Law of Love and Gospel of Peace

Having sung and heard "O Holy Night" thousands of times in my life, it's a little surprising that only recently did the phrase "His law is love and His gospel is peace" really catch my attention. The angels who were sent to announce the arrival of the Saviour in human baby form declared, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." That's the New King James. The English Standard version says,"...on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased."

Have you ever noticed that pretty much every time an angel appeared to somebody, they were afraid? When an angel appeared to Zacharias in Luke 1, "he was troubled, and fear fell upon him." When the angel appeared to the shepherds in Luke 2, "they were greatly afraid." But when the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Luke 2, her reaction was different. There is no mention of fear, but it was his greeting that troubled her. He said, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women." Having grown up under the Law, she doubtless considered herself, as our natural selves tend to do, as not "highly favored" and not "blessed" but rather as falling far short of the mark of what God required.

It is so natural for us to default to the condemnation, "God can't possibly be pleased with me" mode. However, there is an amazing line in Jesus' solitary prayer to His Father just before His arrest. In John 17:23, He is praying for unity amongst His followers, "so that the world may know that You sent Me, and LOVED THEM AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME." Our God and Father loves us just the same way He loves Jesus. And our present state is that we HAVE peace with God (Romans 5:1). His law IS love, and His gospel IS peace!

Lyrics

My son and daughter-in-law know me as a bit of a lyrics Nazi. They have given me a couple of CD's, but with some trepidation..."Will she agree with the lyrics?"

I know this will sound like splitting hairs, but some of what we sing in our churches and listen to on Christian radio these days troubles me. I feel as though we ask God to do what He has already done, as in "Open Up the Heavens": the heavens are open to us through what Jesus did for us at Calvary. Singing the Old Testament verse "Rend the heavens and come down": again, Jesus did that. We try to welcome the Holy Spirit, when He was there before us, and actually lives in us.  We probably mean that we are inviting Him to do His will and have His way, but that's not what we're saying.  We sing songs that say, "I'm reaching for You" and "I'm waiting here for You" and "I'm desperate for You" and "Hearts are yearning for You; we long for You" that give the feeling that God is nowhere near, hard to get in touch with, maybe even moving away from us, and not all that willing to meet with us. 

 I get that we are looking for a sense of His presence, a certain atmosphere, or a feeling of peace, or some special tingle. Those times are precious and to be cherished when they happen, but we do need to walk by faith, not by sight, or feelings, etc.

I believe we would be better to stand on His Word, where He has promised His people, "I will be with you." Isaiah 43:1-3a: "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you...and He who formed you, O Israel (we are now spiritual Israel), 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.'"

Instead of calling on God to join us in our quiet times with Him, let's recognize that we are actually joining in with His constant presence, ready to be quiet enough to hear what He wants to be and say in our lives. He is probably always speaking to us, but we're not listening. It's like a radio station sending out its signal, but we're not tuned in.

Let's, instead, ask the Holy Spirit to keep reminding us of our Father's unfathomable love, to keep nudging us to pray in the spirit, and praise and give thanks, to make us conscious of His sure presence, to share our thoughts and ideas with Him, knowing that He's there, listening and interested.

We do also sing a lot of fabulous songs in church, songs that honour God and lift our hearts in praise to Him. Many of them focus on God and His character and His goodness and His faithfulness and the power of His name, and speak of our love for Him and His love for us. I really enjoyed this past Sunday's choices. We sang "Everlasting God". Some of its lyrics are:

Our God, You reign forever, our hope, our strong Deliverer.

You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God 

You do not faint, You don't grow weary.

You're the defender of the weak, 

You comfort those in need, 

 You lift us up on wings like eagles.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, wait upon the Lord, 

We will wait upon the Lord.

Then we sang "Great Things":

Come, let us worship our King. 

Come, let us bow at His feet.

He has done great things.

See what our Saviour has done. 

See how His love overcomes. 

He has done great things, 

He has done great things. 

You've been faithful through every storm.

You'll be faithful forevermore.

You have done great things.

And I know You will do it again, 

for Your promise is Yes and Amen. 

You will do great things.

God, You do great things.

Hallelujah, God above it all; 

Hallelujah, God unshakable; 

Hallelujah, You have done great things.

The third song was "Good, Good Father":

I've heard a thousand stories of what they think You're like, 

But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night.

You tell me that You're pleased and that I'm never alone. 

(That 3rd line is worth the price of admission right there.) 

You're a good, good Father, that's who You are; 

 It's who You are, it's who You are, 

 And I'm loved by You; it's who I am, 

 It's who I am, it's who I am.

And then we did "Great Are You, Lord."

No begging. No grovelling. Just straightforward praise of who and what He is, and affirmation of who He says we are.

So let's keep on singing, enjoying the special sense of His presence when it happens, but also staying in touch with His loving, guiding, protecting presence even when we don't feel it at all. And let's sing words that honour and lift Him up, and indicate our faith in what Jesus has accomplished, and in His promises.

God Sees

This morning I watched the 12-minute film called "The God who Sees" featuring Nicole C. Mullen, directed by Kathie Lee Gifford. It is a magnificent, powerful and moving mixture of narrative and song about, first of all, Hagar to whom God first revealed Himself as "El Roi" which is translated as "the God who sees". Then it shows how God revealed Himself to Ruth, to David, and, through Jesus, to Mary Magdalene. I would encourage you to watch it, if you never have, or to watch it again, if you have seen it. (Go to www.godwhosees.com and scroll down a bit to "watch"). One of the verses that inspired the whole thing is found in Zechariah 2:5: "'For I,' says the Lord, 'will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

It reminded me of an evening a couple of months ago when I visited my friends, Gary and Evelyn. We ended up the evening listening to some soaking music, and Evelyn played "The Blessing" which has made its way around the world this pandemic year. The phrase "The Lord turn His face toward you" caught my attention and I could see my Lord turning His face to me. And His expression was one of total acceptance, and even delight. I expressed my thoughts, and Gary said, "But His face is already always turned towards us." So exactly true. Even when we feel invisible, or abandoned, or despicable, or useless, or ashamed, or whatever it is that wants to keep us from knowing the love of our compassionate, patient, incomparably loving heavenly Father, His arms are open to us. His "face shines upon us". "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). Imagine that! "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). Let's keep running to Jesus, knowing we will always be accepted and loved. He is the fulfillment of the name "El Roi"; He knows you and loves you; He's the God who sees.......you!

To Mask or Not to Mask

I have people in my life who yammer and complain about having to wear masks, and do their best not to. I also have others who are severely critical about those who do not wear masks. Since I have read articles by experts with opposing views on the matter, I won't even try to judge what the truth is. I do admit that I shake my head when I see someone driving all alone in a car and wearing a mask. Somewhat over the top. But what should concern us, as children of the Father and sisters and brothers of the Son, members of His family, is how we treat each other.

When Jesus was teaching near the end of His life, He said this, "...as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me....as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me" (Matthew 25:40;45).

When Saul of Tarsus was arrested by Jesus on his way to Damascus, he heard these words, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5). When Paul persecuted the Christians, Jesus took it personally. How we treat His other children matters to Him.

It is so easy to look down on others who are not quite as bright, or accomplished, or educated, or clean, or well-spoken, or charismatic, or holy, or whatever. I read Philippians 2:3 one day, "in humility let each esteem the other better than himself", and I literally said, "Lord, You honestly want me to esteem So-and-so (and I named a foolish lady in my sphere) as better than myself?" The answer is yes.

So, let's chill. No need to get all twisted into knots because somebody doesn't measure up to what you believe he or she should, or follow rules as you think they should, or follow rules too rigidly in your opinion, or whatever your issue is. You do what you believe is right and "pursue peace with all" (Hebrews 12:14). Remember Matthew 7:1-5: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured again for you. And why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, 'Let me pull the speck out of your eye,' when a log is in your eye? You hypocrite! (Note: 'gentle Jesus meek and mild' wasn't always exactly an apt description of Him.) First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

"Love your neighbour as yourself" was next to "love the Lord your God" in Jesus' short list of top commandments. I know we have to rely on His love which is in us to be able to do that, but one of the things we can start with is dropping this whole indignation thing about masks. Let it go. Allow God's love and peace and grace and favour to envelop you, and you'll be able to spill that over on those around you.

Almost Too Good to Be True

My read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan has me in the Song of Solomon today. I was amused by the kinds of compliments Solomon gave the Shunamite woman. Like "I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots"; or "Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, streaming down the hills of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young...Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of mighty men. Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that feed among the lilies.' But as I was smirking my way through this, thinking I would not consider myself complimented by any of that, I came to chapter 4, verse 7: "You are altogether fair, my love; there is no flaw in you."

Wow!

Since this book can be considered (1) literal, dealing with the love of a man and a woman, (2) allegorical, relating to God's relationship with Israel, but also (3) typical, describing the love of Christ for His bride, us, the church, I felt I could take that compliment in verse 7 as something God is saying to us, His people.  He does actually say that He sees no fault in us. Colossians 1:21-23: "And you, who were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and are not removed from the hope of the gospel..."

This word "gospel" was apparently a very rarely used word in the Greek until Paul adopted it. Since it means, more or less, "news so good it's almost too good to be true" there was probably not much call for it to be used. But then Paul received the revelation concerning what Jesus accomplished for all of us through His death and resurrection and this was truly almost too good to be true.

He defines it as "the gospel of peace" in Ephesians 6:15.Consider:  God does not count or impute our sins against us or charge it to our account (2 Corinthians 5:19); He does not remember our sins and lawless deeds (Hebrews 10:17); He chooses to cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19) and remove them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He says, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25).

The blood from the Old Testament animal sacrifices could only cover up the people's transgressions year by year, ("in those sacrifices there is an annual reminder of sins. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" Hebrews 10:3,4) but Jesus' perfect pure innocent blood washes them away completely."...He has appeared once at the end of the ages to put away sin by sacrificing Himself...For by one offering He has forever perfected those who are sanctified" (Hebrews 9:26 and 10:14).

That's how He can look at us and say, "You are altogether fair, my loved one, there is no flaw in you!" I've been trying to absorb that truth for years. It is so beautiful, it is almost, almost, almost too good to be true. But since the Word of the everlasting Father says it is so, it is. Hallelujah!

Whopping great faith

When people used to come to us bemoaning their lack of faith, Eric always used to point out that when they got born again, they operated in a great amount of faith. I mean, believing that a virgin gave birth to a baby who was actually the Son of God...that takes faith. And to believe that this Son of God, Jesus, rose from the dead and that that affects my life today. That takes faith! So all of us who have believed in Jesus as the Son of God whose life, crucifixion, death and resurrection were all to give us new life have used faith more than we may think.

When I look at what evolutionists believe, though, their faith is really mind-boggling. They believe that out of absolutely nothing, a whole lot of gases mysteriously appeared. Not just any gases, but the right combination of gases to make a humongous explosion. Oh, and all the conditions for this explosion were somehow magically just right. Now we all know that explosions don't create anything, but only destroy. Not this explosion. This "Big Bang" created a whole universe of galaxies with trillions of stars and who knows how many planets. Preposterous!

On our particular planet, as billions of years passed, stuff began to develop. Somehow. And eventually life developed all on its own. First there was just the "simple" cell. Now I do remember from my anatomy and physiology course many years ago, that the "simple" cell is not at all simple. Google tells me "there are 13 main parts of an animal cell: cell membrane, nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear membrane, cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, mitochondria, centrioles, cytoskelton, vacuoles, and vesicles." If I went on to describe the function and makeup of all of the 13 main parts of the main cell, you would be sound asleep before I got anywhere close to finished. (You may already be nodding off. I can't tell.)

In the anatomy classes, I was particularly fascinated with the "differentiation" of cells, from the single-cell zygote at conception to the variety of cells that make up a body. There are nerve cells, blood cells, skin cells, cells that become heart muscle, eyes, hair, tonsils, etc., etc., etc. Absolutely miraculous! And somehow we are supposed to believe that these cells that first somehow developed on their own also learned to do this! From a single so-called simple cell to multi-celled plants and animals. You have to admit that's a stretch.

All I'm really saying here is that when people who believe in evolution want to mock us for believing in a Creator God and a virgin birth and a Saviour who took our sins and all the punishment for all our sins on Himself at His crucifixion, we can instead shake our heads at them for swallowing such a heap of baloney! I'm going to stick with my faith in a God who has proved Himself faithful in my life so often that there is no way to keep track.

Brave? Not really.

I have had family and friends comment on how brave it was of me to fly to the U.S. to see my family. They may have meant foolhardy, but they said brave. I don't feel it was brave of me at all, because I had no fear. I have been standing on God's promises in Psalm 91 throughout this pandemic and will continue to do so.

Verse 1: "He (or, in my case, she) who dwells in the secret place of the Most High..." The word "dwells" here is "yashab" in the Hebrew which literally means "to sit in, or sit still." My position in Christ is that I am seated at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). So, simply because I am in Christ, I am seated in the secret place of the Most High, and I "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Picture that, being in the shadow of the Almighty. How much more secure could we be?

Verse 2: "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." Our words have a lot of power in our lives. It is important to say what God says. Not what the media or even the finest medical minds say, but what God says. They are reporting on facts as they see them, but God sees from a higher perspective.

Verse 3: "Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence." If that's not a promise, how much more definite could He make it? "Surely" and "shall" are pretty strong words.

Verse 4: "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge." Wonderful picture of safety and security.

Verses 5,6:  "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday." That about covers it!

Verses 7,8: "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked." I claimed verse 7 during my chemo treatments, that even if 11.000 people have major side effects from chemo, I wasn't going to. And I didn't. (In verse 8, I'm not suggesting that only the "wicked" will get the corona virus. Disease isn't selective. There is, though, the story in Numbers 13 of the 10 spies who returned from scouting out the land that God had promised He was giving them. They came back and said, "Oh, yes, God was right about it's being a land of milk and honey BUT we can never take it. Its inhabitants are too powerful for us." They believed what their eyes told them, and so discounted what God had promised over and over. The King James Bible says that was an "evil report".  (So I might suggest that not agreeing with God's promises could be considered "wicked".  It is certainly arrogant.)

Verses 9-12: "Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." There we have us "dwelling" with Him again, as in verse 1.  And I like to say, He gives His angels specific charge concerning me to keep and protect me in all ways.

Verse 13: "You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra. The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot." This lines up with what Jesus said to His followers in Luke 10:19: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm you." That's a huge promise. We might be tempted like the 10 spies to discount this promise because we haven't seen it in our experience. But we must never exalt our experiences over the Word of God. (Ever notice that the devil when He was tempting Jesus quoted from Psalm 91 but stopped just before this verse?)

Verses 14-16: I'm going to personalize this, so it's not quoted exactly as written. "Because I have set my love upon Him, therefore He will deliver me; He will set me on high, because I have known His name; I shall call upon Him, and He will answer me; He will be with me in trouble; He will rescue me and honor me. With long lifeHe will satisfy me, and show me His salvation."

That is what I call my Psalm 91 immunity. So I can travel without concern. When you see me wearing a mask in public, it is not for my protection. It is for the peace of mind for all the people I meet who are afraid. Neither brave, nor foolhardy, I believe. Just resting in my Psalm 91 promises.

Sowing and Reaping

I have often heard Luke 6:38 ("Give and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you") used as an offering text, and it is a good one for that. Another one commonly used for offerings is 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10-11: "But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work....Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God." Both point out that you reap according to how you sow.

Interesting too that God gives both sufficiency and abundance, likewise seed and bread. The sufficiency and the bread is provision for our needs, and the abundance and seed is "for every good work", so we can give and help others who have need, including individuals, our churches, other ministries, other places where we can do good and/or further the work of God's kingdom. We are "enriched for all liberality."

Paul starts a chapter earlier to talk about giving, and in the middle of that he writes this surprising verse (into which I am adding my parenthetical comments): "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich (before He came to the earth), yet for your sakes He became poor (He left all those heavenly riches behind for our sakes) that you through His poverty might become rich." There are those who would claim that this just means spiritual riches, but the context is about material giving. So it would appear that God is perfectly happy for us to be financially rich, as long as we have this giving heart, and are cheerful givers. In fact, if you look at the lists of blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28, poverty is mentioned over and over in the curses list, but certainly not in the blessings list.

In another letter, Paul says, "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). We should work so that we have something to give! How freeing to have our focus on being able to be a blessing, and be able to rest in the knowledge that God is our source of supply, both bread and sufficiency as well as seed and abundance! It is usually the case that He does supply through our work, but let's trust Him for extra so we can enjoy the thrill of being a blessing to others.

But back to Luke 6:38. Its context is actually not about giving money or material things. Backing up to verse 35-37: "But love your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." And then we have our "Give, and it will be given to you" verse. There is mention of lending, hoping for nothing in return, so giving money is included. But it is even more about the giving of our forgiveness, giving mercy as we refrain from judging and from condemning and we will receive the same. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is so easy to judge and condemn. But the truth is, we do not really know what is in the hearts of other people. We don't really know their motives. Consider, when you are at the receiving end of rudeness or unkind and unjust behaviour, that you don't know where those actions are coming from. Hurt people hurt people. We have no idea what they are dealing with on a daily basis or what kind of bad news they may just have received. Even with our family members, we need to give them the benefit of the doubt and not ascribe evil motives to them. Be ready to extend mercy and leniency. Your Father has been and continues to be merciful to you.

So let's be generous givers in the areas of finances as well as mercy and forgiveness. We have the promise that as we sow, we will also reap. 

God's love songs

This morning instead of popping out of bed when I first woke up, I lay back and started listening to some of the songs of Don Francisco, a musician and songwriter we were first introduced to 'way back when we still lived in Morden. I love his guitar skills, and I find some of his lyrics pretty clever. But what I was noticing this morning was the theme of God's love and forgiveness and acceptance that runs through a lot of what he wrote. So I'm just going to quote a few of those today.

He is probably best known for the song "He's Alive" which is Peter's narration of what he felt and experienced that first day of the week when Jesus was resurrected. It's a long song so I'll give the latter verses after he and John had run to the garden tomb and found it empty:

Back inside the house again, all the guilt and anguish came.
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name.
Even if He was alive, it wouldn't be the same.

But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume;
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room.
Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide,
And I fell down on my knees and clung to Him and cried.

He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes,
Love was shining out from Him like sunlight from the sky.
Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace.

He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven.
Heaven's gates are open wide.
He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven.
Heaven's gates are opened wide.

That refrain is so full of joy it lifts me up every time I hear it.

He has a good number of songs that tell Bible stories. One tells the story of the forgiven and delivered woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. It's told from the viewpoint of the Pharisee who had invited Jesus into His house for a meal. At first the Pharisee seems to have a favourable impression of Him:

So I asked Him home to dinner just to see what I could see
Of this famous local prophet from here in Galilee.

(But later:)

And I don't know just how that woman got into the room.
But you couldn't miss her gaudy clothes and her strong and sweet perfume.
She went straight to Jesus' feet and stopped and stood right there,
Then cried and wet His feet with tears
And dried them with her hair.

Now of all the women in this town none was more well-known
For the flagrant sin she lived in and the wickedness she'd sown.
But He didn't move to stop her....seemed this "prophet" couldn't tell
That the woman who was touching Him was the kind they buy and sell.

(Then Jesus, knowing his host's thoughts, addresses him:)

"Take a good look at this woman now.  In spite of all her fears
She's kissed Me and anointed Me and washed My feet with tears.
She's honoured me, and you've been only rude to me instead.
You gave no kiss of greeting, no anointing for my head.

And her sins were red as scarlet, and now they're washed away.
The love and faith she's shown is all the price she had to pay.
For the depths of God's forgiveness is more than you can see.
And in spite of what you think of her, she's beautiful to Me."

(The Pharisee's response:)

Now my anger flamed to hatred.  I wanted nothing more
Than to take this prophet by the throat, and throw Him out the door.
To act like God, forgiving sins, and then speak so to me!
This itinerant from Nazareth in backwards Galilee.

(Now Jesus is no longer the "famous local prophet from here in Galilee" but the "itinerant from Nazareth in backwards Galilee.)

But instead I sat and trembled, shaken to the core.
The woman still was weeping as she knelt there on the floor.
Jesus turned to her and said, "Your sins have been released.
Your faith has saved you from your sins.
Rise, walk in peace.

Your sins were red as scarlet, but now they're washed away.
The love and faith you've shown is all the price you had to pay.
For the depths of God's forgiveness is deeper than the sea
And no matter what the world may think, you're beautiful to Me."

One more: "I'll Never Let Go of Your Hand"

I know what you've been hearing; I've seen you hide your fear,
Embarrassed by your weaknesses, afraid to let Me near.
I wish you knew how much I long for you to understand,
No matter what may happen, child, I'll never let go of your hand.

I know you've been forsaken by all you've known before.
When you fail their expectations, they frown and close the door.
But even though your heart itself should lose the will to stand,
No matter what may happen, child, I'll never let go of your hand.

The life that I have given you, no one can take away.
I've sealed it with My Spirit, blood and word.
The everlasting Father has made His covenant with you,
And He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard.

So don't you fear to show them all the love I have for you.
I'll be with you everywhere, in everything you do;
And even if you do it wrong, and miss the joy I planned,
I'll never, never let go of your hand.
I'll never let go of your hand.

So I just want us to be encouraged.  He is definitely alive, you are forgiven and heaven has been opened to you. (No need to sing "Open Up the Heavens". He did that for us back then when He died for us.)
And no matter what anyone else in the whole world thinks of you, you are beautiful to Him, because He sees you washed clean, righteous and totally acceptable.

Not only that, He is the One who will never let go of your hand. Soak in the truth of Hebrews 13:5, (AMPC version): ....He [God] Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail you (nor) give you up (nor) leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless (nor) forsake (nor) let [you] down (relax My hold on you). [Assuredly not!]"

One Way

I am troubled when I hear discussion about many ways to God, or about churches embracing "Chrislam", some combination of Christian and Islamic beliefs.  

Doesn't it seem unspeakably cruel that God would send His Son to endure what Jesus had to endure if it wasn't really necessary?  Not just the indignities of the Son of God leaving glory to be born in the form of a helpless human baby with all of the restrictions that entails, from having had an existence of being everywhere at once and knowing everything there is to know to experiencing being only in one place at one time and having to learn everything from scratch, but also the rejection from His own people, and finally the horrific agonies of the whole process of the crucifixion!  Any earthly father in any civilized society would have been arrested and condemned and most thoroughly punished for putting a son through even a fraction of those pains unnecessarily!

And then, you have to think that Jesus was either a gullible sucker or had a huge martyr complex to submit to this plan if it wasn't necessary, if there were any other ways.  Why on earth go through any of what we read in Philippians 2 if there were going to be multiple other ways to God?  The Message puts it this way:  "When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!  Having become human, he stayed human.  It was an incredibly humbling process.  He didn't claim special privileges.  Instead he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion."

Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6)  Not "one of the ways", but "THE way."  He told Nicodemus who searched Him out at night, seeking truth, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven:  the Son of Man.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life" (John 3:3, 13-15).  "In Him".  Not in any other way that seems reasonable to those who don't want to believe in Him.

When Paul and Silas were miraculously released from prison and the confounded keeper of the prison asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", Paul told him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:25-31).   Romans 10:9 tells us, "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 

So, to be "born again" or "saved", what must one believe?  Briefly, that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was born into this world through a virgin, that He lived a sinless life so that He could be the perfect sinless sacrifice for us, bearing the sins and the effects of sin belonging to every one of us, that He defeated death and the devil to share His victory with anyone who would receive it.  

The almost-too-good-to-be-true message is that He took all of our sins and all of the punishment we deserved and offers us freely complete forgiveness, records expunged, slates wiped completely clean!  No other religion offers anything remotely as sweet.

"Oh, what a Savior!  Isn't He wonderful?"  (Yup.  I just had to bring a song into it again.  It's "O Come to the Altar" by Elevation Worship.)

I encourage you to stick with the One who is "THE way, THE truth and THE life".  

Boast in tribulations?

This year I'm reading through the Bible according to a plan on one of my wall calendars, so most days there are 3 or 4 chapters to read.  I hate to admit that many days I read straight through without paying too much attention.  I mean, who really needs to know all the names of David's mighty men, or the brief sad histories of kings of Israel who all "did evil in the sight of the Lord"?  

This plan usually has 2 or 3 Old Testament chapters and 1 New Testament chapter.   Yesterday I didn't do the reading, so today was going to be a catch-up day.  But I barely got into Romans 5 before I was arrested by the phrase in verse 3  "we boast in tribulation".  It's good to read different translations.  I had never before read one that used the word "boast" here.  Google shows me that other translations instead of "boast" use "glory", "rejoice" and even "exult".  God's Word Translation says "We also brag when we are suffering."  The Contemporary English Version says "We gladly suffer..."

We do have the example of the apostles who were beaten and threatened in Acts 5, who then "departed from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (verse 41).  Also, Paul and Silas, in Acts 16, who had been beaten (they didn't just kid around when they beat their prisoners) and then thrown into the "inner prison" (read filthy, stinking, suffocating.  You don't even want to imagine what the bathroom arrangements might have been).  Not only that but their feet were fastened in stocks.  No shifting of positions to lie on your side.  It had to be beyond painfully uncomfortable.  So, they moaned and complained, right?  No, no.  But "at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners heard them" (verse 24,25)  So, no whimpering but out-loud praying and praising.  Totally remarkable.  

Jesus did say in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are you when men hate you and when they separate you from their company and insult you and cast out your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for indeed your reward is great in heaven" (Luke 6:22,23).  Eric and I used to wonder whether "leap for joy" meant you would leap because of joy, or to get joy.  Either way, it wouldn't be the natural response.  But when did Jesus ever expect His followers to respond according to their natural inclinations?

Back to Romans 5:3..."we also boast in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works endurance."  Lines up with James 1:2,3:  "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience..." or "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."  There are those who say, "Don't ask for patience because that means you're asking for troubles."  I say to that, "Wrong!"  We already have patience as a fruit of our spirit.   And trouble and trials are just a part of life here on this fallen earth.  If we respond to our trials and sufferings with joy and praise, we develop or exercise the patience that we already have so it can mature and be perfected.  

In an earlier blog, I told of a man my father-in-law saw being tortured in Russia who just smiled through it all, and later testified that he had felt no pain, that God had been faithful to His promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, that with every temptation, He would also "make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it."  Then I questioned if I would be able to stand for my faith in the day of torture, and concluded that I have grace for every struggle that now comes my way, and I can choose to stand in that grace and grow and mature and be prepared for whatever may come.  

So I'm asking myself here too:  would I be able to praise and sing if I was beaten and imprisoned, or tortured?  But I'm thinking, here too, when we encounter any trial, tribulation, trouble or test in our day-to-day life, if we fight off that natural tendency to complain and sink into self-pity and look for sympathy everywhere, and if instead we pray with thanksgiving, rejoice, count it joy, sing, leap for joy, whatever it takes, we will develop our patience, perseverance and endurance.

God is faithful.  Always.  So you and I can boast in our tribulations!

Diet and Exercise

Do you cringe when you read that title?
Why is it that so often we choose what is not good for us?  We know what we should do and put it off, sometimes forever.  We all know that a good diet and exercising are what out bodies need to be strong and healthy but often lack the necessary motivation.
The same is true when it comes to faith.
Jesus said that faith like a mustard seed could move mountains.  But what is it about seed?
It could be that Jesus chose to compare faith to a seed because of the power in the seed.  Have you ever driven along the endless curves of highway #1 in Ontario?  It's rocks and curves and rocks and curves.  Occasionally you see where a tree is growing out of sheer rock.  Some seed actually managed to take root in a dip or a little crack in the rock.  As it slowly developed, it in some cases even split a huge boulder with its force.
In his second letter, Peter addressed "those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ."  Seriously?  Faith like Peter's?  Peter, who grabbed the hand of a man who had been lame from birth and raised him to his feet as he commanded him to "rise and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" and then accompanied the healed man who was now "walking and leaping" into the temple (Acts 3:2-10)?  Peter, who raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-41)?  Peter, whose shadow was reputed to heal the sick (Acts 5:15)?  His readers had "like precious faith"?
Yes.  And so do we.  "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).  We all have that seed.  We think we have little faith because we haven't been feeding it and exercising it.
A newborn baby has exactly the same number of muscles as the strongest body builder has.  It just needs for those muscles to be fed and exercised in order to develop.
With what should we be feeding our faith?  What diet does it require?  Answer:  the Word of God.  "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).  That word "hearing" in the Greek means a constant ongoing hearing and hearing and hearing, not just having heard at some point.  Faith needs to be fed regularly to grow strong.  When you read your Bible, take a little bit at a time, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what it means for you, and then go back and think about it several times during the next 24 hours.  Meditate on it.  Make it a part of you.
And then there's the exercise.  Find a promise of God for your situation.  Sarah "judged Him faithful who had promised" and received an impossible miracle (Hebrews 11:11).  Abraham became "fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Romans 4:21).  Start by asking for the little needs in your life, a parking spot when you're in a hurry, an opportunity to speak to someone, a reminder to do something, protection when you drive, whatever.  As you find Him faithful to keep every one of His promises, your faith will grow to where you can believe, like Sarah and Abraham, for what is absolutely impossible in the natural.  Anything for which you have a Word promise.
Now, faith has to be combined with patience.  God's timetable is usually not the same as ours.  But if we keep our eyes off the clock or the calendar and expect that God is at work even when we don't see the evidence with our natural senses, we can lean back and watch as He works it out.
The language of faith is praise.  So, while we practice patience as we stand in faith on His promises, we will thank Him in advance for what He is going to do.  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7).
Okay.  Let's get busy feeding ourselves with a diet of God's Word regularly, and exercising our faith so that we turn into spiritual giants!

As we are loved

In John 13, we have the tender scene where Jesus takes the position of the lowest servant in any household to do the most menial task, which was to wash the feet of the guests.  In those days, they didn't have the paved roads and concrete sidewalks we all know, and they walked everywhere in their sandals, so their feet were always dusty when they arrived anywhere.  The servant with the lowest rank and least seniority got to crouch before each of them and wash their feet.
We are told that Jesus knew who would betray Him (John 13:21, 26), who would deny Him (verse 38) and He predicted that all His disciples would desert Him (Matthew 26:31). Yet He humbly bent before each of His disciples, including Peter and even Judas and washed and dried their feet.
Later, He said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another" (verses 34, 35).
If you're like me, you immediately want to berate yourself for not being the loving follower of Jesus that you're supposed to be.  But I believe it's impossible; I cannot, unless I first recognize, believe and receive how He has first loved me.  I can't give away what I don't have, and I won't have this love unless I have it from Him.
Of course, there is no shortage of love coming from Him.  We know that it is unconditional,  limitless, and certainly far beyond our comprehension.
But, Lord, help us to get more understanding of it!
That was one of Paul's prayers for the Ephesians:  "May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the length and breadth and height and depth [of it]:  [that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!" (chapter 3, verses 17b-19, Amplified version).
Yes, to apprehend and grasp and to know, practically, through experiencing it.
Most of us have heard from childhood and on that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" but we kind of miss that next verse, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world" and we continue to feel condemned.  It's so hard for us to believe that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19).  Can it really be that He doesn't count our sins against us?
Can He actually love us with the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which is patient and kind, "takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong] (verse 5, Amplified version)?  Of course.  He has to because that is what this chapter is about - the God-kind of love, from the Greek word agape.  And God is agape love (1 John 4:16).
Jesus demonstrated this attitude on the cross when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing" (Luke 23:34).
The writer of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31:34 when he says "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17) and this is true for us only because Jesus came to do God's will, offered His own pure, sinless blood as a sacrifice for all sin forever and "by one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (read verses 5-18).  Forgiven.  My sins not counted against me.  And even perfected.  Wow!
Let's join together in making this one of our primary prayers for ourselves and each other - to really know the love of God for us.  Then that love will spill out onto those around us and there will be the evidence that we are His disciples, when we love as we are loved.

What's been percolating?

Funny word, percolating.  You probably have to be from close to my generation to know what percolating is.  With Keurig now pouring your cup of coffee almost instantly, the idea of putting your cold water in the bottom of your percolator coffee pot, adding the basket with the coffee grounds, setting it on your stove and turning the element on, then waiting and watching while it bubbles and "percs" until it's finally ready is all foreign now.
I find that ideas come to me and then percolate and bubble in my mind and develop over time.  When I finally sit down to write out my thoughts, they kind of pour out.  I sit back at the end and read it over and think, "Wow!  Interesting how that all came together!  Thank You, Holy Spirit!"
So here's what's been brewing lately:
A few weeks ago, a younger friend, mother of a couple of little girls, messaged me and said how she is fine with coming to God with her bigger problems, but doesn't like to bother Him with the little details.  I replied that that could almost be considered an insult to God.  That we would imagine that He is incapable of running the universe and also pay attention to each and every detail in the life of each and every one of the billions of people on the earth is to dismiss His omniscience and omnipotence.  It shrinks Him in our view.
Ours is the God who "counts the number of the stars; He calls them all my name" (Psalm 147:4) and we know there are billions of trillions of them!  Doing a hop, skip and jump through Isaiah 40:12-26, we find that God "measured the waters in the palm of His hand, measured the heavens with the span (of His hand) and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, weighed the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance...stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in...brings out the host (of the stars) by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."
Notice, though, that this comes right after "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (verse 11).
He is the God who knows the number of your hairs.  Yours!  That in itself would be an incredible and ever-changing number, but then multiply that by the population on the earth and it gets really staggering!

Psalm 139:17, 18  "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand.  When I awake, I am still with You."
Psalm 40:5  "Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

As usual, this reminds me of a song, "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea,
Creation revealing Your majesty.
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring,
Every creature unique in the song that it sings;
All proclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God!
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim:
You are amazing God!

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night,
None can fathom.

Indescribable...

Incomparable, unchangeable,
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same,
You are amazing God.
You are amazing God.

Let's meditate on this fabulous, compassionate God.  Let it percolate!

Grace enough

My father-in-law was born in 1900 in south Russia. As a very young man, he was conscripted by the Russian army as an interpreter. (He knew 7 languages in his lifetime.) He saw atrocities he never told us about. But there is one he spoke of.
In 1967, he and Mom attended the World Conference of Mennonites in the Netherlands. During an intermission, he looked across the auditorium and caught the eye of a somewhat familiar-looking man. They kept glancing at each other, eyes meeting frequently enough that Dad finally got up and went over to the man to see how they might know each other. It turns out that he was a man that Dad had seen tortured in Russia. He had had wood splinters jammed under his fingernails, and these were then set on fire. He had had fingernails pulled out with pliers. And more. During the whole thing, he only smiled at his tormentors.
Now decades later, Dad looked at the man's deformed fingers and asked him how he had been able to tolerate it. The man answered, "I had a promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that I would never be tested beyond what I could endure, and that there would be a way of escape so that I could bear it. And during all that torture, I never felt a thing!  There was no pain!  God was faithful to His promise."
I have sometimes wondered, as probably many of you have, whether I would be able to stand true to my faith if I were persecuted. I feel the answer is that God will give grace for every situation. I have grace that I need today, and He will not fail me in the times of testing which, I believe, will certainly come in our nation.  Here's a quote from a Joyce Meyer devotional:  "God will always give you the grace (favor and power) that you need, but you can't store it up and put it in a bank.  Trust God for help one step at a time."

There's an old hymn called "He Giveth More Grace" and these are the lyrics:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater.
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase.
To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

We may all have heard grace defined as undeserved favour. It is that, certainly, but more. Vine's Expository Dictionary does define it as "that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard...lovingkindness, goodwill generally...in this respect there is stress on its freeness and universality, ...thus it is set in contrast with debt, ...with works, ...with law" but also it means "the power and equipment for ministry" as in, for instance, Ephesians 3:7:  "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace give me through the working of His power".
But check out Romans 1:5 - There's grace for obedience.
Acts 20:32 - There's grace to build us up and give us an inheritance.
Romans 3:24 - His grace justifies us.
1 Corinthians 15:10 - It wasn't Paul, but God's grace doing the labour.
2 Corinthians 8:7 - Here Paul is referring to the grace of giving and generosity.
2 Corinthians 9:8 - Grace abounds to give us provision for every good work. Not just sufficient, but abundant also.
2 Corinthians 12:9 - Grace is related to His strength in us when we only have weakness.
2 Thessalonians 2:16 - We were given everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.
Titus 2:11-14 - Grace teaches us how to live.
Hebrews 13:9 - Grace strengthens our hearts.
And we can't leave out one of my all-time favourite verses, Hebrews 4:16 - "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Grace helps when we need help. 

Lean on His constant, over-the-top, more-than-enough supply of grace, my friends. He never fails us.

Winning against our enemy

Not long ago, a friend of mine experienced a terrifying night experience. She was awakened and something just "felt weird" in her room. She was able to go back to sleep. She was awakened again by a noise in the room. She couldn't identify the source but spoke the name of Jesus against it. She went back to sleep again. She was awakened a third time by a voice and something tugging at her blanket. The room felt chilly. She felt absolute terror but, being a woman of faith and knowledge, she sat up in bed and started to rebuke this thing in the name of Jesus. She found it difficult to speak at first, but won out by praying out loud in the spirit and using the name of Jesus.

She shared this with a few of us who prayed with her. One of the other ladies emphasized James 4:7: "Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." It doesn't say he might flee from you. It says he will.

I read a story about a British evangelist born in the mid 19th century, named Smith Wigglesworth. He woke one night and heard a constant creaking sound coming from the main floor of his house. He lit his candle and went down to investigate. He discovered a demon sitting in his rocking chair, rocking back and forth, causing the creaking sound. Mr. Wigglesworth said, "Oh, it's only you," and turned and went back to bed. Now, that would be truly insulting to a demon.

I think in our culture, there are two extremes in opinions about the devil and demons. On the one side we have those who don't believe there are any such creatures except possibly in some dark and heathen foreign land. On the other hand, we have those who see demons and a devil absolutely everywhere, and think that they are very powerful, almost equal to God in their power.

The truth is that demons are, of course, real. Jesus dealt with them on a regular basis. People report encounters with them to this day.

But, as always, the Bible, the Word of God, has to be our authority on what we believe about them.
And what does the Bible say? It tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." 

Notice what exactly we are fighting against, in verse 11. The King James Version tells us we have to "stand against the wiles of the devil" while the New American Standard and New International versions have us standing against his "schemes". The Amplified Bible has us "able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil." Apparently his fiery darts are wiles, schemes, strategies and deceits. Some of his names are liar and father of lies, accuser, and deceiver. The term "devil" literally means "slanderer." 

But according to Colossians 2:15, he is a defeated foe: "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (the cross)." If Satan is disarmed, what does he have to fight with? Apparently, wiles, schemes, strategies and deceits. If we know the truth and put on our armour of truth, we are "able successfully to stand against" all his lies. 

Jesus didn't give in to him for a second, but always came back at him with the truth; "It is written, it is written."

Philippians 2:9-11 says, "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him (Jesus) and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." By using the authority of His name, we can enforce the victory that He has won over Satan.

Besides knowing the truth that the devil has already been defeated and that the name of Jesus is above every name, we also need to know that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Also, "you are of God, little children, and have overcome (the spirits) because He who is in you is greater than than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

So, if you encounter an attack of the enemy, remember that (1) he was defeated and disarmed by Jesus in His finished work, (2) the name of Jesus is above absolutely every name, including every name that the devil introduces to cause you to doubt and fear, and (3) you have within you the Spirit of the resurrected victorious Lord whose love makes you more than a conqueror.

I realize this is a very long blog, but I want to include a song we first heard on an LP by Don Francisco sometime in the '80's. It's called "The Package"; here it is:

I was awakened in the morning by a knockin' on the door,
So I got up to see what all the knockin' was for.
There stood the devil with a box addressed to me.
He said, "Boy, I got something here I think you oughtta see."

I said, "I know that I don't want it if it's anything from you
'Cause I hate everything you say and don't like anything you do."
But then he pointed with his finger and he smiled kinda sly
'Cause the package said "From God" there in the corner 'way up high.

So I said, "If it's from God, then why'd He send it here by you?"
He said, "He always sends me when there's dirty work to do,
And this box is full of misery, poverty and shame
To perfect you through your suffering 'til you're worthy of His name."

Well, I'd been pretty patient but that last line took the cake!
I just couldn't take no more, I'd taken all that I could take
So I told him what I thought of him and all his filthy lies.
Then I fired the shot that got him right between the eyes...

I told him, "Jesus took my sickness, sin and poverty away.
You nailed it to the cross when you murdered Him that day.
The sufferin' that I do will be for love and not for shame;
I'm already worthy by His blood to wear His name.

And I know my Father loves me and has only good in store
So you just take that jive and get away from my front door!
You can write my name on packages until I'm ninety-two
But every single one I'm sending back to hell with you.
Go on, get out of here!"

Faithful and True. Forever.

I was laughing at myself yesterday when I told a friend about a little conversation I had with God the other morning.  I have been trying to remind myself of His presence a little more since He isn't necessarily doing it for me so much lately.  So I opened my eyes, and said, "Oh, yeah!  Good morning, Lord!  How are You?" Then, as I began to chuckle at myself for asking Him how He was, I actually got an answer:  "Faithful and true."  Of course, He is completely aware that those are two words that I frequently use when I am thanking Him for who He is in my life.

So my friend laughed with me, and then admitted that she had also said to Him once, "How are You?"  The answer she heard back was, "The same as always!"  So good to know that there is "no variation or shadow of turning" with our "Father of lights" from whom we receive "every good and perfect gift"  (James 1:17).

This never-changing, faithful and true God has given such an incredible array of blessings.  I remember going for a walk on a lovely spring day, when the trees were starting to bud, and blossoms were coming out, and the birds were singing, and the sky was blue, and the breeze was gentle, and the air was sweet, and the almost involuntary response was, "Oh, thank You, God.  You are so amazing, and so, so good."  I had such a joyful feeling of exaltation and exulting!   And I wondered, what do unbelievers or evolutionists do with those feelings that rise up when so much loveliness confronts them?  Where do they go to say "Thank you" for such beauty?

There are occasions when I hear my children or grandchildren laughing together, and there is such a joy in that too, that I have to say, "Oh, thank You, Father!"  Of course, the list of things to be thankful for could go on and on, and on and on.

When I started writing this post, I wasn't sure where it was going to go, but maybe I'll just harp on a theme I've brought up before, about thankfulness.  It is easy to grumble and gripe, but how much more uplifting to express gratitude and count our blessings!  There is research in the field of neuroscience that proves attitude affects our physical health, and specifically immunity.  So in the middle of this corona situation, practising thankfulness may be what our bodies need to keep us safe. Do you think God was onto something when He told us repeatedly to "Bless the Lord!" and "Praise the Lord!" and "Serve the Lord with gladness" and "Give thanks in all things" and "Rejoice in the Lord always"?  There's such a good chance that He knew that as we bless Him, we are blessed.

Did I mention before that 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 makes up a prayer sandwich?  Prayer ("pray without ceasing") is the filling sandwiched between "Rejoice always" and "In everything give thanks..."  What we call the Lord's prayer has a similar pattern; it starts with acknowledging "Our Father who is in heaven" and takes time to focus on the holiness of His name:  "Hallowed be Thy name."  It ends with "Thine be the kingdom and the power and the glory."  Requests are sandwiched between.

"Hallowed be Your name" leads me to another thought.  (I feel as though I'm rambling a bit here, but it's my blog, so it's my privilege, right?)  In Psalm 91, I noticed that the last three verses had God saying what He would do for us because we fulfilled three conditions.  One of those conditions was "he has known My name."  (The other two were "he has set his love upon Me" and "he shall call upon Me.")  Because the three conditions were met, He promised to (1) rescue him, (2) set him on high, (3) answer him, (4) be with him in trouble, (5) deliver him, (6) honour him, (7) satisfy him with long life, and (8) "show him My salvation".   What He does for us is so far above and beyond what is expected of us.
  To "set our love upon Him" when we consider all He has done for us isn't too difficult.  To "call upon Him" when we need help comes pretty naturally.  To "know His name" may take a little studying and it's a worthwhile subject to research.  I gave a list of names of God in my "Oh, magnify the Lord" blog but, of course, He has so many more.  

Like, for instance, forever "Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11).

Crucifixion

Years ago, someone lent us a book describing the horrors of crucifixion during the reign of the Romans.  Today I looked at a number of sites on the same subject.  Apparently, it was inarguably the most hideous form of torture of that time.
The scourging was typically the initial part of the procedure.  The Roman soldier would wield a whip of several cords which had bits of metal or bone attached to the ends.  As the whip was pulled back, the skin and muscle were ripped off the back, buttocks, legs, and sometimes the shoulders, neck and head as well.  The scene in "The Passion of the Christ" couldn't come close to the actual agonizing hideousness of what Jesus endured.
The soldiers mocked Him, putting a scarlet robe on His bleeding back, bowing before Him and then tearing the robe off Him again when they had enough of  slapping Him and spitting in His face.  It was even customary to pull out the beard of the condemned men, and this was prophesied of Jesus in Isaiah 50:6.  Jesus endured the additional torture of having a crown of sharp, stinging thorns pressed into His head, and the soldiers kept striking His head with a reed, driving the thorns deeper and deeper into His scalp.
Then the rough heavy wooden beam of the cross was laid across that torn-up back, rubbing into the open wounds with every step, every movement.  The victim was already weak from loss of blood, but still this was required of him.
At the site of the crucifixion, the spikes were driven into the hands or wrists and into the crossbar.  It seems the upright post was often left in place for one victim after another.  If this was the case, that beam with the victim attached would be raised by ropes into position with the full weight of his body hanging from those spikes.  Or if the whole cross was being raised at that time, it would be dropped into a hole and the body hanging there would be jarred, again with all the weight supported from those spikes.  The shoulders would dislocate.  The nerves in the hands and wrists would be screaming.  The chest couldn't expand.  The criminal would be suffocating.
Until....the feet were nailed to the cross, allowing the victim to push himself up enough to draw in a breath.  But the agony of supporting the body's weight on the spikes in the feet would be too much and he would lower himself to hanging from his hands again.  The need to draw another breath would drive him to push up on his feet again.  All his muscles would begin to cramp and spasm.  This up-and-down motion was repeated over and over and over, sometimes over many days before death won out.  With each push up or slide down, the rough wood exacerbated the pain in the exposed nerves of the scourged back.
Agony upon agony upon agony.
Then there was the aspect of the indignity and the shame attached to this particular form of capital punishment.  It was understood in that society that if someone was crucified, he had to be the lowest of the low, worthless, despicable, to be derided and jeered at.
Why would our Lord have to endure such a death as this?  Why was He so beaten that Isaiah 52:14 described Him prophetically as having "His appearance marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of man"?  Why could He not have been pushed off a cliff as was attempted when the people in His hometown of Nazareth rejected His message?  Or anything less dramatic and horrendous than dying on the cross?
Jesus had said of Himself, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."  He became what the serpent symbolized:  sin and evil.  We have this amazing verse in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "....(God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  He took into Himself all sin, the embezzler's who bilked the life savings from hundreds of people, the cruelest dictator's, the worst mass murderer's, the pedophile's, and certainly all ours, however black and shameful they may be.  When we accept His substitutionary death as being for us, each one of us individually, then our sins are wiped away.  Just a little earlier in the same chapter, we read "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them".  Our slates are wiped clean.  No smudge or stain remaining.  Our trespasses have all been imputed to Jesus who bore them on the cross for us.  How entirely amazing!
Galatians 3:13 says "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')."  He actually became a curse for us.  This was to free us from all the curse of the law.  If you wonder what God considers a curse, read Deuteronomy 28 starting at verse 15.  It includes everything you don't want to have in your life:  defeat before your enemies, poverty, sicknesses of every kind, broken families, bondage, children taken away into captivity, and on and on.  Jesus literally became a curse to set us free from all of that.
If you don't know Isaiah 53:5, please learn it and repeat it often:  "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

No social distance with God

After Eric died, for several months, I would wake up every morning and the first thoughts I had were, "God, You are so good and so faithful!"  I can't take any credit for that.  It was just a gift from God to keep me reminded that He was right there with me.  I really didn't feel alone.

That isn't happening nearly as often anymore, but one morning last week I woke up from a great sleep, rolled over on my back, smiled up at the ceiling and said, "Thank You, Father!"  (although why I thought He was up at the ceiling, I don't know.)

My next thought was, "He isn't restricted with social distancing."  He is not obliged to stay 2 arm-lengths away from any of us.  He is right here, and has promised to stay.

It's interesting that in several instances in the Bible, God told people not to fear, and the reason was simply that He was with them.  There's that verse I really like, Isaiah 41:10:  Fear not.  (Why?)  Because I am with you.  Do not be dismayed.  (Why?)  Because I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

When Moses got his assignment to go free the children of Israel from Egypt, he said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"  And God said, "Certainly, I will be with you" indicating that should clearly be enough.
When Moses had experienced God's faithful presence over decades, and was giving his last address to the people of Israel before he died and before they crossed the Jordan River to start taking over the land there from the nations that occupied them, he told them, "Fear not, nor be afraid of them for the Lord your God, it is He who goes with you.  He will not fail you nor forsake you."

To Joshua, who was being installed as the leader in Moses' place, and was no doubt wondering how he would fill such big shoes after Moses died, the Lord spoke directly to Joshua, "As I was with Moses, I will be with you.  I will not abandon you; I will not leave you....Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go."

In Judges 6, we have the story of Gideon.  He received orders from God to free Israel from its enemy, Midian.  He felt entirely inadequate; "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."  God's answer?  "But I will be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one man."

Jacob received a similar assurance:  "Remember, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  For I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you."

In Joseph's remarkable story, even though he was first a slave and then a prisoner, it is said he prospered.  As a slave in Potiphar's household, "the Lord was with Joseph so that he became a prosperous man....His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper."  And then, in prison, "the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison....The Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it to prosper."

God is so matter-of-fact about it.  "Hey, all of you, I am with you.  Why worry and get stressed out?  I am all you need."

So let's keep ourselves reminded that our heavenly Father is with us.  He is our protection, all around us.  His Spirit is even inside us.  Jesus promised He would be with us even to the end of the age.  We have the promise that He will never, never leave us or forsake us.  So be encouraged.  Take heart.  Expect the best.  Smile at Him and thank Him for His faithfulness in being the ever-present One, Jehovah Shammah.  

And fear not, and do not be dismayed!  God is not social-distancing from you!

NO to the Default Setting

We can probably all agree that it can be SO annoying when a device keeps switching back to a default setting after we had it all programmed the way we wanted it.

We as people seem to have a default setting called self-condemnation.  We are so quick to be down on ourselves, to focus on our faults and shortcomings and failures and sins of commission and omission, and then, because of that, come before our God in a cringing, grovelling attitude.  "Oh, God, I am so unworthy!"

We have help from the enemy of our souls, also variously known as Satan, deceiver, liar, father of lies, and accuser.  But sometimes it could seem as though he's trained us enough and can leave us to beat ourselves up without any further help from him.  We are so used to this low opinion of ourselves that it feels normal and right.

In John 14:4,5 we have this exchange:  Jesus says, "Where I am going you know, and the way you know."  Thomas says, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" And I think to myself, "Thomas, that is pretty brash, contradicting the Lord like that!"  But we do it all the time.  What we say when we are bashing ourselves absolutely contradicts what God says about us.  We believe what we  sense with our seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touch, and what we have been taught to believe either by explicit word or by experience.  We tend to "walk by sight and not by faith", the exact reverse of what a believer is called to do.  This is what it means to be carnal or "in the flesh". 

So.  What does God say about us?

Probably at the top of the list is that He calls us righteous.  Romans 10:9,10 "....if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  And 2 Cor. 5:21: "For (God) made Him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  Actually the righteousness of God Himself!  What does it actually mean to be righteous?  It means we can stand in the presence of our holy, pure and perfect God without any sense of guilt, condemnation, fear, or shame.
I've mentioned "justified" in the past.  Think of it as "just-as-if-I'd never sinned."  Can you wrap your head around that?  God looks at you as if you had never ever sinned.  We are probably all familiar with Romans 3:23 which says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  But read it in its context, starting with verse 21:  "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.  For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." It's not through our behaviour that we are justified, but by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
I'll add to the list in a future blog, but right now I want to mention peace.  We're all affected by this covid-19 pandemic, and I know there is a certain degree of fear amongst us.  But how many times are we told, "Do not fear"?  My grandchildren can sing Isaiah 41:10, one of my favourite verses, which says "Fear not...(why?)...for I am with you; be not dismayed...(why?)...for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My (personal) peace I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).  Romans 5:1 tells us "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ."  So if we are told not to fear, if we are not to let our heart be troubled, if Jesus left us His peace, if our justification means we have peace already, let's stop asking God for peace.  Let's believe Him when He says it's already been given to us.  When fear wants to grab you and hold you fast, resist it and declare, "No, I have an awesome, amazing God who is with me and who strengthens me and helps me and holds me up.  Jesus left me His peace.  I will choose to look at Him and His fabulous, lavish love and grace and provision.  I will trust in His grace and power in me."
Eric, my late husband, used to say, "When Jesus came to live in your heart, what part of Him didn't come?"  He is in there in all His power and glory and perfection and grace and holiness.  

Rest in  the fact that He has done it all for you and start to agree that it is so.  Don't sink back to that old default setting of shame, fear and condemnation.

Oh, Magnify the Lord

Here are some verses about God's greatness:
Psalm 145:3-6 "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendour of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness."
Isaiah 40:25,26 "'To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?' says the Holy One.  "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these (stars), Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one is missing." Psalm 91:1 refers to our God as the Most High and the Almighty.
One of His names in Hebrew is El Shaddai, usually translated "Almighty God", meaning in effect "more than enough." He is also Jehovah, the literal meaning of which seems to be "He is", similar to the "I Am", eternal and self-existing. There are compound"Jehovah" names too that show who He is:
Jehovah Shammah = "the Lord is here" or "the ever-present One".
Jehovah Nissi = "the Lord my Banner (of victory)"
Jehovah Jireh = "the Lord my Provider" (Provision has 2 parts:  pro which is before and vision, to see.  He sees the need before we experience it and supplies the answer ahead of time.)
Jehovah Shalom = "the Lord is Peace"
Jehovah Tsidkenu = "the Lord my Righteousness"
Jehovah M'Kaddesh = "the Lord is my Sanctification"
Jehovah Rohi = "the Lord my Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha = "the Lord my Healer"
And there are more. But this is enough to remind us that God is all that we could ever need and more. He is also omniscient (knows everything), omnipresent (is everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful) and infinite (without limits of any kind).

So then, the question came to me when reading Psalm 34:3, "Oh, magnify the Lord with me", how can we possibly magnify Him? How can we make Him bigger than He already is? And the answer has to be this: when we look at something through a magnifying glass, that object doesn't change in size; it's only how it appears to us that changes. When we magnify God, it's just that we focus on Him and who and what He is, and He becomes greater in our view. Meditating on all of His names and attributes will open our eyes and give us a greater revelation of Him.
Let's remind ourselves to praise and thank and glorify Him: Psalm 69:30 "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will MAGNIFY Him with thanksgiving."