Satisfied in Christ

My experience with painting illustrates well that we can receive exactly what we ask for, but it isn't always what we wanted.  My wife and I have learned by experience that the colour you choose according to a paint card will look different when the whole wall is painted.  It is good to go with a lighter hue than the preferred colour on the cards and even then it may not be what you expected.  The tendency to receive what we asked for and our expectations to be dashed goes way beyond painting.  How many people thought they would be satisfied with the custom design of their house, a role at work, a career, or relationship only to find it wasn't all they imagined or hoped it would be.

As I considered this concept, it occurred to me this may happen more often than not.  It is likely unnoticed because it is exceedingly rare we actually receive exactly what we have asked for in the first place, and thus we can pin the blame for our dashed expectations on the fact we have yet to obtain our desire.  I cannot tell you how often my expectations of myself, an appliance, device or team has been frustrated.  Generally I have an optimistic view of things and thus can generate false hope, and it may be those with a proclivity for a negative perspective are disappointed less often.

But do you know these worldly trends are completely irrelevant when it comes to God?  By faith in Jesus Christ we receive infinitely more than we could have ever imagined or dreamed.  Frustration and disappointment are chronic in our humanity, yet the God-given ability to look to Jesus in all circumstances of life brings joy, peace and rest we could not have thought possible.  God's goodness blows our minds, changes our lives and transforms our perspective.  Our dreams can be ruined and our expectations frustrated, but not one word has failed of God's promises.  By the grace of God we have complete assurance of a glorious future with the LORD that will exceed our wildest expectations, and we can rest in this confidence in our LORD today and always.  This world and everything in it will pass away--painted walls, jobs, appliances and sport--yet the presence, power and hope of Jesus Christ transcends all.

Consider what David wrote in Psalm 17:15:  "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness."  Isn't this a remarkable thing for someone to say under the covenant of Law?  Only with eyes of faith and revelation of our glorious God could such a thing be suggested.  From the perspective of the new covenant of the Gospel, we have assurance of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.  We do not need to wait until heaven to be satisfied because Christians are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit who regenerates us.  On top of our present relationship with the everlasting God who daily loads us with benefits we have all eternity to look forward to in His presence free of sin and anything that defiles.  I came to Christ as a child because He loved me and I wanted to avoid hell, and as I have grown older I realise He has exponentially exceeded all my expectations.  What satisfaction God provides for all those who are in Christ!

Adversity Redeemed

I have heard it said one man's trash is another's treasure, and this personal subjectivity can be applied to what is considered wasteful.  One person will not eat leftover food the next day out of concern of foodborne illness, whilst others will drink milk or eat meat that clearly on the cusp of going bad.  I once moved into a house that had established citrus trees, and since I had other plans for the space I cut them down.  A neighbour was mortified I would destroy a perfectly good tree when, in my mind at the time, I had no inclination to prune or tend those neglected ant factories that stood in the way of progress.  What I define as waste in largely connected to value, usability, productivity and cost to repair or replace.  When it is cheaper to replace a product which is no longer functional, it is not generally considered wasteful to recycle, repurpose or to dispose of it.

In the days of Jeremiah, the children of Israel grieved and mourned the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem at the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar.  They looked upon the ruin of the their houses, the temple and their uprooted lives as a great and unnecessary waste entirely preventable by the almighty God.  Baruch was one such person God lovingly addressed in Jeremiah 45.  The word of the LORD came to him in Jeremiah 45:2-4:  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³ 'You said, "Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest."' ⁴ Thus you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land."  God described how Baruch blamed God for adding grief to his sorrow; he fainted in sighing and found no rest.  Then God said something that was only comforting to a person who is convinced in the absolute wisdom, grace and goodness of God:  the things God built He would break down, and what He had planted He would pluck up--the the whole land!

Baruch would have likely preferred the opposite of this.  What Baruch saw as broken down he desired to see God rebuild and restore.  The things that had been plucked up--even the people who fled to Egypt for safety--would be again established and planted in their own land.  But this was not happening.  Baruch's expectations of God's immediate deliverance were dashed and his ambitious desires were frustrated.  Baruch said, "Woe is me now!" because of the awful and overwhelming circumstances he could not pray himself out of or find any ray of hope of positive change in his situation.  However, there remains great hope for the believer in God's words, for God asserted His authority and power over all things.  As the One who birthed and built the nation Israel He could also break them down.  Like a farmer who plants has the right to pluck up, so God remained sovereign over all.

God put His finger on the true source of Baruch's grief and sorrow in Jeremiah 45:5:  "And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the LORD. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."  Baruch had sought great things for himself rather than seeking the LORD who is eternally great and glorious.  He looked for great things for himself and was disappointed when his expectations were unmet.  He looked for peace and found strife; he looked for restoration and only saw ruin.  God promised to bring adversity on all flesh, but God also promised He would preserve Baruch's life as a prize wherever He went.  There was comfort and rest found in God.  Israel had been broken down and plucked up, yet God would preserve life.  The God who kills also makes alive, and He who breaks has the power to heal (Deut. 32:39).

There was a glorious divine purpose in God laying waste to His people as we read in Hosea 5:13-15:  "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. ¹⁴ For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. ¹⁵ I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."  When afflicted the response of Ephraim was to seek help from their enemies rather than God who remained faithful to them and the covenant He made with their fathers.  God afflicted His people and waited for them to come to their senses, acknowledge their offence, repent and seek His face earnestly.  See this redemptive aspect of pain, grief and sorrow, earnestness in seeking God Who alone can heal, restore and revive.  Ours is a God who created the world with the words of His mouth and causes the dead to be raised to life.  It is in seeking Him we find rest for our souls and enduring hope for the future no sorrow can rob us of.

Pride Won't Heed

It's no secret that pride is a serious sin in the eyes of God.  In Proverbs 6:17 the first abomination of seven listed is a "proud look" and Proverbs 21:4 includes a "proud heart" as well.  It was being lifted up with pride that led to the condemnation and downfall of Satan (1 Tim. 3:6).  Pride is the first listed of the sins of Sodom, and these only begin to scratch the surface of how abominable pride is and how devastating the far-reaching consequences of it.  Whether it announces itself with haughty boasting or is subtle through silent censure and judgment, it is a deadly vice to be renounced and repented of.

This morning I read a passage in scripture that provided insight into a symptom of pride that can go unnoticed.  In Jeremiah 42, Johanan and Jezaniah came to Jeremiah with a seemingly humble request for him to pray for them and all the people.  They begged for God to direct them in what to do and promised to obey all God said.  Jeremiah 42:5-6 reads, "So they said to Jeremiah, "Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. ⁶ Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."  Their words showed commitment to humbly submit to God and do whatever He said.  Johanan and Jezaniah asked the LORD to be a true and faithful witness, even putting themselves under an oath to keep their word.

The problem was, all their words turned out to be bold-faced lies.  After 10 days Jeremiah held forth the word of the LORD and specifically prohibited them from going to Egypt in the hope they would be safe there.  God told them to remain in their land and serve the king of Babylon.  Jeremiah 43:1-4 says, "Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, all these words, ² that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, "You speak falsely! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.' ³ But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon." ⁴ So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah."  Notice verse 2 exposes the pride of those men who came to Jeremiah under the guise of humility and faith in God.  Those proud men would not heed the word of the LORD, accused Jeremiah of lying to them and thus would not obey.

Pride is revealed not only by what we say and how we say it but if we are willing to listen and obey God.  This passage shows how pride causes men to deny the truth of God's word and puts the deceptions of fearful and ungodly men in their place.  These men masked their pride at the beginning, but eventually the hypocrisy God already knew was displayed to all by their refusal to heed God's word.  It is a good question to ask ourselves:  am I willing to hear God's word and submit to Him?  This will involve taking steps of faith in obedience to Him, perhaps doing what is unthinkable and even repulsive to our flesh--like the children of Israel serving king Nebuchadnezzar!  The proud men of Israel spoke much and refused to heed the word of the LORD, and it is possible Christians can fall into this same snare.  Many talk a good game, but will we listen and submit to God faithfully?  Our response to God's word will supply the answer.

Witnesses to Jesus

"And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" ³⁰ And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well."

Genesis 21:28-30

When Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant together, Abraham set seven ewe lambs by themselves.  He directed Abimelech to receive them as witnesses they had made a binding agreement:  he would deal honestly and show kindness to Abimelech to his descendants, and Abraham would retain rights to the water of the well he dug.  These valuable female lambs were tangible evidence of their transaction and agreement simply by virtue of being lambs given and received.  These ewes would grow to be fruitful for years to come, symbolic of the prosperity and health that would flow from their enduring friendship.

As I consider these lambs set apart as a witness of the covenant Abraham and Abimelech made together, I am reminded of how Jesus has sanctified His followers as His witnesses of the covenant in His own blood.  In regards to when God would restore the kingdom to Israel, after His resurrection Jesus answered His disciples in Acts 1:7-8:  "And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  It is amazing the everlasting God would choose lost sinners saved by the Gospel to be His witnesses.  We are fundamentally witnesses, not because of what we do, but due to what Jesus has done in purchasing and redeeming us with His own blood.

One result of the Holy Spirit regenerating and taking up residence within us is He makes us spiritually fruitful.  He gives spiritual gifts to each believer according to His will so we might glorify God and edify the church.  We are witnesses to the world of what Jesus accomplished on Calvary by transformed hearts and lives now lived for His good pleasure.  Like those sheep were witnesses Abraham dug the well, Christians are witnesses Jesus has died on the cross, rose from the dead, has ascended to the Father, and have given us eternal life by grace through faith in Him.

Today there are differences of opinion of the exact location where Jesus was buried because He is not there; He is risen!  Instead of an empty tomb being strong evidence of Christ's resurrection and redemptive work, it is the lives of Christians filled with the Holy Spirit that are His witnesses, adopted into His everlasting kingdom as beloved children.  Praise the LORD for the new covenant in His blood, and how He has separated us unto Himself to be His fruitful witnesses now and forever.