Thanksgiving (Psalm 50:4)

What is giving to God? Think about it, you cannot give anything to him because he already owns everything.  Giving isn’t a yielding, because he can take it anytime that he wants.  So what is giving to God.

Giving stems from a desire and that desire should be to express how you feel towards someone.  When we give to God, we express how we feel towards him.  The Psalmist writes that the emotion behind his giving is thankfulness.

Offer unto God thanksgiving... ( Psalm 50:14)

A thankful heart is what God wants. Gifts to God result from thankfulness. These gifts aren’t given out of coercion, responsibility or even guilt.  They come from hearts that recognize what God has done for them and are mere expressions of that thankfulness.

As I look back, I can see many occasions when my gift to God was nothing more than the relinquishing of my possessions to him.  I guess I’ll see those items as wood, hay and stubble at the bema seat, but there were many times when along with the possession, I gave to God a heart overflowing with thankfulness.

To correct my errors, I have decided to check my heart before each offering to God and make sure that I am expressing gratitude instead of obedience or any other attitude. Secondly, I will guard my heart for complaining and instead ask God to help me recognize his plan so that I can be yielded and thankful for his sovereignty and provision.

Half Hearted (1 Chronicles 13:8)

Half hearted.  Have you ever faced life that way?  If not, you most definitely have met or worked with individuals that have.  Their demeanor grates against your zeal and struggles to pull you down to their level of complacency.  Half heartedness results from being motivated for something else other than the task at hand.  Before we become too judgmental, we must recognize that we all have this tendency.  What is your work progress like on Friday afternoon just before your two week vacation?  How about just before the Christmas holidays?  If you are like most, your work rate drops drastically because your mind and heart are focused elsewhere.

However there are other times when we have a great zeal for what we are doing and we do work tasks with diligence.  On these occasions, our focus is either on the work, the goal of the work, or a person for whom the work is to be completed.  Expressions such as "he's doing it with all his might" or "he's putting his heart into it" are used to describe such diligence.  

When we are diligent for God, it pleases him.  David, a man after God's own heart, had such a characteristic.  Although a tragedy soon followed after this passage, it does not negate the fact that David served God with all of his heart.

And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. (1 Chronicles 13:8)

God wants us to serve him with all of our might.  This service is not limited to actions in the church or for ministry.  God wants us to serve him in everything that we do.  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31). Whatever the task, God wants us to put our hearts into it.  He wants us to do all of our work as unto him.  Will it still be difficult to work just before that vacation?  Of course it will, but we should battle to achieve our best for God who gives us nothing less than what is best for us.

Whom Should I Obey (Mark 14:6)

The woman with the alabaster box loved Jesus and wanted to present to him some gift or service to show her love and appreciation.  While unknowingly anointing Jesus for his burial, others stood in opposition.  They had a better idea and plan for how her money and service could have been rendered.

It is important for us to remember that our walk with The Lord is personal and one of devotion.  When The Lord presses upon your heart to do something for him, it is because he desires it.  Others do not know what your walk with The Lord is like and exactly what expectations he has for you.  Therefore, they are unable to determine if you are correctly following The Lord or not.  

And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. (Mark 14:6)

If your act of devotion is not contrary to clearly stated doctrine, do what The Lord has led you to do.  You would be better to obey God than man.  In this day, many have abused their position in the church and have adopted a view that they have the mind of God and can determine exactly what you can say and do and in fact how you should live your life down to the smallest details.  

God does not want us to live a life of fear and bondage, but to enjoy life with him. (Romans 8:15) We should obey those that have the rule over us and to follow their example of faith, but not to the point of failing to follow God.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566

To view other posts or to receive this blog by email, sign up at     drafusco.wordpress.com

Love Your Life - Hate Your Life (John 12:25-26)

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.  (John 12:25-26)

At some point in the believer's life, he comes to this passage and assesses himself by trying to determine if he loves or hates his life.  Many may conclude that those who hate their lives can only accomplish this by denying themselves of any desires and live lives of abasement and self denial.  Although this view may seem accurate, it is similar to living life much like the Pharisees did.  In their own eyes, these individuals never seem to reach the satisfactory level of hating their own lives.  They constantly seek for and add new regulatory guidelines for living the "hated" or "denied" life.

Thankfully, The Lord has made a life that pleases him much more easily attained and enjoyable.  Jesus simply defines the life he desires by saying, "Let him follow me."  So before breaking out your spiritual scourging instrument and beating yourself into subjection and self denial, ask yourself, "Do I want to walk with Jesus today and am I willing to follow him where he leads me?"  If your answer is yes, God is pleased.  If your answer is no, he wants you to know that you will not gain what you seek and will lose whatever joy you already have.  

It is understood that there will be people who are deceived in their hearts about their answers, but God is able to deal with their deception by bringing needed truth to their hearts.  Until he does, our efforts of setting them straight will be of no avail.  If your life is like most Christians, you may vacillate in your position as you live throughout the day.  If you find yourself walking away from The Lord and seeking your own will, desires or gain, confess your fault to The Lord, believe he has forgiven you and begin following him from that point on.  

Jesus came to give us life that is more abundant and free.  When you are following him, you will experience the joy that comes with it.  If you are not experiencing his joy, something is drastically wrong.  I am not saying that circumstances in life that may result from following him will always be easy or pleasant, but you should be experiencing the joy of The Lord and the sweetness of his presence.

Family Head (Ephesians 5:23)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.  (Ephesians 5:23)

Christ as the head of the body is the savior of the body. The reference to savior in this passage is not the salvation of the soul, but the saving of the body or the church.  This savior is the deliverer or preserver of the body.  A closer look at this verse reveals that the husband as head of the home is the savior or preserver of the home.  As husbands and fathers, we are to nurture, love and protect those in our home.

Husbands can accomplish this by providing emotional security to their family members as they accept them for who and what they are and not strive to push them into being anything different than what God has planned for them.  Love is a decision and action and should be displayed by men as they place their family member's needs above their own and meet those needs through verbal expression and quality interaction.  As leaders of the home, husbands are to protect their family from destructive people, attitudes and influences.  All of these are the actions of the head of the family, which is the savior.  There is never a time that the leadership of the family should be passed over to another.

Therefore as you face life, it is imperative that your recognize your responsibility and influence as the family head.  Their protection and deliverance depends on you.

Gaining Understanding (Proverbs 2:9)

I don't understand why God has allowed this to happen.  It does not make any sense.  It's useless.  Have you heard these terms before?  Have you said these or similar words?  One of my favorite songs that we sang in the nursing home ministry back in the early 80's was Someday, He'll Make It Plain To Me.  There are some situations in life that we will not be able to understand until we get to the other side in glory, but there are many times that we will be able to make sense of events that do not seem to make sense.  How we can gain this ability is found in Proverbs chapter two.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 

(Proverbs 2:9)

There is a blessing to be received for memorizing scripture, but as with all spiritual blessings it is dependent on the condition of the heart and not the action performed.  When I was the principal of a Christian school, we had children memorize a portion of scripture each month.  It was a mandatory obligation for which many waited until the end of the month to achieve.  For those who did the task out of obligation, I believe that they received little or no benefit from the task because Proverbs 2:1-2 indicates that those receiving and hiding the word of God as a treasure are doing so in the hope of gaining wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  Scripture memory out for obligation purposes falls short of this.

God later promises to those, whose hearts are crying out or seeking him as a hid treasure, that they will gain and find what they seek and also gain protection from God.  It is after this that God shares that the result of receiving God's word as a treasure will bring an understanding of every good path.  From this we can be confident that if there is a way to know and understand God's ways, it is through hiding God's word in the heart of a person truly seeking him.

Pride Versus Hope (Psalm 131)

The enemy of hope is pride.  It is a proud heart that raises itself up in trying to deal with matters too lofty for itself.  It is a proud heart that refuses to adjust its behavior to what The Lord wants.  As a dependent child submits himself to his nurturing mother, a prideful heart will not stand in awe before God and submit itself to him and his plan.  A prideful heart cannot and will not wait on The Lord.

Trouble waiting on the Lord reveals a prideful heart that wants to take over.  As anxiety builds, so is pride.  A person resists submitting to God because they have already submitted to their own pride.

Pride still comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).  Pride is not confined to the act of looking down at others.  It is the attitude that people have after their hearts have been deceived into thinking that they can handle matters greater than their ability.  Whether it be sin, raising children, managing finances, work, or any other area of life makes no difference.  Pride moves man into the driver's seat of his life and as long as he remains there, he will not experience hope.

Man does not need to do anything to get hope.  He simply needs to remove himself and his prideful heart from the plan.  When he does, The Lord takes over and with him comes hope.

Focusing On The Outside Of The Cup (Galatians 6:15) #legalist

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.  Galatians 6:15

Before the Book of Galatians, there was never a mention concerning emphasizing the law as a continuation of becoming holy before God.  From Paul's writing, we have developed a term for those who stress the law.  We now refer to them as legalists.  Legalist existed before Paul identified them.  However just because Paul only addressed legalism in regards to keeping the law for salvation does not mean that it only refers to just salvation.  A legalist is any person who stresses the keeping of the law as a means of appearing righteous before God whether it is as an attempt to attain salvation or to be recognized as living holy.  In other words, they are considering themselves as holy because they keep to a certain standard of living based on a list of outward appearing rules of conduct, dress or appearance.

However God's measure is completely different.  He does not tells us to focus on the outside but instead to focus on the inside.  God tells us that it is not circumcision or uncircumcision that avails, but instead the new man.  In the previous chapter, Paul contrasts two aspects of man: the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.  He is contrasting the natural man to the new creature in Christ.  Both have characteristics which are evident, but before they can be seen on the outside, they were first present on the inside.  

People look sickly on the outside because they are first sick within.  Just because a person dresses up like a doctor does not make them a doctor.  For in order to be a doctor, he must first have the knowledge within.  I lost track of how many times people approached me in stores for assistance only because I was wearing a tie and looked like an employee.  Doctors should look like doctors and store clerks should look their role.  There is no difference with Christians.  They should look like Christians and the evidence or outward adorning is the new creature or the fruit of the Spirit.  

Should we then cast off righteous living in the name of liberty or being free?  God forbid.  There are still countless guidelines for us to follow and apply to our lives: forgiveness, enduring trials, exercising mercy and compassion and the refraining from the works of the flesh.  If we do, it will be true Christianity because we will be yielding ourselves as instruments of righteousness to God and not to sin (Romans 6:12-13).  Legalist in both its forms are still focusing on the inside of the cup instead of the outside (Matthew 23:25-26).

Waiting For The Hope Of Righteousness

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith (Galatians 5:5).

The Christian life involves many aspects of time.  One aspect of faith directed towards Christ focuses on work completed by him in the very distant past.  What he accomplished by dying on the cross may have occurred many years ago, but it is crucial to the Christian life today.  It is the foundation upon which all other truth resides (Romans 15:20; 1Corinthians 3:11). Another aspect of faith focuses on the work of Christ in the present.  He is our guide, deliverer, strength and source of joy.  The future focus of faith is directed at our position in Christ.  Paul speaks of waiting for the hope of righteousness.  At this current time, we battle the guilt of our past, our present failures and the thought of future expectations.  There is nothing in the present that can strengthen our future hope and position in Christ.  It has already been established.  We must maintain this hope by faith because we are in Christ.

Legalism takes root in people who have difficulty waiting for the hope of righteousness by faith and want to experience the security or rather the false security of it now.  They look for the evidence of their position of righteousness.  However, they will never find it.  Paul states in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing."  They create long lists of "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots" in oder to determine weather they are a good Christian, but in the end they continue to fall short.  Their life becomes the antithesis of Romans 1:17 ever trying to justify themselves before men by their works.  In the area of measuring up spiritually, they are still walking by sight.

To break free from this bondage is a difficult matter, but it is possible.  In order for the victory of freedom to occur you must do the following: do not make spiritual decisions based on fear, because God is not the author of fear (2 Timothy 1:7); remove the influences from your life that are delivering you the wrong message which is legalism (Romans 16:17-18); and do not interpret what is believed to be what the Bible is saying: only accept what the Bible says (2 Peter 1:20).

These few steps are really gigantic leaps.  Few will recognize them.  Of those that do, many will repeated fall.  However because Christ wants you to be free, he will pick you up and lead you to try again and again until you experience the victory that is in him.

Be Free - Live Free (Galatians 4:9)

Not long ago when you were lost, you were bound in your sin.  Your sin nature controlled you just as a bound prisoner is controlled by his captors.  You did not decide to sin, sin decided for you and you did as it pleased.  As you continued in this state, your heart became heavy and burdensome.  You longed for relief from hurt and for something better.  You did not know what it was, but innately you longed for it anyway.  Then God began to bring truth to you.  For moments of time, your blinded eyes were open and you began to see a hope for your state of bondage.  Then on that most memorable day, the truth removed the callousness of your heart and the scales from your eyes to the blinding beautiful light of the gospel and you became free.  For the first time, you could live without succumbing to the dictates of your sin nature.  You began to enjoy life in a way previously unimaginable and it all came about with your liberty in Christ.

The Galatians experienced the same thing, but instead of continually enjoying the liberty that they had in Christ, they allowed themselves to be brought again into bondage.  They again embraced the law as a manner of completing them spiritually.  How did this happen and why were they able to be led away from truth?

One key from scripture that reveals why people allow themselves to be brought again into bondage is fear (Gal. 2:12).  Even Peter himself because of fear gave in and placed himself under the law.  Fear of rejection, fear of failure and fear of being in error can all be motivators.  People who before salvation lived under some of these types of the afore mentioned fears are likely candidates for submitting to bondage.  Another cause for bondage to occur is because a leader attempts to promote himself among those he seeks to lead into bondage or to promote himself among his own peers (Gal. 4:17).  

Have you placed yourself back into bondage?  Ask yourself, "What am I doing to make myself justified before God or man?  What rigid code am I following to make me appear just or justified before my peers?"  You may believe in eternal security and may resist law keeping in order to attain salvation, but by what standard do you measure your spirituality or by what standard do you allow others to measure you?  If it is by anything other than recognizing the fruit of the spirit in your life (Gal. 5:22-23) you are in bondage.  The fruit of the Holy Spirit will reveal God's holiness in your life.  Paul condemns using liberty as an occasion for the flesh, but does promote godly living. 

You can live free from the bondage of sin and God wants to assure that you never again come into bondage either to sin or any other entity.  Decide today to be free and live free.

Loving People Back (Galatians 4:16)

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Gal. 4:16

As believers struggled through life battling the flesh, they sometimes fall privy to the attacks of the enemy.  They may become misled in doctrine by wrongful influences or are overcome by hurt, fear, anxiety or sorrow.  At these times, God will work to bring them back to himself.  If they are reading the scriptures, he will speak to them through his word.  However many times those who have fallen to the enemies' attacks fail to seek his face.  They continue to be overcome and misled by the influences upon their hearts.  It is then that The Lord begins to use people to bring them back to himself.  He does this because in the midst of all the voices of influence upon the heart, an audible voice sounds more clearly as a trumpet sounding in the midst of the confusion of battle.  The audible voice God uses may be a friend, spouse, pastor or parent.

In this same manner, Paul reaches out to the Galatians who are living in error.  You would think that his apostleship alone should be enough to lead them back, but it could not.  If a person is deceived to the point of resisting God, they can just as easily resist the earthly voice.  You also would think that Paul reminding them of doctrinal teachings should turn them from error, but again it alone is not enough.  The greatest influence Paul has to turn the Galatians back to God is the love relationship that they have between each other.  He reminds them of their love for him and presses upon them his love and concern for them.  He is not attacking them so as to overcome and bring them back: he is trying to love them back.

Are there people that you know who are away from God?  There are enough people in the world trying to push, shame, badger or punish them in order to get them to get right with God.  Why don't you decide to be one of the few who will try to love them back.  Your love will make the message of your voice be heard clearly and more apt to be received.

But speaking the truth in love... Ephesians 4:15

 

Hope For The Next Generation (Psalm 78:7)

Psalm 78:7  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 

God wants his people to walk in hope.  Living by hope is done when a person expects by faith that The Lord will perform a task, provide what is needed or manifest his presence in their life.  It is not the "holding on by faith" or "hoping" God will do something.  It is living in expectancy.  Just like when you deposit coins into a soda machine and expect to get something out or flip the switch for a lamp and expect the room to be filled with light.  So, when the believer expects God to do as he stated, he is living in hope.  Depressed people do not live in hope. Anxious people failed to live in hope as well as the fearful, envious and frustrated.  Living in hope is the spiritual condition that is the result of fellowshipping with the person who will be providing what is needed or desired.  For the most part, all who are reading this lived in hope for much of their childhood.  You lived expecting meals on the table, clothes that fit and for the electric always to be on.  You expected this without a thought.  You expected your father to provide all of this simply because that is what fathers do.  But had you known all of the financial trials that your parents endured, you would have lived in worry and fear, which are contrary to hope.  We fail to experience spiritual hope because we live in the light of our circumstances. God desires for us to live with him as our father in the same manner as we did with our earthly father. 

As parents, we have the responsibility to lead our children.  One of the ways this is accomplished is by sharing the hope experiences from your life with your children.  Many years ago, I worked for a ministry that experience financial peril.  Christmas time was approaching, and I wasn't getting enough money to make budget let alone the added expense for gift giving.  I prayed believing and shared it with my children.  As The Lord touched people's hearts, money began to flow to my family. With each envelope or card, I showed my children what God had done and was training them how to live in hope.  Another precursor to a life of hope is took keep out the destroyer of hope, which is sin.  The fathers were instructed to teach their children the law so they may teach their children and not forget their God.

In order for the next generation to live in hope, you first must experience it.

Wrath Of Man Shall Praise Thee (Psalm 76:10)

Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.  Psalm 76:10

At first glance, this appears to be a puzzling portion of scripture.  How does man's wrath praise God?  Is not the wrath of man his sinful way of acting out his will upon others?  When reading this passage another portion of scripture comes to mind.  James 1:20 says, "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."  It appears that when man is in his wrathfully state, he is not working God's righteousness.  Again, so how does the wrath of man praise God?

There is a difference between working righteousness and bringing praise.  James instructed us that when we are in the flesh and responding to life's problems with wrath, we will never be acting as a part of God's righteous plan.  However on the day of judgment, every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  The lips of the wicked being judged will bring praises to him even though there is no righteousness within them.  

Although there may be a prerequisite to work God's righteous, the wrath of man can still bring praises to God.  Throughout the ages, God has used both good and evil to bring glory to himself.  Probably the best sample of this would be the life of Joseph.  His brothers, who despised and attempted to kill him, found that although they meant it for evil, God meant it for good.  Joseph was also wronged by others, but God in his sovereignty worked his divine plan and through it gained much glory.

The wicked of this Earth may treat you with wrath.  Remember, God will use their wrath and the situations or opportunity that they create to fulfill his plan and bring him praise.  He is not allowing man to just randomly and free hurt you.  We know this because he promises to restrain all wrath that has no purpose in his plan for you or his kingdom.

Remember, God is in control.  Nothing can happen to you without him allowing it and you must recognize that for everything that he allows, it is designed as part of his plan for us and to bring him glory.

Peace (Psalm 76:2-3)

Psalm 76:2-3  In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.  There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah

Salem, a word that means peaceful is another name for Jerusalem.  As described, this place is a place of peace and where God dwells.  But how did it become a place of peace?  God, who is omnipresent, dwells in all the Earth, but not all the Earth has peace.

In other passages of scripture, peace has the meaning of setting at one again.  Much like when a person breaks their arm or leg and has the doctor reset it.  Only after the resetting of the bone came proper healing take place.  When trials come our way, our lives become in disarray or out of order.  It is at these times that The Lord moves and his actions set our hearts at one again.  Sometimes the resetting is done through promises from his word or his manifested presence as we seek him in prayer.  There are also times when he finally moves and brakes the armaments of the enemy.  Praise The Lord!

Salem was a place of peace because of what God did.  You also can dwell in peace and even before the actual deliverance comes.  Continue to seek his face and he will set your heart at one again.

When The Flesh And Heart Fail (Psalm 73:26)

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalm 73:26

Life is more than we can handle and the troubles greater than we can bear.  God promises to give strength for trials so that we may abound and triumph in victory.  However there seems to be extended periods of time in the trial that believers seem to struggle without power.  Why does this occur and how can power be obtained from God?  Is there a prerequisite to meet?

God's measure of providing power is never based on merit or by measuring up to a standard.  In fact, his method is the complete opposite.  As Paul stated in Romans 7, there is a battle that takes place inside of every believer.  The battle is to cease from naturally doing wrong and fight to do what is right.  During trials, we have that same battle.  However the wrong that we may do may not appear to be so evident.  We usually look for the blatant "thou shalt nots" that are evident, but sins such as pride or self reliance are just as wicked.

According to Psalm 73:26, the Psalmist recognizes God's strength when his flesh and heart or his physical strength and will fail him.  What God expects from us during trials is to cease from evil.  The evil that he wants us to cease committing is being wise in our own eyes and trying to figure out our own way of deliverance.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

When we cease trying to deliver ourselves, he gives us strength.  This does not mean that the trial will come to an end, but that the strength we need will be present.

Practical Righteousness (Genesis 15:16)

One of my favorite portions of scripture is the account of Abraham receiving a promise from God and believing it.  Many years ago when I struggled to settle the doctrinal issue of eternal security, this portion of scripture was key because when Abraham believed God, it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6).  What is important to see is that this took place hundreds of years before the law was given.  Abraham's righteousness was positional.  In other words, it represented how God saw him from the relationship perspective.  Because of his belief, he was acceptable.  As we know, there were future events that would take place when Abraham would not live according to God's will.  The actions of taking Hagar for child bearing purposes, going into Egypt for refuge and lying about Sarah as his wife for self preservation were all sinful acts.  These actions were unrighteous.  Positionally, Abraham was acceptable to God and righteous, but practically, his actions were unrighteous.

Today, believers in Christ are acceptable to God because they believe the work and promise of God's son.  Because of this, we are in Christ.  Daily we battle the world, the flesh and the devil and on more occasions than we desire or like to admit, fall to their temptations.  We commit sinful acts and we as Abraham become unrighteous at the practical level.  We are still acceptable to God because we are his children, but our lifestyle at times is not pleasing to him.

As we go through trials, we must remember that before us is a great opportunity to demonstrate practical righteous living before God.  It is quite simple and we fail to recognize it.  Because we focus so much on the do's and don'ts of the Christian life, we fail to focus on our hearts.

To be counted with practical righteous in the mist of a trial, you must be like Abraham and believe God's promise and it will be counted to you as righteous living.  You can do this.  There are no lessons to learn, courses to study or prerequisites to attain.  All you need to do today is live believing God will be God.  He will work his will and he is closely attentive to your needs.  His actions will be in love and will always be what is best for you.  When you do, you will at the practical level demonstrate righteousness before God.

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.   (Psalm 5:10-11)

A Purpose For Trials (Philippians 3:10) #trials

Trials, why do we have them?  Each of us has heard countless messages on this topic and we are always attentive to the help they bring because it seems that we almost continually live our lives in the midst of trials.  However, it seems that a common theme for all of the messages is that the trial is intended to develop or strengthen our faith.  This is true, but trials are not only intended to develop our faith.  Sometimes trials are intended to make our lives an example to the lost.  God may allow a trial so that the lost may see the grace of God evident in our lives.  Another purpose is so that we may be equipped to help others through their trials (2 Cor. 1).  However, a purpose that is most often overlooked is for knowing or understanding Jesus.

Have you ever been in a trial or are you currently in one now where you believe that you cannot take another step or you cannot go another day?  It is in this time that God wants you to learn of his dear son.  Jesus too was at a point in his life where he physically could not take another step, yet he continued to take unobtainable steps to the cross.  His trembling legs and body racked with pain screamed, "You cannot go any farther!"  Yet he did.  As you are weary, think of him and his love for us and the Father that strengthened his steps.  During this time, God wants you to learn about his son by experiencing what he experienced.  

Has your trial hurt you deeply?  Is your heart aching with no relief in sight?  Have you been to the point where your insides draw up into a knot, your bowels stab with pain or you become sick with sorrow?  Jesus has.  It began in the garden and was multiplied as he hung alone on the cross.  He could have stopped it all and been right for doing so.  As God, he could have done as he pleased, but what pleased him most was you, me and his father.  As you ache, begin to understand Jesus.  It is one of the purposes for the trial.  It seems that this is explained best in Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings...  

Many, at these points in their trials, have given up.  Because of their struggle to go further or their perceived inability to deal with the pain of the trial, they quit.  They quit on God and miss out on knowing him and understanding the true depth of his love. 

Tender Mercy (Psalm 69:16)

Some time ago while working at a mental health facility for intellectually challenged children, a young  boy posed a physical threat of harm to himself.  After various attempts to de- escalate him, I needed to engage in a physical restraint.  Between his youth and agility and my age and being slightly over weight, it was only a matter of minutes before I became exhausted from the confrontation.  This best describes what takes place when I engage in spiritual conflicts.

Spiritual conflicts are beyond my strength.  As stated by the psalmist, when conflicts come, my soul is overflowing and my feet are unable to stand (Psalm 69:1-3).  What I need the most at these times is God's deliverance.  Praise God that I can count on his help and aid to come.  I am assured of this  because it is based on his tender mercy.  The word used for tender mercy was in other places translated as the word "womb".  From this I can see that as a mother cares for the baby in her womb so in like manner God cares for me.  As a mother's heart pangs or her bowls are stirred for her baby, so God is stirred for me.  This emotional attachment is based on God and his attributes and not my performance.  Therefore, I can be assured that he hears me and will deliver in his due time.

When facing trials it is most important that you remember that the Christian life is not a matter of performance, but a relationship.  The relationship is one of fellowshipping with God and should not be mistaken as a role of service.  Serving God will be a quality of a Christian, but it is the result of the relationship and should never be the substitute of one.

Plucked Out (Galatians 1:4)

I love to garden.  Each year I grow more tomato plants than my family could possibly need.  In order to have the over flow of fruit, the garden needs to be weeded regularly.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a hoe and to dig the weeds up from the ground.  Instead of gathering them, they can be left on top of the dirt to be dried out by the sun.  However, there have been times that before they were dried up, the weeds took root again.  

This is much the same with the Christian life.  When Jesus gave himself for us, he did so that he may deliver us from this present evil world.  The word used for deliver can also be translated "to tear out" or "to pluck".  Before trusting Christ, we were in the world and the world was in us.  The world or better yet, the world system was rooted in us and we were rooted in the system.  But thanks be to God, Jesus came so that he may deliver us from the power of sin and the hurt associated with it.  To accomplish this, he plucked us out by the roots.  However, he left us here as a testimony for him and to know him better.  

While here, we must remain close to him by abiding in him and his word.  This is much more than going through the act of reading and praying, but instead to be involved in worship and fellowship with God.  If we fail, our hearts, as the weeds in my garden, will again begin to take root in the world.  Without the sweetness of fellowshipping with him, our hearts will long for the former things.  We will be tempted to look back and as many have in the past, go back.

Stay close to the Savior.  Don't allow your walk with him to become routine.  Share with a friend what you gain in devotions and allow them to do the same.  As iron sharpens iron, your fellowship can sharpen each other for Christ (Prov. 27:17).  Jesus is the best thing in your life, don't mss out on what he has to offer you.

I Abhor Myself (Job 42:6). #trial #submission

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.  Job 42:6

One day you will abhor or hate yourself.  I am not saying that you will hate your life or the conditions of it, but that you will actually hate yourself.  One day, when you stand in the presence of your great Creator, King, Lord and Savior, you, like Job, will see him with your eyes.  It is then that you will completely understand all the workings of God and what he was trying to accomplish in and through you.  You will see with great clarity the error of your thoughts, how your frustration and worry were unnecessary and how each time you either balked against God or tried to solve your own problems in life had thwarted his plan and set back what he was trying to gain with you.  You will hate you.  It all will happen when you see him.

Isaiah saw him high and lifted up and because of it, he was speechless and recognized how unclean he really was (Isaiah 6:1-5).  In God's presence is glory and all that he is and is doing will be revealed.  And you shall stand in awe and utterly hate the sinfulness of yourself.

However, we don't need to wait until death to gain this perspective of ourselves and God.  If we fall down before him in submission and wholly seek his face, he will be found.  We will not see him as we will in heaven, but he will manifest himself to us in a super natural way.  When he does, you, like Job, will hate yourself or at least your wickedness.  This was the turning point for Job.  It was then that God brought the end to his trial, exalted him before his accusers, used him in intercessory work for others and then eventually blessed his life.

As much as we may think and greatly desire for our trial to come to an end, we more so need to have our spiritual eyes opened and see God.  It is then that we will gain that for which we have been hungering and longing.