A Friend is Hurting…

A friend is hurting, and not just one person is hurting today — but many are hurting and have questions like the one my dear friend Brenda raised this morning:

And this very real and present concern in Brenda’s life — as she watches her son battle against the ravaging effects of sickness — deserves a very real and serious answer. Each one of us will have to deal with very real struggles in this life that surpass our ability to make sense of the “WHY!!!??????!!!!!!!” that screams out from our innermost longing.

I found that after answering Brenda’s question this morning, that I felt that I needed to go back and add supporting scripture references in parenthesis so that it was clear that this wasn’t simply my opinion, but was a gathering of what I’ve found in the Word of God that comforts me in those times when the “why” isn’t so easily held in the solid grasp of my mind — those moments when doubt and fear and hurt are like gravity, pulling at the grains of sand that are my faith held tightly in my hand.

Here’s what was my attempt at a sound, biblical answer to this outcry from my dear friend:

Harold Ballinger: Praying. I offer this because many of us ask the same things. David even cries out in several psalms of lament like Psalm 3 with such questions.

A prayerful relationship with God is not about us gathering enough “faith in our prayers to sway God’s will” — but it is about us drawing close to have “faith in God’s will and purpose” (see Psalm 115:3 & 1 Peter 4:19) . It is not our goal to become strong enough in spiritual things in order to sway or manipulate God to serve our will, but that we would become surrendered enough to hear, accept, and at times even understand His will as more perfect and sovereign than our wishes (Isaiah 45:9 & Romans 9:20) .

Yes, sometimes it is God’s will to heal, to perform miraculous signs and wonders to demonstrate His power (Jeremiah 10:12), arise wonder (Exodus 4:21), and confirm His message (Matthew 12:39-40). And yes, sometimes it is God’s will to not heal (2 Corinthians 12:8).

And yes, always it is His will that we pray truthfully to Him with our concerns and listen for His answer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But even Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane asking for this cup of suffering be taken from Him included “nevertheless, thy will be done”, and Christ went through the suffering, the scourging, and the crucifixion that led to the resurrection (Matthew 26:36-56).

Paul tells us that the sufferings in this age are nothing in comparison to the glories that await us (Romans 8:18). And many times the greatest testimonies to the unbelieving are that faith, that peace that passes all understanding, when a believer stands in the midst of trial and suffering and refuses to waver in their faith — even as their world seems to be crumbling around them (1 John 3:16). The unbelieving can dismiss a miraculous healing as false or as medically produced, etc. But they have no answer for the “faithful fool” that trusts his God even through the midst of horrible sufferings and that praises a “God who both gives and takes away” (1 Corinthians 1:18 & Job 1:21).

I don’t say this to discourage you from praying for healing. But I do say this to also encourage you to pray for wisdom to understand how God is working even in this situation and circumstances to bring glory to Himself — to understand how He might bring you and others closer to Him in a real, personal, fully surrendered and effective relationship with the living Almighty God –as opposed to a distant or only religious concept of “a god”.

These are questions we each wrestle with — why He moves one way in this situation and in another at another time. But for me, it reminds me that He is God and that we are not. Does He hear our heartfelt prayers and does He listen? Yes. Does He answer our prayers? Yes. Is it always in our timing or in the way we want It? No. Are all prayers and promises fulfilled on this side of eternity? No, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be fulfilled, so keep praying — but remember that prayer isn’t us talking “at God” but with God. Spend time listening to Him. If you can’t hear or recognize His voice as you pray so that it is a two way conversation, pray that He reveal it to you in His Word, open up your Bible and start reading through it diligently expecting Him to reveal both Himself and His will to you (John 5:25 & 1 Corinthians 2:9-13). Draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you (James 4:8).

And yes, in your time of need, call for the elders to come and lay hands and to pray for healing (James 5:14-16). The greatest healing, the greatest miracle, is not a healing in the physical body, but the restoration of something in our spirit that just wasn’t quite right, that wasn’t fully trusting and surrendered, that wasn’t pure of heart. The true healing of those things underneath and behind the veil of what can be seen, they many times spring up the hope, stir us to true saving Faith, and lead us to that love that overcomes all situations and circumstances. So I continue to pray that God will be glorified in all of this, that your faith will grow, and that the Good News of Jesus Christ will reach further than it had before — all by way of this situation.

God bless you and Joey both, Brenda.

I appreciate any comments, encouragements, corrections — wisdom of any kind — that you feel might help us in dealing with these types of questions. God bless.

Psalm 3

A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

¹ O Lord, I have so many enemies;
    so many are against me.
² So many are saying,
    “God will never rescue him!” Interlude^[a]

³ But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
    you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
⁴ I cried out to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude

⁵ I lay down and slept,
    yet I woke up in safety,
    for the Lord was watching over me.
⁶ I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
    who surround me on every side.

Psalm 115:3 (NLT)

³ Our God is in the heavens,
    and he does as he wishes.

1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)

¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

 

Isaiah 45:9 (NLT)

⁹ “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
    Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
    ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
    ‘How clumsy can you be?’

Romans 9:20 (NLT)

²⁰ No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”

Jeremiah 10:12 (NLT)

¹² But the Lord made the earth by his power,
    and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
    he stretched out the heavens.

 

Exodus 4:21 (NLT)

²¹ And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.

 

Matthew 12:39-40 (NLT)

³⁹ But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

 

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NLT)

⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

¹⁷ Never stop praying.

 

Matthew 26:36-56 (NLT)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. ³⁸ He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

⁴² Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away^[a] unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴ So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

⁴⁷ And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” ⁴⁹ So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”

Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

⁵² “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands^[b] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?⁵⁴ But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

⁵⁵ Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. ⁵⁶ But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.

 

Romans 8:18 (NLT)

The Future Glory

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

 

1 John 3:16 (NLT)

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT)

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

 

Job 1:21 (NLT)

²¹ He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
    and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
    and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

 

John 5:25 (NLT)

²⁵ “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.

 

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 (NLT)

⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”^[a]

¹⁰ But^[b] it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. ¹¹ No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

 

James 4:8 (NLT)

⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

 

James 5:14-16 (NLT)

¹⁴ Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.¹⁵ Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We need more…

… your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
Matthew 6:32b NLT

… you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
James 4:2b NLT

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Matthew 7:9‭-‬11 NLT

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
James 1:5‭-‬8 NLT

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
James 4:4‭-‬10 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord . “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
Jeremiah 29:11‭-‬14 NLT

One man comes to battle
with armor, shield, and sword..
the other comes a singing,
as a lowly shepherd boy…

One mocks insisting warfare,
The other stands in love,
But He is wiser than the serpent,
Even harmless than a dove…

It is not his intention
To destroy his mortal foe…
But this stone he wields
Bests the arrow from a bow…

It always hits its mark
It’s aim is always true
Because this is not a war
Between the me and you…

This is a mighty warfare
Sent down from up above
To reveal to all His victory
To testify His love…

So fall upon your knees
And fall upon your face
Our savior is the victor
And we have won the race…

Put down the sword you hold now
For its not by sword we live…
But in the masters arms
He has so much to give…

So abandon worldly wisdom
And rest upon His grace…
And in this you will find
His kiss upon your face.

Stop Competing and Comparing and Envying each other

God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all.

Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel

clear understanding

simple trust

healing the sick

miraculous acts

proclamation

distinguishing between spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster.

What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.

You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”:

apostles

prophets

teachers

miracle workers

healers

helpers

organizers

those who pray in tongues.

But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.

But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.
1 Corinthians 12:4‭-‬31 MSG
http://bible.com/97/1co.12.4-31.MSG

Undeserved Treasure

My wife, my bride,
Sweeter today than the day we wed,
More patient with my faults now than when blinded by attraction,
A more beautiful and radiant doe now than when masked by her youth,
Demonstrating that gentle and quiet spirit that comes from the Lord.
She trusts in the Lord and she listens to and knows the heart of my words,
She and I are warring on the battlefield but not against one another,
Because we are one, standing united against that enemy that hates us,
We are one in Christ as she is not my adversary but is my helpmate,
We are one in truth as she is my spotless blameless treasure washed by the Word of God,
We are one in love.
We are one.
Not to be separated,
for we are not just joined by vows,
but by the Lord God Almighty Himself.
The enemy shall not overcome,
The enemy shall not make camp in this, the Lord’s territory.
The enemy has been overcome,
For the enemy met with resistance
And did not divide and conquer
But is revealed conquered
By the Blood of the Lamb
And by our testimony
That we love,
Yes we love!
Not me,
But We
And He.

We are taught
We are led
We are called
We are sent
Together
by God
with God
Together
Forever.

1 Peter 3:7

⁷ In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Proverbs 18:22

²² The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,

    and he receives favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14

¹⁴ Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,

    but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

Mark 10:7-9

7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, 8 and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

I wonder how often we look at our wives as “undeserved treasure” instead of looking for what we could find fault in (and tear down in our own minds) about this woman who is united with us as one?

Or maybe some of us haven’t reached that point where we actually are “united into one” with our wives?

Maybe we’re trying to be Clemson on one side of the field while they are trying to be Carolina – each battling for title of lord within the battleground of our own households?

Maybe we’ve been fooled into forgetting about the real enemy and the division that can be sown so that we refuse to acknowledge the only one that can truly be Lord and bring unity in our households?

Husbands, have we been foolish in thinking that she must be understandable before you can be understanding towards her? Have we expected her to come and speak with us like a man, or like a common neighbor — or even as someone bringing their case into our courtroom to be considered and judged in the courts of reason? How foolish, when she should be able to enter her emotional pleas to us expecting grace and mercy and love. Where is your compassion, you hard of heart? Doesn’t an outpouring of love, a going forth of this gospel, start at home? Are we not called to love her like Christ loves the church?

Do not have her begging for crumbs of love at the table of your marriage – she is no dog! She is part of you. She is your treasure to be second only to Christ himself in your heart! Above your job, above your career, above your children, above your friends, above your hobbies – she is one with you if you are indeed one in Christ.

Or is that the root of the issue? Have you forgotten who you are without Christ? Have you forgotten the wretched state from which He has called and delivered you so that you think so much of yourself that you can look down upon the very one you are sent to be Christ to in your household?

Repent, husbands. Honor her today. Not with platitudes and flowers, but with a willingness to hear her.

Ask her how she feels about the state of your relationship. And when she answers, do not get offended. Do not make excuses. Do not justify your own perspective. Do not turn away from these words that reveal hurts to your body that you had been ignoring – because hurts to her are hurts to you – if indeed you are one. Seek understanding. Find unity. Stir up love.

Out of Gas

First off, my wife is amazing.

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:10‭-‬12 NLT

My savior Jesus Christ revealed Himself yet again through my loving wife, who got to be my roadside savior this morning!

————

Remember how in my post yesterday (see here), I mentioned that my car was on empty?

Well guess what happens when you don’t do something about it?

What a lesson about life, when you find yourself so busy running from one place to the other that you forget to refill your own tank.

Yesterday, I was quick to pull over when I thought someone needed help, but I wasn’t so quick to take care of the items I needed to tend to. I didn’t stop and get gas, because I was in a hurry and I forgot.

So now, I’m the one sitting on the side of the road myself, in need of help myself. How often had this same thing happened in different ways?

How many times has a pastor who counsels others about their marriages found that he’s not pouring into His own wife and kids like he should?

How many times have we sat and listened to a friend and tried to help them with what we thought we heard in their words, thinking we had advice for them instead of hearing the conviction that was meant for us?

How many times have we been blind guides, acting as if we are able to lead the blind ourselves, instead of relying on and giving all credit to Christ (who lives in us as we stand in awe that He would use even us).

———–

Last night, Mia and I set a goal for this day that wee would be an extra special blessing to someone in a way that isn’t just part of our normal day. We wanted to brighten up someone’s day intentionally just for the purpose of seeing their smile, their joy, their encouragement. But I started out my day having to interrupt my wonderful wife’s morning with the burdensome task of bringing me has on the side of the interstate. And I sit here in a powerless car that must wait for the source of its power to be refilled.

My prayer isn’t that Mia and I strive today and do some good works under our own power so that we might brag to each other tonight about our filthy rags, no. But my prayer is that God would reveal Himself to someone today through the loving kindness He has poured out in us.

Lord, help us to remember that we are just as reading upon your grace and mercy and live and help as the next. And remind us that much business is not necessarily greatly used. And that being a blessing is sometimes giving someone else an opportunity to be a blessing and to receive pour praise and honor for being an unexpected blessing, especially when it costs them something. Remind us to keep our own tank filled. Remind is to be grateful to those willing to pour into us, and help us to carry your blessing and pour it out in love. Amen.

His Plan

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided.
Isaiah 14:24 NLT
http://bible.com/116/isa.14.24.NLT

Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.
Ecclesiastes 6:10 NLT
http://bible.com/116/ecc.6.10.NLT

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.
Isaiah 46:9‭-‬10 NLT
http://bible.com/116/isa.46.9-10.NLT

The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.
Psalms 135:6 NLT
http://bible.com/116/psa.135.6.NLT

All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’
Daniel 4:35 NLT
http://bible.com/116/dan.4.35.NLT

The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
Proverbs 16:4 NLT
http://bible.com/116/pro.16.4.NLT

Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? Does not the Most High send both calamity and good?
Lamentations 3:37‭-‬38 NLT
http://bible.com/116/lam.3.37-38.NLT

I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord , am the one who does these things.
Isaiah 45:7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/isa.45.7.NLT

Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
Deuteronomy 32:39 NLT
http://bible.com/116/deu.32.39.NLT

But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.” Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.
Romans 9:11‭-‬23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.9.11-23.NLT

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
Ephesians 1:4‭-‬5 NLT
http://bible.com/116/eph.1.4-5.NLT

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Romans 8:29‭-‬30 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.8.29-30.NLT

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
Ephesians 1:11 NLT
http://bible.com/116/eph.1.11.NLT

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.
John 6:44 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.6.44.NLT

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
http://bible.com/116/2ti.1.9.NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NLT
http://bible.com/116/eph.2.8-10.NLT

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 8:38‭-‬39 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.8.38-39.NLT

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.

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