Where do we keep God’s Word? Do we keep it in our bedroom next to our bed to read at night? Is it beside that place where we sit to rest so that in the quiet times we can contemplate it? Scripture tells us to keep God’s Word with us always, to bind it to our fingers as if it were our works, and to copy it onto our heart as a scribe might. The Word of God is meant to be with us always.
Where would we be without God’s amazing love, and mercy towards us? We would be lost to ourselves, and all of the anarchy, hatred, and violence that flows from us. We like to think that we are intrinsically good, but our actions indicate otherwise; we are sinful creatures who yield to sin and chaos. Without the incredible love towards us that prompted God to send his Son Jesus to die for our sins at the hands of this human chaos, and hatred, we would truly be lost. He redeems us and transforms us day by day with His love, mercy, and grace.
We are all sinners; you, me, all of us, but God sent His Son Jesus to cure this disease in us... to overcome the sin that plagues us. Yet you respond to me by saying: “You don’t understand, I have done terrible things, my sins are black as coal, I am unforgivable.” Well my friend, I am glad to hear you say that because it tells me that you realize the tragic power of sin in your life, but trust me when I say that you are not the worst of us, and even if you were, Jesus is greater than the sin in you. Every sinner has echoed your words... even the Apostle Paul.
When we achieve something without doing the work or abiding by the rules then we find that there is a hollow place in us where satisfaction, joy, and great peace should reside. It is the same in our faith, and the practice of our religion. Vying for a position of faith, or to be a board member, without being honest in our faith, or by seeking votes by subterfuge, leaves us wanting; we might be called a deacon, or be voted onto the board, but how are we left feeling as we stand before God? Men can’t see our heart, but God can, and He sees an emptiness there.
If we are to dwell with God in eternity we must be contrite regarding our sins, and our spirit must be found humble. If we are unrepentant, and haughty how can we possibly be as Jesus is, and in this way we will fall short of God’s desire that we be holy as He is Holy. In the course of our faith why do we shy away from being identified as holy? Are we afraid that we will fall short of such a lofty expectation and title? Well, fear not!
Second only to fear, doubt causes us to hesitate in our faith more than anything else. When God asks us to step out for Him, we may be reluctant to because we are afraid, but almost as likely as the feeling of fear, what freezes us in our tracks is doubt. When we are uncertain if He will act and see us through our tough spots it is very hard to take those bold steps of faith. Trusting in God requires that we defeat the doubt that is crippling us.
Do we characterize our relationship with God as one in which we fear Him? If not then perhaps we misunderstand the meaning of the word fear in relation to Him. Fearing God is not meant to convey the fact that we are afraid of Him... When we fear God we are giving Him our respect and reverence, for which He in return blesses us.
Our God is more than just strong, He is all powerful, and nothing is beyond His ability; nothing physically, spiritually, or mentally, is too great for Him to accomplish. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent... all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere. If He weren’t loving, good, merciful, and just, He would strike terror in every man, but in fact His goodness pervades all things... even our hearts when we are yet in sin. He sees enough good in us, that He reaches out to us through His Son Jesus to redeem us. He has made us in His image, and in our most decrepit state there is a touch of His goodness remaining within us; a glimmer of His hope, love, and goodness smolders there, enough that He will save us if we will open ourselves to Him.
Are we sorrowful today, and is the joy we once felt diminished, as our happiness is draining from us? Have we been brought low and find ourselves on our knees before God crying out for the relief that only He can provide? If this is true, and we are on our knees before Him, then we should view the trials which have brought us such pain to be joy, and our posture before Him an indication that our faith has been successfully tested.
We say these words all the time... “God is Great!”... but do we really understand what we are saying, or are we repeating them to relieve ourselves of the obligation required to grasp some mystery He has presented us? Or, maybe we use them as a way of dismissing a conversation someone wants to have regarding an amazing act of God in their life? Let’s explore the meaning of this phrase today, and why we shouldn’t use it lightly.
We always picture Heaven as a place filled with praise, the continuous sound of worship, and the smell of incense, but on occasion it is also silent, being filled with the Holy Silence of God. Sometimes silence comes with prayer, and everything becomes still except the smoke of our prayers themselves as they rise before God. Yes, what we pray as words on earth become much more in the spirit world... they become incense, and fill bowls made of gold, and spoken words become silent feelings.
We are told to go into every nation delivering the good news of Jesus Christ, but at the same time we are warned not to practice our righteousness before others; does this sound like a contradiction to you? How should we go about telling people of God, and Jesus without presenting ourselves as righteous? The answer is twofold, and rather simple... don’t make the message you are teaching, or preaching, appear to be about yourself, and secondly, conduct your personal life of faith in secret.
Are you a disbeliever in spiritual things? Do you shun God, and Jesus Christ? Do you lash out at those who do believe in them, and who lead lives of faith? I often asked myself why atheists were not satisfied with simply not believing, but had to enter into a personal war against faith, and people who did believe. Then in the midst of prayer I had an epiphany... their disbelief was fueled by a sense of unworthiness, and the feeling that they could never live a sin free life as God asked; so they struck out at that thing which they felt they couldn’t achieve. The sad truth is that they had no personal hope, or understanding of God’s mercy, and His grace that flows to them through Jesus.
In the time of Jesus, lambs being readied for sacrifice in the temple were wrapped in swaddling cloth at birth, and protected from harm during their lives so that they would be unblemished, and perfect sacrifices. These were special among all the lambs, and prepared for the sole purpose of atoning for sin. Jesus became such a Lamb for us, and He took on our sin; giving His blood that we would be purified and redeemed. So how do we look upon this man, our Lamb, in the aftermath of His sacrifice? Do we bless and honor Him in all we do? Do we place Him high above us with His Father, and hold Him in great esteem?
We spoke yesterday about seeking out quiet places to pray, and this is important if we are to be alone with God, and hear His voice as it speaks to us, but there is one more ingredient that we touched on briefly... a secret place. If we are highly sought out, and can’t find solitude otherwise we need to find a secret, or unknown, place where we will not be disturbed as we pray, a place where we can listen to God, and He can speak openly with us. Jesus wandered into the wilderness in the early morning hours to places that others were not privy to, and met God there.