TRUTH:The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord ; be assured, he will not go unpunished. – Proverbs 16:4-5 ESV [LORD, forgive our pride and our arrogance at times. Forgive our choosing our own foolish ways instead of your wise way. Forgive us for examining others instead of ourselves and for comparing ourselves with others instead of with your perfect example that we are given to take up our cross and follow. Amen.]
HOPE: By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. – Proverbs 16:6 ESV
[LORD, it is your steadfast love and faithfulness that has saved us, not any works of our own that we could take credit for – only that you have shown us our sin and the wages of death that we deserve for our rebellion and wickedness. You have revealed through your awesome, holy, and righteous perfection how far away our lives have stayed incomparison so that through godly fear we understand our desperate need for forgiveness, salvation, renewal, and guidance to live in a new way. This is our HOPE, that you will come and live in us and change us and guide us in a new way. Help us turn away from evil and turn to you – as an abiding perspective of repentance in our lives. Amen.]
FAITH: When a man’s ways please the Lord , he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord . – Proverbs 16:7-8, 17, 20 ESV
[LORD, instruct us and guide our desires, our thoughts, our words, and our actions to be led by your Holy Spirit as we are instructed in walking in your spirit of righteousness and love. Convict us against sin so that we might resist the wiles of the enemy, and the temptations of the world, and the desires of our eyes and flesh, and the pride that waits in the shadows for an opportunity to rise up. Teach us to be at peace with, and to forgive, and to even pray for those who would make themselves our enemies. Teach us to be content in whatever we have and wherever you have us, as we learn to trust in you for our everything. Teach us to discern the difference between good, acceptable, and perfect and help us to find, enter, and walk the narrow path to the end, preserving our life and our joy from being stolen away by that hidden enemy whose fingerprints and stench are heavy upon the darkness of this fallen world. Show us your will, and lead us in it, so that our trust in you bears witness in our lives of our blessed assurance, of our being born again, of our being alive in Christ. Amen]
LOVE: Commit your work to the Lord , and your plans will be established. Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. – Proverbs 16:3, 13-13, 16 ESV
[LORD, you have taught us. Your Word is written upon our hearts. You will not let it be stolen away, but you have planted a seed in our hearts that you are watering and shining your light upon to bring the increase. Let everything we do be committed to the LORD. Set our eyes firmly upon you and establish our steps. Refine our lives so that the fruit of your Holy Spirit is found on our branch. Tie your colt to your choice branch, those who know, who believe, who trust, who understand that you do not just call us slave or servant or friend, but beloved. Let this understanding permeate into every area and every moment of our lives. Amen.]
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.” – Proverbs 13:4, 7, 18 ESV http://bible.com/59/pro.13.4-18.ESV
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 ESV
Open our ears.
Soften our hearts.
Still our tongues.
Free us from our pride.
Let our worship, our praise, our service be focused on you and you alone, in awe and wonder before the one holy, righteous, almighty God.
Please, LORD, have mercy on us, your servants. Come and lead us in your way, by the power of Christ alive in us. Have your way as we step into the light, not shrinking back, but learning to discern your will, renew our minds, resist evil, and live as new creations. Amen.
Matthew 5:18 and Exodus 20:8-11 have me contemplating what my life will look like following sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow.
Even more importantly, Isaiah 58 has me contemplating what His Word proves is the “rest” that is “keeping it holy”.
Sabbath Rest:
“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” – Matthew 5:17-20
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11
“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!
Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the lord?
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the LORD will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.
“Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
Then the LORD will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the lord, have spoken!” – Isaiah 58:1-14
Shabbat (/ʃəˈbɑːt/; Hebrew: שַׁבָּת [ʃa’bat], “rest” or “cessation”) or Shabbos ([‘ʃa.bəs], Yiddish: שבת) or the Sabbath is Judaism‘s day of rest and seventh day of the week, on which religious Jews and certain Christians (such as Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh Day Baptists) remember the Biblical creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and the Exodus of the Hebrews, and look forward to a future Messianic Age. Shabbat observance entails refraining from work activities, often with great rigor, and engaging in restful activities to honor the day. Judaism’s traditional position is that unbroken seventh-day Shabbat originated among the Jewish people, as their first and most sacred institution, though some suggest other origins. Variations upon Shabbat are widespread in Judaism and, with adaptations, throughout the Abrahamic and many other religions.
According to halakha (Jewish religious law), Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.[1] Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles and reciting a blessing. Traditionally, three festive meals are eaten: in the evening, in the early afternoon, and late in the afternoon. The evening meal typically begins with a blessing called kiddush and another blessing recited over two loaves of challah. Shabbat is closed the following evening with a havdalah blessing. Shabbat is a festive day when Jews exercise their freedom from the regular labors of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family.
Biblical Sabbath is a weekly day of rest or time of worship. It is observed differently in Judaism and Christianity and informs a similar occasion in several other faiths. Though many viewpoints and definitions have arisen over the millennia, most originate in the same textual tradition of “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy“.
How many of us might dare to dream big dreams?
How many of those same courageous dreamers retreat into fear when the very thing we have wished for stands face to face before us as reality?
God has sent you into this world, children, with a purpose and calling. In fact, you have thought about it. You have even prayed about it. You have longed for it. You know this is true.
And I tell you, truly, truly — the Kingdom of God is at hand, children of God. Today is not only the day of salvation, but it is the day of awakening, the day of revival, the day of faith realized in the substance of your life.
Or for the children of disobedience it is yet another day of death — of emptiness and worthless chasing after things of no lasting value or fulfillment.
Child of God, hear the call!
Remember your purpose!
If you will cower down, let it only be so that you might die to your flesh, pick up your cross, and walk alive in Spirit and Truth, resting in His promises, and abiding in His will.
For the flesh may be weak, but the Spirit is strong — and if you are indeed born again — if you are indeed free — if Christ indeed is alive in you, there is a world that needs to hear, see, and believe this Good News of Christ.
“Certainly, He will be with thee.”
“Say to them, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Whether they call you a liar, or see the Truth — His Word goes forth by His messengers… Go!
When you approach the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people, and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: you are advancing today to battle against your enemies. Do not lack courage. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble [in terror] before them, for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ – DEUTERONOMY 20:2-4 AMP
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] – JOHN 16:33 AMP
“Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. – Mark 6:10-12 NLT
Do you welcome this message or refuse it?
Which direction will you go, having heard the truth?
Will you walk proud as ruler over your own life, putting your own opinions and feelings first?
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
I’ve been sick for a week now. Worn down physically, out of work, even a short bit of activity leaves me drained. Sinus pressure, yuck sealing my eye lids closed, blowing and coughing and hacking up all kinds of combinations of mucus, blood, etc. I haven’t been studying and sharing and teaching like I usually do because I am sleeping, resting, recovering.
Yes, this old body is in its process of dying. But my spirit is being renewed every day. So even in times of sickness and weakness, even when I appear on the outside to be the most frail and exposed to the elements and circumstances of this world, I lift up praise to my God, to the LORD, to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, to the God who came in the flesh to die on the cross as the perfect, blameless blood sacrifice necessary to pay for my sin, and as the example of the first raised to eternal life, and as the anointing spirit that comes and lives in the hearts and lives of those who believe and are called according to His purpose.
Sickness is a small struggle in comparison to what He went through on the cross, so I lift my praise while I still have breath in my lungs to sing.
We didn’t go to church today because I am sick. But we still got together and watched a sermon together as a family. We still prayed together. We will sing his praises throughout our day today – as much as our bodies will allow. But we will also understand that there are times of rest and recovery that are necessary for these weak and failing bodies.
We are no so much worried about exercising our outward bodies, building up muscles and healthy flesh for the world to see and admire with their eyes – but seeing our hearts renewed by Christ who lives in us. So if we must be sick at all, let it be in our flesh and not in our hearts, knowing which of the two is eternal and which is perishing.
LORD, fix our eyes on those things eternal and truly valuable, and may the veil of this world be lifted from our eyes to walk in the spirit of truth and love. See that we run this race to its completion, see that your mercy is triumphed in the lives of the believer. LORD, remember me. Have mercy on me and lead me in your way. LORD, have mercy upon those who do not know what they do, and discipline those who do know. Teach us that it is not our own conscience that dictates sin, but your will and your Word that never changes. Do not let us do what is right in our own eyes, but teach us to do what is right in the eyes of God. Reconcile our lives to your holy service for your name’s sake and for your glory and honor. Thank you, LORD, for loving even me, and sticking with me through sickness and in health, through rich and poor, for all the days of my life. Amen.
Billy Graham shares a beautiful illustration of truth about this verse:
After a minister had spoken strongly against sin one morning, one of the church members said, “We don’t want you to talk so plainly about sin, because if our children hear you mention it, they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake, if you will, but do not speak so bluntly against sin.”
The minister went to his medicine shelf and brought back a bottle of strychnine marked “Poison”. He said, “I understand what you want me to do. You want me to change the label. Suppose I take the ‘Poison’ label off the bottle and put on a label like ‘Peppermint Candy’. Can’t you see the problem? The milder you make the label, the more dangerous the poison’s presence.”
It is high time we put a “Poison” label back on the poison of sin. We must not be afraid to be as plain as the Bible is about the traffic consequences of sin – or about the antidote for that poison: the blood of Christ.
EXAMINATION
Yes, sin leads to death – but the Son leads to life. And one or the other is master of our lives. One or the other is ruler of our heart and drives our underlying desires, which affect our resulting thoughts, actions, and words. And we are promised the same eternal fate as that of our master. So our eternal hope is to live with Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, with the Holy Spirit guiding us in His ways, and with His resurrection from the dead as the example of what will happen to us.
The prince of this world, that enemy of God, whispers in our ear that there is no life after death, that our bodies will simply return to dust and that our spirit will simply cease, stop, disappear forever. What hope is there in such a purposeless life? It doesn’t surprise me that such hopeless people who don’t know Jesus Christ would happily swallow daily what they even acknowledge is not good for them, with the simple excuse, “What does it even matter?”
But the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, He has a differing message that He has for us – one of hope and love and eternal life. The one who served as the blameless example of God’s perfect will, in the face of the blame worthy example of how the world treats God – He extends mercy and love and forgiveness and redemption to a world unworthy of redemption. We realize the contrasting example of the Grace in His Passion played out at Gethsemane, at the cross – set starkly against the example of utter depravity of man’s denial of Him in those same places. We instance the example of the world not just denying Him two thousand years ago and placing Him on a cross – but our own denying Him and being the reason He went to the cross each time we sin in our lives.
So it should be clear to us by now, that if we put our trust and hope in ourselves, in our own abilities, in our own strengths, in our own works, that we will continue placing those thorns upon His head, lashing Him with that cat of nine tails, driving those nails into His body, thrusting that spear into His side. Do not be so eager to point the finger at others, whether it be “the men of the past”, “the Jews”, “the Romans”, or whoever else you would foolishly lay blame on for His death. No, it is you – it is your sin that did each of these things friend.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
His body was crushed for you, and if we don’t accept that and believe it, and understand the consequences of sin, how can we say that we’ve heard the Good News and received it in our hearts?
Do you understand today the consequences of your sin?
Does your grattitude for what He did at the cross lead you to an attitude of hatred of disgust towards those temptations that face you during the trials ahead?
Do you recognize the poison of sin and want to see it gone from your life?
HOPE
I’m so thankful that “He who knew not sin” was made sin for you and I so that we might become the righteousness of God(2 Corinthians 5:21). I’m so thankful that John tells us that if the Son sets us free, that we are free indeed(John 8:36). I’m so thankful that Jeremiah reminds us that God know the plans He has for us, for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope(Jeremiah 29:11). I’m so thankful that God came in the flesh as the perfect and blameless example, not to condemn the world, but to open our eyes to see that we have been blind in the darkness, far from God, and in great need for His touch upon our lives (John 3:17). I’m so thankful that it is the opening of the soil through belief, so that the seed of His grace could be planted in my heart, to grow into the ongoing faith that strengthens me as I press on towards the upright call of following in His footsteps, so that His work, His ministry, His love might be manifest in my life even today.
SURRENDER
Lord, you are perfect and righteous and holy and loving and merciful. And we come to you as an unworthy child that has returned from the vomit of the dogs and the slop of the pigs, returning from drinking in the ways of the world as the very poison of sin that has been killing us. We know that your precious blood, poured out on that cross is the only antidote, the only cure. We want to believe, we want to walk faithfully, we want to follow you, Lord, because we know that you are the Christ, and we ask ourselves, “Where else can I go? He is my portion and prize, there is nothing in this world worth trading for my eternal soul. My only Hope is in clinging to Christ.” Lord, this is our safe place, humbly at your feet, confessing our sin and accepting your forgiveness, seeking you ever closer in our lives as you teach us your ways and lead us along this narrow path to our final destination. Lord, keep it fresh on our minds the high cost of grace that was paid for us, the high pile of sin that has been cast to the ends of existence, not so that we will walk anymore in shame or guilt, but so that we can kneel or hearts in humble grattitude, even as we strive to walk bold and upright in your ways. We give you our lives, Lord. Let us rise today in life and walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Let us be the light set on a hill so that those who see might hunger and thirst for your righteousness and for the abundant life of purpose and value eternal that you have set, aside for each of us. Amen.
FAITH
So, if the Word of God tells us that sin is poison – if it tells us that it is a snake that will bite us, a snare that will entrap us, a hindrance spiritual that will sear and harden our hearts and that grieves the Holy Spirit and causes separation and isolation in our relationship with God – and if we believe God, and are seeking Him, and are living Him with our everything, shouldn’t we avoid this enemy of God’s will and purpose for our lives?
A life of faith is a life of surrender, repentance, trial, and testing. Rinse and repeat. But this life of faithfulness produces a new type of treasure that is so much more valuable than the things that we used to chase.
How much would someone burdened daily by anxiety and worry give for a life filled with peace that passes all understanding? I’m talking about the peace that only comes from trusting that God has a purpose in mind even when we don’t understand it at the moment. I’m talking about the peace that Job demonstrated when he found out that he had lost everything, family, loved ones, riches, and his response was to fall on his knees and bless the name of the Lord.
And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord .” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
I’m talking about the peace that one of our church friends demonstrated when she lost her 11 year old son to an unexpected accident in their home, after her youngest daughter find her brother lifeless in his room, and the mother shared her testimony at the school and on the news, giving glory to God and warning other parents of the dangers of social media “dares” and “challenges” that put our little ones at risk of unexpected calamity.
Who else can offer us such peace?
Who else can overcome what the enemy intended for destruction and chaos to turn it for good?
Because her son, who was baptized and who loved the Lord is with His Father in heaven now, and their story is helping shed light on an important and dangerous evil that had been lurking in the shadows.
We can’t buy things like love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, or long suffering with silver or gold or money or credit. But Christ offers us these abundantly when we trust in Him, believe in our hearts, and follow in His footsteps.
The life of the faithful is not a life free from burdens, trials, and sufferings – it is a life empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, so that we don’t just have to survive them begrudgingly, we can walk through them in victory, praising the Lord, with our eyes set on things eternal, because the veil has been torn to reveal what truly matters.
LOVE
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
This is the commandment of the Lord, our God. This in one of those “Thus says the Lord” moments, when He lays down His terms for our belief, for our faith, for our lives that are now His to guide and use for His purposes – which just happens to also result in the fullest and most abundant life that we can experience.
Jesus taught that there is victory in sacrifice through the example of His life , His death, and His resurrection. And that love is putting away our selfish, prideful, short sighted ways to follow in that example. Love is asking how can I give instead of focusing on what will I receive.
Jesus demonstrated that perfect love to us, proved how far about and beyond our natural ways it truly is when He set the bar even higher than the law demanded, saying things like if you look with lust you have committed adultery in your heart. God is so great at getting right to the root of the problems that we try to dance around, because He always goes straight to the heart of the matter. He’s concerned with the state of our heart, not just the appearance of our lives – while also pointing out to us that if our hearts are right, our desires, our thoughts, our actions, our words, our obedience and our faithfulness will grow out of that changed heart.
He calls out to us – come and learn love – true, sacrificial, godly love – and find that it fulfills the law, because the law existed both to confirm Christ who we did not know, and to confirm Love that we did not have.
Harold J. Ballinger 