"Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
A brother in Christ, who was a widower, requested prayer that he might, "meet a very pretty and attractive gal and get remarried." The response he received was that God has a "provision" for him and was reminded that, "So often God's timing isn't our timing, but He's got a perfect plan for you. We don't know what that plan is, or what His timing is, but just trust. He took care of you the first time, right, and He's taken care of all these other areas (i.e. health and finances) of your life...He's got you. He's got this! But, you just need to know God's got a perfect plan for you..." Eventually, a prayer was given for this man using Psalm 37:4 as the foundation; that this man just needs to "delight himself in the Lord," and the desire of his heart to remarry would eventually be fulfilled. But, in God's timing, etc. There have been many times in my life that I have either been personally told this by others or have heard others give this advice to someone seeking comfort for what they believe was missing in their life. God may have a plan for this gentlemen to get remarried. However, this advice that God has a plan for us is very generic and it has, at least, two problems with it. First, it assumes that the desires of our heart that God promises to fulfill are fleshly desires that we want Him to fulfill. Secondly, this "plan" that God, apparently, has for us is unknown by us and seemingly will not be revealed to us until these fleshly desires for a spouse or whatever are met. But, in the meantime we are to just wait and hope that we learn something about God or ourselves. This example sheds light on how a Christian's relationship with God is always portrayed as a mystery that is tied to how patient we are waiting for God to give us what we want, not necessarily what He wants to give us. There is also the impression given that until those desires are met, we are somehow incomplete and who knows what can develop from there; feelings God doesn't love us, our Christian life is unfulfilling, we can't "delight" ourselves in the Lord if we don't have what we want, etc. Furthermore, the scriptures provided as evidence of this are often interpreted from our viewpoint (the flesh) instead of from God's viewpoint (the Spirit).
The scriptures tell us that God is a jealous God. This doesn't mean that He covets what we have, but that He wants us! The true desires of our heart are not for the things of this world or of the flesh, like a spouse, but for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. These are things that only God can provide because He is the one that put the desire there. What we really need is our God! Nothing in this world, no matter what we may convince ourselves to believe, can meet the desires of our heart; not a wife, not great wealth, not great health, nor any other earthly treasure can take the place of the Lord. This doesn't mean that God won't give you these things or, at the very least, allow you to experience them, After all, in a perfect world, He gave Adam a wife; Eve. Yet, He designed us in such a way that nothing can replace Him. To delight means to "take pleasure in." How can you take pleasure in the Lord if you are believing Him to give you something He has not promised to give and then wait for it for an undetermined amount of time? Also, how can you be expected to trust in God if the way He relates to you is to hide His plans from you? Besides, if you did get what you desired, whether He actually gave it to you or not, will you be satisfied or will the next "desire" take it's place? Perhaps, we should realize that as Christians God, "has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3), " that He, "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)" and that we "have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority (Colossians 2:10)." If you have been given everything you need for life and godliness, given every spiritual blessing and made complete through your faith in Christ, what really are you missing? When a person believes that God has already given them all these things that is where the foundation for trusting Him comes from. It doesn't come from trusting Him for something He didn't promise to give because if it did, then we have to ask why do some people seem to have certain things and others don't? Not everybody has a spouse. Not everybody is healthy. Not everybody is wealthy. Even many in the world seem to have all of this apart from having the Lord! So, what does that say about God? When you begin to take pleasure in what the Lord has already given you, Himself, then you can wait for those things He has not given you, if you even still desire them at all.
Showing posts with label Trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trust. Show all posts
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Grace and Peace
'To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.' Romans 1:7
When we write to our friends we often start out our correspondence with simple words like, Dear, Hi, Hello or my friend. The Apostle Paul often included "Grace and Peace" in his letters. As a Christian, I believe we can easily overlook this common greeting used by Paul because we talk about grace so much that when we see the word being used it doesn't phase us. However, it is worth noting that you cannot separate grace from peace. Imagine if Paul had written, "Law and worry to you from God our Father." That carries an entirely different meaning. Similarly, you cannot separate Law from worry. To subject yourself to the Law means you have subjected yourself to trying to live a life you cannot live; a life of obedience and repentance to rules and regulations you can never fully obey. The Law's standard is perfection; "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)." The Law stirs up sin: "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death (Romans 7:5)." The Law is a ministry of condemnation and death: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law (Galatians 3:10)."” The Law is for the lost, not for believers: "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine... (1 Timothy 1:8-10)." Life under the Law is a life of hopelessness. It is a life of worry because deep down in your heart you know you are not being obedient enough and you're only left with this feeling in your gut that God is not pleased with you and doesn't love you; you are a failure in His eyes.
However, grace is different. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, becoming born again of the Spirit of God, then you have peace with God. You have been delivered from darkness to light: "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)." All of your sins are forgiven and do not separate you from God: "I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name (1 John 2:12)." You have eternal life: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13)." You have access to God: "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:17-18)." Nothing, not even you, can separate you from God's love: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)." Knowing these truths about the grace of God is what gives you peace. That peace comes from the fact that your right standing before God, your holiness, your justification, your sanctification, your entire existence comes from your trust in and dependence on what Jesus Christ did for you, not trust in and dependence on what you try to do for God. If you are worrying about your relationship with God or if you don't have one with Him at all, it is probably because you do not have peace in your heart and do not know His grace.
When we write to our friends we often start out our correspondence with simple words like, Dear, Hi, Hello or my friend. The Apostle Paul often included "Grace and Peace" in his letters. As a Christian, I believe we can easily overlook this common greeting used by Paul because we talk about grace so much that when we see the word being used it doesn't phase us. However, it is worth noting that you cannot separate grace from peace. Imagine if Paul had written, "Law and worry to you from God our Father." That carries an entirely different meaning. Similarly, you cannot separate Law from worry. To subject yourself to the Law means you have subjected yourself to trying to live a life you cannot live; a life of obedience and repentance to rules and regulations you can never fully obey. The Law's standard is perfection; "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)." The Law stirs up sin: "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death (Romans 7:5)." The Law is a ministry of condemnation and death: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law (Galatians 3:10)."” The Law is for the lost, not for believers: "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine... (1 Timothy 1:8-10)." Life under the Law is a life of hopelessness. It is a life of worry because deep down in your heart you know you are not being obedient enough and you're only left with this feeling in your gut that God is not pleased with you and doesn't love you; you are a failure in His eyes.
However, grace is different. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, becoming born again of the Spirit of God, then you have peace with God. You have been delivered from darkness to light: "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)." All of your sins are forgiven and do not separate you from God: "I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name (1 John 2:12)." You have eternal life: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13)." You have access to God: "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:17-18)." Nothing, not even you, can separate you from God's love: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)." Knowing these truths about the grace of God is what gives you peace. That peace comes from the fact that your right standing before God, your holiness, your justification, your sanctification, your entire existence comes from your trust in and dependence on what Jesus Christ did for you, not trust in and dependence on what you try to do for God. If you are worrying about your relationship with God or if you don't have one with Him at all, it is probably because you do not have peace in your heart and do not know His grace.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Raven Symone
According to a recent news article, "On Thursday’s The View on ABC, co-host Raven-Symoné blamed the Bible — and not Hillary Clinton’s penchant for being enveloped in scandals — for allegations that she is untrustworthy. “I have a problem with everybody still saying that she’s untrustworthy,” said Raven-Symoné of the former Secretary of State. “I feel like there’s this stigma since the beginning of [the] human race that a woman is untrustworthy. It starts in the Bible.” Raven-Symone would go on to suggest that this apparent distrust of women stems from the story of Adam and Eve where Eve was deceived by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit. I could argue this same event can easily be used to say men are untrustworthy since it was Adam who God made the covenant with and Adam who broke that covenant by eating the fruit. This is not the first time someone has blamed the Bible for oppressing women in some way. But, does she have a point? Does the Bible give a message that women are untrustworthy?
It is true that Eve was deceived into eating the forbidden fruit which led to the Fall of Man. However, I wonder if Miss Symone knows what Eve's name means? According to the Bible,"Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20)." Eve means "the mother of all the living." If Eve is so "untrustworthy"why did God use her to become the first mother and, basically, start the human race? Then there is Rahab, a prostitute. Is there any other occupation that personifies being untrustworthy than a prostitute? Yet, she was obedient to the Lord and hid the spies that Joshua had sent into the city. And because of her obedience, "Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day (Joshua 6:25)." Lastly, we see Mary, the mother of Jesus. It has been said that Mary was only a teenager when she became pregnant with Jesus. Joseph, her husband, thought she had slept with another man and it took an angel of the Lord to convince him not to divorce her (Matthew 1:20). We know how much teen mothers are looked down upon today and it was probably worse for Mary in her time. Yet, when God sent His angel to announce to Mary what was to take place, the angel said to her, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you (Luke 1:28).” "The Lord is with you." There are no more comforting words that one can hear than those.
The first sinner, a prostitute and a teenage mom. In modern times all of them could be considered untrustworthy. But, God trusted them. We should all be so trustworthy.
It is true that Eve was deceived into eating the forbidden fruit which led to the Fall of Man. However, I wonder if Miss Symone knows what Eve's name means? According to the Bible,"Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20)." Eve means "the mother of all the living." If Eve is so "untrustworthy"why did God use her to become the first mother and, basically, start the human race? Then there is Rahab, a prostitute. Is there any other occupation that personifies being untrustworthy than a prostitute? Yet, she was obedient to the Lord and hid the spies that Joshua had sent into the city. And because of her obedience, "Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day (Joshua 6:25)." Lastly, we see Mary, the mother of Jesus. It has been said that Mary was only a teenager when she became pregnant with Jesus. Joseph, her husband, thought she had slept with another man and it took an angel of the Lord to convince him not to divorce her (Matthew 1:20). We know how much teen mothers are looked down upon today and it was probably worse for Mary in her time. Yet, when God sent His angel to announce to Mary what was to take place, the angel said to her, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you (Luke 1:28).” "The Lord is with you." There are no more comforting words that one can hear than those.
The first sinner, a prostitute and a teenage mom. In modern times all of them could be considered untrustworthy. But, God trusted them. We should all be so trustworthy.
Monday, October 27, 2014
The UNKNOWN GOD
"Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you..."
Paul went on to define Who that "unknown God" is; the one true God of the Bible, Jesus Christ. When we don't define what that "something larger" than ourselves is, we make it up. The Bible also addresses that when it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)." We run the risk of leaning on our own understanding when we are not trusting in the Lord or, worse, do not know Him at all. The only outcome of that thinking is that "everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6)." Without faith in, dependence on and guidance from Jesus Christ, you become your own god, relying on your own understanding and do what is right in your own eyes. Multiply that philosophy by the 7 billion people on earth and you have chaos; everybody doing as they see fit with no standard of truth to rely on. Can you be "truly happy" when everybody is making up their own rules and there is no order? Sooner or later there will be conflict between people and with no agreed upon standard to fall back on the only outcome will be violence and destruction. Rather than seeking to be happy, I submit that you seek to find joy and peace in your heart through a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Ultimately, those things we desire that we believe will make us truly happy were put there by the Lord. He is the "something larger" than ourselves and is the only one who can fulfill those desires in Himself.
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