Remember Our LORD

When it comes to conflict resolution, I have found the vast majority of the effort involves my own heart and mind.  We cannot do a thing to change the hearts, actions or words of others, but we can humble ourselves before God in obedience.  As much as depends upon us, we are exhorted to be peaceable with others.  Should my own mind and conscience be troubled, should I give place to bitterness, worry and malice, even should the person change I am no better for it.  Interpersonal conflict is a trigger for me to examine my own heart and be the first to change, refined by submission to God in faith and obedience.  Nearly every time conflict continues because I refuse to walk in love towards others according to the love Christ has offered me.

Our struggles to resolve conflict within ourselves can result from our lack of faith in God, our reluctance to release others from our judgment when they do not seem to realise their offence or care, and a distorted sense of justice that withholds grace from others.  Something in us wants them to know they have been wrong and to admit it.  There can even in our flesh be a desire they suffer to a degree as retribution for the suffering we have endured.  We can be more about them facing a punishment rather than our own refinement.  Yet God's redemptive purposes in allowing suffering and His strength being perfected in our weakness remain steadfast.

We have likely at some time prayed to God as the psalmist did in Psalm 137:7-8 with a desire for God's vengeance:  "Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, "Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!" ⁸ O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us!"  God will judge all people and nations and does not need reminders like we do.  Pain can serve as a reminder of who we believe is responsible, and under the Law of Moses it was fitting to demand an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  However, under the New Covenant established by the shed blood of Jesus this has changed completely.  Instead of telling God to remember the sins of others so they might be punished to the full Jesus says to us, "Remember Me!"

This is powerful!  Because God is not willing that any should perish Jesus went to the cross and willingly suffered for our sin.  It was a divine demonstration of love beyond this world offered to us, that we can be forgiven, accepted, saved and given eternal life by grace through faith.  This fervent desire of God to save was revealed in the Old Testament prophet as it is written in Ezekiel 33:11:  "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'"  We are not like God, for we delight to see people pay.  Jesus willingly paid what we could never pay on Calvary, for even 1 trillion years burning in hell for our sin would suffice for God to say, "Paid in full."

Let us remember our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ!  As Hebrews 12:3 says, "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."  Jesus responded to hostility with grace, to offence with measured rebuke, to denial with loving restoration.  Instead of trotting out all the ways people have wronged us and how they ought to be punished, remember how Jesus freely absorbed all the punishment we deserved.  We demand it is only right others should pay, but remember how Jesus paid a debt we could never pay--and imputed His righteousness to us by His grace.  As we look to Jesus, remembering all He has done, does and will do, we can proclaim His love with our lives beyond His return.

God Was Thirsty

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

John 19:28

It is truly remarkable God chose to become a man to suffer as a Saviour for sinful humanity.  "Thirst" is one of those bodily mechanisms God designed when He created man, an uncomfortable feeling or sensation to prompt us to drink to supply the needs of our physical bodies.  As a spirit God did not ever have this feeling Himself, but as the Man Jesus Christ He suffered hunger and thirst.

In John 4 when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman at the well for a drink, He claimed to be the source of Living Water.  In response to the question if He was greater than Jacob John 4:13-14 says, "Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  It is evident there is a spiritual thirst and a physical one, for though Jesus is the source of satisfying Living Water He was thirsty when crucified.

When the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt, it was God who supplied life-sustaining water for His people as it is written in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4:  "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."  People drank from water God made to flow from a rock, and it foreshadowed physically what God would do spiritually through faith in Jesus Christ.  The One who supplied water for their bodies and their souls said, "I thirst!" and in doing so revealed His humanity.

At the same time Jesus Christ showed He was divine by knowing how the scripture would be fulfilled in Him expressing His thirst.  Psalm 69:21 reads, "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."  Jesus knew all the prophesies that would be fulfilled by Him being betrayed, lifted up in crucifixion, being pierced, His clothes divided and lots cast, how no bones would be broken and that He would be given vinegar to drink.  These are just a handful of the many scriptures Jesus fulfilled in His death with flawless accuracy.  For those who know Jesus Christ is God made flesh His perfect knowledge is to be expected, yet I still find His gracious condescension to be human stunning.

My Saviour thirsted on Calvary so those who trust in Him need never be spiritually dry.  Jesus tasted death for sinners so we could be born again and have eternal life.  Those who offer a cup of water in the name of a disciple will not be without reward:  how much more rewarding is it to receive Christ, to know and proclaim Him!  Praise God He became a Man so His atoning sacrifice was acceptable for mankind.  

Praying By Faith

The hymn goes, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear!  All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."  Neglect of prayer does lead to troubled hearts and minds, yet still many pray and do not always experience the peace God freely provides by His grace.  One reason this can occur is the same reason why the children of Israel did not enter the land God promised to give them:  unbelief.  The amount of negative impact of the many shades and degrees of unbelief in the lives of believers is frankly unbelievable.  Those whose sight is failing often do not realise what they cannot see, and praise the LORD for His word that illuminates our sight to see ourselves in truth through the examples of others.

Psalm 78 is a passage written by Asaph that explores the history of God's chosen people and how unbelief caused them to disobey and rebel against God.  The shame of past sins were not glossed over, for the next generation could profit much from their example by choosing to trust and obey God instead.  Psalm 78:7-11 reveals the purpose of this rehearsing the failings of their fathers:  "...that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; ⁸ and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. ⁹ The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. ¹⁰ They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, ¹¹ and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them."  Unless the current generation is willing to instruct the future generation that is willing to learn, sinful rebellion against God will be rife.

See the inferred consequences of unbelief in God:  setting their hope on self or something other than God, forgetting God's works, disobeying His commands.  The generation miraculously brought forth from Egypt was marked with stubbornness, rebellion, perverse hearts, unfaithful to God, retreating in fear, did not keep God's covenant, refused to surrender their will to walk in His law and forgot His works.  Psalm 78:17-19 continued:  "But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. ¹⁸ And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. ¹⁹ Yes, they spoke against God: they said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?"  Unbelief prompted God's people to rebel, test God and spoke against Him.  God caused them to eat manna every day, caused wind to blow quail to satisfy them with meat and caused water to flow from the rock to drink.  They ate and drank; they were satisfied and sustained.  But unbelief in God prevented them from connecting what God had already done to what God would and could do today and tomorrow.  Thus they denied themselves the blessing of the rest and peace found in God and were unable to receive of His goodness, though they had food and water.

The great sin of God's people (consider this, of God's own people!) was their refusal to believe God who did wonders in their midst.  Though God was their Redeemer and Saviour, Psalm 78:36-37 says:  "Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; ³⁷ for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant."  God saw through their words straight to their hearts and their unfaithfulness.  Psalm 78:40-42 says, "How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! ⁴¹ Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. ⁴² They did not remember His power: the day when He redeemed them from the enemy..."  It would be impossible to belabour the point for Asaph did so for the purpose to warn God's people of the consequences of unbelief, how unbelief is a spiritual cancer than impacts our entire lives, as a warning to others, and to magnify the grace of God who forgives those who repent.  Asaph said God's people tempted and provoked God with their idolatry, turned back from following Him in obedience, and limited God.

Though the guilt of God's people was great, His power to love, show mercy, give grace and forgive was greater still.  Over the course of Israel's history God allowed many trials to refine them:  40 years in the wilderness that ended in death for the vast majority of people, oppression by enemies in the days of the judges, 70 years of captivity in Babylon, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.  Yet all that time God was faithful to His people, and He has been faithful to those who are God's purchased possession by faith in Jesus Christ.  Let us not think because Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit we are prevented from the folly of previous generations that rebelled against God, forgot about Him, turned from His covenant, provoked and limited Him due to unbelief.

Belief in God remembers all He has done in the past and knows our God is the same yesterday, today and forever and thus can provide all we need right now..  His arm is not shortened that He cannot hear and has purposes beyond our understanding.  Because He is our Good Shepherd we follow Him; because He can do everything we pray to Him.  Like the children of Israel were to drive out the inhabitants of the land, so we are to drive out the worries, flattery, lies, deceit, lust and adultery from our own hearts and minds.  We are called to surrender our will to do God's will ourselves, not that God's will shall be done somewhere without us but by our obedience to Him!  Jesus summed this up the importance of our belief in John 6:29:  "...This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Those who believe will trust, obey and pray.  O LORD, keep us from unbelief that leads to lies and flattery that provokes, limits and grieves God in prayer.  Turn our unbelief and neglect of prayer to praying by faith in God.

Worship Him!

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

Matthew 2:1-2

It was customary growing up when attending a birthday party to bring a gift.  It wasn't a requirement to attend, but it was a polite and kind thing to do in response to the gracious invitation.  One of the first matters to attend to upon arrival was to hand the card or gift to the birthday boy or girl or give it to an appropriate person to place it with the others.  The formalities out of the way, then it was time to enjoy the company of your friend and the festivities planned in his or her honour.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the east came seeking the King of the Jews to worship him.  Instead of responding to a gilded invitation with a wax seal, they observed "His" star in the east that heralded His arrival.  While much is made of the kingly gifts they brought with them, the primary reason these great men sought the King of the Jews--who was revealed to be Jesus Christ--was to worship Him.

Matthew 2:11 says, "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."  When the wise men entered the house, upon seeing the young Child they fell down and worshiped Him.  They prostrated themselves in reverence of the little One who would one day hang upon Calvary with the title and accusation written by Pilate in Greek, Hebrew and Latin placed on the cross, "JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS."  After worshiping the young Child as their Sovereign, they presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  While these gifts were worthy of a king and of great monetary value, the joy these men had in falling down before the KING OF KINGS was the most worthy gift they could offer as men created in God's image.

We need not have any money to bow before God and worship and offer ourselves to Him.  Everything is God's, but not everyone is willing to be God's.  How it blesses the LORD to see people looking to Him in faith, falling down before Him in humility and offering praise to Him with joy!  It is not what we can give God, but all He is and has done for us which moves us to worship as it is written in Psalm 34:1-4:  "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. ⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  

How blessed we are to worship the LORD!