Blessing God Today

God has blessed and blesses people in countless ways, and those who are in Christ have had our eyes opened to see and appreciate many of them.  Our lives and all we enjoy are gifts from God, and even trials and pain He allows serve His redemptive purposes for our good.  As I read the Bible last week, it occurred to me how prevalent it is to appeal to peace, joy, contentment and rest as reasons to seek and trust God while these are actually some results from faith in Him.  Could it be people are introduced to Jesus Christ as a source of blessing before they even comprehend they are sinners who need a Saviour?

Imagine an orphaned little boy living in a group home without a father or mother.  Without parents, this child intensely feels a lack in their life and dreams of one day filling it with a dad and mum.  This child may desire a parent like a girl wishes for a cute puppy.  She wants the companionship of a pet and the fun of playing together.  Never having had a dog she doesn't realise a pet requires a lot of expense, hard work and personal sacrifice:  the dog will need to be groomed, fed, cleaned up after and trained.  The orphaned little fellow imagines being tucked into bed by parents will make him feel secure, safe and loved.  Having parents is much more than feeling comfortable at night:  it is being adopted into a new family, growing into a new identity, learning obedience and what it means to honour father and mother.  Being tucked into bed with prayer and a kiss is a tiny part of what being a child of parents mean, and by no means the most important.

I believe God's desire is to be known and loved by people for who He is as revealed in the Bible, and He is a Saviour and LORD of all.  Isaiah 45:22 reads, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."  There is no greater blessing than being born again by faith in Jesus and being adopted into His family.  We may come to Him as little children who only want to be tucked in at night and be loved, yet over time we begin to appreciate so much more about Him.  We come to realise we could never be worthy to be so loved and we actually deserved eternal punishment for our sins.  All along, regardless of the depth of our understanding, God continues to love and nurture us.  He feeds us faithfully and guides us into all truth.  He spends quality time with us and seeks us out.  When there is a task to accomplish God helps us and works through us to accomplish His will.  What peace, rest and joy is ours as we experience His presence all by God's grace.

The little boy who simply dreamed of being tucked in at night into his own bed never considered his dad and mum would then leave his room to go to their own room.  But God doesn't do that:  the Holy Spirit dwells within us continually as we abide in Christ.  We never need be apart from the LORD who will never leave or forsake us.  The result of faith in Jesus Christ in my life is greater than the reasons I sought Him, and only later I learned He sought me first.  Any longing for Him was preceded by His dying for me so we could live together forever.  Having been so blessed by God, His people ought to bless Him today.

Jesus our Refuge

Jesus died for the sins of the world, there is an important condition every individual must meet to receive the benefit of His atoning work.  We understand well the necessity of our own actions to obtain a college scholarship, apply for a home loan or collect unemployment payments.  Just because a benefit is offered freely we are still responsible to act.  God does not require us to fill out forms or make a deposit.  God has put it in writing He will save all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and gives us the down payment of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  With the heart we believe, and with our mouths we confess our sinfulness and Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.

After the children of Israel settled in Canaan, God established several "cities of refuge" where a manslayer could flee and seek refuge from the avenger of blood.  Before he was granted entrance to the city, the man guilty of manslaughter needed to publicly confess how he had killed someone without any malice or hatred, how the death was accidental.  Once his case was heard by the elders and judged by the people as innocent of murder, he would be given a safe place to reside.  Those who were unwilling to trek to the city of refuge or openly confess the circumstances of the death they were responsible for, the protection of the city of refuge was of no effect.  Proverbs 28:13 reads, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."  The arrangement of the city of refuge well illustrates this principle.  There was protection under the law available to those who freely admitted they had accidentally killed another person and placed themselves under the scrutiny and judgment of others for their deliverance from the avenger of blood.

If we will receive the forgiveness and salvation made available to the world by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we must freely admit our sin and ask to be forgiven.  God is loving to provide a way of deliverance for us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and we must meet His conditions to enter into it ourselves.  These conditions are not according to the Law of Moses etched into stone, but a new way through the Gospel and the shed blood of Jesus.  The resurrection of Jesus reveals His power over sin and the consequences of death and eternal separation from God.  The one who ran to the city of refuge to save his life had much still to lose, and the one who runs to Jesus Christ in faith has all gain:  forgiveness, acceptance into the family of God, an eternal home in heaven and an abundant life today.

We can only see our need for mercy after the realisation we are guilty, condemned and no way to justify ourselves.  The only way we can receive mercy is by going to the God who is ever merciful and gives to those who ask.  Faith takes God at His word and comes to Him boldly to find help and grace in time of need.  Jesus came to seek and save all sinners, not just to prolong the lives of manslayers.  The mercy shown to manslayers and the cities of refuge shows God seeks to save lives, not destroy them.  Praise the LORD for His goodness and the Gospel, for Jesus is our refuge.

Enter In and Receive

God has provided the scriptures so we might learn of Him, to walk in His ways and grow.  The Bible is much more than an accurate account of history but provides examples for us to observe wisely and heed ourselves.  Paul explained how the past experiences of others are useful for us to take to heart today in Romans 15:4:  "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."  God recorded the failings of His people so we might begin to comprehend His faithfulness and place our hope in God whose love is revealed by longsuffering patience.  The Bible details how God was true to His word and fulfilled promises He made to undeserving people by His grace.  People were fickle and forgetful, yet God remained good and faithful.

I was recently struck by what happened after God established the children of Israel in Canaan.  After the kings of nations were overthrown in Canaan, Joshua 18:1-3 reads, "Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. ² But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. ³ Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?"  God had delivered the children of Israel from Egypt and sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years.  He brought them into the promised land and miraculously subdued their enemies before them.  One might assume each tribe and family would be keen to take possession of the inheritance God promised to give them, yet 7 of the 12 tribes were content to camp at Shiloh around the tabernacle as they had during their lengthy pilgrimage.

The crazy thing is they had not even seen nor mapped out the area God would give them by lot.  Joshua continued in Joshua 18:4:  "Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me."  The tribes did as Joshua commanded in Joshua 18:9:  "So the men went, passed through the land, and wrote the survey in a book in seven parts by cities; and they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh."  People love free stuff, and this especially applies to free real estate.  Taking possession of the land would involve time-consuming effort and ongoing maintenance.  I expect the reluctance of the people to take possession of the land had much to do with their preference for comfort, familiarity, the close proximity to the tabernacle and the presence of God, and uncertainty and unknowns of what the future held.  A new level of personal responsibility would be required when they moved away from the national campsite and to their own plot on their own.  And there were still enemies and wild beasts in the land, potential threats to safety and family.  Perhaps it was just easier and simpler to keep things as they were:  at least they were no longer enslaved or trudging through wilderness.

Joshua, however, would not stand idly by and watch the children of God continue to congregate around the tabernacle in Shiloh when they had an inheritance from God to take possession of--an inheritance they had never even seen!  The children of Israel in this passage provide an example that applies well to the Christian life.  The Hebrews were content to be free of bondage in Egypt and to have the land conveniently subdued before them.  Many believers are well pleased to be born again, forgiven of sin, to receive the promise of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ--and are content to stop right there.  God had an inheritance for the Hebrews to enter into, plots of God's land provided by lot they were to work and cultivate, provide for their families and the service of the tabernacle.  Their daily lives and routines were to radically change because of new boundaries and horizons.  For Christians, God also has a place for us in the body of Christ were we are called to serve Him and one another in love.  God has given us the Holy Spirit who fills, comforts, teaches, and empowers us to do God's will.  I believe there are many things God has promised His born again children we also have yet to possess.  Like the Hebrews who had not even walked through or mapped the land God promised to give them, I suggest a great number of Christians have never perused or carefully examined the scriptures concerning the promises God has already given them to enter into today.

God has divine wisdom and spiritual gifts for believers in Christ to operate in now for the glory of His name and to edify the Body of Jesus Christ, the church.  Do you know what these gifts are?  In the epistle to the Galatians Paul contrasted the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.  You might be savvy to know varieties of fruit, plants and even their Latin names:  but would you recognise the fruit of the Spirit when you see it?  Are works of the flesh being culled and the fruit of the Spirit cultivated in your life today?  In His teaching Jesus gave His followers many commandments to follow and the New Testament is packed with "one another" commands which guide believers in how to love our brothers and sisters in Christ:  are you aware of these?  Have you mapped them out through experience?  Unlike the children of Israel who huddled by the tabernacle where the presence of God dwelt, under the new covenant in Christ's blood the Holy Spirit fills and accompanies us wherever He sends us as the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Some of the believers in the early church did not understand the implications of this, and it is entirely possible we do not either.

Brothers and sisters, let us not neglect to enter into the inheritance God has supplied us today by His grace.  It is true God has promised to provide us a home in the heavens with Him where righteousness dwells, yet today is the day to enter into the Gate of Righteousness by faith and obedience.  For all followers of Jesus Christ He has an abundant life to experience today.  There are enemies, obstacles, opposition, and hard work required, yet nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  Let not comfort or convenience hinder us from pressing on into the inheritance God has given us in Him, taking steps of faith in obedience to His word.  Let us refuse to shirk our responsibility to enter in, though we must climb a mountain, cut down a forest or displace fortified giants.  Caleb did so because the LORD helped Him, and God will help us--even we of little faith whose doubts are great.

Upheld and Carried by God

It is a great tragedy children and even older folks can be viewed as "burdens to society," a concept never put forth in the word of God who values and loves all people created in His image.  Those who appear strong and supportive in their prime of life can be gone in an instant, and this reminds us that health and strength of people with the most robust constitutions are limited and temporary.  Believers are called to carry one another's burdens, but we are also called to carry our own load.  It is when we are unable to carry our own load, small though it may be in comparison to others, that we realise we need God to carry us.

Do you know God promised to do this for His people?  Even whilst they were in the throes of idolatry, labouring needlessly to find favour with foreign gods when they were established and blessed by the living God, He reached out to them through the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah 46:1-4 reads, "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. ² They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. ³ "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: ⁴ even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."

God used a remarkable illustration to promise He would hold, carry and deliver them all their days.  The prophet described strong beasts of burden struggling under the weight of heavy carriages loaded down with idols that could not hear, see or do anything.  Where they were placed there they would remain and collect dust.  They would lose their shine as the precious metals corroded and the wood began to rot.  The weight of the idols was so great these bulls collapsed under the weight from exhaustion, and all their precious idols were taken.  God pictured himself in contrast to these weary beasts and dumb idols:  they perished in the worship of their idols, but God would carry and save them.

Consider the contrast between carrying a heavy idol of stone or wood and being carried by God to His intended destination!  A man took great pains to prepare a plot of ground or temple to adequately house the idol, ensure it was not exposed to the elements and did not tip over--and was not always successful.  God, on the other hand, lifted the burden off His people as He listened to them and acted for their good.  He was the One carrying them to safety, kept them upright and delivered them from destruction.  People guarded their idols which could be stolen, but no one could snatch God's people out of His hand.  We are called to be casting our burdens upon the LORD because He is able to bear them without being burdened by them, so great is His power to save and love for us.

Isn't it wonderful to know God stoops to carry us from the womb to our old age?  As recipients of such love and grace, let us joyfully walk in it no matter our season of life.  While we are upheld in His hands by faith we can fulfill our purpose to bear one another's burdens, for He is faithful.