Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

There's a saying people use when referring to past events they regret:  "shoulda, woulda, coulda."  It is a way to dismiss what has happened in the past because there is no going back and doing things over.  Lamenting how life could have been better if different choices were made is in itself a pointless exercise that can lead to despair.  When we acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them going forward, that is when feelings of regret can be a personal boon.

It is one thing when a person says something in the past should have been done differently, and how much more accurate is God's judgments in all matters!  God has great plans to deliver and save His people, yet our choices can hinder Him from doing all He should, would and could do.  Consider Psalm 81:13-16 in the KJV (bold emphasis mine):  "Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! ¹⁴ I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. ¹⁵ The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. ¹⁶ He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee."  God had all sorts of plans to deliver and prosper His people.  Because they would not do what they should, God did not do all He would have done had they listened to Him and walked in His ways.

To know what a person should have done is not as important as actually doing it.  Doubt of God's ability to help or provide for His people should never be entertained, for He has all power and only does miraculous things.  Better than lamenting what God should or could have done in the past is to seek the LORD today, heed His word and follow Him in obedience.  He knows the enemies we face and has the power to overcome them.  He also knows when we hinder His plans as a consequence of our disobedience and self-confidence.  I wonder:  how many good things God should, could and would have done but did not because of our refusal to listen, trust or obey Him!

The blessed part of God's lament over His erring people is there is an opportunity for us today by God's grace to positively impact our future by following Jesus Christ in faith.  The things God "should" but has not yet done are things God will do in our future by His grace in His time.  We are greatly comforted, not that our lives will be better or our circumstances shall improve in the future, but we know and serve an awesome, gracious and faithful God today Who leads, delivers, speaks and saves now and always.

Neglect No More

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all."

1 Timothy 4:14-15

These verses were shared in the message preached yesterday at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The points made were Timothy had a gift given by God, and he could also neglect this gift.  We are not entirely sure what specific gift of the Holy Spirit was being referred to, but Timothy and others knew it because it had been prophesied unto him with the laying on of hands of the eldership.  If Timothy knew what gift he had been given and could neglect it, it follows believers today who have received the Holy Spirit and gifts by His will can neglect our gifts as well.

To neglect suggests carelessness, to forbear proper use or responsibility of something.  We have seen neglected lawns overgrown with weeds and hedges untrimmed.  The neglect of houses due to clutter, rodent infestations, shirking of maintenance or lack of cleaning can lead to them being condemned.  Our bodies, relationships and businesses can suffer from neglect of doing what is necessary to take personal responsibility to maintain and improve.  Paul urged Timothy not to neglect the gift God had given him, meditating on what God had said, had done, promised to do, and to put sound doctrine into practice himself.

One primary way we can neglect things is to not use or take care of them.  The neglect of a gift always has negative results on other things:  the neglect of using my lawn mower leads to an overgrown lawn and a letter from the council; the neglect of using clippers leads to unkempt hair.  Because we are part of the Body of Christ the church, the neglect of the gifts God has given us for the edification of the church and the glory of Jesus has a negative impact on our service, ministry and purpose God gave us the gift in the first place.  God has given us His word, His Son, the Holy Spirit and guidance we ought to make use of every day.  Neglecting the reading and study of God's word leads to a world of neglect in countless areas of our lives today.

Spiritual gifts are not the only thing which can be neglected, for consider what is written in Hebrews 2:1-4:  "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?"  It is possible to neglect the salvation provided all people by the grace of God through the Gospel.  People connect spiritual gifts with signs and wonders, and from the beginning God has already revealed Himself in miraculous ways to confirm His ability to save and deliver.  He gave Moses the ability to do signs to confirm the word of the LORD to Pharoah and the Hebrews, and God has sent Jesus Christ whom Moses spoke of who is the revelation of the almighty God who seeks to save the lost.

Believer, take time to consider and meditate on the fact you have been saved by grace through faith.  Having been redeemed of the LORD we await our ultimate salvation by our glorious entrance into the eternal state in God's presence.  Whilst we remain on earth let us not neglect the gift of God's word, His wisdom, the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the gifts God has graciously given us.  When we give ourselves entirely unto the LORD, denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus, we will be kept from the error of neglecting our salvation and spiritual gifts.  Our spiritual fruitfulness is not an indication of our goodness, but the faithfulness of our God who delivers and saves--Who through our witness provides salvation to others by the Gospel.

Glad to Understand

Nehemiah 8 is a chapter which illustrates very well the personal impact of how understanding God's word impacts people who are united to seek Him.  Reading God's word is not like a chemical reaction which is predictable, for at times we are not receptive to hear or take action on what God has said and is saying to us.  In the children of Israel we see a good example of people who gathered together to build the walls of Jerusalem and sought to obey the LORD who protected, provided and made their efforts fruitful.

Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah gathered the people together with the elders to read the Law of Moses and explain it to the people so they could understand it.  Hearing God's word had a profound affect on the people, for they realised they and their fathers had sinned against the LORD and they wept.  Their minds, hearts and souls were moved by the word of God and felt sorrow and remorse.  Nehemiah 8:11-12 says, "So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them."

The Law of Moses that made a distinction between righteous and sinful conduct also taught concerning holy days.  Whilst the conduct of the people previously had been wrong, instead of mourning they were to rejoice.  The people obeyed God's word to feast, send portions and rejoice greatly because "they understood the words that were declared to them."  See how understanding what God said filled His people with joy!  They delighted to hear and obey the word spoken to them by God, and we ought to be the same.  Reading God's word should not be relegated to a duty or chore because He has given us an invitation and opportunity to understand Him.  Do you rejoice, believer, that you understand the word God has declared to you?

Understanding God's word leads to exciting discovery and personal revival.  As they read the scripture the people realised God had commanded the people to make tabernacles and dwell in them, something they had not done even before the captivity of Israel in Babylon.  The people send out messengers to proclaim they were going to gather according to the word of the LORD, and Nehemiah 8:17 reads:  "So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness."  Isn't that amazing?  King Saul, king David and king Solomon had reigned over all Israel and even in their day there had never been such a gathering since the days of Joshua when the nation of Israel was in its infancy.  You see, in the days of Nehemiah when there was no king anointed to rule God once again was their KING and they delighted to hear, understand and obey His word with gladness.

Jesus Christ is the KING OF KINGS, and how blessed we are to hear and understand Him through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.  When we read God's word it ought to have a similar impact on us:  we ought to mourn our sin, rejoice to obey the LORD, be glad to understand God's word, be moved to walk in obedience to what God reveals and experience the joy of the LORD that is our strength.  The words we read in the Bible are more than words on a page but the word of God we can understand.  It is a world of discovery about God and His ways that excites our minds, hearts and souls to draw near to Him and proclaim His goodness with gladness.

Remembering God's Works

Having faith in God does not mean a person is perpetually positive and impervious to pains, struggles, troubles and doubts.  While our human weakness at times can spring from a lack of faith, in our weakness God's strength is made perfect because His grace is sufficient for us.  This idea that the believer becomes superhuman with a biblical worldview cannot be sustained by the efforts of the flesh, knowledge or a formulaic approach to trials.  We believers remain needy:  we need reminders, to meditate on what God has said and done, and proclaim the reality of His goodness in the land of the living.

Asaph arrived at this conclusion as he struggled through a sleepless night in Psalm 77.  When he was troubled and overwhelmed he cried out to God and was heard by Him.  Based on how he felt Asaph wondered if God was done being gracious and merciful, if God no longer kept His promises.  Psalm 77:10-12:  "And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." ¹¹ I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. ¹² I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds."  Asaph wisely understood his present anguish was not a reflection of how or what God was doing.  Instead of focusing on his troubles, he chose to remember and meditate on all the wondrous things God had done in the past.

In the verses that follow, Asaph considered the amazing deliverance of God's people from slavery and bondage in Egypt.  He remembered them miraculously departing Egypt and how they passed through the Red Sea that stood at attention before God who led them through walls of water on the right hand and left.  They passed through the depths of the sea on dry ground and everyone made it safely to the other side.  The Egyptians who pursued relentlessly with chariots and horses were confounded in the depths, their wheels fell off and they tried in vain to retreat.  God caused the waters to return upon the heads of the Egyptian army and they all perished.  The nation of Israel was birthed out of the Red Sea with rejoicing and celebrated their God who delivers and saves.

Two groups of people went into the depths of the sea:  one emerged rejoicing and victorious by the power of God, and the other perished without hope.  There are two groups of people who experience anguish, troubled minds and sleepless nights, and those who remember and meditate on God and His marvelous works will be ultimately led to joy and peace that passes understanding.  Those who grit their teeth and fight to achieve their aims by their own strength will be cast down and unable to rise on their own.  Praise the LORD He is able to lift up those who cannot stand and free those who are in bondage to fears, cares and worries.  Let us be those who talk of God's deeds often, for it serves to glorify God while reminding and instructing us to consider God Who leads us through the depths to deliver.