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I've said this before - this is not the entry I intended to post today. Actually, this is two days late. My daily scripture reading includes one Psalm every day, and the one I read a couple days ago aligned with my life perfectly, as if the Lord himself had me in mind when he inspired the author to write it several thousand years ago. Laura and I have been going through a significant, and at times emotionally exhausting trial, for almost exactly one year now. One full year!! There have been days in the last year where I've been sadder than I've ever known possible, thanks to this trial. But Lord, I'm not complaining! I recognize there have been benefits as well. Deep, spiritual and relational benefits. I can honestly say that I've never appreciated Laura in my life as much as I do today, and that appreciation continues to grow! Also, worshiping God has taken on new dimensions of depth as I've continued to acknowledge his sovereign lordship in the midst of this trial. He is still my Lord and Savior, after all, and he will be glorified regardless, or possibly even because, of my difficult external circumstances in this life. I don't think I've ever posted an entire chapter from the Bible before, but I'm gonna do it today. It is scripture after all, and I'm certain that I'm not the only one this applies to. Lord, may others experiencing similar trials read your words here today and find comfort. In Jesus' name, amen. Psalm 17 A prayer of David. 1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 May my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right. 3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though you test me, you will find nothing;
I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. 4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of your lips
I have kept myself
from the ways of the violent. 5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped. 6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me. 10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance. 11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a great lion crouching in cover. 13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;
rescue me from the wicked by your sword. 14 O LORD, by your hand save me from such men,
from men of this world whose reward is in this life.
You still the hunger of those you cherish;
their sons have plenty,
and they store up wealth for their children. 15 And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
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13:13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
Jesus suffered in humiliation on the cross, for us, outside of the city. The writer of Hebrews calls us to “go to him” and share in his “disgrace”. How long did I try to live after pleasure and comfort inside the camp, while at the same time professing allegiance to my Lord who was on the outside?
Deep down, surely we must all know that we can never enjoy the “best of both worlds.” There is no middle ground (as the author of the commentary I am reading on Hebrews pointed out). We must make a choice between the earthly or the heavenly, the temporary or the eternal.
Is it my desire to exalt Jesus FULLY? Am I willing to leave EVERYTHING behind in order to go to him, outside the camp?
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7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
I have come to realize that habits do not necessarily come from the heart. Habits are patterns of behavior, speech, or thought that are often completely unlinked from the desires of our hearts.
After I came to this realization, I remembered the peculiar verse above. In this verse, the writer indicates that the things he wants to do he doesn’t do, and the things he doesn’t want to do he does!! He reveals a struggle between his heart and something else, something scripture calls our “flesh”. So it’s heart vs. flesh!
Many of the habits of our “flesh” are destructive to ourselves, our relationships, our Christian witness, etc. As I have seen frequently, bad habits can continue to plague Christians long after they make clear their desire to follow Jesus. These folks don’t need to be shamed, warned, or hit over the head with the Bible. They know their actions are displeasing to the Lord! Heck, their actions are displeasing to themselves! (Remember, the heart is at war the flesh!)
Those who give up the fight and cede victory to the flesh may continue to engage in their habits in secret. This can be a HUGE distraction to fully giving one’s heart to the Lord! Sometimes the inability to change even causes believers to completely throw in the towel and give up on the Christian life totally. Bible thumping condemners only confirm their decision.
I’ve dealt with my own destructive habits, and in some areas the fight continues. I could probably write a book on the feelings of self condemnation I have gone through over the years. Fortunately those days are mostly over.
So what is the solution? There may be a few, but a good one I’ve found is accountability. We need to open our lives to one or more other believers. It’s always harder to walk alone!!
We need to institute external controls for our behavior, as a way to discourage bad behaviors and train the new behaviors that are needed. Accountability doesn’t fully address the heart behind our behaviors, but by encouraging and supporting new, healthy behaviors, it can remove the awful distractions from a deep heart relationship with God that bad habits can present.
That is what I have discovered, at least.
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Now I see the vastness of the difference between giving to others out of selfish motivations, and giving FULLY in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If I am giving because it benefits ME in some way (prestige, good favor, affirmation, self-righteousness, etc.) there is always the potential that my “giving” can actually do harm, even more harm than good. I’m talking about giving my time, my words, my money, my talents, etc.
But when, or IF (and a big IF at that), I submit FULLY to the Lord, what I give will have come FULLY from God, and will be all God, not me. My time, my words, my money, my talents, ALL become HIS time, HIS words, HIS money, HIS talents, etc. Giving my ALL to God first guarantees that ALL I give to others will have come from God. It logically makes sense!
How far I’ve come, from when I thought I could live my own life, and give God just a little bit off the top, keeping the rest, and the best, for myself. In truth, I still have far to go. But I am making definitely progress.
29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
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Ever wonder what it takes to be spiritual? Recently I wondered what makes one person more spiritual than another. (NOT that I am in the practice of comparing myself w/others....actually someone else compared themself to me in a very demeaning way.)
After examining the criteria most often used to assess one’s level of spirituality, I discovered that the measures most often used might not be so dependable after all. So who is really spiritual???
Is it the person who prays and fasts often? Maybe not - see Luke 18:10-12.
Surely it’s the person who tithes and gives exceedingly? Maybe not - see Mark 12:41-43.
How about the person who frequently does good deeds? Maybe not - see Rev. 2:2-5.
How about those who diligently study scripture and know the right doctrines? Maybe not - see John 5:39-40.
Or how about those with the strongest faith, who never doubt? Maybe not - see James 2:19.
Surely it must be those who speak or pray in “tongues”? Maybe not - see 1 Cor. 13:1.
When I see people like these, it’s hard not to admire their “spirituality”! But when I read the scriptures referenced, I see that none of these criteria are proof of true spirituality. In fact, believing that these things make a person spiritual more likely sets us up to be fooled!!
So who is really spiritual??? Fortunately, there is at least one place in the Bible where dependable criteria for true spirituality are given. In fact, the truly spiritual person is even contrasted with the unspiritual, as the author gives two very distinct lists.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Gal. 5:19-21)
But on the contrary...
... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
Here we see acts of the sinful nature contrasted with the outworkings of the Holy Spirit. See that? Nature is contrasted with Spirit, fallen nature with super-natural, unholy self versus Holy Spirit. And don’t think people can’t see who is winning on the inside, either! Surely the spiritual person is the one in whom the Holy Spirit reigns, the one whose thoughts, words, and actions are controlled by, or born from, the Spirit. The greater the Spirit’s control, the more spiritual (Spirit-like) the person. Isn’t this what the Bible is teaching?
Conversely, the person whose words and behavior resemble the acts of the sinful nature is decidedly un-spiritual, at least as long as they are behaving like that. There’s no denying the obvious. And if that’s what we see, we can bet that whatever they offer is poison to our soul.
So it’s safe to assume that some people aren’t as spiritual as they want us to think, while others are even more spiritual than they might have thought. As for the unspiritual man, words and actions really are a dead giveaway, practically speaking...
ps... I do not set out to "teach" anybody through this blog. But this is one time I would like to teach one person...
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