Failure

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.

~ Jeremiah 29:11

Have you failed in anything during the past year? I’m going to guess that the answer is a big “YES.” I certainly have. And in my own case — and I think, in many other peoples’ cases — some of the failures have been in things that I considered selfless, or at least a “good cause.” People fail in their attempts to stop committing a persistent sin, for example.

But we must remember one specific and central thing about God’s plan for us. No matter how many times we may fail, and no matter how huge and spectacular the failure may be, it has a purpose. God’s plan for us is for a success so perfect, so large, so eternal, that our eventual success will eclipse all of our failures in life and make them into nothing.

Our memory verse comes from Jeremiah and, in context, specifically concerns the Jews. We know from the Bible that, in one sense, Judaism was a complete failure. It was doomed from the beginning; the Law was actually incapable of bringing salvation to those who followed it. Israel came closest to fulfilling the Law in the reign of David; but the very next king (Solomon) sinned so badly that Israel was torn asunder, conquered, dispersed, and exiled.

Yet, the failure of the Law was not final, for the failure was part of God’s plan. He intended that the Hebrews would fail; the Law was necessary that the Jews, and the world, might understand its sin and be prepared to hear the message of the Messiah. (Galatians 3:19) Christ “accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.” (Romans 10:4)

And so our personal failures and failings can be seen in the light of Jeremiah. Not only is failure not permanent, but it can be part of God’s plan for our perfection and salvation. No matter how desperate we may feel at our situation in life, God gives us “a future and a hope.” Our plans are made of straw, but God’s plan for us is made of undefeatable spirit. So we should never feel despair; our future is assured, even in our failures.

There is no reason to wait. Today is the day to put all sense of failure behind us and look to the future. The past is gone forever, and we cannot change it; but the rest of our lives lies ahead. Let us stride in absolute faith and abundant hope, for God’s plan is our welfare, a promise of total victory.

Lord, let me always find hope in your promise to me. Amen.

Live Quietly

Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, . . . so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

1 Thess. 4:11 is counter-intuitive. It teaches us the opposite of the lessons that society, the world, and our innate desires for success in the world teach us.

First: “Live quietly.”

Life teaches us to “live noisily,” to complain loudly, to argue vehemently about the things of the world. It teaches us that those who make the greatest public stir also get the most power, money, and prestige. We admire celebrities, political and social leaders, larger-than-life public figures — in other words, we most admire those who live “noisily.”

Shouting about political issues is a lesson that the world teaches us. It is not a lesson that the Bible teaches us. In fact, if we read any of the Gospels with an open mind, Christ’s rejection of politics as a path to salvation (of ourselves or others) is clear and marked.

Most people understand, at least in an academic sense, the message of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Ironically, much of the crowd thought that He was the messiah who would overthrow Rome, clean house in the Sanhedrin, and restore Israel to the glory of King David. How disappointed they must have been when He just allowed Himself to be executed without a fight!

Nor would he allow his disciples to lash out in His defense. He markedly rebuked Peter for raising a sword at the time of his arrest.

And concerning His verbal teachings, His only comments on political action were such statements as “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” and (through the voices of Paul and Peter) “be subject to the governing authorities.” His harsh words were reserved for hypocritical religious doctrine and for those who would not accept Him as Christ.

So, “Live quietly.” Paul really should not have to say this, since the enormous emphasis on humility, in the teachings of Jesus Christ, should lead us to it. But it is a lesson that people do not want to hear and one widely ignored by many Christians.

“Mind you own affairs.” No real explication of this phrase is necessary. Living it, when our natural instincts tell us to voice our opinions about all kinds of affairs not our own, is another matter.

I will skip over “work with your hands,” in the interest of time. We should make our living, as best we are able, by productive work. There is surely no sin in accepting charity, for those who need help. But the phrase does raise knotty issues concerning career choices.

The telling phrase is “that you may walk properly before outsiders,” for it gives us the reason that we aspire to live quietly. What is the Christian’s primary duty to the non-Christian? Our commission from Christ is to spread the Gospel. Is it so hard to see that we injure the Great Commission when we equate politics, or any other exercise of coercive worldly power, with Christianity?

Lord, grant that I may always seek to live quietly and mind my own affairs. Amen.

Whatever Happened to Worship?

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

~ Psalm 95:1-2

Because we are not truly worshippers, we spend a lot of time in churches just spinning our wheels — making noise but not getting anywhere.

What are we going to do about this awesome, beautiful worship that God calls for? I would rather worship God than do any other thing I know of in all this wide world.

I would not even attempt to tell you how many hymnbooks are piled up in my study. I cannot sing a lick, but that is nobody’s business. God thinks I am an opera star! God listens while I sing to Him the old French hymns in translation, the old Latin hymns in translation. God listens while I sing the old Greek hymns from the Eastern church as well as the beautiful psalms done in meter and some of the simpler songs of Watts and Wesley and the rest.

I mean it when I say that I would rather worship God than to do anything else.

Lord, may that be my testimony as well—“I would rather worship God than do any other thing I know of in all this wide world.” Amen.

~ from “Christian Leadership” by A. W. Tozer

Are You Significant?

 All of us have built-in personal worth needs. One of these, love and acceptance, is so crucial to our sense of well-being that we could hardly function if we were convinced that no one loved us. We concluded that this is a God-given need and that no earthly substitutes can perfectly fulfill it. We must turn instead to the One who implanted it within us, the One who created the cosmos and was crucified at Calvary. Only in Him will we find unconditional love and consistent acceptance. When we place our complete trust in Jesus, we receive a new identity as beloved sons and daughters of the King.

Not all believers realize the implications of this. Many still find their identity in what others think of them or in what they think of themselves. It is only when we find our identity in what God thinks of us as members of His family that we become free to love others without manipulating them to love us in return.

The second personal worth need we looked at was significance and identity. We saw that in spite of so many desperate efforts to satisfy this need in the pursuit of possessions and status, none of these things can fill the void. Once again, our quest will only end in the One who placed this need within us. We were created to know God and to find in our relationship with Him the joy and meaning we seek. Thus, God in His love and mercy uses our needs to drive us from futility to fulfillment.

The ultimate source of our significance is our position as members of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). We have been qualified to “share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12). As an extension of the incarnation of Christ, we are coheirs of His heavenly kingdom. It was for us that He prayed on the night before His crucifixion, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21, NIV). When we realize that our true significance and identity rests in this reality, we are freed from the trap of impressing others to find meaning and purpose for ourselves.

Let me always understand my significance as a member of the body of Christ. Amen.

"Lets just praise The Lord"

 Ps. 18:2

"Lets just praise The Lord"

intro.

David was hated, out of the jealousy from others, including Saul that was so full of hate for David, that He wanted him dead. Saul was truly angry at God for choosing David over him, now this is not mere speculation if you read the narrative about these relationships between God, Saul, and David it becomes obvious that this anger and hate towards David was had because Saul foolishly felt by getting rid of David, that it would throw a wrench in the gears of God's Plan. Of course, in hindsight and on faith alone, we know this could never happen, when God purposed an action, it is always fulfilled, in His time. Saul lost the Spirit of God and the Spirit moved into David instead. David, after seeing all that God has done, gave praise and glory to God. Let us read verse 2 of Psalm 18, then investigate the heart of David within this verse as we praise The Lord.

I. God is our stability.

"The Lord is my Rock." You simply can not stand on quicksand. To stand firmly, one needs a firm foundation, stable ground. On Christ, in Christ, through Christ we stand, for He alone is our solid Rock. This world is wishy-washy, unpredictable, unstable, it engulfs us in an abyss of sin and Eternal destruction. When we place our trust in anyone or anything other than Christ, we fool ourselves, and we sink and suffocate Spiritually in the quicksand of this sin-laden world. Jesus looked at Peter, when He declared, "on this Rock, I build My Church", He was not talking only to Peter, He was/is talking to us today. We are to build on The Rock, for this Rock is Jesus.

II. God is our safety.

Let me ask you something, bluntly. Whether in hindsight or foresight, do you, or have you felt Spiritually [Eternally] safe without Christ in your life? Now, let me ask you the same question, but with Christ as your Lord and Savior in your life? The Lord is our Place of Safety, our City of Refuge in which we may turn to when we are facing all kinds of adversities. We can come to Him when we are in times of trouble. We are never limited to just coming to Him only in the bad and desperate times, we may come unto Him in the good, in the bad, and even in those times in between. No matter what season of life we may be in, we may come unto Him to lean, and cling unto Him, for in Him we find safety, for He is our Fortress.

III. God is our Savior.

"I and The Father are one." ~Jesus

Christ Jesus is Father God, in the flesh and Christ Jesus saves! When Lot was in wicked Sodom & Gomorrah, God delivered him. When Israel was in exile and bondage in Egypt, God delivered them. When, Peter, Paul, and John were persecuted and prosecuted for preaching, teaching, healing, and converting in Christ Jesus' Name, God delivered them. The Lord is our Deliverer, even today. He saves, rescues, and delivers us from all adversities, and by way of His Finished Work done on Calvary, He delivered us from the reality of Hell, if we have repented, confessed, and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

IV. He is God.

God is Sovereign. What does this mean? It means to have absolute power and authority. This term is limited [any word or phrase to truly describe Who/what God is, is limited.] Yet, God is Sovereign. He is the absolute, and ultimate Power and Authority over all things and circumstances, no matter how big or small it may be. He is more powerful than any broken heart, any pain, sickness, suffering, hardship, sin and death. He is the Final Authority and only Authority for He alone sits and is worthy to sit and remain on His Throne. God is God, for He is Sovereign.

V. Our need.

God is our Strength. "I am weak, yet Thou art strong" the moments that we become weakened by the blows to our Spiritual body, by faith, we know, and have the confidence knowing that fulfills our every need so that we may acknowledge and accept that when we come to Him, He reminds us that He gave us that Strength that we badly needed when He died on Cavalry and rose the 3rd day. That moment of Salvation by His grace through our faith in Him is the moment our need was fulfilled that He is our Strength.

VI. God is our Shield.

He is our Buckler. Just as a belt has a buckle to hinge 2 sides together to secure and guard and gird us as we are clothed, He does as well, we are "buckled" unto Him, with assurance in security and in His awesome loving protection, by way of His Grace. Now, we all know that every rose has its thorn. Now these thorns can and does hurt, but we must understand that God has given us these thorns not to hurt us, but to protect us, by allowing the pain and pricks to draw us near to Him, for In Him, and because of His Finished Work on Calvary, we are more than conquerors over Death, Sin, and Hell.

VII. God is our High Tower.

When soldiers are in battle, they are in need of a supply. Ammo, rest, food, refreshment, and an advantage see the battlefield from a higher perspective to win that battle. Christ Jesus is our Supply, and God is our High Tower. In Him, we are supplied with the ammo we need to win life's battles, which is prayer. We are supplied with rest, that only He can provide. He supplies us with Spiritual Food to nourish us, which is His Word. We are supplied with Spiritual refreshment which is The Holy Spirit. We, through our faith in The Lord, must view the battlefield with the viewpoint of God. With the eyes of God. Seeing the bigger picture, how God sees it. See the heart of the battle, not the aesthetics of the battles.

Conclusion.

This world is full of provision, but void of the promise of Eternal Reward. Wishy-washy, uncertain. God is not like that. His Promises are always fulfilled, our needs are met. We can trust God, therefore lets just praise The Lord. Jesus is our Eternal Reward if/when we accept Him as Lord and Savior through repentance.