I am a companion of all those who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts. The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:63-64 (NASB) Hymn: "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" John G. Whittier, Frederick C. Maker Regardless of whether or not one believes we have a choice in becoming a Christian in the first place, the Bible is abundantly clear that the Christian life is made up of frequent and consistent decisions. At the core of most of these is actually just one question: will we prioritize God, or the world? The world, in this matter, can take a variety of forms. In Luke 9, Zaccheus is shown choosing to honor God over money, and the people watching are invited to choose to be where Christ is rather than submit to social norms concerning the tax collector. In Psalm 119:65-72, the author chooses to trust in God's purposes over comfort, safety, and riches. At the end of Matthew 10, Christ urges us to follow him even at the cost of one's own family, even if it puts us at odds with earthly authority, even if we lose our very lives. Conversely, Hosea 13:4-14:3 is a scathing condemnation for choosing to trust in earthly security over serving God, complete with a warning that if we will not know God as Lord, we will know Him as judge.
But consider the promise that comes with this! Christ proclaims of Zaccheus, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:9-10 NASB). To the church of Laodicea He promises, "He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21 NASB). But more importantly, He promises throughout scripture that He will be with His people. Those who seek Him shall find Him, those who choose Him will have Him. In His strength, for His glory, let us find our joy in choosing God above all else.
0 Comments
"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." Daniel 12:3-4 (NASB) For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (NASB) Hymn: "How Great Thou Art" Carl Boberg, translated by Stuart K. Hine The end times hold a special place of interest in the hearts of many Christians. I've even addressed it to some degree here. But in all the discussion about details and timelines and symbols, the one thing that stood out to me in today's reading was the promise of full completion. I don't mean simply that salvation will be fully manifested, that we will be glorified as Christ promises. The final restoration God has planned includes a completion of everything we find ourselves longing after.
How great is this promise of God! Not only will our spiritual need for restoration be met, but our desire for true knowledge and understanding will find completion as well! God's promise is not just to fulfill our needs, but to bring fulfillment even to our wants, in the most glorious and holy way. We have in this age prophesies and parables, but in the age to come we will have truth, tangible truth, readily available and so perfect that we will have no need of partial visions into God's great nature. We may know in part now, but then we will know fully. The love that endures is one that includes revelation, honesty, a clear delivery of truth. God has designed us to know Him, really know Him, and in the end those who seek Him will be satisfied in knowing Him fully and intimately. God leaves no desire unfulfilled in the end. How sweet are Your words to my taste! [Yes, sweeter] than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104 (NASB) Hymn: "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" William Whiting, John B. Dykes If John is to be taken seriously when he associates Christ with the Word, then we cannot have our joy in Christ if we will not find it in the word of God. The scriptures are more than just a record of things God has done; they are God revealing Himself to us, revealing our own natures to us. The Bible is fundamental to our knowledge and enjoyment of God. If we will neglect it, we must neglect the benefits of it. If we will not sacrifice time to be in God's word, we must sacrifice the growth of our relationship with Him. If we will not enjoy the Bible for what it is, we can never fully enjoy God for who He is. Rather than adding much more to this, I would encourage you to read Psalm 119 and Proverbs 8, and spend time today meditating on the claims contained there and asking God for the grace to respond appropriately. "All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her. Proverbs 8:8-11 (NASB) Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. The LORD is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever. Psalm 28:6-9 (NASB) Hymn: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" Henry Van Dyke, Ludwig van Beethoven At the very end of John 16, we get the sobering reminder from Christ that we will have trouble in the world. This life of walking with God will not be easy and it will put us at odds with the world around us. Consider just the thoughts from yesterday, that we must be open doors even while the world around us erects more walls. But Jesus doesn't end that thought with the warning of coming trials. That there will be trouble is part of a sandwich of encouragement, as He says that "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NASB). Paul understood this well when he told the Corinthians in chapter 16 of his first letter to them that he will be staying in Ephesus until Pentecost because of an opportunity that had arisen that was accompanied by adversity. He does not offer the adversity as a counter-point, but as part of his explanation for why he had to remain. What drives this? Joy. If our hearts are fixed on Christ and take their pleasure from Him, we can face troubles in this life with peace and courage, and view them as a part of our joy rather than a hindrance. Paul reminds Timothy of this very idea twice in rapid succession. But godliness [actually] is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance [and] gentleness... ...Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. [Instruct them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 1 Timothy 6:6-11, 17-19 (NASB) In the first, he is contrasting our joy and contentment with controversy and the arrogance of opposing the gospel. In the latter, he is commanding Timothy to remind people to look beyond their Earthly circumstances to find their joy in service to Christ. Isaiah, on the other hand, offers warning to those who do rely on their own circumstances to give them meaning and hope and joy. "Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling [place.] As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, [anytime] during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means. The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in. Isaiah 28:18-20 (NASB) Over and over again, scripture warns us that looking to anything of this world to bring us joy will end in misery, placing our hope in Earthly things and circumstances will bring terror. We must learn to look beyond this life to the giver of all life, the One who is Life itself. In Him we may find our true joy. But while we dwell in this flesh and look with these fallen eyes, we can expect to struggle against despair. We must continually go to God in prayer and in His word, and ask Him to renew the joy in our lives. He who is our joy, who made us to find our joy in Him, surely knows how to deliver joy to us. Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. Westminster Shorter Catechism "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me [something] to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me [something] to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' " Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You [something] to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, [even] the least [of them,] you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB) Hymn: "God the Omnipotent!" Henry F. Chorley, John Ellerton, Alexis F. Lwoff This has been a frequent enough issue lately that I feel certain some people in my life, if they see this, will suspect I am writing it at them. I would remind them that I do not choose my daily readings, but take them from two sources unrelated to each other, and trust God to say what He will say through it. Today's reading included, among others, the entire Letter to Philemon, the beginning of Deuteronomy 15, and the end of Matthew 25. These three in particular shared a theme: the work of the righteous, when interacting with those around them, is to bless those who they are in a position to bless. In Philemon, this was directed largely at Philemon himself, who had the opportunity to release his recently-saved slave from his service, either as a brother in Christ in his own environment or to work with Paul. Paul urges Philemon to do what is right, both to Onesimus and to Paul, by giving Onesimus his freedom. The other two passages are more generalized, one urging the people of Israel to be a blessing to the poor among them, the other providing insight into the judgement of Christ and how it reflects our treatment of others people. The message, here and elsewhere, is clear: the people of God, in service to God, must be known for their generosity. We are to give freely and without reproach to those to whom we can be a blessing, even if it costs us some comfort or security or social status. There are not conditions given, there is no exception we may claim on the grounds of our own desires or needs, our own rights or property, our own plans or hopes. When a brother is in need of food, and we have food, we are to give him food. When a sister is in need of clothing, and we have clothing, we are to give her clothing. It doesn't say to take time and determine what they will do with it. We aren't told to skip over the homeless person we think will use the money for drugs, or to let the unemployed wallow in their misery. "But oh," comes the refrain, "Who is my brother? Who is my sister? I'm comfortable sharing within the family I know, whether physical or spiritual, but you can't expect me to apply this to everyone." I can't, that is correct, I don't have the authority to demand that of you. But when Jesus was approached with that same question, when He was asked "Who is my neighbor?" in regard to who was covered under loving one's neighbor as oneself, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan. His answer could not have been more clear to His original hearers: think of the person you would least like to consider your neighbor, and consider them your neighbor. See, when we want to draw a line on this matter, it is only so we can have peace knowing that the people we don't want to serve are on the other side of it. But this is wholly unacceptable to Christ. We must find who we would consider the worst, the person least deserving or suitable to receive our blessings, and graciously bless them anyway. As I write this, for many in the church (based on what is posted online), this would be our political opponents, or the terrorists who seek to destroy our nation, or the refugee who comes to the border offering nothing but an empty hand and calloused feet and tear-filled eyes. We want so badly to condemn them, to turn them away, to protect the sanctity of our land against those who would just take and take and maybe never give back. And that may be the wise choice for a secular government to take, if their concern is primarily about self-preservation and resource management. But oh Christian, that option is not left available to us. Whatever the world may do, whatever the government may desire, whatever the threat to some fleeting national identity may exist, we are called, commanded, and warned that we must be a blessing to those around us, regardless of their social value or their intentions toward us. If we will use the name of Christ to offer the same curse the world gives to these people, we cannot be surprised when we find ourselves standing among the accursed before the throne of God. After all, if we cannot see Christ in the faces of His image-bearers, can we truly say we ever really knew Him? God the All-merciful! Earth hath forsaken Meekness and mercy, and slighted Thy Word; Let not Thy wrath in its terrors awaken; Give to us peace in our time, O Lord. "God the Omnipotent!" Verse 2, written by John Ellerton |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation
Archives
July 2019
Categories
All
|