The LORD Among Us

"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."

Exodus 17:6

As I read this passage I was struck by the reality of God's presence, that He would stand before Moses on the rock in Horeb.  His presence had led them out of Egypt in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, yet the thirsty people wondered if God had brought them out of Egypt to slay them.  They were so incensed against Moses he imagined they wanted to stone him to death.  Moses came before the LORD and prayed about what to do.

When Moses obeyed God's command and struck the rock upon which God stood, water flowed abundantly from the rock.  All the people, their flocks and herds were supplied with water from God who was their Rock.  Like many of the miracles God did that are recorded in the Old and New Testament, it served multiple purposes:  to meet the physical needs of people, and to display the grace and power of God.  Exodus 17:7 shows how the situation was a demonstration of God's presence among His unbelieving people:  "So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Jesus walked through Israel and did many signs and wonders that confirmed His identity as God-made-flesh and the Gospel He preached.  In His grace God did not just provide water for those who believed but all were granted water so they all might believe.  Jesus healed many people who did not believe He was the Son of God, yet their healing was a testimony their conscience did well to consider long after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.  When the Living Water of the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 disciples on Pentecost, it was evidence God was with His people in-person.

Paul wrote of the children of Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:4-5:  "...and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵ But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."  Paul urged followers of Jesus to go beyond the marvel of God's miraculous provision of water that temporarily satisfied the thirst of the people.  God's provision did not quench their thirst for idolatry, lust, fornication, murmuring and unbelief.  This warns those who Christ has made to stand take heed lest they fall.  God is faithful, for with every temptation makes the way of escape and strengthens us to endure.

Let us not be lifted up in pride nor lose heart as we look to Jesus who is faithful.  Jesus our Good Shepherd goes before us , and we have all assurance "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."  By faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit spiritually regenerates and fills us.  Knowing God is among and in each one of His redeemed people brings satisfaction and rest for our souls as we live to please Him.

Faith and Freedom From Fear

Today I read a troubling article of vulnerable people being deceived by a scam artist posing as a fortune teller in Sydney.  Two of the people interviewed were told they had an evil spirit on them and their children and would die unless they paid money for extensive prayer.  They ended up being conned out of tens of thousands of dollars out of fear for the well-being of their children and family.  Fear is a pervasive, consuming force in the lives of countless people today overcome only by faith in Christ.

One might think the opposite of fear is courage or bravery, but Jesus revealed it is faith in God.  People might be viewed as courageous because of what they have done or do, yet fear could be mixed with what prompted them to do what they did.  After the disciples panicked in fear during a storm on the Sea of Galilee Mark 4:40 reads, "But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"  Faith in Jesus was the antidote to fear that caused them to cry out and wonder if Jesus even cared about them.  When we have faith in God who loves us, our fear is cast out as it says in 1 John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Knowing God loves us makes us bold even in the face of judgment.  Believers in Christ do not need to have trepidation about our future on earth or even final judgment, for Jesus has already taken our deserved punishment upon Himself and promised abundant, eternal life.  He has forgiven and expunged us of our sins, He has destroyed every curse and has overcome all spiritual foes to make our hearts His own dwelling place.  For those who do not know and trust Jesus, however, fear is a rational response in light of our inability to save, redeem or deliver ourselves from evil--or even protect ourselves from the lies of deceitful people.  To those who are afraid Jesus speaks words of life and love as the living, almighty God before whom all angels and demons tremble.  In Him alone we find rest for our souls.

For those who worship demons there are millions of other demons as well--millions more reasons to be in fear should you not gain the attention and protection of your limited deity.  The eternal God who created all living things, all spirits, people and animals, has humbled Himself to be revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.  All who  came to Jesus who were possessed or oppressed by evil spirits were delivered free of charge, and Jesus also went to the man who had a legion of spirits no man could tame and freed him without a fight or a fee.  To all people who have been put in fear to pay a fee for your deliverance or protection know Jesus paid the price of your redemption with His own blood.  There is hope for you today, right this minute.  All people by God's grace can receive salvation and freedom from the curse of sin and death by faith in Jesus who loves us.  Have faith in Jesus Christ, and you will have freedom from fear.

Bless the LORD Who Heals

The Sunday sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney concluded with Psalm 103:1-5:  "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: ³ Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, ⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  God was faithful to His promise to be with His people, keep them and provide for all their needs.  To this glorious expression of praise believers can say amen, for He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Through what Jesus has accomplished for those who trust in Him, we are most blessed and ought to bless His holy name.  In the Gospels we read of Jesus forgiving sins, healing the diseased, and paying the price of eternal redemption through His blood.  Jesus proved He was able to forgive sins by healing a paralysed man.  Anyone can claim to forgive sins because there is no physical corresponding evidence, so Jesus proved His power to forgive by healing and incurable, untreatable condition.  It is interesting people who do not balk at the idea of all their sins being forgiven struggle with verses about healing when it doesn't happen.  This subject of healing raises a few eyebrows even among believers:  surely God does not heal all our diseases, for many Christians have died of illnesses.  So what does this mean?

God created our bodies with systems that work together to promote health and healing for the body.  As science has advanced in knowledge and practice, modern medicine is able to leverage these natural systems to quicken and aid the healing process.  The psalmist David understood that if and when we are healed from a disease, it is God's doing.  But the stubborn fact remains that not everyone is always healed.  There are incurable conditions, cancers and COVID.  It is obvious faith in God does not guarantee physical healing, for 2 Kings 13:14 says concerning the faithful prophet:  "Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die..."  Because of passages like this people wonder if healing is always God's will.  I am convinced physical healing is God's will, though God allows things to occur on earth as a result of sin that are not His will.  All who came to Jesus were healed by Him, so this is strong evidence healing is always God's will.  Sickness and death came as a result of sin, and sin is never God's will.

While it is possible God can miraculously heal someone in an instant, God does not always do so.  As we are called to trust Him to heal, we must also trust His means and timing.  God might choose to heal a person through a prayer of faith in Him or after a poultice of figs is administered.  Jesus made mud with His saliva and smeared it over a blind man's eyes and after he washed was able to see.  The power to heal is God's alone, and He will do it His way.  We also must leave the timing to Him.  It may be we will never be fully healed until our bodies die and we enter eternal glory.  The criminal crucified alongside Jesus went that day into paradise and he was made whole of the wounds that resulted in his physical death:  faith in Jesus in an instant brought forgiveness, healing, redemption, a crown of glory and eternal satisfaction enjoyed in the presence of God forever.  He was healed and more still, glorified and immortal.  How good is our God!

Offer a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

"And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will."

Leviticus 22:29

Under the Law of Moses when people wanted to give thanks to God, it meant more than mere words.  People sacrificed a clean animal of thanksgiving to the LORD, a peace offering they and others were partakers of.  It was a sacrifice freely offered, not with an expectation to receive, but out of thanksgiving for all God had already said, had given and performed.  A sacrifice of thanksgiving could be costly monetarily but it was a joy to give to God in light of God's generosity and goodness to supply the gift and all else in the first place.

Freedom in giving thanks to God springs from faith in God and His worthiness.  It is fitting a day such as Thanksgiving in the United States has been established in a nation under God.  It is even more appropriate every day be filled with thanksgiving to God for every person redeemed by grace through faith, given eternal life and everything that pertains to life and godliness.  David sang in Psalm 69:30-31, "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. ³¹ This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves."  God does not appreciate a gift based upon the resale value but by the willing soul who thanks, loves and trusts Him.

Songs like Psalm 100:1-5 even in dreary times have the power to turn our faces to the LORD with thanksgiving like a flower leans toward the light of the sun:  "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! ² Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. ³ Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. ⁵ For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."  The LORD has been good to us, He is good and will ever be.  God does not demand our thanks, but He deserves our undying thanksgiving now and forever.

Faith to Go or Remain

After the LORD led David and his men to recover their families and goods from an Amalekite raiding party, David established a statue in Israel that the spoil would be split evenly between those who fought on the field of battle and those who remained behind with the stuff.  Those who went were not to be rewarded more than those who served by staying.  Both played vital roles to the same victorious end, whether they pursued the enemy or protected their position.

God told Abraham to leave his family and country and go to the land God would show him.  He demonstrated faith in God through his obedience to God's command.  It can also be a demonstration of faith to stay and settle when you would rather be elsewhere.  The Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon and God told them it would be for 70 years.  The temptation was to hope the time would be shortened so they could return to the land of their inheritance in Israel, to resist putting down roots in Babylon because they wanted to move on.  What was the point of the drudgery of moving rocks, digging wells, laying foundations, tilling the ground and building fences on property that wasn't your own?  Well, by faith in God is a simple answer.

God spoke through Elasah and Gemariah to His people in Jeremiah 29:4-7:  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace."  It is important to point out these weren't the only voices God's people heard, for there were many false prophets and diviners who were spouting forth the opposite.  They claimed to have revelations from God in dreams and prophesied in God's name, but He did not send them.  The message preached by Elasah and Gemariah required faith in God to receive and submit to, to stay and send down roots in a foreign land when their preference was to go home.

Knowing the LORD God had sovereignly caused the captivity of His people helped them to walk in obedience to Him.  By faith in God they were enabled to accept the fact they may not live to see the day they would return to Israel, but in seeking the peace of the city where God brought them practically and in prayer they would find peace in the LORD's presence.  Those who trusted and obeyed God, who spent their money and made the effort to put down permanent roots in Babylon, would be fruitful and blessed by God's grace.  Paul's exhortation to servants is fitting for us in Colossians 3:22-24:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  I expect many who were slaves could think of little else but obtaining freedom, yet they could stay in that role and be made fruitful by faith in God Who grants the "reward of the inheritance."  There is no one more free than those set free by faith in Jesus Christ.

Keep Believing in God

When I was in year 2 at a private school we learned to write in cursive and the multiplication table up to 12.  The following year I began attending a local public school where students in year 3 were taught these for the first time!  I remember the teacher being skeptical when I told her I already learned to write in cursive and she had me come up to the board to demonstrate my skill or experience public humiliation.  I ended up being her "assistant" for that portion of the class in the following months.

The style of schooling I was exposed to in both a private and public setting was to learn the basics and then move onto something new.  Students are taught to add and subtract, then multiply and divide, and then incorporate what they have already learned into problems with fractions and decimals.  There comes a time when you have taken your last formal maths course and graduate from school, likely pleased that season of life is now complete.  This concept of taking a class, learning and finishing the work can seep into the Christian life and lead us to believe once we learn facts from the Bible or comprehend the basics of the Gospel we grow up, graduate and move to our chosen electives of interest--like prophecy, eschatology and spiritual gifts!

One thing we must learn and be continually reminded of is knowing does not mean we are doing.  The ability to define sanctification does not mean we are embracing it daily; to be able to turn to passages that exhort us to forgive others does not mean we are free of resentment and bitterness towards people we know.  We may have come to Jesus and placed our faith in Him as young children, but this does not mean we are trusting Him today.  With every moment God provides new opportunities to believe and rely upon Him like never before, so we can exercise the most basic and fundamental aspects of Christian faith.  There are many examples in scripture of this, and Daniel comes to mind.  He was an intelligent man brought from Jerusalem and trained in the language and laws of the Babylonians and then was appointed to a high-ranking leadership role in the Median and Persian empire as well.

Though Daniel had been brought from his city, people and culture, he continued to pray three times a day to the almighty God.  He did this even when legislation passed that forbade praying to anyone but the king for 30 days under punishment of death.  Daniel had never faced a situation like this before.  He didn't need to know anything new or require a fresh revelation from God to continue seeking the LORD he served in prayer and thanksgiving.  Daniel was arrested and thrown into the lion's den, and God miraculously preserved his life from the ravenous beasts.  Daniel 6:23 reads, "Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God."  Daniel was hauled to safety unhurt and was delivered because "he believed in his God," the living God who created all things, knows everyone who trusts Him and is a Saviour.

Daniel believed in his God when he prayed three times a day in his own room, and he also believed in his God when he was thrown to the lions--a situation he had never before experienced.  His fellow rulers were like lions, prowling around and stalking him as prey, but God delivered Daniel from their schemes because he believed in his God.  Belief in God is a simple concept a child can understand, but we are called to keep believing God in everyday situations and in unprecedented ones like being thrown into a burning furnace or a den of hungry lions.  The fact Daniel trusted God in the lion's den did not guarantee he would trust God in trivial matters later that morning or afternoon.  Belief in God isn't something we do and move on from doing because it is impossible to grow spiritually or be pleasing to God without exercising it.  To advance in knowledge while neglecting simple belief in God means we are regressing, not progressing.

Our Hope In KING Jesus

I've been reading a compilation of A.W. Tozer's sermons titled Going Higher With God in Prayer.  One thing I appreciate about Tozer is he places the stronger emphasis on Jesus Christ and what is true rather than a critique of what the church can get wrong.  He observed on page 78, “We have gotten into this soft humanism in our time when we weep over rebels and imagine this is the divine order.”  Humanism is indeed a snare, for this godless worldview places undue focus on man and what he can do to benefit himself and others rather than God who rules over all.

The God of the Bible is revealed to be infinitely good, merciful, just, sovereign and eternal.  When we place our faith in this God who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance--and sent His only begotten Son to redeem lost sinners--we gladly submit to His rule.  There are many who proudly act as judge over the almighty God and find fault with Him, making excuses for their rebellion and condemning our only means of forgiveness and salvation.  Is it sin to weep over rebels?  I do not believe so.  But there is a time when doing so places more sympathetic focus on rebellious people rather than glorifying the good God from Whom they have chosen to rebel.

This situation played out in the life of the prophet Samuel.  He had high hopes for Saul whom God directed him to anoint as king.  The man who began his reign with humility and grace in a short time became proud, rebellious and disobedient to God.  Seemingly oblivious to his folly, Saul tooted his own horn, made rash oaths, sought glory for himself and feared the people rather than God.  After Saul's failure to destroy the Amalekites as God commanded, Samuel sternly addressed Saul's pride and folly to his face.  Saul's heart was unmoved; he found no place for repentance at all.  1 Samuel 15:35-16:1 says, "And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. ¹ Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."  Sin led Samuel and Saul to separate from each other, and this was hard for Samuel.

Samuel loved God, Saul and the children of Israel.  Thus Samuel mourned for Saul, desirous for his repentance and restoration before the LORD.  Because Saul had rejected God (and continued to reject Him), God rejected Saul as king and this was difficult for Samuel to accept.  There came a time when God made it clear Samuel ought not remain in perpetual mourning over the man who had chosen to reject Him and the godly counsel he had been given by Samuel.  God moved Samuel to fill his horn with oil and anoint a new king He had provided for Himself:  king David whose line would lead to our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ, the KING OF KINGS.  Jesus is the One who wept over the tomb of His deceased friend Lazarus, and it is fitting for us to weep over those who are dead in sins.  Yet we ought not grieve like those without hope, for Jesus is a Saviour for all who trust in Him.  Our wounds, grief and mourning ought not be perpetual for there is healing and salvation in our King who has provided all we need for life and godliness.

God's Ways are Truth and Judgment

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him and wanted to know the interpretation of it.  He called the wise men and astrologers of Babylon to him and demanded they tell him his dream and interpretation.  They confidently said they would tell him the interpretation once he had told them the dream.  Nebuchadnezzar would not budge:  if they were able to understand the meaning of the dream by divination, they would as easily be able to reveal what Nebuchadnezzar dreamed in his own bed.  They balked at this command, claiming the king's command was most unorthodox and unreasonable.  The king accused his wise men as wasting his time and then commanded they all be slain--Daniel and his fellow captives from Israel included.

Daniel and his friends who feared the living God of Israel prayed, and that night God revealed the king's dream and interpretation to Daniel.  After Daniel praised the LORD for this revelation he notified Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, he would make known the dream and interpretation to the king.  Daniel was brought before the king and told him more than the king had required, even Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts that preceded the dream as he lay on his bed.  He explained that through the dream God had revealed future events, that the dream was certain and the interpretation sure.  Daniel 2:46-47 reads, "Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret."

One thing I love about this passage is the king was interested to know the future.  Nebuchadnezzar wanted to test his wise men to see if they were actually wise or charlatans.  He desired to demonstrate his power and authority by determining by a difficult challenge and destroying the unworthy.  God had a completely higher aim that transcended all Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts and plans:  to reveal Himself to a king who was ignorant of Him.  In telling the king's dream God revealed Himself to be the God of gods, the LORD of kings.  In chapters that follow God revealed himself as an unrivaled Deliverer when he saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego from the fiery furnace.  God would deprive Nebuchadnezzar of his sanity for 7 years, and at the end of his time Nebuchadnezzar looked to the God of heaven as the One whose ways are truth and judgment, He rules over all nations of the earth and is able to humble the proud.  Nebuchadnezzar desired answers to his questions, glory for himself, to demonstrate his authority, and to find satisfaction in his success--but God answered all these desires with a revelation of Himself.

I wonder:  how often are we like Nebuchadnezzar?  We desire people or God to answer our question or give us insight.  Perhaps our earnest aim is for other people to change their minds about a subject or to consider the facts we want to present.  We can want others to prove themselves to us or have the opportunity to prove ourselves to them.  What we needed more than revelations about future events is a revelation of God who was, is and is to come as the glorious God of gods, the LORD of kings, an unrivaled Deliverer whose ways are all truth and judgment, He rules over all, and those who walk in pride He alone is able to abase.  We can know, by God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar, that He is working to an end beyond our expectation to reveal Himself to all.  In light of the glory of God we ought to follow the example of the humbled king in Daniel 4:34-35:  "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"

Rather than questioning God, let us bless His holy name, praise and worship Him today.  Let us honour Him in trusting His plans and timing, for He is true and just.  God's will shall ultimately be done, and no one can cause His word to cease or frustrate His wisdom.  Glory in God and honour Him today!

Keep Praying and Don't Lose Heart

Luke chapter 18 begins with Jesus telling a parable to illustrate how people ought to always pray and not faint.  There was an unjust judge who was approached by a persistent widow who asked him to avenge her of her adversary.  The man had no interest in justice or love of this woman, but he ended up making a judgment on her case in her favour because he wanted to be rid of her.  Jesus said in Luke 18:7, "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?"  Just because our prayers are not answered immediately should not deter us for praying for God's glory according to His will.  He IS the just Judge who has chosen us, loves us and has promised to take vengeance upon our enemies in His own good time.

In A.W. Tozer's book Going Higher With God in Prayer he made great points about how we ought to be persistent and patient in prayer without losing heart:

"I believe that real faith can afford to wait.  God's grace often operates through natural events.  If you want an ear of corn, plant a grain of corn and wait.  Cultivate it and watch it grow. "For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head" (Mark 4:28).  That's the way God works.  God does not work with slot machines.

I am on a lonely one-man crusade against slot-machine religion.  Put a nickel in the slot and get anything you want.  That's the way people work, but that is not the way God works.

If God's wants chickens, He makes the old hen sit patiently for twenty-one days until an egg hatches.  I used to pity hens, having to wait all that time.  With some birds, it's twenty-eight days, and with others it's even longer.  If God wants an oak tree, it takes Him twenty years to grow it.  If He wants wheat, it takes all winter and up to July of the next year.  The God of nature is also the God of grace.  Therefore, I think we ought not to rush heaven when we pray.  We ought to pray in the will of God and then watch God work slowly.

I have asked God for things and almost gotten discouraged, and then finally saw them begin to happen.  Americans have brass knockers, and they knock three times and want to go right in.  The kingdom of heaven can wait, and you can wait, and I can wait.  Let us trust God and be patient.  Some people in the Old Testament--even in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the Westminster Abbey of the Bible--died before their prayers were answered." (Tozer, A. W., and James L. Snyder. Going Higher with God in Prayer: Cultivating a Lifelong Dialogue. Bethany House Publishers, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2022. page 99)

God Brings Us Through

It is lovely how God's word speaks to our hearts in different reasons and ways.  We can be ministered to by our reading of narratives that demonstrate God's faithfulness to guide and strengthen His people on an epic adventure, the lyrics of a Psalm or even a repeated phrase.  As I read Ezekiel 47 this morning, a phrase resonated in my heart of God's goodness.  It was like walking a familiar path, seeing something shiny sticking out of the dirt that prompts you to stop and dig around it to see what it is.  When I examined and turned the phrase over in my mind, I realised it was of incredible value.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 describes a vision of Ezekiel the prophet:  "Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. ³ And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river."

Ezekiel saw a river of water flowing from the presence of God.  As the waters flowed out instead of growing more shallow they grew increasingly deep.  The phrase that grabbed my attention was how Ezekiel said his angelic guide "brought me through the waters."  The waters were ankle deep and Ezekiel was brought through; the waters came to his knees and he was brought through; over one thousand cubits the waters came up to his waist.  When the water became so deep the river could not be crossed without swimming Ezekiel said, "he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river."  It made me consider how God does this for His people, faithfully bringing them through all situations and seasons of life.  Should I see a stream I do not instinctively wade into it, yet when God leads us we can be assured He will bring me through.  While He could part the waters so His people can pass through on dry ground, sometimes He chooses not to.

In my own life I can testify Jesus Christ, the source of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, has brought me through much water by His grace.  Jesus is faithful to empower and sustain those who trust in Him.  He enables us to stand upright, upholds and guides us with His righteous right hand.  Praise the LORD He has brought us through the ankle-deep water, bringing us through things that on our own we would have quit or turned aside from long ago.  We would have left the river instead of wading onwards and ever deeper, not realising His intention was to bring us through to the point we return to Him.  When things become impossible for us the Holy Spirit prompts us to return to our Saviour as at the beginning, knowing without Jesus we can do nothing.  Because God has brought us through, we can have assurance He will bring us through the waters we are in now whether shallow or deep, refreshing or overwhelming.  Glory to God who brings us through!

Trusting God with Little Things

As human beings, we can be full of inconsistencies.  We can look to God when situations are overwhelming and out of control, yet we can be undone by an accumulation of minor inconveniences.  We trust God to forgive our sins and provide eternal life for us in heaven, but we can worry over finding a parking spot.  Why not trust God with the little things we are involved with as much as the things which obviously are beyond us?

God can use fear, cares and worries to instruct us concerning our persistent lack of faith in God and chronic unbelief.  One example in my own life was during my union apprenticeship.  As I embarked in what I saw as my career path after working other part-time jobs, I prayed God would help me to excel as Daniel did in Babylon University.  My schooling began well but in my second year an experienced foreman made it his aim to stir up trouble for me with the apprenticeship coordinator.  The accusations were so severe the coordinator drove down from Los Angeles to have a face-to-face discussion with me in San Diego.  I was incredulous...and angry.

I was frustrated that a co-worker I trusted would go to such lengths to try to make me miserable, and I was angry with the degree of success he had.  I had heard many times, "The reputation you make as an apprentice you will carry for the next 10 years."  I wanted a good reputation among colleagues and contractors so I would be hired at a local shop and have a chance for advancement.  I felt disillusioned a person I considered a friend would lie about me for who knew what reason.  God used these bad feelings of betrayal to show me I had made my reputation an idol, something I was working for rather than Him.  My fear of a tarnished reputation revealed unbelief in God I did not realise I had, for I had put my trust in my abilities and efforts rather than in His providence, guidance and protection.

I am glad to say the difficult season eventually passed without any negative repercussions on my career or ability to be gainfully employed.  The situation was instrumental in teaching me to rely on and trust God more rather than worrying about "my" reputation.  Jesus made Himself of "no reputation" and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and God exalted Him above all names.  God exposed my selfish reasons for wanting to excel like Daniel (not that it was a bad desire in itself) and used the prospect of a reputation in tatters to teach me it is trusting and pleasing God in humility before Him that matters.  In God's hands, little troubles can lead to massive life lessons.

God's Revelation Is For Us

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Deuteronomy 29:29

There are things about God and His ways we cannot know and will remain secret to us no matter how diligent our search, for He is God and we are not.  It is possible to be so curious and desirous to receive new revelations we are distracted from remembering what has already been revealed.  I have found there is infinitely greater wisdom and complexity in the most basic elements of faith and scripture than I initially realised, and thus in the foundations there is precious truth we have yet to unearth.

God gave the children of Israel His laws, not to know them but so they would walk accordingly.  The righteous judgments of God, revealed in the Law of Moses, the people were called to learn, obey and teach their children to do the same.  James wrote in James 1:19-22:  "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  This exhortation from James reveals those with knowledge can be deceived to think because they know facts they are living in light of them.  Doing what we know is right in God's eyes by faith leads to spiritual growth and maturity facts alone cannot provide.

Our righteous standing with God is not earned by the sin we avoid or the good we do but by faith in Jesus Christ, having been born again through the Gospel.  When it comes to training our children (and at all times), we ought to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.  An easily angered and harsh parent does not produce the righteousness of God.  The call for all believers, whether parents or not, to lay aside all wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word.  We must humbly receive instruction before we can walk uprightly and provide sound instruction by our own example.  I have heard it said with children "more is caught than taught" and we never know how much is caught until we shockingly recognise our bad attitude, tendency to complain or negative reactions to circumstances reflected back to us from our own kids.

Praise the LORD He has provided His word and the Holy Spirit who enables us to glean God's truth and walk therein!  Not only does He instruct and teach us, but God also gives us correction we need along the way.  Knowing what is right does not mean we are doing it, and knowing what is sin does not keep us from it.  It is God and all He has revealed to us that enlightens our path and conscience, and how grateful we ought to be for God's patience, love, swift to hear and is slow to wrath.  When He speaks it is exactly what we need to hear and what we should labour to heed.

Be Strengthened in God

I was reminded today that feelings are real but are not always true indicators of reality.  There is the possibility our feelings can present a skewed perspective because they make us the centre of our story rather than the LORD God who created us and His goodness.

Jacob's response to unexpected news from his sons is an example of this in Genesis 42:36:  "And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."  Jacob was overwhelmed when he heard Simeon had been incarcerated in Egypt and the presence of Benjamin (Jacob's youngest son) was required for his release.  He felt personally attacked and overstated the facts he knew to be true, for he put Simeon's imprisonment at the same level of Joseph whom Jacob believed was long dead.  What Jacob didn't realise is that Joseph was alive and he was orchestrating the reunion of their whole family to deliver them from starvation.  Jacob was focused on all that was against him rather than God who was for him, and we can do the same.

David also experienced a situation where all things were against him.  While he sojourned in the land of the Philistines to escape from the hand of king Saul, a band of Amalekites raided Ziklag, burned it with fire and kidnapped all the wives and children of he and his men.  After this shocking discovery David and his men wept until they could weep no more.  The despair of the men turned to anger towards David.  1 Samuel 30:6 says, "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God."  David was deeply afflicted by the troubling situation:  his wives had been taken captive along with the wives and children of all his men, and he was largely responsible for them residing in Ziklag and going to battle alongside Achish!  But David's great distress prompted him to strengthen himself in the LORD his God.  This trial was painful and troubling, but he chose to focus on the LORD God and sought Him instead of fixing his mind on all the things that were against him.

This is the way bad feelings and distress can do us much good, to prompt us by faith to choose to look the LORD God who is for us rather than all that is against us.  Whether our enemies are real or imagined, knowing nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus gives enduring hope and strength to endure.  This is infinitely better than the power of positive thinking that depends on us and is limited by our own strength.  It is good we know we are helpless and unable to do anything so we might seek and rely on the LORD to do everything as we submit to His rule and guidance.  Both Jacob and David endured deeply troubling situations and saw the goodness of God in the land of the living.  May all followers of Jesus also look to Him in trouble and testify of His faithfulness, for we have tasted and seen the LORD is good.

The Quiet and Peaceable Life

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

1 Timothy 2:1-2

In his famous Gettysburg address during the Civil War, president Abraham Lincoln spoke of government of the people, by the people and for the people--all prefaced with the statement, "under God."  Due to the democratic forms of government that allow people to vote in elections, the fact God presides over the appointment of those in authority can be dismissed or forgotten.  For all citizens it is wise to look beyond a ruler whether they are revered or despised by men and to the God who moves their hearts like the turning of a river (Proverbs 21:1).

Paul exhorted Timothy and fellow believers in Christ to offer supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and all in authority.  These earnest petitions, requests in prayer and giving of thanks were to be faithfully offered to the end all may lead a "quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."  Depending on where you live or the political climate, it might be more common to sign petitions to oust a governor than to make petitions known before God with thanksgiving.  We can be swept up in praying against people rather than giving God thanks for them.  How far short of Paul's exhortation we fall when we hope to gain political sway towards our desired end rather than leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

When it comes to politics, these days it is the antithesis of quiet and peaceable.  News reports are full of people shouting at rallies, protesting, amplifying their frustrations with loudspeakers.  There is nothing wrong with using the voices God has given us to speak forth His truth in love, our lives ought to be attended with all godliness and reverence.  We are to have the humble mind of Jesus Christ and demonstrate reverence and respect for others even if they view us as opponents or enemies.  The Greek word for "reverence" is also translated "dignity."  This is the quality of being worthy of honour and respect, being composed and calm.  If we lack this godly demeanor in our thoughts and conversation we miss the mark even should our views be biblically spot on.

Let us take to heart this exhortation from God's word personally, to give thanks for everyone--whether they are a sovereign by birth, selected by a political party, elected by constituents or a fellow citizen on the other side of the aisle.  We are called to submit to the KING OF KINGS Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth.  Jesus IS the authority, and thus we are never at the mercy of democracy or despots.  Our peace can never come from who is on "capital hill" but what Jesus accomplished on Calvary's hill.  Because Jesus is our peace we can lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence, knowing His reign is eternal and He is good.

The Hidden Cost of Milk and Sin

Several months back I was driving and listening to a radio interview on ABC news.  The subject was a familiar one, that dairy farmers have been doing it tough for some time because of the demands placed upon them by retailers for low prices.  Therefore the price of milk was slated to rise $.50 a litre.  While the price of other commodities had been rising over time, for years milk stayed the same price.  The question was put forth, "Do you support paying more for milk to support Australian dairy farmers?"  The people who called and texted said they were fine paying more for milk.  The consensus among the host and callers was it was the least consumers could do.

As part of my weekly routine I buy groceries for my household.  Whilst the increase of the price of milk does not impact my ability to buy it, I have noticed something the ABC presenter did not explain.  I have noticed, not only the rise of the cost of milk, but the cost of all dairy products.  This makes perfect sense:  the increase of the cost of milk means it will cost more to make yogurt, cream, cheese, ice cream, etc.  The rise of the cost of milk is not in isolation and would impact the price of all offerings from the dairy industry.  With the cost of doing business these days it still might not be sufficient.

For many people this rise does not mean they are unable to buy milk or dairy products, but it would have been a good point of consideration up front to answer the question:  "Do you support paying more for milk?"  The result of raising the cost of milk has shown the original premise to be incomplete and flawed.  I believe this is a good example of how sin has a "knock on" effect in our lives.  The phrase "knock on" is a rugby term when a player loses control of the ball forward after touching a hand or like a fumble in gridiron.  The result of a "knock on" means the stoppage of the game and a change of possession.  One tiny fumble of the ball, one accidental brush by the tip of a finger, and your team forfeits the ball.  This can lead to losing the whole game.  Adultery in the heart can lead to fornication, estrangement from family, damaged relationships and ruined marriages.  Sin isn't something we can keep to ourselves but negatively impacts us, others and our relationship with God.

Hebrews 3:12-13 provides a warning and exhortation for Christians:  "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."  Because of Jesus we do not need to fall for sin's deceitfulness, become hardened in heart or depart from the living God in unbelief.  Sin that can flourish like weeds inside us can be rooted out by the power of God, the wisdom of His word and godly fellowship with fellow believers.  Sin brings death, and praise God He has abolished death and brought immortality to light through the Gospel.  Let's not be tempted to think sin looks affordable when it is deadly and deceitful, for it is never isolated to a particular act.  Having received new hearts, may we keep them soft with swift repentance of sin and obedience by faith in God.  In doing so we will realise the blessing of Jesus Christ is infinitely beyond price.

Examine Yourself and Receive

On the first Sunday of every month at Calvary Chapel Sydney we receive communion, and the verses which impacted this week are found in 1 Corinthians 11:26-28:  "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. ²⁷ Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."  Paul wrote this to a church in Corinth marred by factions, drunkenness and carelessness.  What was supposed to be a time of unity with Christ and one another by proclaiming His death lacked evidence of His love and holy life.

The bread symbolises the body of Jesus broken for us and the cup represents the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary to provide atonement for sinners.  Jesus instituted a new covenant in His own blood by grace through faith, and receiving communion is an acknowledgement we have spiritually received Christ by faith even as we eat the bread and drink the cup.  As there ought to be a correlation between the physical reality of eating and spiritually of receiving, our lives should be a testimony of a new life by faith in Christ that resembles His own in love, grace and obedience to God.  Paul reiterated the purpose of the love feasts at Corinth, that they ought to demonstrate the unity and love they received by Jesus with one another.

Paul critiqued the sinful manner that crept into their gatherings and bid them examine themselves to the end they would "eat of the bread and drink of the cup."  The idea was not to exclude any follower of Jesus Christ from receiving the LORD's supper.  If the idea of the love feasts in Corinth was to have fellowship with God and one another, in Paul's estimation they had been falling woefully short due to sin.  We eat a meal to satisfy our needs and strengthen our bodies:  why would a person go to a restaurant to fast?  In a similar way, if people did not desire fellowship with God, to glorify Jesus Christ and edify one another, what was the point of receiving communion?  All who chose to receive communion in obedience to Jesus were to examine their hearts, confess and repent of sin, and thus eat the bread and drink of the cup because of all Christ accomplished for them.  No one is worthy on the basis of their own works to receive communion, yet all that believe the Gospel are responsible to receive it in a worthy manner.

In my youth there may have been an occasion where I chose not to receive communion because I was acutely aware of a particular sin and felt guilty about it.  My feelings of guilt were a poor substitute for confession and repentance.  How much better it would have been for me to respond in repentance for sin and rejoiced in the provision of forgiveness by Jesus who died to freely offer it to all sinners!  To refuse to receive communion because of your own failings betrays a lack of understanding of what Jesus has accomplished for us unworthy sinners:  He has given us forgiveness by grace through faith in Him.  He did not come to starve people out or destroy them but to save them, so we might joyfully proclaim His goodness and salvation to all now and forever.

Our Moments Kept for God

I recently picked up an out of print book from Christian Books Australia titled Kept for the Master's Use by Frances Ridley Havergal, and this small book is filled with great nuggets of wisdom.  While I have yet to finish reading it, her insights on giving God our moments is simply too good not to share.  It is one thing to ask God to take our lives and retain the moments for ourselves.  There is great value in giving and asking Jesus to keep our moments for His sake.  Here are some excerpts on this subject:

"In things spiritual, the greater does not always include the less, but, paradoxically, the less more often includes the greater.  So in this case, time is entrusted to us to be traded with for our Lord.  But we cannot grasp it as a whole.  We instinctively break it up ere we can deal with it for any purpose.  So when a New Year comes round, we commit it with special earnestness to the Lord.  But as we do so, are we not conscious of a feeling that even a year is too much for us to deal with?  And does not this feeling, that we are dealing with a larger thing than we can grasp, take away from the sense of reality?  Thus we are brought to a more manageable measure; and as the Sunday mornings or the Monday mornings come round, we thankfully commit the opening week to Him, and the sense of help and rest is renewed and strengthened.  But not even the six or seven days are close enough to our hand; even tomorrow exceeds our tiny grasp, and even tomorrow's grace is therefore not given to us.  So we find the need of considering our lives as a matter of day by day, and that any more general committal and consecration of our time does not meet the case so truly...

We do not realise the importance of moments.  Only let us consider these two sayings of God about them, 'In a moment shall they die,' and, 'We shall all be changed in a moment,' and we shall think less lightly of them.  Eternal issues may hang upon any one of them, but it has come and gone before we can even think about it.  Nothing seems less within the possibility of our own keeping, yet nothing is more inclusive of all other keeping.  Therefore let us ask Him to keep them for us.

Are they not the tiny joints in the harness through which the darts of temptation pierce us?  Only give us time, we think, and we should not be overcome.  Only give us time and we could pray and resist, and the devil would flee from us!  But he comes all in a moment; and in a moment--an unguarded, unkept one--we utter the hasty or exaggerated word, or think the un-Christ-like thought, or feel the un-Christ-like impatience or resentment...

But the sanctified and Christ-loving heart cannot be satisfied with only negative keeping.  We do not want only to be kept from displeasing Him, but to be kept always pleasing Him.  Every 'kept from' should have its corresponding and still more blessed 'kept for.'  We do not want our moments to be simply kept from Satan's use, but kept for His use; we want them to be not only kept from sin, but kept for His praise...

The same thing is going on every day.  It is generally a moment--either an opening or a culminating one--that really does the work.  It is not so often a whole sermon as a single short sentence in it that wings God's arrow to a heart.  It is seldom a whole conversation that is the means of bringing about the desired result, but some sudden turn of thought or word, which comes with the electric touch of God's power.  Sometimes it is less than that; only a look (and what is more momentary?) has been used by Him for the pulling down of strongholds.  Again, in our own quiet waiting upon God, as moment after moment glides past in the silence at His feet, the eye resting upon a page of His Word, or only looking up to Him through the darkness, have we not found that He can so irradiate one passing moment with His light that its rays never die away, but shine on and on through days and years?  Are not such moments proved to have been kept for Him?  And if some, why not all?...

While we have been undervaluing these fractions of eternity, what has our gracious God been doing in them?  How strangely touching are the words, 'What is man that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him, and that Thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?'  Terribly solemn and awful would be the thought that He has been trying us every moment, were it not for the yearning gentleness and love of the Father revealed in that wonderful expression of wonder, 'What is man, that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him?'  Think of that ceaseless setting of His heart upon us, careless and forgetful children as we have been!  And then think of those other words, note the less literally true because given under a figure, "I, the Lord, do keep it; I will water it every moment." (Havergal, Frances Ridley. Kept for the Master's Use. Nisbet & Co. LTD., 1908. Pages 30-36)

God Explains so We Can See

One book Charles Spurgeon wrote that I enjoyed is titled, The Bible and the Newspaper.  The basic premise of the book is God can provide object lessons everywhere--even in the articles found in the newspaper.  Jesus used illustrations in His teaching and parables from ordinary life, and thus it is feasible with His guidance we can employ these wisely as well.  Spurgeon wrote, "The things which we have seen and noted we now give our readers, not merely for their entertainment, but that we may encourage in them the habit of looking for emblems and analogies.  It is a mental exercise as profitable as it is pleasant." (Spurgeon, C. H. The Bible and the Newspaper. Pilgrim Publications, 1973. Page v.)  Being grounded on the unchanging truth of God's word with open eyes and ears, I have found this to be the case.

The things we see and hear can have a profound impact upon us in a positive or negative sense.  An example of this is shown in the oddly named song "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the alternative rock band Crash Test Dummies.  The song tells a story of three kids:  one whose hair turned from black to white after a car accident, a girl who had birthmarks all over her body and a boy who went to a church where people "shook and lurched all over the church floor."  These characters all shared something in common, the fact they could not explain these occurrences that made them stand out among other people.  The boy couldn't explain how cars crashing hard changed his hair colour, nor could the girl explain how she was born with birthmarks that led to self-consciousness.

The song says these two were glad because one kid had it worse than them--the one with the strict parents who made him come directly after school, the one who went to a church where people shook on the church floor.  The lyrics say, "He couldn't quite explain it, they'd always just gone there."  Truly this is the saddest case, and I don't fault the boy.  Christians are called to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us as Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."  We are called not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together with fellow Christians having been made one Body by faith in Jesus.  It is also wise to have our corporate worship guided by God's word, understanding what we are doing and why.  There is freedom for diversity in the Body of Christ, and with Jesus as our Head we are all united by the same Holy Spirit.

There are many people like the last boy and his family, going to church, doing religious activities because they always have or feel obligated to.  The faith of a Christian ought to be according to knowledge of God as revealed in scripture, the God who does things beyond explanation because He is almighty.  While I cannot explain all that God has done and is doing, it is possible to know and rely upon all God has revealed of Himself.  He is not the author of confusion but of peace.  In relation to the exercising of spiritual gifts in the church assembly (what the song alludes to), all things ought to be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40).  It is by God's unchanging word we can know what is orderly and out of order, what is decent or unbecoming for believers.  Our practices ought to be brought in line with the sound teaching of God's word.  This is how "Mmm" can turn into "Ah, I see!"

Let Go of that Hobby Horse

One benefit of personally reading and teaching through the Bible verse by verse is gaining broad exposure to God's word and wisdom.  It is a good practice to observe points of emphasis and repetition in scripture that we might heed them.  It is true that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, yet it is possible in teaching and ordinary conversation we major on the minors and thus miss the mark.  Years ago I remember a man who was obsessed to discern the validity of a popular Christian book.  His troubled mental state would have been far more greatly helped to stop debating or fretting over that popular book and rely upon God's word that remains true and relevant forever.

A primary aim I have in teaching is to present an accurate depiction of God's word under His guidance.  The grand, overarching themes of scripture that God created all things, Jesus Christ is God with us, the Gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit and our duty to love God and others ought to be regularly emphasised.  I discipline myself to exercise caution to avoid reading into passages and taking liberty to claim the Bible says things it does not explicitly say.  As we read each chapter hungry for a revelation of God and His wisdom, He is faithful to provide all the timeless truth we need so we might glean and receive it, far more than Boaz left Ruth in his field.  Should we cling to a "hobby horse" instead of God's word this preoccupation can distract us from the truth, cause us to dismiss what is plainly said and lead to unbalanced extremes--and even error.

It is good when our favourite topics align with those in scripture, and when they do I would not view this as a hobby horse.  A hobby horse is a toy (a stick with a horse's head mounted on it) that is not necessary for the health, growth or development of a child, and thus a hobby horse in preaching is unnecessary to the exposition of a text.  It is as strange and foreign to scripture as it is to see literal hobby horses brought by congregants at a church gathering.  A hobby horse does not have legs or power of its own and must be carried around for fun.  It could be used as a walking stick or for beating other people over the head.  It could be a source of comfort for the one who parades it into conversations to demonstrate the benefits to others.  I am not immune from the tendency towards hobby horses of my own, yet I believe they are better suited for a nursery than a pulpit.  The Holy Spirit who knows the hearts and minds of men is able to reveal the hobby horses I have taken up, and He is also able to convince me and others to release our grip by faith in Christ our LORD.

It grieves me to say I have had a reputation for many things but not always Christ.  Would to God people would say of me, "There is someone who loves Jesus" and then talk about how wonderful Jesus is because His love, grace and goodness shone through me.  How easy it is to be caught up in troubles of the day or dramas in the lives of people and take that up as a hobby horse in our thoughts rather than looking to the LORD in prayer for salvation, hope and help.  Instead of crossing hobby horses like lightsabers with fellow Christians, let us raise our hands to the almighty God in praise and adoration.  Let us place our faith in God and read His word with hungry hearts, knowing we will be filled and sustained by His grace.  Proverbs 23:23 says, "Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding."  Jesus is the Truth, the One who has purchased us and is wisdom for us.  Unlike a hobby horse, we do not carry Him:  the One who was lifted up draws us and all to Himself.