Work and Wait

After months of intermittent work, Dustin and Emily have a new dinner table.  I asked about it a few weeks ago, and Emily said it wasn’t quite ready.  Ready – complete, finished; Jesus’ earthly brother, James, wrote about this in his epistle to Jewish Christians scattered outside Palestine:  “[But] let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4).  Like hard work and patience produced the table, steadfast endurance produces a work in us that is both pleasing to God and pleasant evidence.  A godly work in us allows for no carelessness; there will be times of sanding and re-sanding the rough spots – that’s where letting or patiently enduring while God works His best in us.  Like the beautiful table, the finished product is a magnificent work and wonder in the Believer’s life.  His glory revealed in us is always well worth the work and the wait!

Be Little

Chicken Little wasn't exactly happy with his "little" self.  Most people I know who are little (as in short) would not choose that height.  I am 5'8" and have never considered myself short nor especially tall, however, I find myself struggling to reach things shoved to the depths of my kitchen cabinets. It is, therefore, an especially happy time for me God has blessed me with guys-of-height.  G. Tersteegen wrote "how lovely it is to be nothing when God is all."  Most of us behave much too big for our britches, a particular bigness I heard about as a child.  Taking that attitude with my Granny was risky business and certain trouble with God. Getting taken down a notch or two by Granny's switch was also mild compared to God's lessons in humility.  Those lessons are necessary when we become wrapped up in me-myself-and-I and lose all usefulness to God -- quite a contrast to the humble example of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 14:5 says, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." There are sweet blessings in littleness no matter what Chicken Little thinks.  Oh! Just ... be little!

Cliff Dweller

Driving Mr. Bill’s truck, in contrast to my car, is quite different: the higher ride gives a sense of safety – a “king of the road” feeling.  God had choice words for the Edomites – descendants of Esau – who opposed Israel and fortified themselves in the mountainous regions surrounding the Dead Sea: “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.”  The heights and clefts of their dwellings gave the Edomites a false and foolish sense of security.  Are we not also given to an Edomite way of thinking?  In arrogant self-pride, we live apart from the decrees of God. Perhaps one of the most notoriously foolish is we can live righteously without study and prayer (of course) but also neglect worship and fellowship inside the Body of Christ (His Church).  We must not see God’s words, “I will bring you down,” as a warning; oh, no! Those words clearly state what happens to those who foolishly think-and-live as the Edomites.  “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31).  Are you living the life of a cliff dweller, with a false sense of peace?  There’s no cleft so high or so secure as Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Make sure He is The Cleft in which you live.

 

Life-Map

We have a GPS and to be most effective, because of changes in the roads and highways, it needs periodic updates.  People of ancient days understood the law as their divine  instruction or direction. Of the righteous – those who love and fear God – the psalmist wrote “in the law of the LORD, he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2).  What a joyful guide the Word of God is!  It serves as the unerring compass to order our lives as well as lead us into a strong bond of trust with the One God – Elohim, Mighty Creator.  The Bible is God’s holy word, without error, and gives Believers true guide in and for every area of life.  Our GPS came with free “maps for life,” which means we can get online update at no additional cost. God has perfectly and completely spoken through His Word and His Son, Jesus Christ: no updates.  They [Christ and His Word] are Believers’ life-map.  Amen and amen!

Heavenly Feast

There is an individual who seems to rule too much of my sayings, doings, and beings: that person is … me.  Feeding on me is a pretty slim diet leading to spiritual famine.  Scripture says, “And He rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.” (Psalm 78:24).  The Hebrews called it manna “like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31).  Consider for a moment: the nutrition in bread from heaven. Feeding upon Jesus in this life is imperfect at best but, oh, the feast to come in Heaven! Here, “’tis but a taste,” but there we will know just how good and gracious He is.  It’s now been three months since Mom left us, but she now knows the fullness of life as I cannot yet know. This one truth alone chases away a great sadness that threatens when I think of her.  This is what God is teaching me: stop the steady diet of self – feed instead on Christ and His riches. What shame when Christians starve ourselves from lack of the true Bread!  “This is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of It and not die.” (John 6:50).  The heavenly diet is both plenteous and satisfying, fulfilling all needs of soul and spirit.  Don’t starve yourself; submit to a continual feast on Him. I’m comforted and overjoyed Mom is doing just that!

No Fleas

Have you ever heard this; “hang with the dogs and you’ll get fleas”?  It was a saying I’ve heard most of my life from those much older and wiser than me.  Well, there’s truth in the statement.  When the psalmist wrote “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers,” he may have had dogs and fleas in mind.  The wicked, sinners, and scoffers  refer to those people Believers should avoid. These are also listed according to a particularly downward sequence. The wicked embrace all kinds and degrees of untruths; the sinners have literally left the Lord’s path for a destructive way; and, finally, the scoffers have set themselves as wiser than God and openly mock Him.  Of course, not one of us can completely avoid the ungodly – and that’s not what Scripture teaches, Jesus didn’t – but we certainly must be careful who we run with making sure we give no opportunity for Satan in our lives.  The blessed man delights “in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2).  It’s the only way to avoid fleas!

Ascend

“Take a seat” – “Have a seat” – “Please be seated” – however you say it … just sit down.  Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the way of scoffers.”  Notice the downward progression from God: walks, stands, sits.  It’s a description of the person who first walks in the way of sinfulness – listens to, even accepts, bad advice, principles which are contrary to Scripture; the next move in the succession is standing with evil doers – passively led away from Godly truths; then finally, he become fixed in the wrong beliefs and ways – settles in comfortably in God-less living.  Bottom line – no real happiness or lasting peace is promised.  Perhaps today, in your life, you are walking, standing or even sitting in ways that are leading to destruction.  Stop! Look! Listen! to “thus says the LORD” and begin today the ascent to true blessedness!

Live Blessed

Words matter.  Even punctuation matters: add an exclamation mark at the end to intensify the word or sentence. Words matter!  Psalm 1 begins with “Blessed is the man …”  The word “blessed” means happy.  The writer actually used the plural form to stress, exclaim his thought.  This phrase has even been interpreted, “Oh, the happiness of.”  This deep emotional expression leads the reader to want to know – must know – what can bring one such magnificent joy.  Verses 1-3 render it is the righteous who are who are blessed in such a way.   God laid out His plan for man to experience His kingdom beauty when He said, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44).  Only those who live unto righteousness will experience genuine lasting blessedness.  Be holy and live blessed!

Delightful Harvest

Think how beautiful our yards would be if instead of dandelions it were daffodils that grew volunteer?  I know of at least one yard guy who would be happy!  The psalmist wrote, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  And to exactly what manner of person is the writer referring?  It is the one who delights in and meditates on God’s precepts (Verse 2).  You see, Godliness isn’t volunteer  – like the free-yielding dandelion or daffodil,  Godliness must be planted – a conscious effort, a spiritual discipline of reading and studying and meditating on God’s Word.  The Holy Spirit – the third Person of the Godhead – then gives wisdom and understanding, bringing a delightful harvest to the Believer. Are you anticipating a volunteer spiritual crop or are you consciously planting seeds of delight? The latter promises a delightful harvest.

The Way of Life

How absurd is it to even think of sitting down in center of a busy highway!  Nonetheless, that is exactly what many people do – by choice – in their spiritual lives.  Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  That Hebrew word “right” means pleasing.  Now, what part of pleasing fits that seat in a busy highway?  To anyone otherwise coherent, the Way of Life – as given in God’s Word – is the spiritual choice.  Oh, if it were so!  “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:1). Though there are countless others, these three verses alone state the great principle of acknowledging, honoring, and obeying God alone – giving credence to none other!  The highway of life is busy and its traffic deadly: if Christ be honored, we will not embrace another other than  the One God – Jehovah, His Son – Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen and amen - so be it, Lord!

Un-Feathered

Few of us remember being potty-trained, but I’m sure all of us are glad we are! From a toddler’s point of view, the experience must truly be puzzling.  Perhaps it’s a grace not being able to recall these memories!

 

In every Believer’s life, there should be a harvest of righteousness.  Imagine if your parents had “skipped” the potty-training time of your life! In her book Soaring on High, Mary Whelchel describes how Mama eagle pulls downy fur from her own breast to prepare a soft, warm and cozy nest for her baby eaglets.  Then … “When a baby eagle is about three months old, and about 80 percent of its full-grown size, Mama and Papa start behaving very strangely.  Mama stomps into the nest, squawking and throwing all the soft fur and feathers out and sweeping the nest with her great wings. With all the softness gone, the nest becomes uncomfortable, with scratchy sticks and branches coming from every

direction.  No longer is it a cushiony place for baby eagle to lie around and relax.”  Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” (Galatians 3:4).  In contrast to the culture in which we live where we are programmed for instant gratification, there are God-ordained benefits when we accept suffering as part of life.  We endure difficult circumstances, looking ahead, wasting none of the hardship.  The baby eagle has no capacity to look forward to the good as Mama eagle takes away the comforts – neither does a toddler-in-training.  Believers, however, have the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to trust The Father and live in the mind of Christ, seeing

beyond present troubles.  Life may seem “unfeathered” at times, but trust this: God never wastes an opportunity for your good and His glory.

God's Churning

Before churns, freezers, or store bought cartons, my grandfather made ice cream in metal ice trays: frozen milk, sugar and vanilla was all it took to end the day on a happy note!  God is ever churning us into His work of art.  It's the mix and churn of blessings and trials, joys and sorrows that bring about deep spiritual beauty – a delicacy of divine character.  We seem to feel better when we scream, kick, pout, and whine; that is, until it's over and we realize it accomplished nothing. All the emotional drama only hindered God’s work in us!  Truth is, God wants only one thing: "My son, give me thine heart ... " (Psalm 23:26).  Deep spiritual beauty results when we surrender to God’s work by His recipe!  Dear Lord, humble me to the point of submission, and do Your Best Work – recreate Yourself in me. 

The Call

When someone calls your name, there are three possible responses: ignore the call, answer the call, move toward the call.  Romans 1:7 says we are “loved by God and called to be saints.”  From this verse, we know just how deeply God loves us – by His calling Christians to Himself.  The term “saint” refers to all Christians!  We are effectually called; called to what?  Called to God Himself and to be His “holy ones.”  God has called all His saved ones to holiness – none are exempt!  Holy isn’t a scary thing: it’s honorable.  Holy isn’t a casual thing: it is intentional.  Holy isn’t an easy thing: it’s a discipline. Holy isn’t an unlikely thing: it is promised.  The call is as real and certain as is the answer: it has been made to a particular audience – God’s saints; the call has been made for a specific end – to be holy.  Christian friend, what’s your answer?

Old Corn

When we returned from vacation, the catalpa tree was stripped bare – like dead-of-the-winter bare!  No doubt, the catalpa worms had a feast!  Egypt’s Pharaoh had a dream: “… he was standing by the Nile, and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows.” (Genesis 4:1-4). As odd as this illustration may seem, this is exactly what happens when we retreat from Bible study and prayer. Spurgeon refers to it as “fits of worldliness.”  When we aren’t moving forward or reaching toward godliness through prayer and study, we are actually backing up or losing ground.  Such is our human [fleshly] nature!  If we’re not careful, Pharaoh’s dream will become our own reality!  Of course, it’s good to take a rest from the routine of obligations, but it’s never good nor acceptable to take a break from the godly disciplines of study and prayer.  It is wise to pray, Help me, Lord, to never lose all the spirituality I have attained, but rather draw fresh supplies from heaven – the old corn in my granary never consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. (Spurgeon).