Kindness to the Dead

Naomi was a woman in the Bible who suffered the loss of her husband and two sons in Moab, having left Bethlehem due to a famine.  She returned home bitter and empty years later with daughter-in-law Ruth.  The people of Bethlehem hardly recognised the grief-stricken woman whose only companion was a foreigner.  Though Naomi had forgotten happier days, God had not forgotten Naomi.  He would provide for her abundantly in unexpected ways, and her mourning would be turned to joy.

Ruth went out to glean in a field and was kindly greeted by the owner named Boaz.  He was kind to Ruth, having been appraised of her loyalty towards her mother-in-law and the God of Israel, and invited her to remain in his field throughout the harvest.  When Ruth returned home carrying a large amount of grain, Naomi was pleasantly surprised with her success.  After Ruth divulged she had gathered in a field belonging to Boaz, consider Naomi's response Ruth 2:20:  "Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" And Naomi said to her, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives."

Isn't it amazing how God is kind both to the living and the dead?  Without a husband the womb of Naomi was good as dead, and her husband and sons all had passed away.  There was no way the inheritance could be retained in the family, but what is impossible with men is possible with God.  Those who die are beyond our help, but God would show kindness to the dead by providing Boaz as a husband for Ruth.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "Naomi's mind immediately perceived the significance of the situation. Even the dead might soon be blessed, in that the name of Elimelech, her dead husband, could live on through her faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth. Boaz was a close relative, but more than that, he was a kinsman-redeemer. He could act as a redeemer of property and persons."  God's kindness was not only for dead Elimelech and his house, but for the widowed Naomi and Ruth.  God is able to bring life from death.  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead demonstrates His power over sin and death and proves the reality of the Gospel.

God allowed Jesus to die on the cross and rise again so all who are dead in sins and believe in Him can be redeemed forever.  We were dead and without hope, but God has given us eternal life through the Gospel!  Ephesians 2:1-7 reads, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  God has not forgotten to show kindness to the living and to the dead.  He doesn't only raise up seed to carry on our family name but raises us from the dead to life to carry on His name as His adopted children.

Blessed be God, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!

Healthy Spiritual Choices

A wholesome diet and regular exercise are fundamental to good health.  Being discerning about what and how much we eat has a far greater impact than mere outer appearance.  Quality nutrition helps our bodies grow, repair, boosts our immune system, aids digestion, and has many other benefits.  Exercise strengthens muscles, burns fat, increases flexibility, and is good for the heart and brain.  Our attention to diet and exercise is voluntary.  For the most part we make the decision to go for a walk, eat vegetables, limit our intake of processed sugar, drink more water, or avoid alcohol.

Knowing food is more or less healthy - or honestly not healthy at all - does not mean making these personal decisions are easy.  It is hard to restrict ourselves when it comes to diet, and it can be difficult to maintain motivation to exercise.  Sometimes we are determined and dedicated to meet our goals, and other times we have no goal except to eat what we want at the time.  This difficult task of balancing our lives for optimum health physically shows the challenges which we face spiritually.  What we eat and drink is often far easier to monitor and control than what what we take in through our eyes and ears from this world we live in.

No one can force you to drink whiskey when you are alone in your room at night, but images which stir the flesh can flash across your screen.  Profane language and cursing can fill our ears through shows on TV or videos.  The problem is, we are passive players in the process.  To eat you must first pick up the food, place it in your mouth, and choose to swallow it down.  Social media, TV, and the internet brings a stream of potentially foul material we weren't looking for.  There are countless things we see and hear which which are not agreeable to our new nature in Christ.  Granted, there are times we do not have a choice in the matter.  But let us not deceive ourselves:  much of the time we do.  We can turn off a device, we can walk away, and we can throw things out.  We are not at the mercy of this world to tell us what we should see or listen to.  That is God's rightful place.

If food or drink we consume has gone bad, our bodies will grow suddenly ill.  Our bodies are created by God to purge out contaminants and to be cleansed from within.  When a person watches smut, reads filth, hears profane speech, or is exposed to what stirs the flesh to fantasise and sin with their body, it has a negative effect on the health of the soul - even as a diet high in saturated fat and sugar is bad for the heart.  Binge drinking of alcohol is hazardous for the health of a person and affects his or her ability to make good decisions, and going on a sinful "bender" of looking at sensual images is troubling to body and soul.  There are no health benefits whatsoever to drunkenness, and there is only suffering and sorrow awaiting those who willingly expose themselves to what lures them to sin.

What we eat and drink has an impact on our bodies, and what we see and hear affects the way we think.  Indulging the flesh by eating too much leads to a temporary stomach ache, but indulging the flesh through what we see and hear wounds our souls.  These inner wounds do not heal on their own but only through faith in Christ expressed by repentance and obedience.  As much as depends upon us, let us monitor our intake - not just of food and drink - but of what we willingly expose ourselves to.  When you scroll, what are you looking for?  Let us be discerning of what we seek and make decisions to honour God rather than satisfying the fleeting curiosity of the flesh which is intent on bondage and destruction.  As a man thinks so he is, and as we make godly choices with what we see and hear it will have a most positive impact on our spiritual health and vitality.  The choice is yours!

Rejoice in Christ Our Peace

When people request prayer, it is usually to seek help in time of need.  So many problems we face in life are bigger than our ability to solve or fix, and God has graciously invited all who believe Him to make our requests known to God.  We can make requests with thanksgiving and through Jesus enter into His rest, knowing God hears us and is able to accomplish all that concerns us today and always.

Have you noticed the frequency, duration, and fervency of our prayers typically rise in times of trouble?  It struck me recently how God uses trials and difficulties to prompt us - even drive us to pray for people normally who are not in our thoughts.  When we hear of tragedies and atrocities across the world we are moved to pray for people we do not know and will likely never meet.  Prayer has the capacity to invite God's aid into every corner of the globe and beg Him to minister on behalf of people who do not even know Him.  How glorious and generous God is, and He redeems trouble by moving Christians to pray.

In a world inundated with bad news, it is easy to lose a godly perspective.  We begin to focus on the problems, man's hollow solutions, and our inability to change the world (or even ourselves!) for good.  But faith in Christ enables us to rejoice in God whatever the circumstances.  Philippians 4:4-7 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Trouble itself has a silver lining when it prompts us to pray.

How good it is, believer, instead of only bringing our concerns or complaints before the LORD that we praise Him for the awesome God He is.  Regardless of our circumstances God remains good and unchanging.  He did not save us to forsake us, nor did He purchase us to disown us.  A good mother will not forget to care for her infant child, and God will never neglect us.  God's love, grace, and magnificent power is beyond anything which threatens us, and His truth cannot be shaken or dissolved by a billion voices who clamour against it.  He has situated our souls upon a Rock of eternal salvation, and we are kept in the hollow of His hand from harm.  Even the young lions suffer hunger, but those who fear the LORD will lack no good thing.  The youths will faint and grow weary, but our LORD does not slumber or sleep.  Let us praise Him, the Good Shepherd of our souls!

We quickly forget how good God is when pains overwhelm us, but God is not overwhelmed.  He is mighty to save, glorious in power, and unparalleled in majesty.  Instead of worrying, let us be praying.  And in our praying, let us make our requests with thanksgiving.  Then we will know something of the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.  Stealing candy from a baby is an easy thing to do, but no trial or trouble can steal our Peace (Eph. 2:14) from a helpless child of God who cries out to Him in faith.

Abundant Consolation

In God is great consolation.  We need not despair even in trying times of suffering, for God is gracious and full of mercy.  Our trials do not test God in any way, as if anything is difficult for Him, but we are tested by trouble God allows.  God has a miraculous ability to use great pains to accomplish His redemptive purposes.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation."  God allows difficult and painful circumstances so we might look to Him as our comfort.  Our natural bent is to avoid anything which resembles tribulation, yet these trials are opportunities for God to abundantly comfort and console.  When Paul suffered persecution for the sake of Christ, he recognised other believers were strengthened and encouraged by his steadfastness.  Likewise, when Paul was comforted those praying for him were encouraged by the answers God supplied.

Consolation is a word we don't use often in conversation which is defined in the Webster's 1828 Dictionary as, "The primary sense is either to set or allay, to give rest or quiet, or the sense is to strengthen, in which case it coincides with the root of solid. The latter is most probable. To comfort; to cheer the mind in distress or depression; to alleviate grief, and give refreshment to the mind or spirits; to give contentment or moderate happiness by relieving from distress."  When I think about being "consoled" it is the picture of a mother or father gathering their distressed little one in their arms, assuring everything will be alright.  The one offering comfort has not changed the situation at all, but their presence changes everything; their assurance is received as gospel truth without question based upon their loving relationship and compassion towards their little one.

So it is with God's consolation of his distressed little ones who face all manner of suffering He allows.  He does not always intervene and change our circumstances to our liking, nor does He change the past.  But He offers us His divine presence and speaks truth from His Word to comfort us when our world seems to be falling apart.  Whatever disturbs our hearts is not beyond His power to change, but He seeks to change our hearts in the midst of trials to implicitly trust Him and look for no deliverance except by His strength and power.  In all tribulation there is abundant consolation for us, and this is the birthright of every child of God who turns their eyes to Jesus.  Praise the LORD for the rest and strength we find in our Saviour!