relationships (Psalm 119:65-72) Servant vs Victim or Hero

(Psalm 119:65-72) 

65 You have treated Your servant well,
     Lord, according to Your word.
66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
     For I believe in Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
     But now I keep Your word.
68 You are good and You do good;
     Teach me Your statutes.
69 The arrogant have forged a lie against me;
     With all my heart I will comply with Your precepts.
70 Their heart is insensitive, like fat,
     But I delight in Your Law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
     So that I may learn Your statutes.
72 The Law of Your mouth is better to me 
     Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We can be so overly-sensitive regarding anything that happens to us, yet so insensitive in several ways.  When we hyperfocus on ourselves and all trauma that we go through, we will tend to see ourselves as either the victim and/or the hero.  Therefore, we will see all others as the (potential) villains - including God!  And that kind of dangerous thinking leads to being angry at God, and ultimately hating God and anything that He says.

David valued God and His Law so much that he valued the time that he suffered, because it was a time when he could grow closer to the Lord and have a better understanding of His word.  If we say that we trust in God and that He is always there for us and that His word is truth, but never go through anything, or never really live according to His truth, how can we actually say or know this?  Where would be our proof?  

Over all the years, in my personal relationship with the Lord, I can see how and where He worked in my life as a result of me daring to trust in what He says.  Even and especially through struggles!  Every time I completely focus on the Lord, submit myself to Him and His will, desiring to be His servant, and humbly asking for His help... His blessings, and His answers to my prayers are so very evident.  Therefore, it is to our benefit that we consider every trial as an opportunity to learn and grow in our faith and knowledge of God, as well as put into practice our trust and dependency upon on Him for everything.  In this, we will see the immeasurable value of the Lord's commandments.

relationships (Psalm 119:1-8) Living By Truth

(Psalm 119:1-8) 

1   Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
     Who walk in the Law of the Lord.
2   Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies,
     And seek Him with all their heart.
3   They also do no injustice;
     They walk in His ways.
4   You have ordained Your precepts,
     That we are to keep them diligently.
5   Oh that my ways may be established 
     To keep Your statutes!
6   Then I will not be ashamed 
     When I look at all Your commandments.
7   I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
     When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8   I will keep Your statutes;
     Do not utterly abandon me!

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Right now, there is a popular philosophy growing, even throughout our churches, especially in those who claim they are "progressive", which distorts and diminishes God's words in order to please themselves and others.  They reason that, since God is love, God accepts everyone just as they are, and therefore everyone is going to heaven.  THEREFORE, they can do just as they please and live by their worldly thinking and fleshly desires.  And although they believe that they can live "by their own truths" and that they are "good enough" and try to be good (here and there), no one is "good enough" to get to heaven on their own merits.

God's unconditional love does not incorporate unconditional acceptance!  Let us not restrict our thinking that God's character is limited to being some form of flippantly fickle love!  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin.  God is righteous and just, and therefore cannot have a relationship with what is wrong.  When most people hear that "they are sinners and are going to hell", it's understandable that they feel offended and rejected.  One has to be willing to hear and understand that we are all born in sin, which separates us from God.  But that is only the bad news.

The good news is this - God does love us - whether we reject Him or accept Him and His will.  And because God loves us so very much - He desires that all come to know Him.  Because He wants a personal relationship with us, He came to earth, born in flesh, to be both fully man and fully God, in order to take on all the punishment which is meant for us.  He died in our place, and shed His blood to cover all sin, and then rose again to conquer death.  All we have to do is humbly recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior and accept His free gift of salvation and forgiveness, which frees us from sin and death, gives us eternal life, and reconciles us to God.

What is also interesting, is that people are offended when they hear that they are not going to heaven unless they become Christians which is only available through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Another popular philosophy is that God has many names (that all gods are God), and that there are many ways to God.  Just think about all the inconsistencies in this reasoning!  Meanwhile people will so easily claim that there are inconsistencies within the Bible itself - without any evidence - - - because there is none!.  Many people have tried to find errors in the Bible, but come to realize that the Bible is the infallible word of God!  In fact, they soon realize that there is (historical and scientific) evidence which supports the Bible being 100% true.

Here is more proof of God's perfect love, that He doesn't just leave us hopelessly wandering about in this life with aimless direction.  God speaks to us very clearly in His word, so we can understand Him better, and get along in life in the best way possible.  Because He loves us and wants the best for us, He guides us towards that - AND - helps us do that!  Besides changing us from the inside out, and sealing us with His Holy Spirit of promise as soon as we become believers, when and as we ask Him, He works in and through us, in His strength and wisdom.  We receive His peace, comfort and joy.  There alone are great blessings!

As we diligently strive to live in God's will according to His word, we will not be ashamed.  As we are living in such a way to please Him, He blesses and establishes us in various ways!  Therefore, we will be at a point in our spiritual walk with the Lord that it will not matter to us if anyone does make fun or look down on us (because there will always be those people who simple choose not to understand).  And no matter what we are feeling or no matter what happens around us or to us - we will know that God is always with us - because God's word is truth and God's word tells us so!!!

relationships (Job 4:7-5:27) Knowing Truth Will Recognize Lies

 (Job 4:7-21) 

7  “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
     Or where were the upright destroyed?
8   According to what I have seen, those who plow wrongdoing
     And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9   By the breath of God they perish,
     And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
     And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,
     And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12 “Now a word was brought to me secretly,
     And my ear received a whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting thoughts from visions of the night,
     When deep sleep falls on people,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
     And made all my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit passed by my face;
     The hair of my flesh stood up.
16 Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
     A form was before my eyes;
     There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can mankind be righteous before God?
     Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 He puts no trust even in His servants;
     And He accuses His angels of error.
19 How much more those who live in houses of clay,
     Whose foundation is in the dust,
     Who are crushed before the moth!
20 Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
     Unregarded, they perish forever.
21 Is their tent-cord not pulled out within them?
     They die, yet without wisdom.’

(Job 5:1-27) 

1  “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
     And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2   For irritation kills the fool,
     And jealousy brings death to the simple.
3   I have seen the fool taking root,
     And I cursed his home immediately.
4   His sons are far from safety,
     They are also oppressed at the gate,
     And there is no one to save them.
5  The hungry devour his harvest
     And take it to a place of thorns,
     And the schemer is eager for their wealth.
6   For disaster does not come from the dust,
     Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7   For man is born for trouble,
     As sparks fly upward.

8  “But as for me, I would seek God,
     And I would make my plea before God,
9   Who does great and unsearchable things,
     Wonders without number.
10 He gives rain on the earth,
     And sends water on the fields,
11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
     And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
     So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 He captures the wise by their own cleverness,
     And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they meet with darkness,
     And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from the sword of their mouth,
     And the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So the helpless has hope,
     And injustice has shut its mouth.

17 “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines,
      So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18  For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;
      He wounds, but His hands also heal.
19  In six troubles He will save you;
      Even in seven, evil will not touch you.
20  In famine He will redeem you from death,
      And in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
      And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 You will laugh at violence and hunger,
     And you will not be afraid of wild animals.
23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
     And the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
     For you will visit your home and have nothing missing.
25 You will also know that your descendants will be many,
     And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to the grave at a ripe age,
     Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
     Hear it, and know for yourself.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Eliphaz was correct in saying that God brings justice, but where he was wrong was that this justice may not be immediate.  And the ultimate justice will come during the Tribulation, during the Millennium, and then at the White Throne Judgement.  And for any believers in the Lord, all our sins have been forgiven, therefore we will never be punished, although here on earth, as we sin, God will discipline us (His children) in order to get us back on track.  But we don't only suffer because of our own sin, we will suffer because of other people's sins, and as in Job's case here, it is a test from God.

Therefore, Eliphaz was incorrect in saying that only those who sin will suffer.  If he had read any scripture in detail, he would see that the innocent do go through trials.  Another error that Eliphaz made was listening to the demon's message (in verse 4:17).  Eliphaz fell right into Satan's trap!  Then, instead of encouraging Job, he helped to do Satan's job in trying to discourage and distract Job.  Eliphaz even questioned if Job would call out to God or to an "angel" or to other god/s.

The angels have already made their eternal decisions.  Satan took about a third of them with him, and they are considered fallen angels, evil spirits, demons... and by the way, they are all liars.  God's holy ones, His angels, remain obedient to Him as they carry out their various ministries.  We are to only pray to God, and not angels.  But if we ever hear a message from a spiritual being - test the spirit!  If it aligns with God's word, then it is a message sent from God.

As Satan and his demons want to keep people from following God, a popular strategy of theirs is to make accusations about believers being unworthy.  It is true that no one in their own efforts can have a personal relationship with God, but that is only part of the message.  The complete message is of hope - that - because of Jesus' work on the cross, anyone who believers in Him is saved and redeemed.  And because of His grace, we cannot lose our salvation! 

The believer is made righteous and pure in Christ, and is promised eternal life!  But for Eliphaz to imply that anyone who followed God would have a perfect life here on earth is very misleading.  Job was not only a believer already, but in chapter 1, God was saying how righteous Job was.  As well, no where in the Bible does God promise His followers a perfect life here on earth (before the Millennium).  In fact, we are promised that there will be trials and tribulations.

Satan loves to take God's words and twist them, so it is to our great benefit that we study and know God's words while seeking a close relationship with Him!  To know truth helps us to recognize lies.  In recognizing lies we will know when to stop in our tracks and get back to following the Lord's will... 

(James 4:7) Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

relationships (Nehemiah 6:1-19) Friend or Foe?

(Nehemiah 6:1-19)  Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach was left in it, although at that time I had not installed the doors in the gates, 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 Then they sent messages to me four times worded in this way, and I answered them with the same wording. 5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written: “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; for that reason you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. 7 You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let’s consult together.” 8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Nothing like these things that you are saying has been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” 9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, God, strengthen my hands.

10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let’s meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” 11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And who is there like me who would go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I realized that God certainly had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, that I would become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could taunt me. 14 Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in accordance with these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets, who were trying to frighten me.

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence, and were reporting my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In the face of adversity, no matter what kind of threats were made or what kind of stories and lies were circulating, Nehemiah did not stop doing God's work.  He did not fight, or run and hide.  He didn't even say something that would antagonize or taunt his enemies, but kept his responses very respectful.  He also didn't lie in order to appease or placate the matter.  Instead, he asked God to strengthen his hands... so he could continue the work that God directed him to do, until it was completed.

There are times when we won't be sure who is a friend or who is an enemy, especially when friends make mistakes that are "sincere" but sincerely wrong.  It is so easy to believe that something is "right".  One can get that feeling, even after praying and looking at God's word.  Especially when we only search the Bible to look for verses that will support our preferences or desires.

This has happened to me when I found myself in the midst of an issue.  There were Bible verses that SEEMED to support what I WANTED to do, but I had taken them out of context.  It took a while for me to remember other verses in the Bible that made it very clear.  I wasn't in the wrong as far as knowing what God said on the matter, but I was wrong in how I wanted to respond!  So, it was a good thing I hadn't gone and shot off my mouth, like I was intending.  I remained respectful, and along with some others, spent more time in prayer.  Not long after, there was peace as some of the self-righteous troublemakers left the church, and some realized their mistakes, confessed and apologized.

As well, I have experienced adversities where people ("friends") were trying to sabotage or distract me from doing God's will... but I have also thought or done things to sabotage or distract myself.  When we say things to get people off our backs, or say things to ourselves to justify our choices, like, "I've just got to live my own truth" or "Truth is what you make it" - we are lying to ourselves!!!

Truth is truth.  What we feel, think or believe does not impact what truth actually is.  Therefore, the key to righteous living is to just keep going back to God!   When something comes up, measure that against what God says in His word.  If it is not from God, do not let it sway, distract or impact you.  Understand that there will be enemies, and that a friend can become a foe, and that we can even be our own foe!  So, to be a better friend to others and ourselves, understand that the Lord is the best friend we can ever have!  He is faithful and He is truth.  Therefore, keep pursuing and trusting God and His truth!