Psalm 39:13 "Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more."
Why would David ask the Lord to turn His gaze away from him, to look away? Isn't it a blessing that God is always looking at us, gazing at us always?
Not in this situation. In verse 8 we see that David had a sin that God was dealing with him. And when he was silent about it, not confessing it, this made matters worse for him - spiritually.
Psalm 39:9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. 10 Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
This is what many Christians call "conviction". Our heart being convicted of sin does not come from our conscience, but from God Himself making us realize His disdain, His anger, towards our sin. It makes us realize that we have sinned against Him, and not just about doing something wrong. This is why there are some Christians who continue in sin because for them they are not doing anything wrong. But no one can escape the gaze of a holy and righteous God convicting us of a sin, and making us realize that we have gone against His will, His righteousness.
The gaze of God is always a blessing. He makes us know that He is always with us, whether it is in times of righteousness, or in times when we sin. And when we sin He will always make us realize that we have sinned against Him, and His desire is always that we turn away from that sin and walk in His grace and righteousness again, and therefore make us smile again.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
IN HIS TIME
John 7:1-6 (NIV)
(7:1) After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. (2) But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, (3) Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. (4) No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” (5) For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
(6) Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.
During my prayer time this morning I found myself singing the song "In His Time". Some of you may remember this "old hits" worship song. Very simple lyrics - "In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time. Lord please show me everyday, as you're teaching me your way, that You do just what you say in Your time". In Your time, in Your time, You make all things beautiful in Your time. Lord my life to you I bring, may this song I have to sing, be to you a lovely thing, in Your time".
Easy to sing, but in reality hard to accept and follow. I mean, how many of us have really, fully, submitted to the fact that all things happen in the sovereign timing of our Lord? How many times have we caught ourselves demanding that God answer a certain prayer at a specific timing, reminding God of its importance as if He forgets, or doesn't know. I know some of us have matured in our Christian walk and have fully surrendered to God's timing in our lives, but there must have been at least one point in our life when we were impatient with God and wanted Him to answer in our time.
The brothers of our Lord were urging Him to go to the feast of Booths and show Himself for the wrong reasons. First, it was so that His disciples would see the miracles that He was doing. They thought of Him as a spectacle, a circus act, that was meant to entertain even His disciples. Then they thought of Him as a public figure, someone meant to be popular, to show Himself to the world.
But Jesus simply answered "The right time for Me has not yet come; for you anytime is right".
What a stern answer, and a stern reminder for us who seek the answer of the Lord to our prayers in our own timing, what we think is right. We do not, should not, come to God thinking that we know what is best - whether it's what we are asking for, or with regards to the timing. We come to God believing that He is the Soveriegn God, and that our lives are in His hands. The words of Solomon in the book of Proverbs serve to remind us:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...
And verse 7 rightfully says "do not be wise in your own eyes...".
When we pray are we truly entrusting the need, or the request, to Him? Or are we actually demanding God to give us what we want, when we want it?
What we don't realize is that we analyze the right timing of His answer according to what will benefit us. The Lord judges the right timing of His answer to our prayers according to what will glorify Him in our hearts and in others' eyes. This is why we have such a hard time understanding His timing. For us anytime is right...but for the Lord His time is always right.
As we bring our requests to the Lord, we need to fully trust that all things will be beautiful IN HIS TIME. God is too wise, too holy, too righteous, too loving, to just answer our prayers in the nick of time. Everything that happens is all according to His perfect and righteous timing. We should trust in Him with all our hearts.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Ingredients of a Powerful Testimony
John 4:28-29 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and *said to the men,
29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?"
John 4:39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done."
What are the ingredients of a powerful testimony? Many of the testimonies we hear today in our services, gatherings and television programs are of people who are "blessed" with riches and success, who have experienced miracles and powerful answer to prayers. Of course, these are things to testify about and give glory to God for. But are these the only ingredients for a powerful testimony? Many want testimonies that are "crowd drawers", those that will catch the attention of people. This is why many Christians feel today that they do not have a testimony to share, because they have not experienced anything exciting or extravagant. So they end up being quiet about their "simple" experiences with the Lord.
But what should a powerful testimony have so that it is used by God to bring people to Him and glory in His name?
The story of the Samaritan woman should help us answer this question. What made these men in Samaria believe in Christ through this woman's testimony? She was someone who had five husbands, and the one she was living with was not her husband. Jesus Himself knew this. She was probably looked down at in the city, a nobody. And yet, because of a simple testimony that she had just had an encounter with a man who had "told her things she had done" and asked "could this be the Christ?", people believed her and eventually believed in Jesus.
What were the "ingredients" of her testimony?
Basically, it was in her encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
First, we see the Lord GRACIOUSLY REACHING OUT to her.
John 4:7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, "Give Me a drink."
Culturally there was a divide that existed that should have stopped Jesus from speaking to the woman. First, she was a woman, and it was not proper for Jews to just associate with women in public. Second, she was a Samaritan. Jews, then, did not think it right to associate with Samaritans, since in their history they had diverted from the law that God had given them.
And yet Jesus reached out to her. What a blessing to know that even if we did not seek Him, and lived a life of disobedience, yet God, in His grace, reached out to us.
Anyone with this experience of grace, of God reaching out to them, despite who they were and what they had done, will surely have a testimony that is real and alive.
Then, the Lord offered her LIVING WATER.
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
This obviously touched a nerve in the heart of the woman. Who doesn't want, need, living water, the kind that will never make us thirst again! Everything else in this world only offers temporary satisfaction. Only God can give us a satisfaction, a joy, a peace, that lasts up to eternity. Do we live with this "living water" filling our hearts everyday?
Anyone who has this living water in their heart will have a testimony people will thirst for.
After that, the Lord REVEALED HER SIN.
John 4:16 He *said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus *said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."
No one can claim a true encounter with our Lord without Him lovingly revealing our sinfulness. He knows our sin. It is He we are sinning against everytime we disobey the commands of the Lord. He opens our heart to know that He knows our sin, and cause us to have godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
Sadly, there are many Christians who purposely keep sin away from their "sharing", hoping to win someone to the Lord, not realizing that this is the main reason why someone is separated from God!
Anyone who has realized his sin before God, asked forgiveness and has repented, turned away from a life separate from the righteousness of God, has a testimony that will speak to people's heart.
Then, the Lord opened her up to TRUE WORSHIP.
John 4:21 Jesus *said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
She may have had religion, even her own "special mountain", but she did not know God. As God opened her heart, He opened her to the right form of worship that God was after - worship in spirit and truth. It wasn't about their mountain, or the mountain of the Jews (Jerusalem), that mattered. What mattered for God was a worship that was in spirit and truth, a worship not based on rituals or forms but in the very heart of a person, a worship that stemmed from a revelation of His will, His truth, and not human tradition or beliefs.
Anyone who worships in spirit and truth has a testimony that will minister to men.
Finally, the Lord points her to HIMSELF.
John 4:25 The woman *said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26 Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
Jesus did not tell her to become a Jew, or to change religion. He pointed her to Himself. She knew of the coming Messiah, who would declare all things to them. Jesus simply said "I who speak to you am He".
It did not matter if she was a Jew or a Samaritan, a man or woman, what mattered was that she recognized who she was having an encounter with - Jesus Christ, the source of living water, the righteous and holy One we worship and adore as our Lord and God.
Like the apostle Thomas we bow down and proclaim "My Lord and My God" (John 20:28)
It is Christ we proclaim - not our local church, denomination or doctrinal leanings.
Col 1:28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
A true testimony proclaims Him...not His blessings, provisions or miracles. We proclaim Him, who He is, what He has done.
These are the ingredients of a testimony. If you have these you have a testimony that God will use to bring people to His salvation and life and that will bring glory and honor to Him! We don't have to be rich and famous to stand up and testify of our Savior and Lord! All we need is to be available.
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?"
John 4:39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done."
What are the ingredients of a powerful testimony? Many of the testimonies we hear today in our services, gatherings and television programs are of people who are "blessed" with riches and success, who have experienced miracles and powerful answer to prayers. Of course, these are things to testify about and give glory to God for. But are these the only ingredients for a powerful testimony? Many want testimonies that are "crowd drawers", those that will catch the attention of people. This is why many Christians feel today that they do not have a testimony to share, because they have not experienced anything exciting or extravagant. So they end up being quiet about their "simple" experiences with the Lord.
But what should a powerful testimony have so that it is used by God to bring people to Him and glory in His name?
The story of the Samaritan woman should help us answer this question. What made these men in Samaria believe in Christ through this woman's testimony? She was someone who had five husbands, and the one she was living with was not her husband. Jesus Himself knew this. She was probably looked down at in the city, a nobody. And yet, because of a simple testimony that she had just had an encounter with a man who had "told her things she had done" and asked "could this be the Christ?", people believed her and eventually believed in Jesus.
What were the "ingredients" of her testimony?
Basically, it was in her encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
First, we see the Lord GRACIOUSLY REACHING OUT to her.
John 4:7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, "Give Me a drink."
Culturally there was a divide that existed that should have stopped Jesus from speaking to the woman. First, she was a woman, and it was not proper for Jews to just associate with women in public. Second, she was a Samaritan. Jews, then, did not think it right to associate with Samaritans, since in their history they had diverted from the law that God had given them.
And yet Jesus reached out to her. What a blessing to know that even if we did not seek Him, and lived a life of disobedience, yet God, in His grace, reached out to us.
Anyone with this experience of grace, of God reaching out to them, despite who they were and what they had done, will surely have a testimony that is real and alive.
Then, the Lord offered her LIVING WATER.
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
This obviously touched a nerve in the heart of the woman. Who doesn't want, need, living water, the kind that will never make us thirst again! Everything else in this world only offers temporary satisfaction. Only God can give us a satisfaction, a joy, a peace, that lasts up to eternity. Do we live with this "living water" filling our hearts everyday?
Anyone who has this living water in their heart will have a testimony people will thirst for.
After that, the Lord REVEALED HER SIN.
John 4:16 He *said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus *said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."
No one can claim a true encounter with our Lord without Him lovingly revealing our sinfulness. He knows our sin. It is He we are sinning against everytime we disobey the commands of the Lord. He opens our heart to know that He knows our sin, and cause us to have godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
Sadly, there are many Christians who purposely keep sin away from their "sharing", hoping to win someone to the Lord, not realizing that this is the main reason why someone is separated from God!
Anyone who has realized his sin before God, asked forgiveness and has repented, turned away from a life separate from the righteousness of God, has a testimony that will speak to people's heart.
Then, the Lord opened her up to TRUE WORSHIP.
John 4:21 Jesus *said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
She may have had religion, even her own "special mountain", but she did not know God. As God opened her heart, He opened her to the right form of worship that God was after - worship in spirit and truth. It wasn't about their mountain, or the mountain of the Jews (Jerusalem), that mattered. What mattered for God was a worship that was in spirit and truth, a worship not based on rituals or forms but in the very heart of a person, a worship that stemmed from a revelation of His will, His truth, and not human tradition or beliefs.
Anyone who worships in spirit and truth has a testimony that will minister to men.
Finally, the Lord points her to HIMSELF.
John 4:25 The woman *said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26 Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
Jesus did not tell her to become a Jew, or to change religion. He pointed her to Himself. She knew of the coming Messiah, who would declare all things to them. Jesus simply said "I who speak to you am He".
It did not matter if she was a Jew or a Samaritan, a man or woman, what mattered was that she recognized who she was having an encounter with - Jesus Christ, the source of living water, the righteous and holy One we worship and adore as our Lord and God.
Like the apostle Thomas we bow down and proclaim "My Lord and My God" (John 20:28)
It is Christ we proclaim - not our local church, denomination or doctrinal leanings.
Col 1:28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
A true testimony proclaims Him...not His blessings, provisions or miracles. We proclaim Him, who He is, what He has done.
These are the ingredients of a testimony. If you have these you have a testimony that God will use to bring people to His salvation and life and that will bring glory and honor to Him! We don't have to be rich and famous to stand up and testify of our Savior and Lord! All we need is to be available.
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
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