During my reading the other day, a verse caught my attention. At the beginning of Christ's ministry, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After responding to each temptation with the truth of scripture, Luke 4:13 says, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." The word "opportune" stood out to me. The definition of this word in Hebrew is "an occasion, i.e. set or proper time, opportunity, (convenient, due) season." While Jesus walked the earth, He was in all points tempted and remained without sin. But the devil did not stay away. He would be back for another go because he is persistent as he is wicked.
Ephesians 4:27 says Christians must not give place to the devil. The word translated "place" in Greek means, "spot, location, occasion, or opportunity." I guarantee Jesus did not give any place to Satan, yet He was tempted by him. Because we live in a body of flesh, we have the tendency towards sin. Our capacity for sin is not reduced when we are born again. Although Jesus did not give the devil a reason to tempt Him, he still did. There were times when the Father allowed His Son to be tempted. Even though Jesus resisted every temptation, it did not mean temptation was permanently over. There would be more seasons of tempting, more opportunities for the deceiver to steal, kill, and destroy. As long as we walk this earth, we are engaged in an enormous spiritual battle. It is not a battle of "good against evil" but evil against God. The lies of Satan must be confronted with the truth of God's word.
Jesus was sinless yet remained on guard against satanic attacks. We can liken our defenses to that of armor. If battle was enjoined and you were without the helmet of salvation, the enemy would target you there through your thoughts or lust of the eyes. If you drifted off to sleep (spiritually speaking) through habitual sin and thus ignored putting on the breastplate of righteousness, Satan's fiery darts would be aimed with surgical precision at your heart. God will not only give us a means of defense and resistance, but a way of escape. Picking up in 1 Cor. 10:8-13 the Word says, "Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; [9] nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; [10] nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. [11] Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [12] Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. [13] No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
Let us be certain we give no opportunity for the devil, no invitation for attack through our negligence of spiritual purity and obedience. I was thinking: if you lived in a jungle where poisonous snakes were abundant, would you sleep with the door open? Let's say you settle down under the covers and you hear the sound of a glass shattering. You turn on the light to see a king cobra coiled on your nightstand. Would you be able to sleep? Most of us would scream or be paralyzed in fear! Sleep would be totally out of the question! Yet spiritually we have the capacity to leave the door open of our hearts, literally inviting evil to be a part of our lives. If we open the door, sin will come in! God spoke to Cain in Genesis 4:7: "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." Turn on the light of the scripture and freeze the serpent in his tracks. Be merciless in wielding the Sword of the Spirit, for that old serpent is not fit to live. Once you have parted head from body with a swift stroke, don't be cocky. There's plenty more evil outside, and it's always trying to squeeze in. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, but sometimes even good preparation is not enough to keep temptation outside.
Because of Cain's fallen state, he could not rule over sin. Sin ruled over him, resulting not only in the murder of his brother Abel, but he remained without repentance. We can rule over sin and resist every temptation thrown our way by Satan himself, for "greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) In this world we will have tribulation, and we will have temptation as well. Whether you have opened the door voluntarily or God is allowing a season of temptation, be strong in the LORD and the power of His might. He has given you the spiritual armor of God that girded Christ. Make sure that it is not a poor fit like King Saul's armor on David. The Sword of the Spirit wielded through the power of the Holy Spirit is battle tested and true. Do not fear: if God has redeemed you from your sins, He has freed you from their grip. You have the all authority over sin through Christ. Confess, repent, and follow Him!
Allow me to leave you with one of my favorite passages of scripture: 2 Cor. 10:3-6 states, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. [4] For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, [5] casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, [6] and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
14 January 2010
11 January 2010
Who's Helping Who?
When I arrived on the jobsite this morning, I was surprised to see a co-worker pull up. I had been working by myself for a week so it was wonderful to have some help. Over the New Year's holiday the apprentice who had been working with me (commonly called a "helper") broke his collarbone in two places and made wrapping duct for him out of the question for six weeks. While I worked I wondered if I always rightly appreciate the help God provides through the Holy Spirit. If having a co-worker on the job fills me with gratitude, how much more thankfulness should I cultivate in my soul for the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence within me!
Our natural view of "help" is strictly selfish. When a person is lost he screams "Help!" because he desires to find his way or be found. When a child is caught in a rip current she might cry for help to attract attention to be rescued. Receiving help from someone carries the idea that others are supposed to assist me to obtain my goals, protect, or enable me to do or receive what I want. The dreadful reality is this is exactly the definition of "help" we often desire from God. We are the center, and we ask God to help us stay healthy, meet our quotas, and achieve our purposes. God does not exist to cater to man: man exists to glorify God.
Jesus says this in John 14:26 in the New King James Version: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." This is one of the few instances in my opinion that the NKJV misses the mark, clouding God's name and misleads us to His attributes. The word translated "Helper" is "parakletos" in the Greek, meaning "an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter." The King James Version translates this title of the Holy Spirit as "Comforter." If I read the NKJV, I am likely to believe that the Holy Spirit will help me. Now does the Holy Spirit help us? Of course. But if we use the modern-day view of what "help" means, we might be led to believe the Holy Spirit exists for the purpose of helping us do things. This is incorrect. Apart from God, we can do nothing.
I would be wrong to think that I can do anything for God apart from the power and righteousness of God. Paul writes in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." Paul writes this after he was born again and forgiven from his sins through the shed blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit had taken up residence in Paul's heart. But Paul's flesh would always tend toward iniquity even though an inner transformation had taken place. Paul did not just need a "little help" from God to be outwardly good and give him an edge. He was outwardly "good" as a Pharisee and was headed for Hell because he was dead in his transgressions and sins! The Holy Spirit is not like a co-worker who shows up to help us out of a tough spot. He has regenerated us by grace through faith in Christ. Because we learn of God's character and attributes through His names, the meaning from the original language should be preserved.
If we only see the Holy Spirit as a "Helper," there is a real danger of us becoming the focus. Now before anyone throws away their NKJV, here are a couple verses from the KJV that clearly say God is our helper: Psalm 54:4 says, "Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul." The Hebrew word for "helper" is "'azar," meaning "to surround, i.e. protect or aid." Hebrews 13:5-6 states, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." The Greek word is "boethos," meaning "a succorer, helper."
I believe Benjamin Franklin is credited with the modern cliche, "God helps those who help themselves." This is a humanistic and legalistic view. It can enforce a person's selfishness in thinking, "If I do this or do that, God will help me. In the end I will benefit and I desire to be the focus of all God's blessings, since He exists to help me. Why should I deny myself good standing so easily obtained?" Perhaps the original intent is to explain the dynamic of those who actively seek God and live for His glory and God blesses the works of their hands. There will always be lazy sluggards who blame God for their lack yet will do nothing themselves, waiting for money to fall from heaven into their hammocks as they lounge with a cold drink. Paul had a way of dealing with such bums: 2 Thes. 3:10 explains, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."
The Holy Spirit is our advocate, comforter, protector, and helper. He does not help us because of what we have done, but because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, love, mercy, and grace. God has opened our blind eyes, removed the curse of sin and death, and made us alive. Instead of saying that God helps me, it would almost be more accurate to say that Christians have the privilege to help God. It is like a small child painting a fence with his father. The little boy wears one of dad's old shirts to protect his clothes. The energetic lad dunks his whole brush in the paint, swiping it roughly across a few boards with a smile on his face. The paint applied to the fence runs in rivulets which puddle on the horizontal beams. After five minutes there is more paint on the boy than on the fence, the paint running off the brush down his arm to the elbow. Within minutes the boy is distracted and runs off somewhere. Dad smiles to himself and rolls out the puddles, fills in the holidays, and cleans up the brush and washed the paint drips from the patio. When mom comes out with some drinks the boy says proudly, "I painted the fence, didn't I Dad?" Dad reaches down and tousles the boy's hair and says, "You sure did, son." Did Dad need help? No. God doesn't need help either. But He lets us serve Him even though we are messy, make mistakes, are easily distracted, and are happy to take all the credit.
Without a father, the boy would never be alive. Without a heavenly Father, a loving Savior, and life-giving Holy Spirit I would be spiritually dead. I don't just need a little help from God: I can't do anything without Him! I wouldn't know where the paint brushes are, have the strength to open the pail of paint, or reach above three feet on the fence when it comes to spiritual matters. Pray that God would help you to see Him as He is! Thank you Jesus for allowing me to get dirty serving you!
Our natural view of "help" is strictly selfish. When a person is lost he screams "Help!" because he desires to find his way or be found. When a child is caught in a rip current she might cry for help to attract attention to be rescued. Receiving help from someone carries the idea that others are supposed to assist me to obtain my goals, protect, or enable me to do or receive what I want. The dreadful reality is this is exactly the definition of "help" we often desire from God. We are the center, and we ask God to help us stay healthy, meet our quotas, and achieve our purposes. God does not exist to cater to man: man exists to glorify God.
Jesus says this in John 14:26 in the New King James Version: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." This is one of the few instances in my opinion that the NKJV misses the mark, clouding God's name and misleads us to His attributes. The word translated "Helper" is "parakletos" in the Greek, meaning "an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter." The King James Version translates this title of the Holy Spirit as "Comforter." If I read the NKJV, I am likely to believe that the Holy Spirit will help me. Now does the Holy Spirit help us? Of course. But if we use the modern-day view of what "help" means, we might be led to believe the Holy Spirit exists for the purpose of helping us do things. This is incorrect. Apart from God, we can do nothing.
I would be wrong to think that I can do anything for God apart from the power and righteousness of God. Paul writes in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." Paul writes this after he was born again and forgiven from his sins through the shed blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit had taken up residence in Paul's heart. But Paul's flesh would always tend toward iniquity even though an inner transformation had taken place. Paul did not just need a "little help" from God to be outwardly good and give him an edge. He was outwardly "good" as a Pharisee and was headed for Hell because he was dead in his transgressions and sins! The Holy Spirit is not like a co-worker who shows up to help us out of a tough spot. He has regenerated us by grace through faith in Christ. Because we learn of God's character and attributes through His names, the meaning from the original language should be preserved.
If we only see the Holy Spirit as a "Helper," there is a real danger of us becoming the focus. Now before anyone throws away their NKJV, here are a couple verses from the KJV that clearly say God is our helper: Psalm 54:4 says, "Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul." The Hebrew word for "helper" is "'azar," meaning "to surround, i.e. protect or aid." Hebrews 13:5-6 states, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." The Greek word is "boethos," meaning "a succorer, helper."
I believe Benjamin Franklin is credited with the modern cliche, "God helps those who help themselves." This is a humanistic and legalistic view. It can enforce a person's selfishness in thinking, "If I do this or do that, God will help me. In the end I will benefit and I desire to be the focus of all God's blessings, since He exists to help me. Why should I deny myself good standing so easily obtained?" Perhaps the original intent is to explain the dynamic of those who actively seek God and live for His glory and God blesses the works of their hands. There will always be lazy sluggards who blame God for their lack yet will do nothing themselves, waiting for money to fall from heaven into their hammocks as they lounge with a cold drink. Paul had a way of dealing with such bums: 2 Thes. 3:10 explains, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."
The Holy Spirit is our advocate, comforter, protector, and helper. He does not help us because of what we have done, but because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, love, mercy, and grace. God has opened our blind eyes, removed the curse of sin and death, and made us alive. Instead of saying that God helps me, it would almost be more accurate to say that Christians have the privilege to help God. It is like a small child painting a fence with his father. The little boy wears one of dad's old shirts to protect his clothes. The energetic lad dunks his whole brush in the paint, swiping it roughly across a few boards with a smile on his face. The paint applied to the fence runs in rivulets which puddle on the horizontal beams. After five minutes there is more paint on the boy than on the fence, the paint running off the brush down his arm to the elbow. Within minutes the boy is distracted and runs off somewhere. Dad smiles to himself and rolls out the puddles, fills in the holidays, and cleans up the brush and washed the paint drips from the patio. When mom comes out with some drinks the boy says proudly, "I painted the fence, didn't I Dad?" Dad reaches down and tousles the boy's hair and says, "You sure did, son." Did Dad need help? No. God doesn't need help either. But He lets us serve Him even though we are messy, make mistakes, are easily distracted, and are happy to take all the credit.
Without a father, the boy would never be alive. Without a heavenly Father, a loving Savior, and life-giving Holy Spirit I would be spiritually dead. I don't just need a little help from God: I can't do anything without Him! I wouldn't know where the paint brushes are, have the strength to open the pail of paint, or reach above three feet on the fence when it comes to spiritual matters. Pray that God would help you to see Him as He is! Thank you Jesus for allowing me to get dirty serving you!
08 January 2010
From "My Fault" to "Faultless"
I've been staying busy working these days and this week has been a blur. Someone said that "Time flies when you're having fun." I've been having fun, but I've also been very busy. I've Monday through Thursday I worked at a the New Willow Elementary school and today I worked at a new housing development at UCSD. I will be working with a crew on Saturday as well, trying to catch up with the plumbers and pipe fitters. We are insulating the heating hot water supply and return, condensate, and domestic hot water. Hopefully us insulators will have the job to ourselves.
Wednesday night during the communion service I was absolutely blessed by a vivid night of fellowship with my Savior and brothers and sisters in Christ. I was struck with the horror of the cross: not only is crucifixion brutal in itself, but to consider that the King of Kings hung upon a cross adorned with wounds for which I am personally responsible, crowned with thorns which exist because of the curse brought upon the world through sin. It was a shock to me, though I have attended many services in the past.
Imagine the shock of seeing smoke rising up from the side of the road far in the distance. As you draw closer, it seems that you recognize the car - it is your mother's car! Think of the agony of heart as horrible thoughts race through your head: is she ok? Has she been burned alive? What on earth happened? Is that really her car? How surreal would it be to see your mother's lifeless body being loaded onto a stretcher, covered with a sheet, and rolled by the paramedics into the ambulance. For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, this scenario may be too close for comfort. In the case of Christ, however, you can never touch too deep a nerve. Many people walked by the crucifixion scene and were shocked to see who was on the cross. Among the theives hung Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who lay down His life for the sins of the world. If you loved Him, you would cover your mouth in horror to see His physical condition.
Now imagine you had known about a problem with your mother's car and neglected to do anything about it. You knew that there was a minor risk driving the car without the repair being made - it was only a tiny gas leak - but fixing mom's car was very low on your priority list. As a direct repercussion of your actions, she is gone forever from the earth. How would you feel? What a weight of guilt! What inconsolable sorrow would you carry! You would invite the blame upon yourself because the tragic inferno could have been averted by replacing a $5 hose. When you consider Christ dying on the cross, do you see Him with the same personal responsibility? He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. He suffered for me and you. Yet we easily trample His blood under our feet through our coarse words, selfish attitudes, and ungodly conduct. We must take ownership of our sin so we might receive Christ's forgiveness.
We cannot change the past. A devotional I'm reading written by a farmer talks about the problem with looking back while plowing. If you want to plow a straight furrow, you must keep your eyes facing ahead, fixed on a stationary object. If you turn around to see how the furrow looks you will begin to drift off course and each successive furrow will become more and more crooked. If we're always looking back to how we lost our temper yesterday or cursed when we broke something, or how when you were in college you slept around, we will never progress. As a born again child of God you are free from bondage to the guilt of your past. When we keep our crucified and risen LORD as our focal point, we will walk that straight, narrow path of righteousness.
Our guilt has been turned into thanksgiving, our sorrow into joy through the sacrifice of Jesus. When we see Christ on the cross we should say through tears, "It is my fault! It is my fault!" It is through His blood and repentance that we are made faultless. Wonder of wonders! We must confess our wrongs before we can be made right. There is no salvation in any other but in Jesus Christ. The one who will present me faultless can keep me from future stumbles. Jude 1:24-25 says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, [25] to God our Savior, who alone is wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
Wednesday night during the communion service I was absolutely blessed by a vivid night of fellowship with my Savior and brothers and sisters in Christ. I was struck with the horror of the cross: not only is crucifixion brutal in itself, but to consider that the King of Kings hung upon a cross adorned with wounds for which I am personally responsible, crowned with thorns which exist because of the curse brought upon the world through sin. It was a shock to me, though I have attended many services in the past.
Imagine the shock of seeing smoke rising up from the side of the road far in the distance. As you draw closer, it seems that you recognize the car - it is your mother's car! Think of the agony of heart as horrible thoughts race through your head: is she ok? Has she been burned alive? What on earth happened? Is that really her car? How surreal would it be to see your mother's lifeless body being loaded onto a stretcher, covered with a sheet, and rolled by the paramedics into the ambulance. For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, this scenario may be too close for comfort. In the case of Christ, however, you can never touch too deep a nerve. Many people walked by the crucifixion scene and were shocked to see who was on the cross. Among the theives hung Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who lay down His life for the sins of the world. If you loved Him, you would cover your mouth in horror to see His physical condition.
Now imagine you had known about a problem with your mother's car and neglected to do anything about it. You knew that there was a minor risk driving the car without the repair being made - it was only a tiny gas leak - but fixing mom's car was very low on your priority list. As a direct repercussion of your actions, she is gone forever from the earth. How would you feel? What a weight of guilt! What inconsolable sorrow would you carry! You would invite the blame upon yourself because the tragic inferno could have been averted by replacing a $5 hose. When you consider Christ dying on the cross, do you see Him with the same personal responsibility? He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. He suffered for me and you. Yet we easily trample His blood under our feet through our coarse words, selfish attitudes, and ungodly conduct. We must take ownership of our sin so we might receive Christ's forgiveness.
We cannot change the past. A devotional I'm reading written by a farmer talks about the problem with looking back while plowing. If you want to plow a straight furrow, you must keep your eyes facing ahead, fixed on a stationary object. If you turn around to see how the furrow looks you will begin to drift off course and each successive furrow will become more and more crooked. If we're always looking back to how we lost our temper yesterday or cursed when we broke something, or how when you were in college you slept around, we will never progress. As a born again child of God you are free from bondage to the guilt of your past. When we keep our crucified and risen LORD as our focal point, we will walk that straight, narrow path of righteousness.
Our guilt has been turned into thanksgiving, our sorrow into joy through the sacrifice of Jesus. When we see Christ on the cross we should say through tears, "It is my fault! It is my fault!" It is through His blood and repentance that we are made faultless. Wonder of wonders! We must confess our wrongs before we can be made right. There is no salvation in any other but in Jesus Christ. The one who will present me faultless can keep me from future stumbles. Jude 1:24-25 says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, [25] to God our Savior, who alone is wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
05 January 2010
Auditory Theives
A lot has changed since the time of Christ. One of the primary differences from 2,000 years ago is the abundance of silence. Today we are bombarded with the constant sound of cars, planes, lawnmowers, machinery, TV, music, iPods, appliances, etc. In centuries past the most common sounds in a village would be animals, people talking, and maybe the wind in the trees - if you were around trees, that is. Though the mind can be difficult to "quiet," quiet used to be much more plentiful. We have been trained to be uncomfortable and awkward with quiet. If we are driving and there is a pause in the conversation for longer than 20 seconds, we'll turn on the radio. When a "moment of silence" is requested at a major sporting event, there are always a bunch of knuckleheads who believe that is the moment to yell something idiotic. Silence? We just don't do silence these days.
Remember when Elijah fled from Jezebel fearing for his life? He traveled to mount Horeb and God met him there. 1 Kings 19:11-12 says, "Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; [12] and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." God was not in the great wind, the earthquake, or the fire: He was in the still small voice. Jesus says His sheep hear His voice. We might be able to hear His voice, but we make it difficult on ourselves with all the noise we welcome into our lives.
If I was the devil and knew that God spoke in a quiet whisper, I wouldn't devise anything to operate quietly. Now can God speak to your heart though you work in a loud environment, say in a factory, cogen, or processing plant? Of course He can. His still small voice is audible because it is perceived not by the ears, but by our hearts. But when our ears are occupied with listening and the mind becomes involved, our hearts can be dull to perceive. When I was a kid, people were going from vinyl to 8-track tapes. Then it was cassettes and now CD's. Silent films became talking pictures, and now we have big-screen T.V.s with surround sound. It used to be you had to carry a boom box with 8 "D" batteries around to bring your tunes with you: then it was a Walkman, mp3 player, and now any number of I pods. We have laptops, portable DVD players, projectors to connect to your mobile phone, and everything makes noise. Like the Grinch, the thing I hate the most is the noise, Noise, NOISE!
I'm not an hater of these modern innovations. But I believe that they can thieve our time and our hearts away from God and time spent quietly with Him. Instead of "instinctively" turning on the radio or putting in your ear buds (even if it is to listen to a sermon!), try not doing it. And while you are not creating extra noise, focus your heart and mind upon your Savior. When is the last time you actually heard His still small voice? If you haven't been listening for it, I bet it's been awhile. This should not make you feel guilty. No, it should fill your heart with a joyful expectancy: what is God going to say to you today? Our eyes are never satisfied with seeing, nor our ears with hearing. But when God speaks, it brings a satisfaction to the soul which transcends the feeding of our physical appetites. It touches our purpose. We were created by God to have a relationship with Him.
As I sit here hearing the fan in my computer case whirring along, I recognize how rare silence is. Be aware of things which rob you of quiet time with the LORD. Seek silent time with God, just you and Him. He's speaking. The question is: am I listening for Him?
Remember when Elijah fled from Jezebel fearing for his life? He traveled to mount Horeb and God met him there. 1 Kings 19:11-12 says, "Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; [12] and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." God was not in the great wind, the earthquake, or the fire: He was in the still small voice. Jesus says His sheep hear His voice. We might be able to hear His voice, but we make it difficult on ourselves with all the noise we welcome into our lives.
If I was the devil and knew that God spoke in a quiet whisper, I wouldn't devise anything to operate quietly. Now can God speak to your heart though you work in a loud environment, say in a factory, cogen, or processing plant? Of course He can. His still small voice is audible because it is perceived not by the ears, but by our hearts. But when our ears are occupied with listening and the mind becomes involved, our hearts can be dull to perceive. When I was a kid, people were going from vinyl to 8-track tapes. Then it was cassettes and now CD's. Silent films became talking pictures, and now we have big-screen T.V.s with surround sound. It used to be you had to carry a boom box with 8 "D" batteries around to bring your tunes with you: then it was a Walkman, mp3 player, and now any number of I pods. We have laptops, portable DVD players, projectors to connect to your mobile phone, and everything makes noise. Like the Grinch, the thing I hate the most is the noise, Noise, NOISE!
I'm not an hater of these modern innovations. But I believe that they can thieve our time and our hearts away from God and time spent quietly with Him. Instead of "instinctively" turning on the radio or putting in your ear buds (even if it is to listen to a sermon!), try not doing it. And while you are not creating extra noise, focus your heart and mind upon your Savior. When is the last time you actually heard His still small voice? If you haven't been listening for it, I bet it's been awhile. This should not make you feel guilty. No, it should fill your heart with a joyful expectancy: what is God going to say to you today? Our eyes are never satisfied with seeing, nor our ears with hearing. But when God speaks, it brings a satisfaction to the soul which transcends the feeding of our physical appetites. It touches our purpose. We were created by God to have a relationship with Him.
As I sit here hearing the fan in my computer case whirring along, I recognize how rare silence is. Be aware of things which rob you of quiet time with the LORD. Seek silent time with God, just you and Him. He's speaking. The question is: am I listening for Him?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)