Do You Get It?

In candid videos that catch amusing or amazing moments it is common to hear the one handling the camera say something like, "I got that on video!"  We've all seen some crazy and bizarre things during our lives, and it is a rare thing to have a camera at the ready and capture the footage well.  Perhaps I'm dating myself a bit, for it seems these days everyone has their phones whipped out and already recording and the thought never crossed my mind.  I also have been guilty of going for the camera to memorialise a hilarious event rather than immediately helping a good friend.  As he pushed the boat from the dock he dunked himself into the freezing water of Lake Cuyamaca and it was the funniest thing.  The intense look on his face peering over the stern of the rowboat on that brisk morning I will never forget--even though I didn't get it on film.

The loving thing to do would have been to do unto others as Jesus has done for me:  to not think about myself or "getting" that footage but to help a struggling friend.  Do you know heeding the "Golden Rule" is not natural to us?  I would appreciate someone casually pointing out the greens in my teeth during a meal or that I have a toilet-paper tail upon exiting the bathroom.  I may not pull out a camera to shame the person, but I have not always taken immediate action to help others when a kind word was called for.  I ask myself:  why do I allow feelings of embarrassment to speak up to help others avoid potential embarrassment?  Why do I prefer ignoring or distancing myself from the situation?  There are many reasons and not one is justifiable or righteous.  As a start it is because I am selfish, proud, disobedient and outright refuse to walk in love demonstrated by Jesus.  In the moment when I choose to follow my feelings I tend to cater to innumerable fears, unwarranted though they be.  Living in love puts God and others in our sights rather than thinking of ourselves, knowing He sees and remembers all.

Praise the LORD He desires we would learn to live life skillfully and wisely as Jesus does.  Paul wrote in Philippians 2:1-4, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."  Jesus humbled Himself for our salvation, and thus we ought to humble ourselves for the sake of others.  Paul continued in Philippians 2:12-13:  "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

God is faithful to discipline and correct us as a father a son in whom he delights.  God reveals our refusal to love, harshness and ungrace.  Having freely received consolation, love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection and mercy, we are called to lowliness of mind that values all others over self.  We tend to connect with people over shared interests, and if their interests are one of our major concerns our perspective will radically change.  This is what God is calling us to do, and let us be obedient to God like Jesus is to His heavenly Father.  It is God's work to change us "both to will and do for His good pleasure."  Instead of seeking to please ourselves, may we yield to God's will to love one another as He loves us.  It is infinitely more important for us to "get this" than saving funny clips on our phones.

Obedience Fulfilled

David spoke of God giving him skill for war, ability to leap over a wall and defeat his enemies.  The battles he fought were physical as well as an inner war that raged against fear, worry and despair.  While most will never experience warfare in muddy trenches or run across a beach with bullets flying, we each face real conflict where triumph can only be experienced by faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul provides insight concerning one of the primary locations where spiritual battles take place, and it might surprise you:  it takes place within our own hearts and minds.  Paul recognised we live in a body of flesh yet we are not to fight according to the flesh.  There are established strongholds and fortifications of lies, attitudes and habits in our own minds and hearts revealed with the word of God.  To the church Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."  God's word helps us to identify strongholds, arguments and proud thoughts that oppose Jesus in our own minds and He enables us to boldly pull them down by repentance and faith in Him.

When a person suspected of criminal activity is arrested, he is bound and taken into custody.  We are called to wage this war on our own thought life, bringing every thought and vain imagination into captivity to Christ.  Having arrested these sinful thoughts according to God's wisdom, we can put our feet on their necks on what God has condemned and end their reign of terror so we might walk in obedience to Christ.  One purpose of Paul writing to the church in Corinth was to urge and exhort them to return to obedience to Christ, and they needed to ready themselves to embrace church discipline should there be any among them who refused to walk in obedience to Jesus.  Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers that primarily wield their influence inside us.  We cannot do anything about changing the minds and hearts of others, and know God desires ours to be changed more like His.

I am convinced by the truth of the scripture and the resurrection of Jesus Christ in glory the primary battleground in our hearts and minds can be won and held by God's grace.  To ignore this critical battle will mean our ruin, and we will be severely hampered in our Christian witness and fruitfulness.  Despite books annually churned out concerning spiritual warfare this personal continent of conflict can be overlooked and the result is confusion, formulas and even fear.  We miss the mark to more focus on the strength of the foe and what we need to do to win (or obtain our desire) rather than looking to Jesus who has already vanquished the enemy.  Some are so busy fighting an invisible enemy out there somewhere they can drift from abiding in Christ.  We can be so taken with rebuking the devil we neglect the state of our own thoughts, hearts and actions.  Praise the LORD the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, arguments and imaginations within us so our obedience is fulfilled.

Understanding and Knowing the LORD

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Throughout the Bible we observe people who knew and understood God because He revealed Himself to them.  Before the Law was written on tablets of stone Abraham asked the LORD knowingly, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  Based on the righteous character of God Abraham knew God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked.  Instead of glorying in what is temporal and fading away--by what we know, can do, or have acquired--God says we ought to glory that we understand and know God who is the LORD of all.  Knowing God is the LORD means He is sovereign and supreme over all, and nothing and no one can prevent Him for doing His miraculous wonders.

The almighty God is supreme over all, exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.  To understand and know God we must first place our faith in Him, and by this revelation in God's word we are assured God presently is working at least in all these ways.  When we or others face trials and troubles it does not always seem like love, justice and righteousness may be present at all.  We can be overwhelmed by the hatred, pride, corruption and injustice we observe in the earth.  This is the triumph of faith, to understand and know God is exercising the good things He delights in beyond our sight.  With our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts grounded in the truth of God's immutable goodness, contentment and rest is ours whether we see the peaceful resolution we long for or not.  He is our Peace.

Many godly people like Abraham died in faith without seeing all the promises God made to them fulfilled.  Hebrews 11:13 says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."  If we are troubled and anxious because of the suffering in the world around us without comfort because our expectations of swift deliverance and cessation of warfare are unmet, it may be we are not living in faith in God who is exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.  Us seeing the resolution we desire is not nearly as important as all God is doing beyond our sight.  With eyes of faith we look upon Him with full assurance of His fulfilling His word.

When we see God at work in exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness towards us and others it is fitting we rejoice, glorying in the God we understand and know.  We love Him because He first loved us, and we know Him only because He has graciously revealed Himself to us.  Knowing God exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness because He delights in them provides us a directive for how we ought to live.  How wonderful it is when a child takes after admirable qualities in their parents in practice, and blessed is the man who makes intentional effort to do what God delights in.

God is Longsuffering

I attended a memorial service years ago that impacted me.  The thing I remember the most is the point emphatically driven home by the impassioned speaker was death was not God's will.  He bristled at the suggestion the sudden passing of his family member could be the will of God.  The point he made is supported in scriptures like 2 Peter 3:9 which reads, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  God's will is for people to repent of sin and receive salvation, and though our bodies will go the way of the earth the souls of God's redeemed will be clothed with eternal life in glory.

The fact people physically die shows God allows things to transpire on earth that are not His will.  Mankind has chosen to rebel against God in sin and this has brought innumerable horrors into the world God created good.  Even God's people were guilty of doing things which never came into God's mind, (Jeremiah 19:5-6), that they would sacrifice their children to idols.  God would see to it those people reaped what they had sown when they were slaughtered.  Then God did what is awesome and unthinkable in taking human form and laying down His life on the cross, embracing death for lost sinners so His will could be accomplished to redeem and save them.  God is able to overcome death by the power of His glorious life.

It is easy for us to point out faults in others, and it also simple to find things in this world that are not God's will.  Some are very inquisitive about "God's will" as in regards to them, supposing they must submit to circumstances that are God's will and are justified to rail or fight against what they deem is not His will.  This is a risky proposition, for it can be a temptation for man to sit down in the judgment seat and put God on trial by what He has done or sovereignly allowed.  A more constructive approach would be to submit to desiring and doing God's will as revealed in scripture and the example of Jesus.  There are many things I cannot know or understand about God's will and plans, but based on 2 Peter 3:9 I know God's will is to save lives, not destroy them.  He has sent Jesus to that end, and thus I ought to proclaim and live in light of the Gospel, loving others as Jesus loves me.

1 Peter 4:19 says to followers of Jesus, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."  This verse shows suffering in itself is not contrary to the will of God, even though it may feel like it should be.  Our commitment to God is shown by doing what He deems good, knowing He is our faithful Creator.  He will not allow us to be tempted without making the way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13), and He will never leave or forsake us.  Paul learned in all circumstances to be content and rejoice in the LORD--even when he suffered much for Christ's sake.  Praise the LORD God is longsuffering toward us, and let us follow the obedient example of Jesus even when suffering is involved.