Give God Thanks

Following Jesus isn't easy, but it is an abundant life worth living.  Faith in God brings a fulfilling sense of purpose and hope nothing else in this perishing world can provide.  Though we have comfort, help, and rest in our God, at times we can be bombarded with bad news, devastated by circumstances, and be drowning in sorrow.  Over the last couple of days I have felt like I cannot cast my cares upon Jesus because they are casting me.  When the burdens are suffocating and we are too weak to move a muscle, praise the LORD He can lift us up for He stands by to save.

After prayer and reading Psalm 88 in the Bible (which was extremely relevant) this morning I flipped open Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges.  The passage in the book that I read was exactly what I needed to hear and be reminded of.  Allow me to share it with you:

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  This command is different from the command in Ephesians 5:20, where we are to give thanks to God for everything.  I believe, considering the context, that in Ephesians Paul is exhorting us to develop a habit of continual thanksgiving for all the blessings God so graciously pours out on us; that is, one characteristic of a Spirit-filled life is a thankful heart.

 In the Thessalonians passage, however, Paul is instructing us to give thanks in all circumstances, even those we would not feel thankful about.  Is Paul asking us to give thanks through gritted teeth by sheer willpower when in our heart of hearts we are truly disappointed?  The answer to the questions lies in the promises of God found in Romans 8:28-29 and 38-39:  "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers...For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Verse 28 tells us that for those who love God, all things work together for good.  The meaning is that God causes all things to work together for good; for "things" - that is, circumstances - do not work together for good themselves.  Rather, God directs the outcome of those circumstances for our good.  The "good," however, is defined in verse 29 as our being conformed to the image of God's Son.  In other words, Paul is telling us that God intends all our circumstances, both good and bad (but in the context Paul has in mind, especially the bad ones), to be instruments of sanctification, of growing us more and more into the likeness of Jesus.

So in situations that do not turn out the way we hoped, we are to give God thanks that he will use the situation in some way to develop our Christian character.  We don't need to speculate as to how he might use it, for His ways are often mysterious and beyond our understanding.  So by faith in the promise of God in Romans 8:28-29, we obey the command of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to give thanks in the circumstances.

Further, as we are in the midst of the difficult circumstance, we have the promise of Romans 8:38-39 that nothing, including the situation we are in, can separate us from the love of God.  Again we must cling to this promise by faith.  So we have a dual assurance to enable us to give thanks in the circumstance.  First, by faith we believe God is using or will use the particular difficulty to conform us more to Jesus.  Second, we have the assurance that even in the midst of the difficulty we are enveloped in God's love. (Bridges, Jerry. Respectable Sins. NavPress, Published in Alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016. pages 81-82)

How blessed we are to have an almighty God who loves us beyond compare!  My love perishes with me, but the love of Jesus endures forever.  We might not always feel loved but we can know we are by the love demonstrated by Jesus when He willingly suffered and died on Calvary for sinners.  Who Jesus is and all He accomplished through His death and resurrection are eternal, and nothing that happens in our lives or even things we do cannot rob Him of victory.  Therefore, let us bless and thank our LORD Jesus Christ, for the God who gives also takes away - and gives good again in double measure.  Instead of being bitter through disappointment or angry with perceived injustice, let us in brokenness cry out to our Saviour who loves us and stands by us ready to save. 

Godly Emphasis Matters

Good teaching of God's Word to a degree depends upon emphasis.  Undue emphasis on a minor point can draw away attention from the primary purpose of a passage, and this potentially leads to bad interpretations.  There is always a danger of reading into a text and arrive at conclusions which appeal to us.  The interpretation of the scripture can become increasingly narrow until we can only see the point we want to make - and limit or discount the full range of God's truth.

In reading Tozer's The Crucified Life, he uses an example to show it is possible to believe the truth but place our primary focus in the wrong place.  He had some very strong things to say about what he saw as misplaced empahsis in regards to our salvation.  Tozer held little back when he wrote:

"What a bunch of unworthy people we evangelicals have become, daring to stand up on our feet and preach to an intelligent audience that the essence, the final purpose and the cause of Christ is to save us from hell.  How stupid can we get and still claim to be followers of Christ?  The purpose of God is not to save us from hell; the purpose of God is to save us to make us like Christ and to make us like God.  God will never be done with us until the day we see His face, when His name will be on our foreheads; and we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.

What a cheap, across-the-counter commercial kind of Christianity that says, "I was in debt, and Jesus came and paid my debt."  Sure, He did, but why emphasize that?  "I was on my way to hell and Jesus stopped me and saved me."  Sure, He did, but that is not the thing to emphasize.  What we need to emphasize is that God has saved us to make us like his Son.  His purpose is to catch us on our wild race to hell, turn us around because He knows us, bring judgment on the old self and then create a new self within us, which is Jesus Christ.

The most beautiful verse in the Bible is found in Psalm 90:7:  "Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us."  How wonderful is the beauty of the LORD our God?  The sharp contrast to the beauty of the Lord our God is the ugliness of I, myself...In the great divine exchange, God offers to trade our old selves, which have brought us so many problems, for new selves, which are Christ.  The apostle Paul says, "And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Tozer, A. W., and James L. Snyder. The Essential Tozer Collection. Bethany House, 2017. The Crucified Life, pages 164-165)

I am glad God has given us the freedom to have different viewpoints and opinions concerning emphasis.  Tozer obviously believed with great vigour the best point of emphasis concerning salvation was the work God desires to do within a person, to make us like Himself.  It is perfectly valid and true at the same time to draw attention to the fact Jesus has saved us from hell, called us to be His witnesses today, and He has saved us for heaven too.  A point of emphasis not mentioned here is that Jesus came to earth to draw us near to Himself so we could have an intimate relationship now and forever for His glory.  Needless to say, what we emphasise has a great impact on how we live.  for example, if my focus is limited on Jesus saving me from hell, I would be grateful but ongoing personal sanctification would likely not be a intentional consequence.

As I read through the passage in Tozer's book, it dawned on me how God created man in His own image.  God desires for people - not angels, insects, or animals - to be made like Christ.  There is no other living creature apart from humans in all creation the Holy Spirit comes upon and indwells.  It is amazing to know God put on human flesh and became our Saviour so His redeemed can say "we will ever be with the LORD."  We rejoice to affirm the truth of 1 John 3:1-3:  "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."  What a privileged place we have amongst the wondrous things God has made, that the love and beauty of the LORD could be and is upon us.

Our Sun and Shield

It is good to meditate on the Word of God, to take it in beyond the eye and ear and turn it round in your mind.  The food we eat is quickly stripped of nutritional value by our bodies, but not so the scriptures:  they remain just as practically useful and spiritually vital as ever.  God's Word will never pass away, and therefore as we feed on it we are renewed continually.  The Living Bread (who is Christ) which comes down from heaven does not grow stale or old but teaches us to live by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.

I jotted down thoughts yesterday concerning a passage which God is still using to work in me.  Psalm 84:11 says, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."  I truly enjoy spiritual metaphors and similes contained in scripture, and I remain intrigued by what the psalmist said:  "the LORD God is a sun and shield."  He is not "like" a sun or a shield but wrote metaphorically that God is a sun and shield.  Often when I come across a statement like this it is good to pause and consider the implications of what is being said.  Knowledge of the functions of the sun and a shield sheds light on the nature of God and His relationship to us.

The sun brings light to our planet and life for plants and animals alike.  Without the heat of the sun all would be a frozen wasteland.  The sun governs the day and the orientation of it in the heavens changes during each season.  The sun consistently rises in the east and sets in the west, and many travellers have oriented themselves according to its ordered position in the heavens.  A sunrise and sunset can be breathtakingly beautiful, and no camera can adequately capture such brilliance.  As the sun is critical for life on this planet, so is God indispensable as our Creator.  He smiles down upon us in every season, for He has established the days, weeks, months, seasons, and years of our lives.  He gives light to men who live in darkness, and warms us with His presence.  He is ever faithful, revealing Himself in splendour and glory for all who have eyes to see.  No one can look directly at the sun for its brilliance without potential eye injuries, and no one can look upon the face of the Almighty and survive.  He is ever glorious and causes His light to shine upon all.

The psalmist wrote God is also a shield.  Shields were objects designed for the purpose of personal armour.  Small shields were used actively to fend off attacks, whilst large shields provided passive protection from projectiles.  A shield was a distinguishing feature of warriors carried for defence in battle.  The material and design of shields carried by ancient people aid archaeologists to determine rank or class.  Some groups employed the shields together in protective formations.  Unknown to the one who penned the Psalm, the word "shield" has expanded due to technology, like "shielded cable" or a "heat shield" on spacecraft - but the designed function of the shield to protect remains the same.  God is a shield for us, our protector and provider.  He is our defence and refuge, the One who is greater than all.  As chicks huddle beneath their mother for protection, so we seek comfort and grace in our LORD.  He has even provided us the shield of faith through the Holy Spirit which extinguishes all the fiery darts Satan throws at us.

God is a sun and shield, and in light of what follows we can rejoice:  "the LORD will give grace and glory."  The sun can burn our skin and scorch plants, and shields can be heavy and tiring to wield:  yet God will give grace and glory.  He has power to consume as well as power to give life.  We are not deserving of God's presence or protection, but He has chosen us by His grace.  He as invited us to behold His glory in our crucified and risen Saviour Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World.  God's glory fills the heavens, and this declaration transcends all human language.  God is gracious and glorious, but He also gives grace and glory.  Which king on earth ever freely gave his glory to any but his own son?  God did make Jesus Christ His only begotten Son glorious, but He will glorify us with Him.  He says to those who trust and fear Him, "Friend, come up higher!  You are not only a guest but a beloved child I have adopted as my own."  Praise the LORD, our Sun and Shield who gives grace and glory.

A Faithful Doorkeeper

During medical mission trips to Cambodia at times I had the role of "policeman."  What this job entailed was ensuring the patients/guests were ushered to the correct station in a timely manner.  After a presentation of the Gospel, visitors were permitted to choose two different free services at a medical, dental, or eye-glass stations.  Part of the role was to ensure people did not sneak in without being checked in at the triage station or jump the queue.  Keeping a friendly eye on the people and coordinating movement to stations was employed for their comfort, safety, and for the benefit of all who offered the services.  Without guidance the stations would be overwhelmed with inquisitive or demanding people and services would suffer.

The role of "policeman" is an important one for medical outreaches to run smoothly, but it is not nearly as important as those tasked with keeping watch of the doors of the temple in Israel.  At the gates trained men were stationed who ensured only those who were permitted entered.  Women and Gentiles were restricted to the outer court, whilst men who were purified according to the Law of Moses could enter the inner court.  Only Priests and Levites on duty could enter the temple itself, and it was a place of absolute reverence and purity before God.  To be a doorkeeper at the temple doors was a privilege and honour few were afforded and taken most seriously.

The role of a doorkeeper came to mind when I read Psalm 84:9-12:  "O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. ¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. ¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. ¹² O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!"  To be entrusted to keep watch over the holy place where the presence of the Almighty God dwelt was of great importance.  God was for His people a sun and shield, and the doorkeeper was responsible to provide entry for those serving in the temple and deny entrance to all that would defile.  In a way the doorkeeper acted as a shield, to guard the holy place from corruption.

Under the New Covenant of grace, Jesus is our Great High Priest and we have become the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.  He has not withheld any good things from those who walk uprightly, from those who trust in Him.  Our righteousness comes by grace through faith in Him, and as His sanctified children we in a sense have the role of a doorkeeper concerning our bodies.  Often we must bear the responsibility for allowing filth to enter our consciousness through our eyes and ears.  The air drawn through our nostrils is exhaled, and all the food and drink we consume are eventually eliminated, but this is not so for what we see and hear.  These things are meticulously stored in our memories and imprinted upon our hearts.  Most that spiritually defiles us within comes through these senses, and therefore we must be discerning and vigilant to be on guard continuously.

As priests unto our LORD we also ought to recognise anything that defiles which is discovered within the holy place, for from our fleshly hearts arises all matter of corruption from inside.  We could keep the doors of our eyes and ears closed and suddenly lust, greed, selfishness, pride, and deceit can spawn and appear within us.  Jesus Christ Has atoned for these sins with His shed blood on Calvary, and should we see them appear within us - like filthy rats which have squeezed through an open window in the temple - we must swiftly deal with them through repentance.  The Psalmist said to be a doorkeeper of the LORD's house for one day was better than a thousand, and what a sober privilege and responsibility we are given by God's grace to set a guard upon our hearts and minds.  As those chosen and anointed, let us walk in faith in our God who is our sun and shield.  Let us be vigilant to keep ourselves in purity and thus sanctify our God whose glory outshines the sun.