Archive for March, 2022
A Secret Source of Strength
Psalm 31: 19 – 24
Jesus loves the hopeless. He loved Zacchaeus who was hopelessly lonely. He loved Mary Magdalene although demon possessed. He loved Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus died.
A sense of futile hopelessness is so foreign to the Lord that the word “hopeless” does not occur in the Bible.
Knowing human nature, our Lord realizes it exists and proposes an antidote. The Psalmist describes himself as a person for whom persons have set a snare and caught him in their net. Have you ever felt trapped, hopeless? Framed in such a feeling three release principles are noted.
Courage is noted in Psalms 31: 24a. This brings to mind what has been called Jesus’ favorite text: “Be of good cheer.” He said, “In this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer.”
Fear of conditions might cause some to try to retreat into the past or flee into the future, but reverence for God brings us to confront the current with courage. Almost anyone can show physical courage. It refuses to abandon convictions. Don’t be a moral turn-coat. The opposite of courage is not only cowardice, but conformity..
He will “strengthen your heart.” Heart is the Hebrew word for mind, purpose, intention, or insight.
If you have been mentally wandering these last few minutes come on back and fix your mind on what is about to be said. It is a revolutionary concept that can change your life. When our Lord says He will strengthen our heart He is saying He will help your brain, immune system, and hormones work together to your fullest advantage. All of this happens when the Lord is allowed to strengthen your heart by you thinking with the mind of Christ. That is, having His thought on each issue. Such positive thoughts impact all of your life.
Little wonder the Scripture says, “Man looks upon the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart.”
Your heart is further reference to the center of your intellectual, moral, emotional, and spiritual life. Is it right with God?
The third element is hope, which is the happy anticipation of good, favorable and confident expectation. Earnestly anticipating and expecting through experiencing delay and disappointment.
Little wonder God calls hope “the anchor of the soul.” (Hebrews 6:19 [NASB])
Hope realizes that it sometimes takes God time to work. It is the catalyst which makes divine ferment possible. It is the incentive which leads to unrealized perfection. Without hope man is less than a beast, he is a malfunctioning organism.
Doubts often slip into our lives like termites in a building. These termite-like thoughts eat away at our faith. This happens when:
* Things I think should not happen, happen.
* When things I think should happen don’t happen. Then what do you do?
* When things I think should happen NOW, happen later.
God knows what He is doing regardless of the waiting period.
These three things cause termites of doubt to work. It is then the All-Pro of termite extermination is needed. That is, hope.
“Saturday Review,” reported, “Hope …. is medicinal. This is not merely a statement of belief, but a conclusion proved by meticulously controlled scientific experiments.”
To be most effective this hope must be Christo-centric. Timothy expresses this in four all-inclusive words: “Christ Jesus our hope….” (I Timothy 1: 1).
Hope in the future fills the present with energy.
Can you say, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness?”
Why the Ten Commandments
There is some confusion regarding the application of Old Testament law in our day. Within our society is a movement known as the Christian Reconstructionist. Within every group there are extremists. Within this movement is a small minority who want to make the Old Testament laws the law of America today.
Strewn throughout the Books of Exodus and Leviticus are a total of 613 laws God gave Israel. These can be divided into three groups: civil law, ceremonial law, and the moral law or Ten Commandments.
Every nation has its civil laws. They are the laws by which a particular civilization is ruled. Israel’s ancient civil laws don’t apply to us today.
The ceremonial law related to personal and temple worship. They were rights and rituals that symbolized spiritual truths. Christ fulfilled these laws. That is the reason we aren’t sacrificing bulls today.
The third group of laws is the moral law, summarized in the Ten Commandments. They are relevant and applicable.
God gave us the law to give us liberty. The Ten Commandments give us great security. In L.A. there was a school playground bordered on two sides by busy streets. During recess children played right up against the buildings. A fence was built along the street. Thereafter, the children ran and played right up to the edge of the fenced-off street. The fence gave them safe guidelines and protection which gave them freedom. God’s law gives liberty.
With divine daring, God gave us the power of choice. He made us free and then gave us the Ten Commandments to keep us free. That is why He gave them.
“By the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3: 20)
Without the Ten Commandments we wouldn’t know we are sinners. Some critics say we would be better off without them. Not at all. We would still be sinners. We just wouldn’t know it, nor how to escape the horrible consequence of being sinners.
Romans 3: 19 notes one purpose of the law is that “all the world might become guilty.” Sounds depressing doesn’t it? In reality it is liberating. Even if we don’t know the law, we are guilty of violating it.
Next you were told of the law you violated. You were guilty of driving 75 miles an hour in a speed zone clearly marked for a blind children’s convention. The penalty was clearly noted on the speed zone sign. You are guilty, but didn’t know it.
Suppose a rich friend offered to pay a $1,000 speeding ticket for you. First, you would be amazed to learn you had such a violation. You had violated the law, you didn’t know it, but you were still responsible for the violation.
Good news! Upon going to court you are amazed to learn someone has already paid your fine.
The purpose in teaching and preaching the law is to tell people they (1) have broken the law, (2) what the penalty is, (3) and that someone, Christ, has paid the penalty for them.
Does Character Count: Part Two
ROMANS 5: 1 – 4
Aristotle, the godfather of Greek philosophy, asserted human behavior can be shaped, that certain behaviors are helpful for individuals and society.. The Greeks identified four cardinal virtues:
PRUDENCE, JUSTICE, COURAGE, and TEMPERANCE.
Though there are many attributes of those who can come into God’s presence, let’s concentrate on these four. Consider developing these four character traits. Look for them in others and model them.
We live by stories. Your life is a story being lived out. Your autobiography would be your story.
I. PRUDENCE
Prudence is practical wisdom that leads to good choices and results in successful living. Certain self-imposed tests of a decision are practical.
A. Acceptability: Will this please my Lord?
B. Benefit: If this is known, will it cause my friends
embarrassment?
C. Consequences: Am I prepared to live with the outcome?
II. JUSTICE
Justice centers on acts of fairness, honesty, and the rules of law.
Psalm 15: 2 gives three descriptive terms for such a person:
“He walks uprightly…” This is one translation of the Hebrew word for “integrity.” (vs. 2a). He leads an uncorrupted life.
“And works righteousness…” (Vs. 2b). He does what is right.
“He speaks truth from his heart…” (Vs. 2c).
This type of person tells the truth plain and simple. He doesn’t have a personal glossary of terms as defined by himself. He doesn’t play word games. He avoids semantical sand traps.
An old Hebrew translation of this is: “One who doesn’t trip over his own tongue.”
The person who pleases God is defined: “He swears to his own hurt and does not change.” What he says he will do even if it is challenging or costly to do.
III. COURAGE
Psalm 15 closes with assurance: “He who does these things shall never be moved.” Certain character gives stability and consistency.
A sense of justice is of no use if we don’t have the courage of our convictions..
IV. TEMPERANCE
Temperance, the fourth Greek virtue, means self-control.
In the New Testament one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control.
Psalm 15 closes with assurance: “He who does these things shall never be moved.” Certain character gives stability and consistency.
5 began with a question and ends with a promise. Psalm 15 closes with assurance: “He who does these things shall never be moved.” Certain character gives stability and consistency.
Does Character Count: Part One
Romans 5: 1- 4
Jesus dealt with a cast of characters as diverse as we. He provided for all the potential of peace with God in time and for eternity. In time He inspired hope and for eternity. He enabled the love of God to be shared.
It is through the most circuitous route that He leads us to build our character. The path is marked for us:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:1 – 4)
Character traits were once the words used when persons were spoken of. People were described as persons of character. Words such as, honesty, integrity, truthful, and dependable were used.
Gradually the operative word changed from character to personality. Charming, cool, funny, and outgoing became the vocabulary.
How can it be said that character doesn’t count in a world full of “oughts” and “shoulds?” Frequently in Scripture the expression “ought to” is used. It means what we “ought” to do is for our good and God’s glory.
Every ought is
rooted in a value;
every value requires
a choice; every choice
defines a character.
Character isn’t something you have; it is something you are that inevitably shows itself in what you do.
As a child I learned the axiom: “Reputation is what people think you are. Character is what you know you are.”
Yet another: “Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself.”
And another: “Only you can damage your character.”
When people think of you, what type of character is envisioned? Take a hard introspective review and ask yourself what type of character you know yourself to be. If that character were revealed would it be an embarrassment to you? Now determine for the two images to be one. Do that in light of this.
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Your Sure Refuge
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9: 9 – 10
The Hebrew word translated “oppressed’ can be rendered “crushed.” It means to be cut off from any hope of deliverance. It is distress amplified to mean despair. The idea is He is sufficient for your greatest need.
Has that ever described you? There are many forms of oppression; both from man and from Satan oppression comes to us. In all its forms, a refuge is provided by the Lord Jehovah.
Fortresses and certain cities were refuges in Old Testament times. You could enter them and enjoy their protection. So it is with the Lord. Concede you are going to have trouble. It is equally certain that when you do you can go to the Lord seeking and receiving His guidance as a refuge.
We can find refuge in seeking God, in knowing His name. To know His name is equivalent here to learning God’s character as made known by His acts.
To know the Name of God is to know him according to his historical conduct. When we face difficult times, we must resist self-pity, trusting that God knows what’s best for us and can use even our hard experiences for good.
To know the Name of God in Old Testament times meant to believe in God’s Word and trusting His promises. In Old Testament days those who “knew the name of God” were credited with righteousness. They were saved by grace through faith in the coming Lord.
How precious we can say, “I know the ‘unknowable’ name of YHWH.” His name is Jesus. He is truly a gracious God, full of loving-kindness and goodness. His record shows it.
Do you believe your God is almighty? If so, you can know He will shepherd you and provide all my needs. He is my peace even in the darkest day of despair. I will rest my case with Him. On Christ the solid rock I stand even if all other ground is sinking sand.
When difficult times come, and they will, you can rely on this promise. Don’t act like this promise is true, act because it is true.
Frame these truths and hang them on the hall of your mind, pass by them frequently, and reflect on them. He is your strong and mighty refuge. When cut off from all hope, don’t despair, He is there. The word despair means to quit, to give up. Don’t, simply put your trust in Him. Don’t camp in the desert of despair.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5)