“Trouble and anguish have come upon me, yet Your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.”Psalm 119:143-144
Healthy relationships are built on knowledge, understanding and grace. Sharing a conversation with a person will, in most cases, allow one to get to know them. However, that does not necessarily mean that they have any kind of significant relationship…at this point they are, for the most part, acquaintances. Solid relationships are built when people share their lives. They celebrate the high points together, comfort at low points and offer aid, wisdom and guidance in the midst of struggles. Grace covers the gap between knowledge and understanding as well as when there is a need for forgiveness. Developing a strong relationship takes time and effort but yields a great reward.
Last week I was looking for scripture verses to post on social media and came across Psalm 119:43-44. Despite having read and sung it many times, this time it struck a nerve. The natural tendency of any human when faced with trouble that causes anguish is to seek understanding. The important question is: what kind of understanding?
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The more you read the Bible; and the more you meditate on it, the more you will be astonished with it.
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11
My Aunt Margaret and Uncle Wilbur raised sheep. For the twelve years I was in elementary school through high school, some portion of the summer was spent at their home. One Wednesday evening we were getting ready to go to church and my uncle got a call that dogs had gotten into one of their pastures. My aunt and I went on to church while my uncle and older brother went to check on the sheep. While the dogs were removed quickly, it wasn’t until we had the light of day the following morning that the damage that they had done could be assessed. I remember riding in the back of the truck looking for injured sheep. There were several and the scene wasn’t pretty. Uncle Wilbur loaded a couple on the truck to take home, but most, if not all, of the attacked sheep died. The basic tactic of the dogs was to chase the herd until one of the sheep got separated, attack it and then repeat the process. In most situations, there is usually safety in numbers, but isolation weakens our level of protection.
Isolation comes in many forms. Like many, mine is associated primarily due to illness and my inability to work. For others, it may be personality type, a change in marital status, leaving the work force, increasing frailties as a result of age, or any of a number of other issues which may present themselves individually or in concert. Further, one does not need to spend a lot of time unaccompanied to feel isolated. Often I have felt completely alone while surrounded by people. Satan loves to find us isolated as it makes us more vulnerable to his attacks. Just like the dogs with sheep, he uses our vulnerability to undermine our thought processes and, thereby, erode our faith. One of his first targets is our sense of worth. He works on us until we begin to forget our true value.
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The value of an object is often reflected by the price we are willing to pay for it. Have you ever considered what God was willing to ‘pay’ for you?” … “God ‘ransomed’ you with the most valuable thing He had, His Son, to die for our sins. God paid the highest price possible to redeem our souls. That ought to tell us something.”
Dr. Chris Thurman The Lies We Believe
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 221
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”Hebrews 12:5-6
Life can seem to be trying and wearisome at times. This summer is the third summer in a row that my wife has had to use crutches due to injury. My own health issues have been more challenging this year. I have added two new specialists to my list of doctors and will likely add a third by the end of the year. And yet, despite our struggles and their related frustration and fatigue, we consider ourselves quite fortunate having learned over time that: our situation could be much worse; our trials are truly “light and momentary”; and God is faithful to sustain us. It doesn’t make the endurance an easy thing, but it does encourage us and provide a healthier perspective than our culture offers. With this understanding, we further recognize that the discipline and sustaining grace of God is infinitely better than being neglected.
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All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power and love.
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29
I believe that one of the great joys of life is sitting around a fire with people you’re close to and enjoying the fellowship as well as the fire. I’m sure that those feelings are partially due to the bonfires at church camp when I was a child and a teen. At the end of the night there was singing (both fun and spiritual) which as followed by the final message of the day. It always seemed that God spoke more clearly and directly with darkness surrounding everything outside the glow of the fire. However, I also have a healthy respect for fire. It doesn’t take much for a fire to get out of control and I am keenly familiar with its destructive nature. I remember my dad, a volunteer fireman, coming home from a fire that claimed a home and the lives of four people inside. I also vividly remember being asked, as an adolescent orderly, to bathe a man who had been burned over most of his body. Despite its ability to destroy and consume, as far back as I can remember I have loved fire. Candles, bonfires, hearth fires, and even consuming fires are beautiful to me and each reminds me of some aspect of God and His power at work.
My mother always set a wonderful table; on special occasions, the tablescape included candles. I have followed that tradition and enjoy having candles of all sorts around the house and occasionally burn them during the day. With little effort, they create a pleasant ambiance as their flames dance and flicker. With the discovery of electricity, their utility and need has diminished, but they are still quite useful for illuminating a home during a power outage. On a greater level, God and His word are both at work to enhance our lives and light our way. In Psalm 18 David says “The Lord my God illumines my darkness” and in Psalm 27 adds “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Psalm 119:105 declares “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” while Psalm 43:3 further states “O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me”. Finally, in John 8:12 Our Lord proclaims: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Candles are a lovely addition to our lives, but how much better it is that our Savior and His word bring godly beauty to our lives, enlighten our souls and illuminate our path out of darkness into the light of eternity.
Bonfires and hearth fires take combustion to another level as they provide both ambiance and significant heat. The atmosphere draws us in and promotes fellowship while the heat warms the body and provides a means to create meals. The Spirit of God works in a similar fashion. Is it not the Holy Spirit that knits our souls to other believers and draws us into fellowship with them? Is it not also the Spirit of God drawing us into fellowship with Him as well? It is no small thing that the Spirit descending on the early Christians showed up in the form of “tongues as of fire” igniting their souls. It is that same Spirit that sets our souls on fire as well. The Holy Spirit provides a catalyst for our spiritual growth, our acts of service, and response to the word of God as it comes to us; but it is a catalyst that needs an outlet. Jeremiah recognized this. Because of his faithful service to God He suffered reproach and mused that he might be silent, yet he could not and declared “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.” (Jeremiah 20:9) We too, when confronted by the Spirit of God, must not hold the passion in but allow it to lead us “acceptable service” to our God as He provides means and opportunity so that our light shines and our Lord is glorified.
While most people enjoy candles and bonfires, most fear the all-consuming fire as they immediately consider the loss of forests, homes or lives. The difference has to do with control. With a bit of intelligence and attention, candles, bonfires, and fireplaces can be managed with minimal risk; however, the consuming fire is beyond control in some form or fashion. Despite the possible devastation, there is a sense in which extreme and uncontrolled fires produce a benefit. For example, intense fires are used to purify metals and forest fires actually purge the land allowing rejuvenating growth and balanced ecosystems. It should therefore, come as no surprise that God is referred to as a “consuming fire”. As our Sovereign and Almighty God, His decisions and actions are beyond the control of man. As Holy God, the destruction that He ordains is used to purge and eradicate sin whether it is on a grand scale throughout nations or in a more precise manner in the lives of His children to refine and perfect them. As the One Living and True God, He punishes and consumes those who oppose Him. Further, scripture teaches us that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” (Hebrews 1:11-12, 2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 20:11, and Revelation 21:1) As dreadful as that day will be, it will bring the return of our Lord; establish a new heaven and earth; usher in a new holy existence eradicating sin and death once and for all and allow us to dwell with God. In light of our God who is described as a consuming fire, the apostles Peter and Paul give us two appropriate responses. We are to live in “holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11-12) and “offer to God acceptable service with reverence and awe”. Given our intense immersion in this world and the fact that these responses are countercultural, we need to focus intently on God’s holiness, greatness and all-consuming nature in order to develop a proper sense of urgency to live in holy conduct and godliness as well as to properly revere and stand in awe of Almighty God.
Fire is an integral part of human life that consumes whatever it touches and yet it provides light, beauty, warmth, fellowship and the means to nourishment. The fire of God is also both dangerous and beneficial. It destroys the wicked and purges sin, but it also brings us out of the darkness and leads us to the light of eternity. Accept Christ’s “Light of life, allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to ignite your soul and let the consuming nature of Almighty God cause you to live well and stand in awe of Him who has made you, redeemed you and has given you hope for eternity.
May God send out His light and His truth, let them lead you; let them bring you to His holy hill and to His dwelling places.
Will
Faith upholds a Christian under all trials, by assuring him that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of His love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his need.
“I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.” Psalm 145:1-7
As I was finishing a run recently, I was overcome with the urge to glorify God. As I pondered His glory, I had to check my soul to make sure it wasn’t merely an emotional high. After all, it was a beautiful day and I had just completed my first good run in a long time. Thankfully, while the weather and my mood may have been contributing factors, upon reflection, they were minor ones as I truly just needed to praise God. However, my contemplation led me to consider how easy it is to glorify God when the sun is shining and things to seem to be going well, but what about the dark and cloudy days or when times are tough?
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We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
