who have yoked ourselves with unbelievers have experienced this.  How many Christian businessmen who have partnered with non-Christians are now caught in compromising lifestyles, and are gaining profit by lying, cheating and fooling the government.  How many Christians have “fallen in love” with unbelievers and have placed their partners above the Lord, and have fallen into a life of prayerlessness, immorality, and even completely turning away from the Lord.

Is this the life we want to live – a life of thorns and snares all around us?  When we willingly choose the ways of this world by allowing ourselves to be partners with unbelievers God, in His grace and love, will allow that partnership to bring its consequences upon us, if only it may lead us back to a life fully surrendered, partnered and in league only with Him.

2 Cor 7:1  Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.