He Knew

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He did so knowing that they would want to go back to their fleshpots, etc.

In a similar way, God is working with me, helping me to walk away from and turn my back on the sinful habits and pleasures in my own life, knowing that at some points during the journey I will complain and balk and want to go back.

It's part of the withdrawal process (sin is an addiction), and He knows that, and He's prepared for it. He won't give up on me and leave me to what I think I want (things which will hurt me and tarnish me).

He might let me taste those things again (like the quail in the desert), just to remind me why it's bad for me and why I'm walking away from it.

And then He'll keep on leading me out, away from sinful Egypt and towards the "land of promise," where "all nations" will know that He is my God, and I am His daughter. <3

Expect Victory

"Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." ~Psalm 119:165

I remember when I was young, I would often hear this verse flung at one's opponent in an argument. One would say, "I'm offended that you _______," and the other would retort by quoting this verse. I even did it myself a few times.

However, when I did a word study on this verse recently, I discovered a completely different meaning—one rich with encouragement for me in my faltering walk with the Lord!

Ellen G. White says in the third volume of Bible Commentaries that this "peace" referred to in Ps. 119:165 is "harmony with heaven"! Wow! And of course, Strong's Concordance (as well as EGW's comments) reveals that "offend" simply means "to falter, stumble".

So check this out: "Great harmony with Heaven have they which love thy law, and nothing shall cause them to stumble (or fall into sin)."

But it doesn't end here. The next verse says, "Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments."

Again, Strong's helps to elucidate the meaning. "Hope" in the Hebrew means "to expect", and "salvation" means "deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity".

So check this out: I can expect victory if I love God's law, because I am in harmony with Heaven, which means that nothing will cause me to fall into sin. And David testifies that this was his experience: "I have. . .done Thy commandments" (verse 166).

As Christians, we claim to love God, and by extension, His Law (which is a transcript of His character). Do we expect victory?

"According to your faith be it unto you." ~Matthew 9:29

Come and See!

            The little girl was nearly bubbling over with exuberance. “Come and see, Daddy,” she insisted, tugging at her father’s sleeve. “Come and see what I found!” Her joy is contagious.

            . . .

            Startled passersby on the dusty road move aside for the speeding man in long traditional robes.  He sprints past them, grinning from ear to ear. What good news does he carry? they all wonder. Careening around the next bend, he spots his brother and the news tumbles out: “Simon, Simon! We have found the Messiah! Come and see!”

            . . .

            Philip simply couldn’t wait for an “appropriate time” to share his news. He tramped through the dense foliage to the secret hideaway where he knew his friend was praying. Ditching formalities, he interrupted without apology. “We have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets, did write—Jesus of Nazareth. . . . Come and see!”

            . . .

            Joy must be shared. It’s a natural reaction. If we’ve found something good or exciting, we want to tell someone! Even John the Baptist, when He first set eyes on Jesus, forgot the rest of his sermon in his excitement. “Suddenly…his eye kindled, his face was lighted up, his whole being was stirred with deep emotion. With outstretched hands,” he announced the presence of the long-promised One—the Messiah. DA 135

            “With the calling of John and Andrew and Simon, of Philip and Nathanael, began the foundation of the Christian church. John directed two of his disciples to Christ. Then one of these, Andrew, found his brother, and called him to the Savior. Philip was then called, and he went in search of Nathanael. These examples should teach us the importance of personal effort, of making direct appeals to our kindred, friends, and neighbors.” DA 141

            When Christ starts working in our lives, when we start to see Jesus for who He really is, when we really start to realize the amazing depth of His love for us, we won’t be able to keep it to ourselves! “No sooner is one converted than there is born within him a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus. The saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart.” DA 141

            The Bible itself ends with an invitation to “come”—“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him that heareth say, ‘Come.’ And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

            Who have you invited?

Jeroboam

Recently I've begun to read through the stories of the Old Testament. A recurring theme keeps popping up - fear. I've now come to the story of Jeroboam. Here again we see the terrible results of fear, when it is allowed to take hold in someone's heart. Fear of future revolt (i.e. lack of faith in God to protect him) led Jeroboam to erect "high places" of false worship, with idols and common priests (non-Levites), and establish his own day of worship for the people. Really, Jeroboam? You saw nothing wrong with this??!? And in all this he supposed he was worshipping God. You'd think he would have taken a clue when the Levites refused to be priests over these "high places" he had built. But no. Fear had blinded him until he had no more discernment. How frightful! And not only that, but his continued journey on this path led him eventually to despise the messenger of the Lord sent to rebuke him. And not only did Jeroboam despise this messenger, he also intended probably to have him killed!!! ("Lay hold on him" was Jeroboam's command.) Perhaps he was thinking, "How dare you find fault with my way of worshiping God?!" So caught up in his own self-righteousness, he could not perceive or discern the voice of God or the signs of His displeasure. How terribly frightful indeed... Who would think that such a "little" thing as fear could lead to such appalling results and consequences? Who would conceive of its power to blind a person so thoroughly? O Lord, deliver me from my own fears!!!!

There are Higher Joys

This morning I was thinking about all the exciting little things that have happened recently, and it made me grin from ear to ear. Then suddenly, it was as if the Lord spoke directly to my heart: "But there are higher joys." :) Of course it's not wrong to take joy in the little things, like a note from a friend, or a small thoughtful gift, or a few relaxing days to yourself. But what about the eternal joys, the ones that will last forever? Seeing God face to face, seeing a dear friend accept Christ, experiencing God's forgiveness... Aren't those things so much more deserving of our contemplation and joy? What if I mulled those things over and over in my head throughout the day, the way I do with other things? Wouldn't I feel so much closer to heaven? I want these "higher joys" to fill my thoughts throughout the day, every day. I want to feel close to heaven.

Corpse in My Closet

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" ~James 2:20

     I used to think this was talking about those people who believe you can go to Heaven without keeping the commandments - that the commandments were done away with at the cross. And it is... But there's a deeper meaning, a more personal meaning, which just dawned on me this morning as I added this verse to my memory bank.
     When I pray for various things, I generally believe (at least intellectually) that God will answer my prayers. But this verse made me think, Do I demonstrate that faith by my works, or do I have a "dead faith"? Do I do my best to help God answer my prayers, or do I sit back and do nothing? Do I move forward, making choices which reflect my faith that God will answer my prayers? I had to ruefully admit that my faith was nothing more than a corpse in the closet of my heart.
     But I thank God that He is a God who can make dry bones live! (See Ezekiel 37.)
     So my next question was, "What can I do to show God (and myself) that I believe His promise to answer my prayers?" One of my prayers lately has been that I will find a Thai friend to help me get around town, and to help me learn Thai. However, I'm a little ashamed to say that I haven't really done much to "help God out" in that realm. Perhaps an appropriate response on my part would be to make more effort to associate with people in my community, and make myself available. It's inconvenient sometimes, it's not always what I feel like doing, and it's embarrassing when people try to talk to me and I have no clue what they're saying. But do I really want God to answer my prayer? If so, I need to act accordingly. After all, isn't that what I came here for - to reach out to people and show them Jesus' love? Jesus wasn't a hermit; I can't be one either.
     That's just one example of faith that needs to be acted out in my life. There are many more. Perhaps there are corpses in your closet, too. Let's work together to "prophesy" to those "dead bones", that Christ might breathe His life into us and give us a living, active faith.

Mercy Rejoices

“And mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” James 2:13

This verse puzzled me, so I took my devotional time this morning to figure it out. http://Bible.cc brought me to Barne's Notes on the Bible, where I found some helpful insights.

The context of James 2 is about not having respect to persons - impartiality. I noticed that James' emphasis is on the do not rather than the do. So I wondered, what would it it look like if I were to turn it around and emphasize the do? Instead of saying, "Don't have respect of persons," perhaps it might read, "Treat the poor just as you would the rich. Treat the undeserving as if they were deserving." A light bulb turns on. This is mercy! Justice (or judgment) dictates that people should be treated no better than they deserve. This is why mercy appears to triumph over (or "rejoice against") judgment. This is a foundational principle of the plan of salvation - "Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves." (DA 25.2) At the final judgment, Satan will argue against us, "They are guilty! They deserve to die and share my punishment with me! They have broken your Law, and your Law condemns them to death." That's when Mercy will come forth to triumph over Judgment. "Yes, you are right - they don't deserve eternal life. They have broken my Law," Christ responds. "But I took their punishment for them. I was treated as they deserve, so that they can be treated as I deserve."

How can I not be merciful, when Christ has shown so much mercy to me? Wow....