Fear to Avoid and a Fear to Have

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”-II
Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

“Fear not” was not one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses, as we know, but still God does not want His children to be overcome with fear or to be paralyzed either in thought or in action by inordinate fear. We are admonished to fear God. Several verses instruct us: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.” (Psalm 19:9). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(Proverbs 9:10). We are talking about two kinds of fear in these verses. In II Timotny 1:7, Paul is admonishing young Timothy (and us) not to be overcome by feelings of timidity and dread. God stands ready to replace that fear with His strong power, His love and a sound or discerning mind. This verse especially applies to Christians who are afraid to speak up for the faith and give a positive witness of the saving grace of Christ. We cannot be timid and witness boldly for Him.

There are also fears caused by imminent danger, pain or disaster. We can be rendered inept when phobias threaten (terror, dread) [Greek word phobos].

The kind of fear we should have is the fear of the Lord. That fear is to hold Him in awe and reverence. The writer of Proverbs insists that this is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. This is the good kind of fear, the fear we should practice. Paul admonished against the wrong kind of fear, the terrible spirit of ineptitude and even terror that can grip and prevent us from doing what we know to be right.

Bible scholar Claude F. Mariottini writing in the Holman Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Holman, 1991, p. 481) sees the wrong kind of fear, the debilitating, spirit-quelching fear as a result of sin and disobedience. We have numerous biblical references to fear as consequences of sin and disobedience. Adam and Eve were afraid after taking of the forbidden fruit and they hid themselves from the presence of God in the Garden of Eden. When Nathan the prophet pointed out to David his sins of both adultery and murder relative to Bathsheba and Uriah, David was
afraid, but he confessed and prayed earnestly for forgiveness.

“Fear not,” “do not fear” and “do not be afraid” are used sixty times in the Bible followed by an invitation to trust God. As expressed by Paul in II Timothy 1:7, and in various other passages
beginning with the command to “fear not,” there is an immediate invitation to replace the spirit of fear with trust in God. He makes a way by giving us “power…love…a sound mind.” I remember the joy I had in mentoring a lady who gave her heart to the Lord in her young adult years. At first on her Christian journey, because of her lack of being grounded in the faith and in the scriptures, she was often overcome by doubts and fears in her Christian walk. I urged her to put II Timothy 1:7 on a card and post it where she could read it when she was afraid. I also recommended that she do the same with Pslam 56: 3 and 11: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do to me.” God invites us to “fear not.” He is present to give us the freedom from fear we need to be bold in His Kingdom work. Latch onto His promises and thank Him that fear that makes us falter has no place in the victorious Christian’s life.

Radiant for the Lord

“I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed…The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” –Psalm 34:4-5, 7-8. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” –Exodus 34:29 (ESV).

Moses had very special assignments from God: to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, to lead them to the Promised Land of Canaan, and then to receive from God Himself on that special assignment atop Mount Sinai the law of God given for the people, “the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” When Moses descended to the plains after his forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, his face was all aglow. He was radiant with the Lord’s glory, “his face was shining” so much so that we are told in Exodus 34:33-36 that Moses put a veil over his illumined face while he was among the people, but removed it when he spoke with the Lord.

None of us can hope to have a mountain-top experience as unique and important as Moses had with the Lord. That was God’s work for Moses, and he did it well, except when he became angry upon seeing the people’s golden calf following his receipt of the law on tablets of stone. Moses threw the tablets down and broke them in his anger. That necessitated his going up Mount Sinai a second time under God’s direction, and writing again the commandments of God on tablets of stone (see Exodus 34). Following this second giving of the law, Moses’ face was radiant as he came back among the people. That time, they had not fashioned a golden calf during his forty days on Mt. Sinai.

It was January, two years ago, that I accessed a facebook message from a dear young friend who is a missionary. At that time she and her husband were working in Barbados. Since then they have been transferred to Panama. She had read the day she wrote the words from Psalm 34:5: “Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” This fine Christian young woman stated that her resolution for the New Year was to “be radiant for the Lord.” As I thought about her resolution, I considered that keeping that goal would not be hard for her, because, even since her teenage years when she was one of the youth group members I had the privilege of leading, she had been radiant, her face reflecting the peace, love and joy of the Lord. As she grew into adulthood, become a wife, mother, missionary, she still has that special glow and radiance that reflects the claim of God on her life. How does your face look? It may be like mine, wrinkled with some of the ravages of living a long time. But we can, like Moses and like my missionary friend, be radiant for the Lord. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” (Proverbs 15:13a). Let us beware that our countenance does not “witness against us” because “their (our) tongue and their (our) doings are against the lord to, provoke the eyes of His glory” as we are told in Isaiah 3:8b-9. If we truly seek the Lord and believe that he encompasses us with angels to assist us in the work He has for us, as today’s scripture indicates, then our countenance can radiate the presence and power of the Lord. “Taste and see that the lORD is good!” We will even look different with the confidence He gives us. Allow the Lord’s radiance to shine through you!

Going to the House of the Lord

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.” -Psalm 122:1, 9. “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.” –Psalm 27:4. “For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Psalm 84:10. “And daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” -Acts 5:42 (KJV).

Going to the house of the Lord—for worship, praise, prayer, learning, listening, being challenged in the Christian life, in quietness and meditation knowing that God is God, enjoying Christian fellowship! When it comes time to go to church, are you like the psalmist who exulted “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord”?

Each cited scripture above exclaims with what gladness the writers considered going to the house of the Lord and what a privilege for the worshiper. Even a lowly task, that of a doorkeeper, one who greeted people when they came to worship and bade them farewell when they left worship to go from the temple or sanctuary or place of worship into the work-a-day life, even a doorkeeper is better than considering wealthy dwellings of wickedness. And when the early Christians met to worship, even with the threat of being jailed and persecuted a very real possibility, they 'daily in the temple and in every house’ did not cease to meet, to teach and to preach Jesus Christ.

What has happened in our modern age to take away the love for and the help from assembling ourselves together at the house of the Lord? What has occurred to harden our hearts and remove our zeal for the church? I have heard many excuses as I’ve tried to encourage persons to renew their faithfulness to the Lord and as the writer of Hebrews 10:25 admonishes: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.” Some of the excuses offered for non-attendance are: “I work on Sunday—or I work hard during the week and I must sleep-in, rest, on Sundays.” Another is, “I can worship as well at home or wherever I am on the Lord’s day; I don’t have to go to church to worship.” There are those who say, “I don’t like to associate with those ‘hypocrites’ at church.” Still others claim, “I can hear good sermons on television or radio; it’s not necessary for me to go to church.” And the excuses go on. A person must develop his/her own commitment to the Lord that includes a love and longing for fellowship with other Christians in the house of the Lord, the church. For me, this is vital and necessary. I pray that, if going to the church is not a regular and necessary part of your spiritual life, you will pray about it until you, like the psalmist, can exclaim: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord!” On this Lord’s day, I can hardly wait to get to church and worship!

Are We on God’s Side?

“He that is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” -Matthew 12:30. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” –Luke 11:23.“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one Who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’[quoting from Psalm 44:22] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” -Romans 8:31-36 (ESV) Please read also Romans 8:37-39.

“The question is not: ‘Is God on our side?’ The question is, ‘Are we on God’s side.’” So stated President Ronald Reagan when he spoke before a joint session of the Senate and House. It was as if he was giving his personal testimony of faith. In the same speech he also said: “God has a divine plan for each of us…No greater picture of faith of a U. S. leader is seen than that of Washington on his knees at Valley Forge. And I think of Abraham Lincoln who said, ‘Many and many a time have I been driven to my knees in prayer to seek God’s guidance, to learn His will in difficult decisions.’” Reagan added that he does often as President Lincoln did: Pray for guidance. He wanted to “be on God’s side.”

The length of this brief devotional cannot do justice to the large subject, “Are we on God’s side,” nor to the scriptures I’ve cited above for our thoughts. A wise pastor said, “If a scripture is given twice or more, take heed. God really wants you to learn its truth.” The scripture from Matthew, Luke and Romans kept pounding in my consciousness. “He that is not with me is against me”…and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The contexts are different for each of the cited scriptures. In Matthew, Jesus was discoursing about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which scholars term the “unforgivable sin.” The quotation from Luke 11:23 uses the same words from Jesus as recorded in Matthew 12:30, but the context is different in Luke. There, Jesus had just cast an evil spirit from a man that had rendered the victim mute, and Jesus’ opponents accused him of being in league with Beelzebub, or the devil. That led Jesus to discourse on a house divided against itself, or, to put it in plain terms, a kingdom (and I think we could say, a person, too) being unable to stand if it (or he/she) pulls in opposite directions at once. Well that He said, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”

On a personal level, we cannot allow our nature to seek to follow God while at the same time hanging onto evil. God is for us—He wants the best for us. But, as President Reagan aptly stated, “Are we on God’s side?” The context of Paul’s writing to the Romans is following a discourse on predestination. And there’s another term over which much ink has been spilled by scholars. I like the black minister’s explanation of predestination. “There are three votes to be cast, brethren and sisters. God votes one for us, the devil votes one against us, and you, my friend, vote one. God, He be for you; the Devil, he be against you; and whichever way you vote, that’s the way it’s going to be!” How much clearer can we get on whether God predestines that each of us follow Him, that He is for each of us? It’s the way we vote—what we decide in regard to salvation and living the Christian life. Paul went on to state unequivocally that nothing—absolutely nothing—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus: not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation! When we are on God’s side, victory is assuredly ours! Praise be to God!

Prayer for Guidance from the Lord

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all the day long.” –Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

Many of us may be like the young boy whose pastor asked him: “Do you pray every night before you go to sleep and every morning before you go to school or play?” “Not every night, and not every morning,” the boy replied. “Sometimes I don’t pray because I don’t need anything.”

So often, like the little lad, we think of prayer as “asking only.” Prayer is asking, but much more. Prayer is the soul’s communication with Father God. Praying can happen anytime we still our minds and turn God-ward. Someone aptly stated that prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. The Psalmist in today’s cited verses is praying—as we often do—in an asking mode. In these verses are both petition and adoration. The asking, the petition, is for guidance: “Show me Your ways; teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth, teach me.” God stands ready to help each sincere seeker with these four goals. He accomplishes that through His Word and with assurance of answered prayer. Within these verses is adoration: “You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all the day long.” This is such a powerful testimony that I want to write the verse with an exclamation mark at the end!

If we read Psalm 25 in the original Hebrew language, we would see that each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an acrostic poem. Scholars have noted that because of the format, David (ascribed author) did not transition smoothly between ideas. But he was consistent in his theme of trust in God and in his plea for guidance and forgiveness of sin. Psalm 25:4-5 would be good verses for us to memorize if we have not already. We need the Lord’s guidance every day we live. To pray scripture pleases God. When we pray for guidance, we usually want an immediate answer, but sometimes we have to wait, weigh the pros and cons of a decision. When we have assurance in our hearts that the way we are going is of the Lord, then we can move forward. I have been talking recently to a friend who is about to launch a new business venture with his son. In this period of economic decline, many factors enter into such a major decision. The person feels that the Holy Spirit is leading him in the decision and in the groundwork. Lance Webb in “The Art of Personal Prayer” states: “Keep up the life of inward worship throughout the day. Let prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake. And in time you will find, as did Brother Lawrence, that ‘those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.’” Be bold in praying for guidance from the Lord.

Death Is Swallowed Up in Victory

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law, But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” –I Corinthians 15:54-58 (KJV)

January 26 is an anniversary for me, one I will remember as long as I have mind to think and heart to remember. One year ago today my beloved husband, the Rev. Grover D. Jones, breathed his last as I held his hand. Thinking about those last weeks of his life as his weakened and emaciated body lived out his last days on earth brings deep sorrow to my heart and tears to my eyes. He was kept comfortable, but waiting by the bedside of a loved one as death draws near is an experience we had rather not endure in this life. Death does have a sting. Death parts us temporarily from life as we have known it—and for me, a long, happy and productive marriage of sixty-one years. That is a long time to love a person unconditionally and with an undying love. And parting, even though the one left behind is a firm believer in all the promises of God and eternity, brings a grief of missing the physical presence, caring lovingly for needs, touching and expressing love.

But victory is possible through our Lord Jesus Christ. I knew—and continue to know—that I would not call him back (even if I had the power to do so) from his place of rest, rejoicing, reconciliation and reunion. He cannot return to me but I can go to him. And in the meantime, I can rejoice that he no longer suffers the infirmities of this world. I can rejoice in the marvelous legacy he left me, his other family members, and so many people whose lives he touched through his steadfast life and Christ-centered ministry. Hundreds during the past year have encouraged and strengthened me by remembering deeds of kindness and words of godly wisdom with which Grover was able to help them. “Death is swallowed up in victory!” James Barrie penned a truth when he wrote: “God gives us memories so we can have roses in December.”

My testimony is that God does give the victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord gives strength to meet each day, and to help anyone (including me) who desires to continue to “abound in the work of the Lord.” His grace is sufficient. I wrote the following poem in tribute to Grover and for his Memorial Service. I believe the words were God-inspired; I know they are my testimony:

Death at Times Is Kind
(For Grover)

How can I rue your death and cry and weep?
Why keep holding on as if to delay
Your grand entrance to Heaven at the gate
That leads to peace and everlasting life?

We shared a faith that keeps in life and death,
A steadfast hope for better times beyond.
How could I deny the crown awaiting you,
And all the joys of labors finished here?

As I beheld your earthly face aglow
With life’s last smile, a halo to recall,
I knew that wishing you a longer stay
Would be denying you your golden shore.

Death at times is kind, good, a blessed release;
It leads us into quiet, enduring peace.

In Praise of God’s Law and a Prayer

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple…Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” –Psalm 19:7, 14 (KJV) [Please read Psalm 19:7-14]

Yesterday we looked at Psalm 19:1-6, examining the theme, “In Awe of the Glory of God.” The first part of Psalm 19 delights in the natural creation and its revelation of God. Verses 7-14 of the Psalm examine facets of the Law of God and praise its benefits. We see Hebrew poetry in its parallel structure used expertly in these verses. David, held to be the author of this psalm, uses six terms to name the Word or Law of God. Then he follows each naming with an action the law brings about in the life of the one who follows God’s Law or Word. To give additional insight into the King James Version, I will list here the six names as used in the English Standard Version for the law and the consequent action:

The law is perfect ~ reviving the soul;
The testimony of the law is sure ~ making wise the simple;
The precepts of the law are right ~ rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the law is pure ~ enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean ~ enduring forever;
The rules of the Lord are true ~ and righteous altogether.

The Psalmist’s praise for what God’s law can do in the life of the follower reveals manifold benefits: reviving, giving wisdom, bringing rejoicing, giving insight, enduring—an expression of God’s eternal righteousness.

What is more precious than gold? What is sweeter than the drippings of the honeycomb—the unexpected wild, pure honey found and used by one like David to give sustenance when he was hungry? The answer, of course, is the Word of God, God’s beloved law. The law also warns of danger, prevents one from falling and guards one from “presumptuous” or deliberately committed sins. Numbers 15:30-31 warns against such deliberately committed sins and of the terrible punishment and unforgiveness of such sinful acts: “that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him" (Num. 15:31). Following the law will prevent such dire consequences to the one who loves and follows the Word of God, and will keep that believer “innocent of transgression” (Ps. 19:13). We who are Christians can rejoice in the “fulfillment” of the law, that Jesus came to give us new life, new hope, and a different perspective on punishment and rewards. “And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17). For us, the prayer David wrote in Psalm 19:14 takes on new and dynamic meaning: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” May our words and meditations always be pleasing to the Lord. May we think upon, weigh and examine His holy Word, and apply it to every area of our lives. Amen.

In Awe of the Glory of God

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hidden from the heat thereof.” –Psalm 19:1-6 (KJV)

I chose to use the King James Version of these verses because I memorized these a number of years ago in this beautiful version. Oftentimes when I go to the paper box early in the morning, even before the sun has begun to lighten the eastern sky, I quote these verses with a delightful feeling of awe and reverence for Creator God. Psalm 19 has two distinct parts. Verses 1 through 6 describe the glory of God revealed in the excellence of the firmament and the skies. Verses 7-14 describe God’s revelation through the law. We will come back to verses 7-14 later, but for today let us take cognizance of the great truths we can learn from verses 1-6. I ask that you read also Psalm 8. It is a companion psalm to 19:1-6. Verses I have memorized from Psalm 8 are 1, and 3-6: "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens…When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet.”

David, attributed as the author of both Psalm 19 and Psalm 8 would have been quite familiar with the broad expanse of the firmament. His days as a youth when he shepherded his father’s flocks gave him opportunities to be in nature, to observe the skies and meadows, to see the changing light from early morning to dusk and into the evening. The sun, myriad stars, the moon--all were his companions. To the Hebrew mind, the sky was conceived of as a solid canopy. As day follows night in rapid succession, this marking of time testifies to God’s glory. Do you say with gratitude each day: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24)? The heavens and the firmament above, the sun, moon and stars are a testimony to God’s might, power and glory. This testimony extends worldwide, wherever there are people to observe the created order. Paul the Apostle attests that there is “no excuse” (Romans 1:19b-20) for anyone not turning to God, because “God has shown it (the truth) to them. For His invisible attirbutes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.” Paul of course knew that salvation was in believing: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10: 17). But then he immediately returns to the fact that there is enough revelation for anyone to come to faith. He asks a pertinent question and quotes Psalm 19:3 in Romans 10:18: “But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.’” The silent, unrelenting testimony of the skies, the sun, the moon and the stars points us to the greatness, majesty and power of God. David gives an analogy as the sun being the bridegroom coming forth from his chamber. God’s majesty in nature points to the Bridegroom God sent, in due time, to be the Savior of the world. George Washington Carver, the great scientist and Christian of another century wrote: “I like to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”

Clothed in Righteousness

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10 (ESV) “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my judgment was as a robe and diadem.” –Job 29:14 (ESV)

The idea for this devotional came to me when a friend sent me an e-mail with this title: “God knows how to dress a bird.” Attachments to the e-mail showed fourteen photographs of exotic birds, their feathers brilliant in color, their plumage bright and beautiful, a reflection indeed of the Creator’s attention to detail and focus on perfection. And then the thought came to me: “Yes, God knows how to clothe the birds of the air. But He also knows how to clothe you and me!” It took me only a few minutes using a Bible concordance to find verses that declare how, indeed, God clothes His children in righteousness. The Spirit of the Living God was a good teacher in this pursuit, showing how I am “clothed in the garments of righteousness.” He reminded me that my garments (any righteousness that I would try to clothe myself in) are as “filthy rags”: “But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6, KJV). Herein we realize our deplorable condition, our “filthy rags” dress. And what are we to do? God provided a way: “But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand” (Isaiah 64:8, KJV). God wants to clothe each of us in the beautiful, pristine garments of righteousness. It is His gift to each of us, the work of His hand in our life. It is simply accepting what He has prepared for each who will believe and accept the beautiful ‘garments of salvation’ and ‘robe of righteousness’ that He offers freely. Jesus has already paid the price for our being clothed. Paul explained the way this happens: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV).

God’s garment of righteousness—salvation—is available, awaiting our acceptance. Job, in his chagrin and when accused by his friends of being a terribly sinful man, else he would not have lost all his possessions and family, said in a very determined declaration: “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my judgment was as a robe and diadem” (Job 29:14, ESV). God’s righteousness is available, but each of us must decide on our own to “put on righteousness.” Only then comes beautiful adorning, the judgment of God’s “robe and diadem” for each of us, to clothe us in that unparalleled righteousness of God that will remain permanent and imperishable. But the believer has a further obligation. While living upon earth, we must keep on dressing in robes of righteousness that we ourselves must choose to don. Paul the Apostle instructed us in this spiritual action in several of his letters. From one citation we learn, as did Job of old, that we who have God’s robe of righteousness must ourselves: “Put on, then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you have been called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:12-15, ESV) Indeed, God knows how to dress the birds! He knows how to clothe His children in righteousness, and we can put on daily those virtues that make righteousness glow and shine in a world in great need of godly beauty. With Edward Mote, author of our beloved hymn, “The Solid Rock,” we sing: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before His throne!”

Running the Christian Race

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – I Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV).

Paul the Apostle used the example of the Greek athletic contests held every two years at Corinth to teach a lesson on perseverance and spiritual discipline in the Christian life. The outstanding athlete won accolades and a wreath worn proudly. When the winner arrived back in his home town, he was welcomed as a hero, poems were written about him, sometimes a statue was erected to the winner, often the winner was excused from paying taxes, and he was seated in a place of honor at festivals and meetings. Paul urges constant diligence to self-discipline and keeping the body under control. He changes momentarily from emphasis on running a race and winning to boxing thin air, a useless exercise. He gives in these verses two major reasons for discipline: one is to win the race; the other is to be an example. For what use would Paul’s preaching have if he himself would be disqualified by a life that did not practice what he preaches? Vigilance is necessary for a good athlete, right living, exacting practice, and concentration on winning the prize in the race. We as Christians keep our minds and bodies on the race and our eyes on the goal—not a perishable wreath—but eternal life.

The ancient Olympic Games began at Olympia, Greece in Peloponesus in 776 B. C. These lasted until 393 AD. Revived in more modern times, these four-year contests feature both summer and winter sports, with major cities around the world vying for the opportunity to host the games. All participants take the Olympic oath, promising to hold to the highest ideals of sportsmanship. “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Swifter, Higher, Stronger) are the ideals to which all participating athletes aspire. In our Christian race, we likewise strive to be “swifter, higher and stronger” for the Lord. We do not acquire the skills of living the Christian life in the same way athletes aspire to enter the Olympics. However, as Paul urged, we are to exercise self-control in all things. We are to bring our bodies into submission and participate in earnest Bible study, prayer, worship, stewardship and service. These should be desired by and practiced eagerly by all who have called upon the Lord for salvation and been saved by grace. The writer of Hebrews gave us a good summary of running the Christian race: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV).

A Different Kind of Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27 (ESV)

Recall with me the context in which Jesus gave this wonderful promise of peace to His disciples—and to us. All the disciples were gathered with Jesus in an upper room in Jerusalem. It was the night of the last supper when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, or Memorial Supper. Judas had already been dismissed by the Lord with the words, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 14:27). Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion were immanent. He was giving his disciples very important information They knew something extremely important was impending, but they could not fathom what it was. Imagine the feelings of dread and fear the disciples were experiencing. Jesus told them he would go away from them “for a little while.” Amidst the tension, Jesus’ voice was forceful, firm and comforting. He gave them important concepts that would help them later to live through a most difficult time and regain hope: “Let not your hearts be toubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me…(John 14:2). “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Peace surely must have seemed a distant condition for the troubled disciples. Roman rule was obeyed to the letter. Even though the Jews were allowed to worship in the Temple and in their synagogues, the exacting government spared no cruelties in keeping in bondage a people longing to be free. Peace? Absence of war? Oh! But listen to Jesus’ promise: “not as the world gives give I to you. The peace Jesus promised them was a different kind of peace. It was not dependent on political conditions, humanitarian laws, or even freedom from want. “My peace I give to you.

The peace Jesus offered His disciples that night in the upper room was infinite, consistent, unconditional. It was a peace that emanated from the heart of God the Father and was transferred by the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be kept alive in the hearts of believers through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. A faithful saint of the Lord, 93 years of age, and his wife had morning devotional time together. That morning, he pulled out from their daily scripture card box the verse from John 14:27. He read it, and he and his wife joined hands and thanked the Lord for the peace that passes understanding which Jesus gave them in their hearts. He moved from the table to his recliner. A little later, when his daughter and wife tried to rouse him from his sleep to go with them to the shopping mall, he could not be roused. He had fallen into the deep sleep of death and peace. He had gone to meet the Lord in person. A. B. Simpson writes, “So precious indeed is peace that it was a legacy left us by our departing Lord.” Whatever situation you or I face now is not too big for our Master and Lord. Hear Him: “My peace I give to you…Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”

“Treasure in Earthen Vessels”

“For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” -2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (KJV)

“This treasure in earthen vessels” is translated in later versions as “treasures in jars of clay.” Whichever way it is stated, this reference means each of us who has given his/her life to Him to shape, to mold, to be used in His service. We are His treasure in the very body we dwell in on this earth.

It is awesome to think that God, the Creator Himself, who gave His word and light came forth from darkness, who spoke and the world came into being, who commanded and life sprang forth--He is the same God who gives us revelation of His glory through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then, still holding us in awesome wonder, we are His “treasure in earthen vessels.” Take a look at yourself. The human body is a remarkable living entity, with each part working in harmony to give life, health and purpose to our individual existence on earth. Unless we are beset by some illness or calamity, we usually live out a life span of threescore years, or in many instances, threescore plus ten and even more. But this treasure of life we hold in our perishable body (earthen vessel, jar of clay) has a purpose. Paul reminds us what it is: “to show this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (II Cor 4:7b, NIV). He made “His light shine in our hearts” (II Cor. 4:6). And with that light comes “the knowledge of the glory of God.” And how do we know this knowledge goes beyond the Law, first given to Moses for the Israelites, and then, the fuller revelation coming to us by His grace? We behold it in the life of Jesus Christ, as Paul stated it: “in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Scholars seem to agree that for Paul the Apostle, his “treasure in earthen vessels” was the work of ministry, of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He and his team members did just that, whether they were in prison, on missionary journeys preaching the word, or with pen and scroll writing epistles to the churches (which have been kept and canonized as parts of our Bible). But what is our “treasure” in our own “earthly vessel”? It is our yielding to God, being “clay in the Potter’s hands,” (Jeremiah 18:6), allowing Him to use the talents and abilities that are unique to each of us for His glory and for the benefit of others. And while we are thus giving, the “earthen vessel” itself realizes a true purpose and becomes more beautiful in the hands of the Potter.

Who among us does not desire this worthy goal?

A Command and a Promise

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV).

In context, the command and the promise given in Joshua 1:8-9 were to Joshua when he received his commission from God to succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites and to begin the task of going into and possessing the land God had promised to them. Moses the great emancipator had died. The mantle now lay on Joshua to be the leader.

God’s command to Joshua could apply to any follower of the Lord. Don’t depart from the Book of the Law. To us, now, that means not only the law given by God and written down by Moses for Joshua and the Israelite people, but it includes all of the Bible which we now have for our enlightenment and guidance. We have a command to meditate on these words day and night, to allow them to be our guide for living. The further command was to do what the law commands, to be strong, courageous, and unafraid.

With the word of God in heart and mind, and practiced in daily walk, then the promise of God could come to pass. The way of obedient servants of the Lord will prosper and have success. Furthermore, the presence of the Lord will be with believers wherever they go.

In his comments in 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, Rev. Robert J. Morgan writes: “As we meditate on God’s Word, our minds are improved. They are God-conditioned. We begin thinking more as He thinks, looking at life from His point of view. As we’re transformed by the renewing of our thoughts, we become successful in those things God appoints for us to do” (p. 68).

The commission to Joshua reminds us of the Psalmist’s declaration as he describes the way of the righteous in Psalm 1:1-2: “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” (ESV). The writer of Psalm 119:97 further underscores the importance of loving, studying and meditating upon God’s Word: “Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” May each of us grow in our love for the Word, in meditating upon it, following it, and sharing it with others.

God Knows My Name

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” –Isaiah 43:1b (ESV). “Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands.” – Isaiah 49:16a (ESV). “And you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.” –Isaiah 62:2b (ESV)

Recently I received a delightful book entitled Named by God by Mary Foxwell Loeks. The subtitle is Discovering the Power of God’s Names for You (Grand Rapids, MI: Revel [Baker], 2010). She states: “The power of being named by God brings our most important relationship alive.” Space in this short devotional precludes my giving the fifty names Ms. Loeks sites as names we, God’s children, are known by in the scriptures. Some she notes are Bride of the Lamb, Doorkeeper in the House of the Lord, Salt, Light, Redeemed, Steward, Branches, Clay, Holy, Priests, Sheep, Fishers of Men, Christians, Peacemakers, Faithful, Living Stones, God’s Temple…the list goes on and the unique relationship of each name is given. God knows us, calls us by name, engraves our name on His hand. How remarkable that he knows us, knows our goings-in and our comings-out, loves us in a Father-child relationship.

In 1996 I spoke to an active group of senior adults at Morganton Baptist Church. In advance, I was assigned the topic to speak on, and it was “God Knows My Name.” I did much study to prepare for the presentation, and used some of the very names God gives us as cited by Mrs. Loeks in her book—long before her book was published. I also wrote an original poem with which to end my speech. Since that date in 1996, I have probably shared this poem in sympathy cards with a thousand or more people. I praise God for His inspiration that enabled me to write and share

God Knows My Name

Astounding knowledge, God knows my name!
Creator of the Universe, forever the same;
Maker of galaxies, Lord of the sea,
Sustainer of all things knows even me!

Before the world was He knew my frame;
Knew when I would live, gave me a name.
Underneath to protect me His everlasting arm;
He loves me, directs me, protects me from harm.

One day in Eternity my new name I’ll hear,
Called by my Savior in tones sweet and clear:
“Come,” He will say, “golden streets walk down.
Adore God the Father, receive your own crown.”

Matchless the majesty, the paeans of praise,
As that new name I’ll bear through unnumbered days.
While on earth may I travel as one with a claim
To enter His Kingdom and receive my new name!

Assurance of God’s Help

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” – Isaiah 43:1b-3a (ESV).

Another day, we will consider God calling each of us by name. For today’s thoughts God-ward, please take the promise of God as written by Isaiah to protect and help us in times of distress. He firmly states that when we pass through waters, rivers and fire—each of which could be considered literal dangers—or figuratively representing challenges we each face in life’s journey.

Grover and I had many friends in the ministry, stalwart men (and a few women) who were ordained and set apart to be missionaries, pastors, or to work in other related church work. I remember in particular one who was a country preacher, who pastored ably and well in rural churches in North Georgia. He was a paragon of humility and faithfulness, but he seemed to have more than his share of hard times. His beloved wife became quite ill and endured years of poor health. He was ever tender in his care-giving while managing to attend to the duties of full-time work at a secular job (for he was a bi-vocational preacher) and to meet the obligations of his congregation. He met and married another godly woman. She became ill with cancer and was overcome by the disease. One of his favorite verses was Isaiah 43:2. I remember on many occasions when he would quote the verse in his resonating voice, in a telephone conversation or when we met in person. Once I heard him preach on his “favorite” verse. His trials, though many, his deep waters, flooding rivers, fire and troubles did not deter him from his stalwart belief and assurance that God’s help was ever-present with him. Every time I read and meditate upon this verse, I think of the example of this man of God who himself now is in the heavenly realm, praising God and thanking Him.

When I was a teenager, I rode a bus eight miles from my farm home to high school. I walked over half a mile to catch the bus on Highway 129. One morning was especially stormy, so I bundled up in raincoat, galoshes and umbrella to go the half-mile to the bus stop. Fall had already come, and it was chilly, and of course I got damp and cold. During the day, the storm increased. An inordinate amount of rainfall came, and the river that lay between my home and the bus stop flooded while I was at school. I worried how I would get home, knowing the danger of Nottley River in flood stage. When the bus came to my stop, it was still raining hard. But there was my father with our gentlest mule, saddled and ready to take me home. He instructed me to sit behind him, and to hold on tightly, as we were going through the flooded waters. The trip was frightening, but less so because my father was there to guide me through the waters that swirled and eddied in anger against the sure-footed Pet, our name for our faithful mule. We were soaked when we arrived home, but we made it safely. God’s assurance of help is as tender and loving as was my father’s rescue of his teen-aged daughter on that dark, rainy, storm-tossed day when waters posed a danger to cross. As I, I know my father was praying as we made that hazardous crossing through rising waters. God assuredly got us through safely. And He ever stands ready to assist those who will go to Him in prayer, believing. He does not promise and not fulfill.

Imagination under God’s Direction

“But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” (I Corinthians 2:9-10, ESV).

The imagination is a powerful tool of the mind. It is refreshing and sometimes amusing to see evidences of a young child’s imagination. Children can push aside parameters of time and space and build for themselves a world of imagination peopled with friends with whom they communicate. They can imagine situations and scenes that are pleasant and happy. As they grow older, and due perhaps to parental and other pressures to “get real,” they lose some of the imaginative abilities that kept them happy as youngsters. But even adults who can imagine, dream, think about something good and worthwhile to invent or to do, have made tremendous contributions to the world.

In the passage cited above, Paul the Apostle is quoting from Isaiah 64:4. The prophet, as early as 712 BC, was urging his hearers to imagine what God had in store for them if they would only seek and find God’s way. When Paul quoted from Isaiah, he had the advantage of knowing that the Spirit of the Living God was in the midst of believers, “searching everything, even the depths of God.” Isaiah in his day urged people to remember God, and to seek out the marvelous works He had in store for them.

Theologian C. S. Lewis called imagination “the organ of meaning.” Imagination plays a vital role in our ability to learn, to be creative, to help us make sense of the world. Dr. A. W. Tozer urged us to use our “purified and Spirit-controlled imagination” to “gaze with astonished wonder upon the beauties and mysteries of things holy and eternal.”

A quotation was popular with the teenagers I taught in the 1980s: “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” This lies at the heart of imagination, having the ability to picture goals and work toward them. Have your imagination and creativity been buried beneath the zeal just to make a living? God has more awaiting us than just the ordinary day-to-day. We must be willing to “let go and let God” operate. Listen to this promise: “Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (imagine), according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV).

A Forgiving Spirit

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” –Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV). “and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” – Matthew 6:12 (ESV) “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also Who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” –Mark 11:25-26 (ESV).

A terrible weight to carry about in the heart is an unforgiving spirit, a grudge, a feeling of resentment, or ill will toward anyone. Various scriptures teach us the necessity for forgiveness in order to have soul health. The willingness to forgive and not to hold any malice in the heart was so important that Jesus taught us in what we call the Lord’s Prayer that we should ask for forgiveness when we pray: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Since most of us are aware of the Lord’s teachings, we often pray for forgiveness. We also hear the requests for forgiveness in public prayers. Are these vain repetitions that Jesus also warned against? He said, in Matthew 6:7: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words (Matthew 6:7, ESV). These repetitions are well and good if they come from a sincere and earnest heart. But let’s go a little deeper. Is there forgiveness of others on the part of the one praying? Is there genuine repentance of the sin of holding grudges and resentment toward someone? Is there a real turning loose of jealousies and animosities? If so, then praying for forgiveness is in keeping with the Lord’s teaching. We are forgiven by God if we are willing and able to forgive those whom we consider to have wronged us.

Then we often hear: “I can forgive (or I have forgiven) but I can’t forget.” Does this constant reminder of a wrong done to us, not forgetting it, allowing it to press in and smother, really mean that we have forgiven? If such a condition plagues your mind and prevents you from really being relieved of the burden that allows you the Father’s forgiveness, pray that He will remove the thoughts of the wrong from your mind. Pray that He will take away any harsh and wrong feelings, and replace them with profitable thoughts of reconciliation and forgiveness. At the close of the War Between the States, Abraham Lincoln was asked what he planned to do about all the enemies of the reunited nation. His wise reply was that he would seek to make friends of them. It is possible for us to have a forgiving spirit. It is a Christ-like characteristic, but one we must pursue sincerely and with humility. Jesus showed us the way. On the cross he prayed for those who were taking His life: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23: 34, ESV).

Requirements for Revival

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” –II Chronicles 7:14. (KJV)

Perhaps you, as I, memorized this verse a long time ago. Set in that definitive book of the Old Testament about revival, 2 Chronicles, this verse addresses God’s people, gives His four-fold requirements for revival, and His three-fold promises to send revival. Let us examine them:

The Requirements for Revival

1. Humble yourselves. In another place in the Bible we read, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18)
2. Pray. The Day of Pentecost was preceded by an earnest prayer vigil by gathered disciples, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. Billy Sunday had a powerful prayer force behind his revival efforts, as does the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The great revival efforts, wherever they’ve occurred, have been “prayed down,” not “worked up.”
3. Seek God’s face. For revival, a church needs to get serious about seeking God. He wants us to experience revival. Are we ready for the changes such an awakening will bring?
4. Turn from wicked ways. Self-examination, confession, repentance—all are part of readying ourselves for revival.

God’s Promises for Revival

1. God will hear our prayers. Just as he was faithful to answer Solomon’s prayers in 2 Chronicles 6, so faithfully will He hear and answer our prayers today.
2. God will forgive our sins. “Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” So advised Jesus when He gave us what we know as the Lord’s Prayer (Disciple’s Prayer). God specializes in forgiving sins. But first we must seek forgiveness, and forgive others who may have wronged us.
3. God will heal our land. Do we need God’s healing hand? Yes!

In closing, I quote the words of Wesley Duewel concerning 2 Chronicles 7:14: “God, at His own initiative, voluntarily gave us, His people, the covenant of revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14. He must be true to His covenant word, and He wants for us to fulfill our part.” God grant that we may, and that God will act according to His Word.

The Fruit-Bearing Christian

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” –Galatians 5:22-26. (ESV)

On the farm where I grew up, we had fruit-bearing trees: apples, peaches, pears, cherries. My father learned the technicalities of grafting to help the trees produce better varieties. Sometimes I watched him do the grafting process and would sometimes cringe when he cut into the bark to graft a branch into the tree. As a small child I imagined the slash and attachment as bringing pain to the tree, much as a similar process would have done to my arm. But the end result of this method of improving the fruit trees on our farm brought delicious fruits at harvest time.

Likewise, the practical Paul, writer of the letter to the Galatians, had sound advice for those who would be fruit-bearing Christians. First, they needed to rid themselves of works of the flesh named in verses 19-21. Herein is a list of quite unbecoming and even pagan behavior. Cast away the unspiritual works of sin.

The fruit of the spirit is desirable and characteristic of a Christian led by the Holy Spirit. In talks about developing these spirit-led characteristics, I have pictured them with graphics. One was a drawing of a bunch with nine grapes, each representing the nine virtues bestowed by the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Another graphic to help learners remember is a building with the foundation as love, the walls made up of joy, peace, patience and goodness, the door of kindness, the windows of faithfulness and gentleness, and the roof of self-control. In whatever way we remember these nine qualities of Spirit-led living, me need diligence in practicing them. They come with daily “crucifying the flesh” which gets in the way of Spirit fruit-bearing. And in this whole lesson from Galatians, we learn that strong verbs indicate whom we follow: We walk in the Spirit, we live by the Spirit, we are led by the Spirit, we keep in step with the Spirit. Much followship, and that daily, is indicated by these positive actions. Rev. J. B. Phillips wrote, “Every time we say ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that we believe there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”

Is it hard for you (as it is for me) to list the nine fruits on the cluster of the fruit of the Spirit in order? Rev. Robert J. Morgan in his mnemonic devices for memorization of the scriptures suggests we use the first letters of each word of this prayer to remind us of the nine characteristics of Kingdom fruit: “Lord Jesus, please produce kingdom grace for God’s sake.” And there we have the nine-fold fruit: LJPPKGFGS: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. A general complaint of present-day Christians is that they are “too much like non-Christians,” that “no difference is discerned between the non-Christian and the Christian’s behavior.” Let us abide in the Vine this year that we may bear Spirit-fruit worthy of Him.

Discerning God’s Plans for Us

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” –Jeremiah 29:11-14. (ESV).

Many scholars agree that the verses here express the theme of the prophecy according to Jeremiah. He writes to the Jewish exiles in Babylon to encourage them. He firmly believes that after a seventy year period, the nation will be restored. Oooh! Was this encouragement to the exiles?” Most of them, especially the adults, would have died natural deaths in their foreign refugee camps before the “perfect” round of seventy years transpired! God’s judgment on their rebellion would take time, but in the end the nation would experience the mercy of God.

The verses in the context of this chapter lend themselves to an outline. While in a foreign land, the Jewish people had some tasks to accomplish:

1. Make the best of the current situation of bondage (vv. 4-6). Go on with life. Build houses, get married, have children, keep the faith. Accept things as they are and do the best you can under the circumstances.
2. Pray. Pray for your captors. Pray for the Israelites. Lift up conditions in prayer (7).
3. Use discernment in voices you hear (vv. 8-9). Don’t gain false hope. Be faithful.
4. Look at the long-term results (v. 10). Here, Jeremiah prophesies that in 70 years the nation in exlile will be returned to Israel.
5. God has definite plans; hope in them! (v. 11). God has a future and a hope in mind.
6. Seek God diligently (vv. 12-14). He has a plan and it will be worked out. Even though we may not be able to see it and understand, He is at work and will bring His plans to pass.

I am re-reading this outline again and applying it to any bondage we have today: whether our dilemma is job insecurity, severe illness in the family, economic decline, concern over members of our families, disappointment over progress our church should be making in evangelism, service and missions ministries, God offers the same plan to restore us as he did in Jeremiah’s day. Dr. Warren Wiersbe says of Jeremiah 29:11: “It is a powerful promise to claim when you are ‘in exile’ God thinks about you personally and is planning for you…You need not fear the future.” May we be faithful to pray, work and wait.

Jesus, the Way to the Father

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” -John 14:6. (KJV)

We live in a day when many seek to proclaim that there are more ways than Jesus Christ to restore relationship with God the Father. We must be constantly aware of insidious claims to untruths that would negate personal faith in and acceptance of Christ as the way back to the Father.

The context of this powerful verse declaring Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the only way to the Father gives us powerful insight into the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. He faced imminent and close death. He had held his last supper with His disciples, and Judas, the disciple who betrayed Him, had already departed from the upper room. Christ was in the midst of His great discourse in which He stated, “Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3, KJV).

This talk of going away, of a mansion awaiting, and of Christ coming to take the disciples to that prepared place was too much for Thomas to comprehend. He interrupted the Lord’s discourse to declare that he didn’t know where Jesus was going, and therefore how could he possibly know the way. And in His answer to Thomas, the Lord gave not only Thomas but believers through all generations since, that marvelous affirmation and way to the Father: “I am the Way! I am the Truth! I am the Life!” (John 14:6). And in that same context, Jesus promised the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—Who would dwell in believers, comfort them, teach them bring to remembrance what they need to remember. Thomas, at the time he asked this question, was limited in his concept of Christ, because he saw the Messiah as one who would establish an earthly kingdom and make the Jewish nation strong again. But to Thomas’s credit, later when he saw the wounds in Christ’s side and hands, he declared, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) The questions and doubts Thomas had help us to see ourselves, for we too often question and wonder about the great truths Jesus wanted us to understand. Then and now and into the future, Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever: He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only Way to the Father.

A companion verse to John 14:6 is Acts 4:12. It is part of Peter’s masterful testimony before Caiaphas and Ananias, high priests, as he boldly proclaimed: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

Jesus gave to His followers at the time of His ascension into heaven a very important commission. The same is part of each Christian’s assignment, even today and until His return: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, KJV). No people, no places, no times are excluded from the message of the only way to the Father.

Well-Placed Trust

“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.” –Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

Early in my Christian walk I memorized these verses and adopted them, along with other specific verses, to be my “life verses”—that is, verses I would repeat often, meditate upon and seek to live the truths conveyed.

The wise spiritual leader who taught me about the value of life-verses and what they can mean in a Christian’s life and walk has been long gone from this earthly scene. But his influence lives on in the way I conduct my life and how I depend on the well-paced trust he taught me to put in the Lord. Webster defines “trust” as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or trust of someone or something.” For the Christian, that trust is placed in the Lord Jesus Christ, first for salvation, or the restoration of our relationship with God which sin marred and took away. But in addition to trust for salvation, saving of the soul for eternity, the well-placed trust knows that the Lord can be relied upon with confidence to provide guidance and stability for life itself. Trust produces a relationship that does not have to question the reliability of the one trusted. The writer of Proverbs confidently lauded that well-placed trust. The Lord who had captured the believer’s heart, would at all times direct the paths of the believer.

In addition to the above familiar verses which most of us have memorized, the wise author of this Proverb gave other directives that benefit the one trusting. I invite you to read prayerfully all of Proverbs 3 now. The believer seeks always to keep the commandments of the Lord (Proverbs 3:1). Mercy and truth should be as much with the believer as if bound about his neck as an amulet, ever-present with the person (v. 3). Fear or awe and reverence for the Lord become a way of life, signs of a healthy, productive lifestyle (v. 7-8). And correction from the Lord should be expected, even as a loving father disciplines his children (v.12).

A major benefit of this well-placed trust is happiness (v. 13 and 16). Freedom from fear follows those who trust in the Lord (verses 24-26). As one who has lived beyond the “three-score and ten years” promised in Psalm 90:10, I can attest to the joy and fullness of a well-placed trust in the Lord. Have I always lived up to the ideal expressed in Proverbs 3:5-6, knowing that it is God’s best way for me? Honest confession brings me to say no; there have been times when I have leaned on my own understanding instead of the precepts and prodding of the Lord. But the opportunities He affords His trusting child are multiple and steadfast. He forgives, continues to love, and restores. And always, always, His promises are faithful.

Invitation to Rest

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV).

Yesterday’s devotional urged the importance of memorizing scriptures. For the next several days, I will share with you verses I memorized along the way in my Christian journey, and some of the meaningful highlights the verses hold for me.

I will give the Scripture in the King James Version of the Bible, since most of the verses I’ve memorized, even recently, are in that lofty and sacred text. By way of information, I checked Rev. Robert J. Morgan’s list of 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart and these from Matthew 11 he did not cite. But I like them, perhaps because of my having grown up on a farm. The work we had to do was very hard with little time to rest from labors. I was attracted to Christ’s invitation to rest and the metaphor of the yoke, which was a familiar method of linking our farm mules to plows, wagon, or even to the lever that turned my father’s sorghum syrup mill for six weeks of very hard labor in the fall when he made syrup from our crop of cane and that of many other farmers in our vicinity. What an invitation: to be yoked with Christ the Lord in whatever work lay ahead for me in my life. It was an awesome and striking thought…and remains so until this day.

“Come unto Me…I will give you rest”: An invitation and a promise. Jesus recognizes our need for rest, that we are sometimes burdened, heavy-laden, maybe even over-worked and overstressed. He invites us to a time apart with Him. And refreshment, renewal and revitalization are the results. On the farm we knew not to unequally yoke work animals together in a task. We did not yoke a strong, large horse with a smaller, weaker mule, nor a mule with an oxen.

But how, then, can one such as I, with human frailties and failures, be yoked with Christ the Lord? Is not that “unequal” yoking? Yes, as we evaluate and interpret His majesty and power in comparison to our own inadequacy and imperfection. But the secret lies in coming to Him first. He has the power to make us joint heirs of all the Father has in store for each of us. “My yoke is easy, my burden is light” Jesus promises. A scholarly explanation of the “easy yoke” Christ puts upon us as we work with Him can be translated “a well-fitting yoke”—one that never chafes nor irritates but that fits us for the task at hand. Our association with Christ has all the benefits of a genuine, cooperative, productive work relationship. He yearns for what is best for ours and others’ good. Someone has aptly stated that God does not fear the future, for He is already there. And our partnership, yoked up with Jesus, is sure to produce desired results that will please the Father and bring glory to Him. Added benefits to us are the serenity and rest of soul, the genuine pleasure of tasks well done, and then rest and restoration, so that together, with Christ, we can be ready for His next assignment.

God’s Word in the Heart

“Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee…I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways. I will delight myself in Thy statutes; I will not forget Thy Word.” –Psalm 119:11, 15-16 (KJV).

I recently received a book entitled 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart by Robert J. Morgan. When I first became a Christian, and even before, I was taught the value of memorizing Scripture verses and applying their truths to my life. I appreciate good Sunday School teachers, parents, a caring pastor and others who early in my life taught me to love, obey and study the Word of God.

I was interested to note the 100 Bible verses noted author, teacher and pastor, Rev. Morgan, thought we should know. He gives authentic reasons for our knowing key life-verses and having them in mind to readily apply to situations we face. “It’s vital for mental and emotional health and for spiritual well-being,” he writes. “It makes the Bible portable…It allows God’s Word to sink into your brain and permeate your subconscious and even your unconscious thoughts.” (p. xiii). In addition to the 100 verses he suggests we memorize, he gives sound advice about how to memorize and argues that age is not a factor to our learning verses if we set our minds to the task.

Long before Rev. Morgan published his book on Scripture memorization in 2010 and listed the 100 verses he considers vital to knowing “by heart,” the writer of Psalm 119 declared that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart. His reason? “That I might not sin against Thee.” His resolution to hide God’s Word in his heart was further supported by his affirmation to “meditate upon Thy precepts,” to “have respect unto Thy ways.” Furthermore, the Psalmist pledged to “delight myself in Thy statutes,” and promised God, “I will not forget Thy Word.”

Perhaps many of us memorized verses as children. I was delighted when my great grandson, Gavin, at age four, could quote and give reference for Scripture verses that begin any letter of the English alphabet. This he accomplished in a good Christian Preschool that helped him to get started early in life on the Psalmist’s resolution to hide God’s Word in his heart. As aging and responsibility ensued in our lives, we became lax in memorization of Scripture, were not urged by our Sunday School teachers and others to quote the memory verse (key verse of the lesson), and, with multiple translations of the Bible, we did not center upon which one we would memorize as we did when the King James Version was the only one available to most of us.

The best example we have of knowing the Scriptures and applying them is Jesus when He faced temptations during His forty day period in the wilderness. With each temptation Satan presented, Jesus met the challenge by quoting God’s Word. “”It is written…” What a powerful testimony to the power of the Word to help any of us who know the Word. In this New Year, may we hide more of God’s Word in our heart so it will be available to us for meditation, for inspiration, for clarity and guidance in life.

Beacons of Light and Truth

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” –Psalm 43:3-4 (NEV).

Exquisite poetry came from the pens of those who wrote the Psalms and Proverbs. The verses for today’s consideration are a genuine example of Hebrew parallelism, one idea balanced against another as they reveal the genuineness of God’s consideration to usward. These lines were a prayer for deliverance, probably sung in temple or synagogue worship, and earnestly offered to God as a plea for sending light and truth to guide His children.

We in our modern places of worship often follow the patterns learned from the worship of the Hebrews at the actual time of the writing of our ancient scriptures. Songs and hymns invite us to worship. And with their words we are taught truths of our doctrines and our faith.

A beautiful picture is that of a place of worship on a hill with its beams of light inviting congregants to come and worship. Like a lighthouse on the coast that guides troubled ships safely into harbor, so the Light and Truth of God’s word are a guide to right living and a secure harbor in the treacherous sea of life.

Not only can we gain light and truth from public worship, but augmenting the experiences we have at church are our own individual times with God in the quietness of our private places where we can meet Him daily to gain sustenance from his Word and from prayer. All of these bring us exceeding joy. We may not have the musical capability to play the lyre in response, but our hearts can sing songs of praise as we absorb the light and truth God makes available to strengthen us.

Jesus added to and personalized the Psalmist’s declaration when he said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV). He also gave a commission that relates to sending out God’s light and truth, and that is to each of us who is saved by grace through faith: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV).

Help for a Drooping Soul

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” –Psalm 42:5 (also in Ps. 42:11 and 43:5. ESV)

If you read the devotional thoughts I wrote for January 5 (yesterday), you will recognized that this verse was used within the body of that devotional to indicate what brings on the thirsting for God from a soul that can only find rest when resting confidently within God’s love and care.

But let’s be honest and admit that sometimes we do have a “drooping soul,” a time when we feel depressed and often at our wit’s end, a time when God seems far away from us. If we think honestly about such a condition, we will have to ask the question we sometimes hear: “When God seems far away, guess who has moved?” And an honest answer to that question is that the down-cast soul is the one who has moved from within the lovelight of God’s provision. “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever…” But we, sinning, erring, straying, complaining humans are the ones who have moved out of the parameter of His presence.

To have low days seems to be a natural disaster of soul freedom. The Bible is filled with examples of those who experienced depression and temporary spiritual defeat. One example: Elijah had the masterful confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Horeb during the reign of King Ahab. The fire came down from heaven and completely consumed the sacrifice Elijah had laid out and watered down well. But the prophets of Baal could bring forth no response at all from their god. You would think Elijah would have rejoiced greatly in this victory. We observe, instead, him fleeing from the threats of Queen Jezebel, going to the wilderness of Beersheba, finding a juniper tree under which to rest, and praying to die. Pity-partying can be a true enemy of spiritual victory. The angel of the Lord came to Elijah’s rescue. And God can rescue any of us who will listen, heed and turn toward restoration. The choice to turn is ours to make and act upon.

Solomon had wise words concerning help for a drooping soul:

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
-Proverbs 18:1, 10 (ESV).

Instead of a “pity-party” under an isolated juniper tree, why don’t we seek the Lord for restoration? We have evidence that He is strong, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, an immovable tower, a ready refuge in time of trouble and distress.

A Thirst for God

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” –Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV).

Thirst is not a pleasant physical reaction to lack of liquid. Perhaps you have had to fast to take serious medical tests. Or perhaps you have been in a situation where drink was not available, and it seemed to your liquid-starved body that you would give almost anything for a cool, satisfying drink.

Have you ever been so spiritually thirsty that your soul yearns for the living God? The Psalmist gave a beautiful metaphor to describe the spiritually thirsty condition. It was like a deer, having traveled miles without coming upon a watering place, and was panting and yearning for a flowing stream. We can see that in our mind’s eye and know that the deer is searching frantically for the water that will assuage thirst.

May I suggest that each Christian should cultivate that need for spiritual water just like the deer, and also we humans, have that built-in need for physical water to satisfy thirst. Within beautiful Psalm 42, which was a “maskil”—or a song or hymn performed in worship—is a chorus that rings true to the theme of the whole Psalm. We find the chorus in verses 5 and 11 of Psalm 42 and again in verse 5 of Psalm 43:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
And why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
My salvation, and my God.

How can the God-thirst be assuaged? The Psalmist gives us the answer to that question. We remember God. Just like we remember good times, recall people who have touched our lives, so we remember God. Recall how His steadfast love is with us in the daytime and His song is with us in the night. Metaphorically, this recalls times when He has given light to our pathways and times when we have walked through shadowy places. The second admonition in getting the soul that thirsts for God back to Him lies in hope. Poet Emily Dickinson had this to say about that intrinsic aspiration of the soul:

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.”

Yes. “Hope in God.” The thirst for God can be fulfilled. He has been waiting for our return—waiting to fill us—and all we have to do is remember and hope…and return to Him.

A Word for the Wise

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom…But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” –James 3:13, 17-18 (ESV).

I think there is hardly a one among us who does not wish to be wise. Oftentimes we read and think upon the Proverbs (most attributed to the sage Solomon, who reigned as King of Israel for about 40 years around 1,000 BC). His writings hold immeasurable expressions of wisdom. I, for one, am very fond of quotations. I have quotation dictionaries and am known to write down in journals quotations that strike me as apt and wise. I have even tried my own hand at writing memorable quotations, but I must say without great success. According to James, believed by scholars to be the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, wisdom is “from above,”—his way of stating that wisdom comes as a gift from God. And that wisdom bestowed by God has extremely desirable characteristics. It is “pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” We can pursue knowledge, learn facts and accrue an education, but I like to think that the ability to apply what we learn lies within the area of that often evasive realm called wisdom. Paul wrote to Timothy that those who had leadership roles in the church (and, I think we can apply this to wherever we work) have responsibilities relative to wisdom: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Would you like to grow wiser in this new year? I think most of us would agree that would be a good goal toward which to strive. Again, the Apostle Paul, in his writings, stated a means whereby we might improve upon our standing in wisdom and experience: “Through Him (Jesus Christ) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:2-5).

It is significant that when Solomon was inaugurated King of Israel, his prayer to God was that he be filled with wisdom. “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chronicles 1:10). He did not ask for wealth, fame or a powerful kingdom. Could it be that he knew already if he could exercise the wisdom of God, these other achievements would be possible? Wisdom and discernment are needed in our day to follow God’s way so that we will not be detracted by many devious teachings that would lead us astray from His truths. Returning to James’s teachings, we find this encouraging word: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, ESV). It is good to pray the prayers written in the Word of God. By so doing, we have advanced assurance that we are praying in the Lord’s will. We can pray confidently for wisdom. God wants to answer that prayer.

Rejoice At All Times

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” –Philippians 4:4 (ESV).
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” –I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV).

Sometimes I find the Lord’s commands extremely hard to follow. Paul’s statement of the Lord’s will in Philippians 4:4 and in I Thessalonians 5:16 is one of these: “Rejoice always.”

Always, Lord, when troubles beset on every hand? When calls for help seem beyond my ability to fulfill? When my own perceived needs seem so paramount that I can hardly see the light of day, much less offering to help others who seem even needier than I? Rejoice always? There must be some mistake, Lord! Herein is the gist of my argument at times with the Lord. But yet I hear His insistent “Rejoice always.” Following closely on that commandment are some others that are equally as hard for me to live out: “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” And then comes this explanation with which I can’t possibly argue: “for this is the will of God for you.”

The morning fog lifts and the sunlight shines forth brightly. The whole world outside is turned into one dazzling landscape as sun’s ray sparkle upon morning frost. Just like the morning is foggy and dark until the sunlight filters through and transforms the scene, so the impossibility of “rejoicing always” receives spiritual illumination. I don’t have to do this constant rejoicing on my own! “Do not quench the Spirit,” Paul writes (I Thes. 5:19). And going further, he states, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The secret, I think, is abiding and allowing the Spirit of God to live within, helping to sanctify (make holy). “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” declares Paul (I Thes. 5:24).

It is possible to rejoice, even when one cries. I’ve experienced times like that over and over again in my life. It is then that we hold on to God’s faithfulness, not our own weaknesses and woes. And considering how He loves and provides for His children, how can we help to respond in any way except rejoicing always? I invite you, with me, to take on a new attitude for this New Year: Resolve to rejoice always. There is always good…and God’s undergirding reasons…for every circumstance that besets us. In this foreknowledge, we can, indeed, rejoice always! And then in retrospect, we can look and see how God worked it all out for His glory. The prophecy of Psalm 19:8 will surely come to pass: “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Your Strength: The Joy of the Lord

“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’” –Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)

A brief context of this verse allows us to see the times and situation and understand better the reason for the returned Israelites to rejoice. Nehemiah had left a favored position in exile with the King of Persia (about 445 BC) to return to Jerusalem, lead the repatriated Jews in the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem and to rally the Jews as a nation. He faced opposition, derision, attacks, and disunity. But finally the rebuilding of the wall was completed. The scrolls of the Book of the Law were brought before a solemn assembly at the Water Gate, and Ezra, the scribe, read the sacred words in the midst of the people. It was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving. The people, upon hearing the Word read, raised their hands in praise and cried, “Amen, Amen!” (Neh. 8:6). They cried happy tears, but Nehemiah and Ezra urged the people to prepare a celebratory meal, for “”the day is holy to our Lord…and the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Because they understood the Word of the Lord, they had cause to celebrate. A period of confession and repentance ensued. They also restored the long-neglected Feast of the Booths (or Tabernacles), and for seven days they rejoiced, ate, and read the Word of God in the assembly of the people. The Israelites had not kept the Feast of Booths since the days when Joshua was their leader and they were conquering the Promised Land. Another benefit of this celebration was the restoration of the Feasts of the Booths after such a long period. Joshua died about 1427 B. C. and the people had not observed the celebration since his time, about 1,000 years before. They built booths, or tabernacles, to use for shelter during the seven-day celebration as a reminder of God’s protection of the people when they lived in such booths after their exodus from Egypt. “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” was their heart-felt expression of appreciation for God’s providence. It indicated the sheer joy (delight, happiness, gladness) which is the fruit of a right relationship with God.

On this second day into a brand new year, how can we come into a right relationship with God? Are confession of sins and repentance (turning away from sin) needed? Is a period of thanksgiving in order for God’s bounteous blessings? What gaps in our relationship with God and with others need to be mended? What restoration of meaningful celebrations can remind us, as the festival of booths did for the Israelites, that God protects us, shelters us and shields us from dangers? Do we need to make recommitments to be faithful in church attendance and support? Is this a time to resolve to read and study God’s Word diligently and follow its precepts? “The joy of the Lord is your strength!” Joy permeates the believer’s lifestyle. Because the Lord walks and talks with us daily, we have ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8). He gives joy, even amidst grief, as He spreads upon us “the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit” (Isa. 61:3b).

God Crowns the Year with Bounty

“Praise is due You, O God in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. O You who hear prayer, to You shall all flesh come. You crown the year with your bounty.” -Psalm 65:1-2, 11a. (ESV)

The first day of a brand New Year! Welcome, New Year! I stayed awake to see the New Year in. I wasn’t with a church group in a “Watch Night Service.” In fact, all the last day of the old year had been a somber day alone with few telephone calls and not many e-mail and facebook messages. Time to think, time to pray, time to remember, time to look ahead. And this morning as I read my Bible, the Lord turned my attention to Psalm 65. This English Standard Version has a title or section heading for this Psalm: “O God of Our Salvation” (These headings are not a part of the original text but were added to help identify important themes and topics throughout the Bible and to serve as Bible study aids).

Do thoughts come to you about your purpose in life, about why you are living here at the beginning of 2012, in this “year of our Lord”? We could allow depression to overcome us as we consider the condition of our country and our world, the injustices in high places, the wrecked economy, the uncertainties and problems that exist. This Psalm is attributed to David. No doubt, in his time, too, he faced grave problems of leadership. But this Psalm shows his firm affirmation of God’s providence and salvation. It affirms that the people will make their prayers to God and pay their vows. And God will visit the earth, water it, make it produce. “You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.” What, then, is my purpose, your purpose in life as 2012—a new year—dawns? Could our purpose be to praise and honor God, to live close to Him, to recognize His favor? Psalm 65:4 gives us an answer: “Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts!” God has chosen each of us for this particular time in the vast span of time and eternity. What a sobering and awesome thought!

Recognition of God as the Giver of good is paramount throughout this Psalm. Dare we do less than David in recognizing God’s sovereignty, His power and His provision? “By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the One who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might: who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.” (Psalm 65:5-8)

In 2012 I will look about me, rejoice in what is still good, beautiful, bountiful and steadfast in this world where I dwell. I shall declare, “You (O God my Father, Provider and Sustainer, Maker and Keeper of Heaven and Earth) crown the earth with your bounty!”