Rejoicing Always in the LORD

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

 Philippians 4:4

At Calvary Chapel Sydney, we've been studying through Philippians.  Rejoicing in the LORD is a common theme repeated throughout the book.  It's amazing to consider these words were penned by Paul, a man who had been imprisoned without committing a crime.  In fact, in the book of Acts it states one of the rulers who could have released Paul kept him in chains because he hoped to receive a bribe from him - which Paul did not pay!  Paul had every opportunity to be bitter and angry for "losing his freedom."  Yet Paul had learned the secret of contentment and peace that passed understanding through faith in Christ.  He rejoiced in the LORD always, and exhorted all others to do the same.

God uses the circumstances of life to reveal to us the condition of our hearts.  He allows struggles and difficulties to purify and strengthen our faith and resolve to obey Him.  I experienced one such instance (which remains in the infancy stages!) yesterday.  I play baseball on Saturdays with mates at a club in Rouse Hill.  Before the game I knelt on the field for a quick prayer, committing myself and the game to God.  I started on the mound, and for five innings we battled.  Behind 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs, I hit a ball up the middle and ran.  As my foot came down on first base beating out an infield hit, I saw the ball kick past the first basement.  Without hesitation, instinctively I began to turn to run to second.  Problem was, my right lower-leg didn't get the message as fast as the rest of my body.  I felt my right knee twist out of joint and all my weight pushed down on it - and down I went like a sack of potatoes.

After a couple of minutes I was able to hobble off and ice up.  I could move my leg, but I knew I was done for the day.  We failed in our comeback bid and lost the game.  Personally I had lost a little bit more still:  the ability to easily walk without a pronounced limp or take off socks and shoes!  24 hours later I am not sure if it is a strain, sprain, or a partial tendon rupture (will make an exam appointment tomorrow God-willing).  But having first given the game to the LORD gave me great peace through the knowledge everything is under God's control.  Whether I am back to the diamond in a week or rehab back to health over months, God has me on an adventure of sorts.  He wants me to do some personal pioneering in patience.  He adjusts our limits at times so we might seek to find our satisfaction and comfort not in what we can do but in His presence and what He has done.

I take Paul's exhortation to heart.  In the LORD I can rejoice always, even when my knee is swollen, stiff, and sore.  The peace God gives is independent of my circumstances or how I feel.  Will I choose to experience this rejoicing for the long haul?  Only God knows, but I aim to.  Whether we suffer a strain or complete knee destruction, God remains just as good.  For those who are facing the worst life can offer, Jesus understands because He has gone through it.  He was in all points tempted - He had every opportunity to become bitter at His Father for what He allowed Jesus to face.  Jesus willingly went to the cross for the joy that was set before Him.  You can rejoice in Him, for He is able to deliver and save.  He will never leave or forsake those who put their trust in Him.

Love The LORD Your God

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! ⁵ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

The world is filled with things people love.  As God's adopted children, Christians know their love for God ought to overshadow all other loves, making them even as hate in comparison (Luke 14:26).  But we don't always do what we should, do we?  Our affections should be set on things above, not on things of this earth.  This is a battle we often acknowledge with only half our heart, so filled are we with other loves.

"I love God more than anything," we protest.  Those words, at times, may be true.  But we must admit we are very good at justifying ourselves and quantifying love according to our hearts - which are deceitful beyond compare!  Indeed, love is difficult to discern because it is expressed in many ways:  thoughts, words, actions, emotions, and feelings.  So let me make it easy for you in the way God recently has made it easy for me.  One of the prime aspects of God's love towards us is His fervent desire to be with us in fellowship and communion.  Another aspect is how things we love will fill our minds.  In fact, David wrote in Psalm 139:17-18 concerning God's thoughts toward people, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! ¹⁸ If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You."

Let's take into account just these two criteria:  1) we want to be with what or who we love, and 2) we think about what or who we love.  As you go through your days, what or who do you want to be with?  What or who fills your thoughts?  Whether you have amorous feelings towards the things that occupy your time or your mind, it does not matter.  Simply put, you love them.  As long as we love things that are not God, it will rob us of affection, thoughts, and love we should have towards God.  God's love is unlimited, but we humans have limits.  Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit we bear when we are walking according to God's will.  If our hearts and minds are set on things of this world - even on things, ideas, or relationships that in their right place can be very good - we are not walking in God's will, and therefore cannot love as we should.

God wants you to freely give up these other loves so you might love Him more perfectly.  He is worthy of that sacrifice.  Let's say for example your thoughts have been occupied on a television program.  You would not admit to "loving" that program, but you must admit you like it.  Truth be told, it does take up a fair amount of your thoughts during the day.  You might be careful to watch the program every time it airs, and if you cannot watch it live you record it to watch later.  It is disappointing to miss it.  Perhaps this is a shocking revelation you cannot accept:  you actually love that program.  If you think otherwise, the Holy Spirit can reveal even this to you.  Loving things of this world is as easy as breathing, and we do it without even recognising it.  If our love of which God is worthy has been let loose like streams of waters in the streets, we must return to the spring of Living Water.  All other loves must be culled so our love of God can be again cultivated.

So feeling guilty, you decide you should stop following the program, and are a bit bitter over it.  When we have walked with Jesus for any period of time, we have all done this sort of thing - and admittedly, felt pretty awful at times.  We felt like we are having to give up the one part of our life that made us very happy.  And that is why we might waffle back and forth on the issue for years.  But hear me:  anything we lay aside for the purpose of drawing nearer to God and loving Him more, we will have only gain.  We won't have lost anything!  If God replaces that thing we loved, our love and appreciation of Him will grow exponentially.  Oh, the things He wants to tell you!  What time of sweetness He wants to spend with you!  God is greater than all found in this world!  He is the One that thing or activity has become a cheap substitute for that is working to destroy the love we have left over for Him!  Christianity is not a life of restrictions but one of abundance and freedom.  As long as you hold onto other loves, you cannot know God's love as you should, and therefore cannot express His love to others either.

Let us heed God's command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength.  We are no longer our own, but redeemed children of our Heavenly Father who loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son.  Through the Holy Spirit God has shed abroad His love in our hearts.  Romans 5:1-8 tells us this revelation of Divine Love and His benefits towards those who are born again:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Do you have any other love in your life that has done so much for you?  I think not.

The Presence

A sign by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem reads, "The Sages said about it, "The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall."  In the Old City it seems there is a constant flow of Orthodox Jews heading to and from the Western Wall to pray.  Like in the days when the temple Solomon built stood on Mount Moriah as the focal point of God's presence, today many look at the Western Wall as the place to draw near to God.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the holy place from the "Holy of Holies" was rent from top to bottom.  This revealed the Ark of the Covenant which had previously been concealed from the view of everyone but the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.  In the days of the tabernacle when the ark was moved it was always wrapped in skins, hidden from the sight of the people.  Jesus ushered in a New Covenant in His own blood, once for all atoning for the sins of all who will repent and trust in Him.  The need for sacrificing animals and burnt offerings has been once for all completed by the sacrifice of Jesus.  The Ark no longer needed to be sprinkled with blood annually in the Holy of Holies, for the sacrifice of Jesus was complete once and for all.  Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit not made with hands, and the Divine Presence lives within us.  We need not go to a particular geographic location to gain access into God's presence, for we have been invited in God's throne room of grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

That being said, there is an admirable quality in the Orthodox Jews' efforts to draw near to God.  They rise early and stay up late praying at the Western Wall.  They read the scriptures and their prayer books.  They lay tefillin (some say phylacteries), don prayer shawls, and make personal sacrifices at great expense to seek the presence of God.  God is worthy of such sacrifice, that our lives would be spent in the pursuit of God.  Unlike the Sages, the Bible does not suggest we go to a particular geographic location to be heard by God, but to humble ourselves before Him right where we are as we are.  If we humble ourselves before Him and seek Him with our whole hearts we will find Him according to His sure promise (Deut. 4:29).  This promise was given long before there was a temple or a Western Wall.

I believe we live in a day where Bible knowledge abounds among Christians but few invest time seeking the presence of God.  The church is packed with activities and objects which have become cheap substitutes for God's presence.  We know prayer is important so we have prayer meetings.  "Worship" for some has been reduced to a performance with skilled musicians and flashing lights.  Some church buildings are historical and ornate, pointing to the great traditions of saints long held in high esteem.  Churches burn incense, light candles, kneel, and recite from the scriptures.  Lights are dimmed, sermons are preached, elders lay hands, and gifts of the Spirit are exercised.  We have training, classes, courses, programs, meetings, ministries for young and old concerning diverse interests.  And I could go on.  But the fact still remains:  unless we are seeking and experiencing God's Divine Presence ourselves, it is all meaningless.  All the external service we perform, all the helps we employ are pointless unless the point of them is to draw near to God.  That may very well be the point of them.  But all too often our focus is on externals when what we really need is God Himself.

At times in my life I have been like the cripple at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5), praying for help from others when it was Jesus I needed.  Day after day, year after year the man languished there lamenting his lack.  When Jesus came to him and asked if he wanted to be well, he did not answer the question.  He said, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool."  It is easy for us to lament over the condition of our churches or even the "church in general" - as if we know anything about it!  We can fall into the trap of lamenting over the lack of labourers, the lack of servants, lack of young people, lack of growth, or the lack of a charismatic leader!  We wring our hands over our lack when Jesus stands before us and asks quietly, "Do you want to be made whole?"  If God makes us whole, do we lack any good thing?  Jesus is who we need.  We don't need more people or programs.  We don't need a better graphics department or a state-of-the-art sound system.  We don't need more meetings or training.  Tools and helps are fine, but what we need most of all is for every person in the church to seek the presence of God as gold, to thirst for Him as a deer pants for water in the dry and thirsty land.  We must lay aside other affections and make entrance into God's presence our single aim.  Our meetings and gatherings ought to be an outflow of this continual practice in our lives of cultivating the presence of God individually.  If you think going to a building where other professing Christians go will bring your closer to God, you are no different than someone hustling to the Western Wall - convinced "God hears better from there."  My God has no such limits.

Why do you read the Bible?  Why do you pray?  Why do you sing songs, raise your hands, or serve in your church?  Unless you seek God's Divine Presence in your church services and activities, you will end up empty instead of full, weary instead of refreshed.  Why should we spend our money on what is not bread?  Why should we waste our efforts on maintaining church attendance when it is presence of God we desperately need?  The change in your Church can start with you.  You need not tell a soul.  But if you spend your days drawing near to God in humility, seeking His presence above all other things, you will be transformed and God will breathe new life into your walk.  Then you will be a giver and not just a frustrated user.  Isn't Jesus who we really need anyway?

Streams Of Living Water

As I reflect upon my recent travels to Israel, perhaps this picture I took in En Gedi best illustrates the spiritual effect of the trip in my life.  Though arid and dry, Israel is a land of rich soil and fruitfulness.  Barren, rocky places like En Gedi have natural springs flowing through them even in the summer months.  What a glorious truth, that though this world is dry and thirsty Jesus provides Living Water so our thirst can be quenched forever.  In a world of darkness, the Light of the World shines bright.  There is life, light, and refreshment for all those who will seek the LORD with their whole hearts.

This morning I read 2 Chronicles 29, the passage where Hezekiah took steps to restore the proper worship of God in Jerusalem.  This restoration and cleansing was required many times during the years the temple stood in Jerusalem!  Hezekiah's father, King Ahaz, had forsaken God and followed after idols.  He defiled the holy place and robbed the temple of God to pursue the worship of false gods.  For Hezekiah, seeking the presence of God was his highest priority.  He did not labour to build an army, strengthen defenses, or improve diplomacy:  he led the priests and Levites in turning the heart of the nation back to God in obedience.  2 Chronicles 29:3 says, "In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them."

Opening and repairing the doors of the temple was an important starting point.  But it was not enough.  There was much rubbish in the temple that had to be removed so the inner courts and rooms could be cleansed and used..  King Hezekiah said in 2 Chronicles 29:11:  "My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense."  For a long time the priests and Levites had been negligent.  Hezekiah reminded them that God had chosen them for a specific purpose and gave them specific duties.  They were to stand before God, serve God, minister to God, and burn incense before Him according to the Law.  In Exodus 30, God commanded the high priest to burn incense on the altar of incense daily, morning and night, when he tended to the lamps which were to burn continually.  The cleansing had to take place before proper worship could commence.  This was soon done, and Hezekiah and the people rejoiced "...that God had prepared the people:  for the thing was done suddenly" (2 Chron. 29:10).  It can be the same for you and me!

Christians have been made "kings and priests" unto our God (Rev. 1:6), having been chosen and called according to His purposes.  It is easy to be busy but be negligent about specific areas of our calling.  Like in the days of Elijah, God's people can halt between various loyalties (1 Kings 18).  Because the people were undecided in their worship of God, the altar of God was in disrepair.  Elijah repaired the altar that was broken down, and built again the altar with 12 stones according to God's word.  He laid the wood in order, and placed the required sacrifice on top.  But Elijah didn't pray right away.  In addition to the design of the altar and the preparation of the sacrifice, there was a time outlined in the Law.  Perhaps the people wondered what Elijah was waiting for.  Elijah followed the order laid out in God's Word, and walked in obedience to Him.  1 Kings 18:36-38 says, "And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." ³⁸ Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."

Do you want to be baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire?  It comes back to personal holiness and obedience according to God's Word.  There are times when we can neglect the pursuit of the presence of God, times when our temple is polluted inside, and even times when the altar of God has been broken down.  When we will meet God's conditions and repent, confessing our sins and divided loyalties, laying aside everything at the command of our Saviour, God will hear and answer our prayer.  Hosea 10:12 says well what time it is:  "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  Let us seek the presence of the LORD like gold, and value His Word as silver.  May Psalm 63:1-2 be the prayer of our hearts:  "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory."  Are you thirsty?  Come to Christ and drink deeply.  Are you hungry?  Feed upon the Bread of Life.  It is time to seek the LORD.  Forget a fresh coat of paint or oiled hinges - we need renewed hearts and minds!