God is Our Strength

It's amazing what is considered news these days.  I saw an online story about a family who claims to have seen the image of Jesus in mold on the wall in their bathroom!  According to the family, the image has given them strength.  Now it's possible in what we see, even in a bathroom filled with mildew, God will teach us things.  But to attribute power or divine ability to an image, article, or patch of mold is superstitious and unbiblical.  No person, object, or activity should ever usurp God's rightful position of honour and worth.  If I saw mold growing in my bathroom, it would be a loud and clear message to invoke the power of bleach and a little elbow grease!

There are many things from which people draw strength.  It could be an item that is considered "lucky," like a kangaroo pouch.  Some people take to heart what they read in the newspaper listed under a daily horoscope.  Others start their day with thinking and speaking positive mantras, to convince themselves of their own goodness.  I know of others who have embraced feng shui, the arrangement of furniture to support your personal energy and provide life improvement.  There are probably an infinite amount of things people draw strength from rather than the true source of strength:  Jesus Christ.  We are told in Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."  Human beings are beyond incorrigible, seeking any direction to run but God's way.

The Israelites were forbidden in the Law to make an image of any kind because God knows the human need to worship (Deut. 4:16-19).  All people worship.  All people hold certain things, people, God, or the multitude of false gods in high regard.  We often praise and extol the goodness of actors, artists, musicians, or athletes.  To worship does not necessarily mean the burning of incense, the offering of sacrifice, or the physical bowing of the knee.  Worship is when we treasure something in our hearts.  Idolatry, a grave sin,  is when we adore, reverence, or honour anything either at a level only God deserves or when we honour something in the place of God.  All that is in the world and of the world will perish, but they who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength.  In Christ we have strength which cannot be washed away with disinfectant, lost, forgotten, re-arranged, stolen, burned up, or left behind when our bodies perish.

Instead of being caught up with the worship of the blessings God bestows, let us place our faith in Him alone.  We are called to walk by faith, not by sight.  It is when we look to Jesus that we can say with the prophet in Habakkuk 3:17-19:  "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-- ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. ¹⁹ The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."  Praise God, for He is our strength.

Sacrifice with Joy

"Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off."

Nehemiah 12:43

When God directs people to sacrifice unto Him, His focus is not primarily upon the gift.  God does not need material wealth, the blood of animals, grain, wine, or oil because all things are already His.  God's desire is that every sacrifice we make for His glory be accompanied with great joy.  He cares more about our attitudes and the condition of our hearts than the amount of money or time involved in our sacrifice.  After Nehemiah read a portion of the Law to the people, he commanded them to rejoice.  Nehemiah 8:10 reads, "Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."  It is good for a man to sorrow for sin unto repentance.  But even he who has sinned much need not languish in despair, for the joy of the LORD is his strength.

Few people associate sacrifice with great joy.  All sacrifice unto the LORD is simply returning a portion of the whole which God has freely granted us by grace.  When the people offered great sacrifices in Nehemiah's day, all the people of Jerusalem rejoiced.  So loud were they in praising God that the "joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off."  What a testimony this is of the power of God, who makes His people to rejoice with great joy.  Sacrifice should not be seen as a sorrowful drudgery, but a companion of the greatest joy.  How wonderful it is when the church sacrifices with joy!  It is sometimes easier for us to sacrifice for God than to sacrifice and give for the benefit of others.  We grit our teeth to drive an extra half-hour to pick someone up.  We stew in frustration when others neglect their responsibilities and we must pick up the slack.  How easily we forget the principle of doing all things, especially when it involves sacrifice, as unto the LORD with joy!  Jesus relates this truth in Matthew 25:40:  "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"

Sacrifice involves giving.  The two cannot be separated.  But joy is the three-fold cord in sacrificial giving which honours and glorifies God.  2 Corinthians 9:7 states, "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."  Whether it is sacrifice of time, sweat, money, effort, or service, we ought to give joyfully.  It is a moot point to debate whether the beneficiary of our sacrifice is worthy of our time and effort when we do all things as unto the LORD.  God is the worthy one.  As it is written in James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  Everything we possess and everything we give are first free gifts from God we have received.  When we rejoice in the Giver, we will also rejoice in all sacrifice unto Him.

The Law required that no burnt offering be sacrificed without salt, and in the same way we must not offer an sacrifice without great joy.  Let our joy also be an acceptable sacrifice in the eyes of God!  Psalm 27:1, 6 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?...⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD."

Giving Account

The Bible makes it clear that everyone will give an account before God concerning their time on earth.  Every deed and even every word will be weighed according to God's righteous standard.  Jesus says in Matthew 12:36, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."  Paul affirms in Romans 14:12, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."  For most people, to answer for your life as an entire body of work is not as daunting as citing specifics.  While we plod on in life, the Day of Judgment seems far away and not too important - just like a school assignment due in two months.

Many of the parables told by Jesus support this view.  The master commits tasks to his servants, leaves, and then each is required to give account for their actions during his absence.  The profit gained or lack thereof is the proving ground of each servant's responsibility.  Again, this contributes to the concept that all will give account to God some day in the future:  believers at the Bema Seat of Christ, and unbelievers before the Great White Throne.  Before being ushered into eternity in God's presence, believers will be judged in light of the eternal reward or loss based upon their earthly stewardship (1 Cor. 3:12-15).  Every unbeliever whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be doomed to hell for eternity under the crushing weight of God's perfect law (Rev. 20:11-15).

It is very easy for those who have escaped the wrath to come by the shed blood of Jesus to give little thought to the day when we will give an account to God.  This can only harm our effectiveness in the present.  The fact is, we ought to daily give an account of ourselves to God.  If we are faithful to do this, we will reap eternal rewards.  I was reading Hebrews 13:17 when this fact struck me:  "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."  I am a child of God, under the rule of my Heavenly Father.  I am also a husband, a dad, and a pastor.  I am responsible before God for the spiritual care of my household in my private life, and also an overseer in a church fellowship.  Part of my role as a leader is to submit to the rule of Jesus Christ and be watchful over the souls of my wife and children.  I must give account to God not only when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but even now - today!  Every day I am to give account of myself and of whom God has made me responsible.

The following sentence shows that this is a present, ongoing accountability before God:  "Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."  That is heavy!  A good accountant does not ignore the numbers until the end of the business year, but all along keeps accurate records.  Accountants check and double-check for discrepancies to ensure the ledgers are correct.  If we should take such care concerning temporal losses and gains, how much more vigilant should we be concerning the condition of our eternal souls and of those whom God has entrusted to our care?  When I see people burdened with sins, it brings grief to my heart.  But when I witness God transforming people by His grace I experience unspeakable joy.  It is a grave responsibility, to give account to God for the condition of souls Christ has purchased with His own blood.  Every man will stand before God and give an answer for every word he has spoken, every thought entertained, every deed performed.  Parents are accountable for how they raise their children, and pastors are responsible to give account for the condition of the souls in their care.  Who is sufficient for these things?

Knowing this, let us take seriously the charge to remain accountable to God daily.  Every person is accountable for their own souls, and many of us have the additional responsibility to feed and tend our families and the flock of God.  We MUST give account to God; from this duty we cannot shrink.  It would be better for us to discover deficiencies now than to wait until the Day of Judgment when it will be too late.  Praise God for the love, grace, and mercy He has revealed to us.  Praise God that Jesus Christ is our Saviour:  He has saved us, and He will keep us too!  1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Seduced By Self

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

James 1:22

A person need not live long before they have been deceived.  Deception and life on earth go together like butter on bread.  When the first sin was committed on earth, deception was not absent.  Adam blamed his wife, and Eve blamed the serpent.  Genesis 3:13 reads, "And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."  In the KJV the word used for deceived is "beguiled," and is defined in the original as "to lead astray, to delude, or to seduce."

We have all been deceived, and we have all played the deceiver.  But the worst delusion of all is when we deceive ourselves.  James warns all who read his letter that self-deception, even for believers, is a condition we must soberly guard against.  We must remain vigilant and ever-watchful of the real potential which spawns from familiarity.  Because we read a passage with agreement, because a verse has been committed to memory, we can be deceived to think we have put the spiritual truth in continual practice.  The more we hear something we can become dull and numb.  We hear a verse quoted and are able to finish it off verbatim in our minds thinking, "Yeah, I know that.  Blah, blah, blah."  Even though we agree in principle, we can continue to live a life contrary to what God's Word says.

It is imperative we examine our thoughts, words, and deeds in accordance to scripture.  Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."  Even as a child must be trained by his parents, so every child of God must submit to His rule.  God will discipline and chasten us so we might be restored and reconciled to fellowship with Him.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and fools hate knowledge.  King Solomon spoke a proverb concerning the man who walks in pride and self-confidence in Proverbs 26:12:  "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."  Those who are seduced by self are worse off than fools.  If you are familiar with the book of Proverbs, that is saying a lot!  Self-deception is Satan's greatest ploy in warring against God's people.  The devil wants us to become dull from much hearing.  He wants us to believe we are doers of the word when we are only idle listeners.

Thank God He has provided the Bible and the Holy Spirit to search our hearts who will never lead us astray!  If at the moment you are not actively mindful to avoid potential sins or fighting the good fight of faith against temptations; if it is a foreign concept to take wicked thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ or cannot think of a single area of sin in your life which must be confessed to God and man; if you are not being held accountable for areas of habitual sin to which you have been given over to for a season of your life, you likely have fallen prey to self-deception.  Let us all pray with David in Psalm 139:23-24:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."