A Closer Walk

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.

How much do you desire a closer walk with Jesus Christ?  Sometimes as we pick up our cross daily to follow Jesus we can hardly see Him with all the dust the wind of life kicks up.  It is likely if you do not urgently desire a closer walk with Jesus you will never have it.  God makes our heart yearn for His presence, having tasted and seen that the LORD is good.  How many of the activities of your life move you toward this goal?  What priority does this desire have in your heart?  If it is not your first desire, you will not obtain it.  As the man who sold all he had to obtain the treasure in the field, we must be willing to trade all of our fleshly desires and goals so we might have Christ.  Jesus will not join Himself to us when we disperse our fountains of love abroad through the streets, but only when we reserve ourselves as cisterns for His personal use.  We are our Beloved's and He is ours.  We cannot be too close to such a Savior and Lover of our souls.

When things go wrong...

I've been told that moving house is one of the most stressful things people face, along with planning a wedding and changing careers.  I'm inclined to agree.  It is one thing to have a house in escrow:  it is another thing entirely to finish the process successfully!  Something always has to go wrong:  people change their minds, finances fall through, dealing with misunderstandings between agents and sellers...there seems to be no end to potential snags and hiccups.  Our house is sold, but we still must contend with the escrow gambit.  A week in escrow generates a month's worth of problems.

I was contacted yesterday concerning the inspection report on the house by my realtor.  He played a message from the buyer's agent that did not seem positive.  Does the buyer have cold feet?  Did the inspector exaggerate his findings?  Could my house really be sitting on an aquifer?  I should bottle the stuff and call it East County Perrier!  From the way she was talking it seems potential deal breakers are prevalent as rattlesnakes in Arizona.  As I went to bed I could not escape the weight on my mind.  Worry crowded my thoughts.  Jesus says, "Do not worry."  How many times have I done what ought not be done?  I may know I'm not supposed to worry, but how can quit doing it?

Since I'm a thinker, I thought it over.  What have I to worry about?  It doesn't take a miracle to sell a house.  The God I serve is miraculous.  It requires a miracle to raise the dead,  heal lepers, bring sight to the blind, and spiritually regenerate a sinner.  This morning Psalm 8:1 came to mind in song:  "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!"  My God's glory extends beyond the heavens.  Is anything too hard for Him?  Did He not turn the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness?  As Daniel says, He raises up kings and deposes them.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  When Christ the Almighty King says "Peace be still!" even the wind and the sea obeys Him.  Does escrow render God powerless?  God's power roars forth in Jeremiah 32:27:  "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"  The Hebrew word for "Lord" means self-existent, eternal.  The word used for "God" here emphasizes His supremacy.   Escrow?  Please.

In the face of afflictions and imprisonment Paul says in Acts 20:24:  "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."  When we are overwhelmed with troubles and difficulties pound us like uppercuts to a boxer's chin, let us return to our foundation, Jesus Christ.  He is unshakable, immovable.  When we rest in Him no manner of difficulty or potential trouble will move us.  It is because of this fact we are exhorted in 1 Cor. 15:57-58:  "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

A Soft Answer

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

Today I saved myself a little pain by obeying this principle.  I was talking with a framing foreman and he inferred my crew had missed insulating two pipes.  The truth is, while the pipes were still under test and had not been released for insulation, the framers covered my access with their track.  The man's just doing his job, I thought, trying to shift the blame to someone else in front of the general contractor.  Another thought sprung to my mind to say:  this man's ignorance is only exceeded by his stupidity.  Whoa!  That's not something I should say, much less think!

Later I thanked God He kept my mouth shut.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21).  Growing up I was often admonished to "think before you speak."  We have the power to diffuse a situation with a gracious, kind answer.  We need not mock or scorn as the fool, brag, or blame.  Proverbs 26:4-5 teaches us, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.  [5] Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."  Instead of these verses conflicting with one another, they compliment.  There is no need to be drawn into a shouting match with cursing and personal cut-downs.  But there is a time when foolish statements should be corrected with truth so the ignorant will not be smug in his ignorance.  Jesus always contended for truth, and He did so in a way that instructed, edified the hearers, and glorified God.

 

Every day we will use our mouths to communicate with words.  The words you use and how you use them is up to you.  Proverbs 25:11-12:  "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.  [12] Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear."  The art of rebuke and reproof is a rare quality these days.  Opposition of falsehood is good.  There is a way to speak to the heart of a matter which reaches beyond sentence structure and word choice.  It takes the leading, power, and authority of the Holy Spirit.  For Him to have His way in us, we must remain humble.  We rebuke not because we are right and someone else is wrong, but because God is being robbed of glory.  Instead of taking offense at harsh words spoken to us, let us turn away wrath with a soft answer.  After being crucified for our sin Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).  Once our hearts are melted by the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus, our lips should be seasoned with these virtues.

Pray with me:  "Father, my tongue is a world of iniquity.  Purify my thoughts and mouth that I may worship you in Spirit and truth; enable me to rebuke, encourage, exhort, and bless others; empower me to thank and praise you for who you are and the wondrous things you have done.  Help me to guard my heart, mind, and the fruit of my lips.  May the words I say be yours as Christ lives in me.  Amen!"

Open the Door!

This morning in church the words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:20 was read:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  The immediate context is Jesus addressing the church in Laodicea concerning their lukewarm condition.  When this passage was read, a picture popped into my mind:  Jesus, standing at the door of a church building knocking while everyone inside ignored the sound of His voice caught up in their own plans.

The Laodicean church thought they were on fire, but they were of the kind Paul wrote about in 2 Cor. 10:12:  "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."  Yet it would be wisdom to consider and judge ourselves according to God's standards.  Physical life is evidenced first by inner activity:  heart pumping blood, lungs inhaling and exhaling, thoughts filling the mind.  A life well-lived makes good use of inner activity through outer actions which bring glory to God.  While we tend to focus on external activities and actions to commend ourselves before God, He looks upon the heart.  A heart regenerated by the Holy Spirit will be filled with life.  Spiritual life will be evidenced with constant physical response for God's glory.

Church fellowships today have no shortage of activity.  Evenings are packed with meetings, committees, and gatherings of every conceivable kind.  Guys come for steak and a movie, while another group shares a game of bingo.  The board meets to talk over budget issues, while a planning committee talks about the schedule for the upcoming musical program.  A group meets on the weekends to handle landscaping and building maintenance, and weary youth head home from a overnight lock-in.  There's no shortage of people who gather to pray, plan for missions, to receive an addendum concerning ushers and deacons, to sew baby blankets, put together shoeboxes for Samaritan's purse, build skateboard ramps, set up or stack chairs and tables, share a potluck, or even play a game of basketball.  But during all these events, Jesus can be left outside the door.  He stands at the door knocking and calling out in a loud voice great and precious promises to any who will respond with the opening of the door.  "If you will open the door, I'll come in!  We can commune together over a meal, and I'll provide the food.  Just open the door!"

See, it's Jesus who is on the menu.  He is the Bread of Life.  He is the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world.  The lamb at the Jewish Passover feast was to be eaten entirely, a picture of us becoming one with Jesus Christ through faith.  John 6:53-58 says, "Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. [56] He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. [58] This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."   This is not an urge toward cannibalism, but an exhortation for Jesus to be our spiritual food and drink.  He must become the sole substance that not only defines us but empowers and guides all we do.  Jesus is more than calories or fuel:  He is our Life.

Revelation 3:20 is not only to be interpreted in light of a corporate church fellowship but to be applied on a personal level as well.  Do we spend most of our lives with Jesus outside knocking and calling?  Or is His presence dictating all we do as we share sweet fellowship with Him?  There is a great story when Peter was freed from prison and he went to the home of fellow believers in Christ, the home of John Mark.  Acts 12:13-14 tells us, "And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. [14] When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate."  So often our lives resemble the lives of Rhoda.  We're excited that Jesus stands outside the door and knocks calling out, but we neglect to open the door!  Every church I've visited sets aside time for announcements, but how many churches make opening the door for Jesus the only priority?  Let's make a decision to open the door of our hearts and lives to Jesus.  This must happen before our churches will.