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Comparison and Division

The Word of God is the source of power, not our filthy rags.

Comparing your filthy rags to mine or someone else’s is not only useless for righteousness (because we should only compare ourselves to Christ and be humbled), but it is not a profitable example we want to set for others to follow (comparison, division, outwardly pointed fingers vs self examination, repentance, Christ dependence).

Jesus knew His audience and spoke to their needs, not “about others”. The arrows were pointed at those listener’s hearts and not at the world, and not at those not in attendance to defend themselves.

He didn’t spend His time standing around talking to the people about the Pharisees (or “other people’s sins”) and condemning those not in attendance. He didn’t teach comfort where I am because I can look out and see the errors of others. No!

Outward facing messages are pridefully self serving and self egrandizing instead of humble testimonies of self examination and repentance, and they can be founded upon a foolish, prideful, works based perspective of “we’re doing so much better than them” perspective instead of a humble, “I’m the chemist of sinners” perspective.

When the Pharisees were specifically there and were his audience, he addressed it by speaking what the Pharisees needed to hear, but He didn’t let that distract from the message that mattered when his listeners were the public.

I’ve seen men with good intentions but a lack of understanding about who their audience is — teach rebellious people to hate authority because it tickles their ears — just as often as I’ve heard others teach ceremonial people to stay the course and not stop by the wayside because it tickles their ears as well.

And both are in error because the message is setting people’s eyes upon others instead of upon themselves.

I say these things, because I have seen the error in my own ways in this area.

And because I have been willing to see it in myself and repent, I can clearly see it in others to pray for them and speak to them individually about my testimony as a friend, in hopes of gently bringing them to repentance. I don’t share because I’ve ignored self application in preference for using it as a sword of division and war against my brother.

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This Morning’s Praise

Our family devotional this morning is from 1 Thessalonians 3 and is a great encouragement and praise in response to last night’s “personal lament psalm” (click here to read that post) that was shared as part of our small group Wiersbe study’s homework on Psalm 3. When we cry out to the Lord with our troubles and trust in Him for a good night’s rest, we can praise Him in the morning, because He answers us.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:6‭-‬15 ESV

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[Small Group] Lament

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Isaiah 48:17 NLT

NOTE: Part of our assignment this week as we finish lesson 1 in the Wiersbe Study on the book of Psalms was to write our own personal “Psalm of Lament”. Considering my general joy in the Lord, and that just this week someone asked me in choir practice if I used to be a cheerleader because I’m always so bubbly and social — this took me outside my comfort zone to dig deeper and come up with an item of lament. But it was great using Psalm 3 as the original example by which I thought about my own life and what could be brought to God deep, challenging, and intimate, crying out to God and trusting Him to answer yet again like He always does.

Oh, Lord,

I see the needs around me,

I see the people crying out for me for help.

I see my responsibilities to my own household and family.

I see the limits of my own abilities.

I do not want your people to suffer.

I do not want to forsake those to whom I might be merciful.

I do not want them to cry out against me,

or to think that we do not care,

or to think that you do not provide for both their and our needs.

I do not want to be a hypocrite who is not willing to sacrifice or to step out in faith and help a neighbor in need,

And I do not want to forsake my family and responsibilities.

I have helped many in the past,

Only to see so many ungrateful,

Only to see them enabled in their foolish squandering and their lazy and selfish ways.

So many have borrowed and never returned or repaid,

And you know that I don’t care about the things or money that is gone,

because you continue to supply,

But I find myself overextended by virtue of either my mercy or my foolishness,

And at times I truly do not know the difference,

Nor do I know whether I am doing more good or harm

– both to them

– and to myself

By my stepping out in faith and loving kindness to show the love of Christ,

Not because it is deserved,

Not because it will be returned,

But purely because the opportunity is there.

Lord, give me wisdom

To not give what is holy to the dogs,

To not think your children dogs,

To not deny crumbs from my table even to the dogs,

And to have all the needs and responsibilities met within my own household and family.

May my treasure and portion be you,

And my eyes be set upon those things heavenly and eternal.

Lord, bless us to be able to give generously,

Discipline us gently to reduce any wasteful spending,

Favor us in all things we do for your honor and glory,

And give us wisdom to know your will as it comes to the needs around us.

You will hear our prayer,

And you will answer,

Oh Lord,

Our shield,

Our comforter,

our teacher,

Our God,

Because you do not forsake your people

who are called by your name,

and who are sealed by your Holy Spirit,

and who are washed in the Blood of the Lamb,

And who trust in you,

And who delight in your law,

And who meditate upon your Word day and night.

You know the hearts of men,

And you examine their secret motives,

Lord, sift through my anxious mind,

Reveal anything in my flesh that is hindering your spirit,

Establish my footsteps that I might walk upright in your will, for your name’s sake,

And restore in me a fully surrendered trust in you alone as the savior and provider for your people,

That you do not require sacrifice and suffering produced through striving,

But that I should remember that:

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one He sent.”

Help me to rest soundly tonight,

knowing that you have even this firmly in hand,

And that I can awake in the morning to rejoice and sing your praises.

Want to see His response? Click here

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What a Friend!

After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
1 Samuel 18:1‭-‬4 NLT

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34‭-‬35 NLT

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
1 John 4:10‭-‬11 NLT

We can see how Jonathan in 1 Samuel chapter 18-20 loved David dearly and even intervened on David’s behalf with his father. What friendship and love we can see here!

And even moreso, what friendship and love we can see in Jesus doing the same, even greater, for us!

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13 NLT

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
John 10:14‭-‬18 NLT

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 4:14‭-‬16 NLT

Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:33‭-‬39 NLT

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Faith not Forecast

Worried about the forecast, or trusting that He has supplied and sealed those who are sent?

David wasn’t listening to the Goliath forecast.

Caleb wasn’t concerned in his receiving the land with the greatest forecast for himself.

But they knew that the Lord was with them. They might say, “Let the others have their good forecasts and human efforts, I have the Lord who will faithfully see me through every trial and circumstance! I have found my greatest treasure and it isn’t in the land, or even in this life, but in the Lord!”

David’s perspective:

“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
1 Samuel 17:32‭-‬37 NLT

Caleb’s perspective:

https://www.gotquestions.org/Joshua-and-Caleb.html

Do you trust in the Lord?

Do you believe that He has set you apart with a purpose, that He is the one that has supplied you, that He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit, and that He has sent you to do His will on earth as it is in heaven?

Don’t listen to the whispering lies of the enemy — who wants to cut you off from the great and eternal things the Lord has for you!

Don’t let fear and doubt and distractions of this world deter you from your purpose.

See the forecast of your trials ahead as opportunity for an even greater testimony of the peace, love, joy, and patience that flows from the Lord.

He has won the victory!

Don’t run your life, your ministry, like a well thought out business based only on verifiable forecasts! Yes, that can testify to your own human skills, knowledge, and puffery. But good business skills alone don’t demonstrate faith. Don’t go where you know you can be profitable and paid and configurable by your own skills, but step out in faith and let God show Himself faithful.

I’m not saying to test God for the sake of testing Him, No! But I am saying that it is only by faith that we can please God. Not faith in ourselves and pour own abilities, but faith in Him.

And Caleb wasn’t some great chess player, thinking to himself, “If I prove that I’m willing to trust the Lord, He will have to bless me.” No! He trusted the Lord, He valued the Lord, He sought first the Lord wholeheartedly in faithful abandon instead of through reasonable consideration of the “forecast” — and “all these things were added to him”.

See how the Lord responds to Moses (the one whom God some to “face to face”) when Moses was praying (interceding on behalf of the people) — the Lord honors Caleb (and we know that He resists the proud and honors the contrite of heart):

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.” Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord ’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.
Numbers 14:17‭-‬24 NLT