Be Still and Know

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah"

Psalm 46:10-11

During prayer I was reminded of these verses and had forgotten they had been included in my sermon notes!  It was good to meditate on these verses, and this meditation has nothing to do with repeating a particular word or phrase.  Meditation for a Christian involves conscious thought.  Depending on where the stress is placed, God opens new avenues of thought.

God's command to those whose world is coming apart at the seams is to look to Him in trust and reliance is to "Be still."  Instead of rushing around trying to scheme or save, look to the Saviour.  We can "know" God alone is our Saviour, having received the truth of His Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit.  He says "I am God," not because He is shaking Himself from sleep or is in the midst of a identity crisis, but in times of crisis it is we who often forget.  God always keeps His word without fail.

When God says, "I will," we can view it as already done.  He "will be exalted among the nations" regardless if it seems like it or not.  Being the Almighty our God IS exalted, but am I exalting Him by faith and obedience?  This reminds me of the Christian's sanctification:  it is finished in the sense we are set apart unto God, but we also share a responsibility to sanctify ourselves in obedience to Him.  God is exalted, and we do well to exalt Him personally too.  God "will be exalted in the earth," and He graciously uses followers of Jesus Christ to that end.  In fact, even heathen kings like Pharaoh were used mightily by God to show His power, strength, and salvation.

Isn't it good to know the LORD of hosts is with us?  The eternal King is with us, and through faith in Christ He dwells in us.  The God who appeared to Jacob and changed His name to Israel is the God who is faithful to His promise and transforms us.  Like the location of a fortified bunker is known to the owner, so God is known by us.  At all times we can seek refuge in Him and find a supply of wisdom, help, refreshment, protection, and sustaining strength foreign to the world.  He skips across mountains at the sound of our voice, the voice of His beloved.  How gracious and good our God is, and let us be still and know that He is God--not us.

Strategic Patches

The local council removed a large tree from the parkway in front of my house and left a large patch of bare dirt.  Being winter the turf was dormant and did not fill in the damaged patches of lawn topped up with sand.  Though we did not have rain for months, apparently the clover did not get the memo.  When healthy Sir Walter turf spreads thick and is quite impenetrable, but the patchy condition made it susceptible to invasive weeds.  As I pulled weeds this afternoon, looking over at my neighbour's lawn which was completely green and weed free, it was obvious a healthy lawn is the best defense against unwanted weeds.

Bare spots in the lawn practically invite weeds to spring up uncontested.  This shows the folly of trying only to resist sin rather than to flee from it and do what is right.  Some vice will surely fill the bare spots in our character unless good things are sown there.  Turf must be watered and fed regularly, and properly winterising it would have prevented a lot of the weeds I pulled from growing at all.  I was reading and came across a great quote from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity today:

"Good and evil both increase at compound interest.  That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance.  The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of.  An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible." (Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity & the Screwtape Letters: Complete in One Volume. HarperSanFrancisco, 2003.)

It is good to see the purpose in one seemingly small act can have massive, long-reaching implications.  C.S. Lewis wrote at a time when World War 2 loomed large in the minds of people, where the deeds of one heroic man or coward might change the course of war.  Realising we are in a battle with our flesh and that our allegiance is to Christ about self is something we must often be reminded.  I want to progress in maturity and faith, not backslide.  Sometimes we will make mistakes and need to drop to our knees to clear away the weeds of sin in repentance, but let us stand in faith and press on doing good for God's glory.  That denial of the flesh and choosing to do good is like a patch of green turf which will spread in time.

The Unchanging God Who Changes Us

Self-help books have been popular as long as I can remember.  What I find ironic is despite the great volume of books written with terrific insights, new self-help books retain timeless appeal.  This is likely for two main reasons:  books cannot fundamentally change us, and despite our new knowledge still see our need for positive change.  The change we desire continues to remain elusive.

The confidence of a follower of Jesus Christ is not in our ability to change, but that God does not change and has the power to change us.  See what the prophet wrote in Malachi 3:1-6:  "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. ² "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. ⁴ "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in former years. ⁵ And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien--because they do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. ⁶ "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."

Jesus Christ has come, and He will someday return from heaven with His saints to judge the world in righteousness.  The Day of Judgment should strike fear into all, especially those who do not regard God or expect Him.  Those whose lives are marked with sin shall be purged, and offerings will again be pleasing and acceptable to God in righteousness.  God did not provide false hope to the people, that if they really tried hard they could maintain His righteous standard and earn His favour.  Their only hope was in the mercy and grace of God who had made an everlasting covenant with them who does not change.  When the Law was given by Moses the people committed themselves to do all God had said, but they went back on their word.  God, in total contrast, would not deviate from fulfilling the New Covenant in His own blood He would make through Jesus Christ.

Paul said to believers in Acts 20:28:  "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."  Jesus Christ the Son of God was sent by the heavenly Father to seek and save the lost, and He stayed the course--which included crucifixion on Calvary--and culminated with His death and resurrection.  Jesus paid the price of atonement required for divine justice to be satisfied, and through faith in Him we are justified and saved.  We are not justified, sanctified, or glorified because we have changed but because of the grace of God who does not change.  In God we find a Rock of Salvation, an enduring hope, and righteousness by grace through faith.  His Word remains true, a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  The everlasting Light of the World reveals who we are, those who have feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace.  God also directs us by the Bible and the Holy Spirit how we should walk and where to go.

A relationship with God who does not change will utterly transform us from the inside out.  And there awaits a final change for all who are born again spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58:  "Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." ⁵⁵ "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ 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."  Life on earth is often chaotic, but through faith in Jesus we can be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD.  The God who does not change provides the basis for our endurance, strength, and fruitfulness.  How wondrous this is, the immutability and goodness of our God and Saviour!

Cologne and Praise

I was reading through a news article concerning a Los Angeles Charger player Austin Ekeler who had a standout week.  The advice given Ekeler after a quality performance echoed the wisdom found in Proverbs and other places of scripture.  Here's an excerpt from the article:

Running back Austin Ekeler has understandably garnered national media attention after recording 95 receiving yards, 58 rushing yards, and three touchdowns last Sunday against the Colts. However, Ekeler isn’t concerned with the increase in attention -- he wants to remain focused on his game. “I was talking with ‘Fredo (running backs coach Alfredo Roberts) and he was telling me, ‘You have that cologne on for a little bit, but it's going to fade. Don’t drink it. You can wear it, that’s fine, but it’s poison. It might kill you.’ I’m just keeping my [blinders] on and focusing on my game with the Chargers."

It is good to know the proper use of cologne:  it may smell nice when applied to the body in moderation, but it is poisonous to drink.  When we are praised and recognised for something positive we have said or done it can be encouraging.  At the same time we should not allow it to go to our heads because it will lift us up with pride.  Fame and notoriety have pitfalls we do good to avoid, and we do this when praise is offered us by men and we immediately pass it on as an offering of praise with thanksgiving to God.  If we say or do anything good it is His doing, for in our flesh dwells no good thing.  We are born again by His grace and our fruitfulness comes from Him alone.

 The smell of cologne fades, and it is easy to become addicted to the attention and praise of other people.  We naturally want to impress, do well, to make our mark and be remembered.  But this desire to be acknowledged and recognised by men comes from our selfish flesh which insatiably seeks attention and approval.  Knowing we are accepted and approved of God by grace keeps us from falling into the trap of preoccupation with self:  "What do others think of me?  Have they forgotten about me?  Shouldn't I be receiving attention?  Don't I matter?  What about me?"  Comparing ourselves with others is not wise.

After being born again through the Holy Spirit we can shake free the fetters of self and lust for recognition and begin to praise God with our whole hearts.  The praise of men should not be like cologne we wear in moderation to top up our self-esteem, but should be treated like the bottle of precious perfume Mary broke on Jesus and poured all upon Him--saving nothing for herself.  Let all praise, honour, and glory be given God who is good, loves us, has saved us, and rejoices over us.  Receiving praise of men for self poisons us with pride, but God is worthy of all praise.  Pride kills, but praise exalts God and refreshes our souls.