On the Brink of Disaster, part 3

On the brink of disaster ... at the edge of the cliff ... on a slippery slope ... at death's door ... in the pit of hell … unbearable suffering, is this you?  Ever been there?  Ever felt that way? Are you there now?

Are you being tempted?  Or, are you being tested?  Is there a difference between the two, you may be thinking? Yes, there is a difference.  God tests us, satan tempts us. While satan tempts, God may use that circumstance as a test to strengthen us. Even in temptation, God has already provided a way of escape (see 1 Corinthian 10:13).  God cannot and does not send temptation (see James 1:13).  Both tests and temptations provide opportunity for us to be obedient to the Word of God. 

No matter whether you're being tempted or you're being tested, you can overcome and be victorious.  Resist the temptation, pass the test.  This is a reminder of another of God's precious promises found in 1 Peter 5:10.  "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."  What in your experience may seem like forever, God calls a little while.  Consider Joseph as an example.  He was in the dungeon one day and made second in command in a foreign land before that same day was over.  When God restores, He makes you complete and what you ought to be in His sight.  He plants your feet securely on solid ground.  He does the impossible in the presence of your enemies. And you say, thank you Father, thank you Jesus!

On the Brink of Disaster, part 2

Sometimes, we find ourselves not merely on the brink of disaster, we are actually in the fire.  Like the three Hebrew boys -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you may have been thrown into the fire.  Or you might have fallen into the fire.  Either way, you are in the fire.  Is all lost? Is victory or success now out of reach?  Are you in an impossible situation? Has the enemy won?  Does being in the fire represent the end? No, not so for the three Hebrew boys.  God is no respecter of persons. Would God do something for them that He'd not do for you?

The fire -- like the issues of our lives, like the storms we face -- may be so hot and intense that our enemies are burned and destroyed by the fire just as the soldiers were who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the door of the furnace.   But not us!  When you have been thrown into the fire, know that you will walk through it.  Your body will not be harmed.  Not a hair on your head will be singed. Your clothes will not be scorched.  You won't even smell like fire.  Really, you may be thinking.  Yes, really.  Read Daniel 3. 

Now guess what else.  Your promotion is on the other side of the fire.  How do I know that?  God's Word says so.  "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon" (Daniel 3:30).

On the Brink of Disaster

On the brink of disaster ... at the edge of the cliff ... on a slippery slope ... at death's door ... in the pit of hell, is this you?  Ever been there?  Ever felt that way? Are you there now?

"For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).  These words were given during the angel's pronouncement to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to a son even though she had never had sexual intercourse with a man, that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit -- all impossible she may have thought, impossible we think.  Her cousin Elizabeth, well beyond child bearing years and barren, was six months pregnant according to the angel's pronouncement -- impossible. 

Internal Revenue Service demanding full payment on past due taxes? Son dealing drugs? 14 year old daughter pregnant?  Home in foreclosure?  Eviction scheduled, nowhere to go?  Spouse walked out?  Cancer diagnosis?  Your job downsized?  Business bankrupt?  Car repossessed?  Child brutally murdered?  On the brink of disaster?  Enough is enough ... nowhere to turn.  Impossible situation? 

Is anyone of these an impossible situation for you?  Not if the Word of God is true.  And it is.  "For nothing is impossible with God." If you're facing a mountain, speak to it (see Mark 11:23). Is your situation any more difficult than Mary having to tell her fiance, Joseph, that she was pregnant? Or to tell her parents? What about if you were Mary's mother?  Or Joseph's father?  Or the church (synagogue) leaders?  Is your situation any more difficult than Mary witnessing the savage and brutal crucifixion of her son? Speak to your mountain.  Expect the impossible to be made possible in your circumstance, no matter what it is.  "For nothing is impossible with God."

What Does God Require, part 4

He has showed you, O man, what is good. 

‎And what does the Lord require of you? 

‎To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

‎Micah 6:8

What does the Lord require of you?  This scripture says to walk humbly with your God. Walk humbly with God, walk humbly before God, walk in humility.  My first thought -- what does God mean? What is humility?  Biblically speaking, humility is almost always used as a positive quality meaning lowliness or humbleness of mind.  Its opposite is pride which, biblically speaking, is almost always used in a negative sense of being proud, arrogant, haughty.

Obviously, God wants us to walk in humility, not in pride. In Numbers 12:3, God described Moses as the most humble, meek, gentle, kind man on the face of the earth (see AMP).   Can God look at your life and speak of you as He spoke of Moses?  On a scale of 1-10 -- 10 very humble, 1 not at all humble -- how humble are you? Consider this seven question test on true humility (see June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Pride and Humility).

1) Do you feel joy when others are honored?  2) Do you honestly and openly admit sin?  3) Do you seek truth from others regarding your weaknesses?  4) Do you accept criticism graciously?  5) Do you turn all worry, anxiety and concern over to the Lord? 6) Do you respond with humility when you have been replaced? 7) Do you pursue godliness in all that you do?

Can you answer yes to most of these questions?  If most of your answers are yes, you may have failed the test of true humility. God help us all to be more and more of what you require, to walk humbly with you and before you.

 

What Does God Require, part 3

He has showed you, O man, what is good. 

‎And what does the Lord require of you? 

‎To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

‎Micah 6:8

And what does the Lord require?  He requires that we love mercy, that we love kindness.  An often quoted, frequently stated prayer is "Lord, have mercy."  Consider a time when you might have said the very same words. What was going on in your life at that very moment?  What were you asking God for?  What did you need God to do? In place of giving him all the details, the words "Lord, have mercy" were adequate.  There was no need to say more. And what happened?  The Lord showed you mercy through the acts of others.

As God's mercies are new to us every morning, so should our mercies to others be the same.  We are challenged to be like hose pipes.  As God's mercies flow into our lives, so must those mercies flow through us into the lives of others.  Just as water flows from its source into and through the hose pipe, so too should the mercies of God flow in and through our lives.  Should water flow into the hose pipe and not out the other end, what happens? The hose pipe will burst open.  It cannot contain the water.  So too with us, nothing out, no more in.  No new mercies can flow in.  We become less and less useful to God and to His people who come across our paths.

"Lord have mercy" on me so that I may have mercy on, show loving-kindness to, all before me.  Which comes first -- my receiving mercy or my giving mercy? No wonder the Lord requires us to love mercy.

 

What Does God Require, part 2

‎He has showed you, O man, what is good. 

‎And what does the Lord require of you? 

‎To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

‎Micah 6:8

And what does the Lord require of you? One thing is to act justly ... do justice ...  do justly.  No matter what situation or circumstance we encounter, at all times, on every occasion, we are called to act justly.  You may be thinking, is this like doing the right thing? Yes, it is.  Sometimes, knowing the right thing to do or how to respond justly and with fairness is just not clear.  We may just not know, or not have enough time to think about it.

Consider King Solomon whom God described as the wisest man who ever lived. See 1 Kings 3:16-28 for this story. Two prostitutes came before him.  Both had given birth to sons three days apart.  One baby died during the night as his mother rolled over on him.  Each argued that the live child was hers. What was he to do? Who to believe? How to act justly?

King Solomon called for a sword and ordered that the living child be cut in two. Half would be given to one and half to the other.  The woman whose son was alive, filled with compassion, responded: “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” The other responded: “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” 

In the king's ruling lay the wisdom from God to act justly. “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”  Now your question may be, will God give little ole, plain and ordinary me the wisdom to act justly in every way, at all times, on all occasions, no matter what's going on? Yes, He will! So go forth in the power of God doing what God requires of you.  Act justly!!!

What Does God Require, part 1

‎He has showed you, O man, what is good. 

‎And what does the Lord require of you? 

‎To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

‎Micah 6:8

Through His Word, God has shown us what is good and what He requires in every situation and circumstance, and with every relationship.  We are faced daily with so many choices. God quietly shows us in His Word what is good.  The world blares out and bombards us with its notions of what is good.  All too often, the two ways are in conflict.  When the two are in conflict, what choice do you most often make?  Is it good the world's way or is it good God's way?  Favored words from my pastor -- life is choice driven; we live and we die by the choices we make.  To help us with the many choices before us may be a continuing focus on the question -- if Jesus were in my shoes, what would He do? To answer that question knowingly requires that we be disciples, i.e., students of the Word. 

My friend, with whom I've shared many meals eating the world's way, has recently had open heart surgery.  One good thing I can do to assist recovery is deliver a meal once per week. What should that meal be?  Convenient fast food? Home cooked, deep fat fried, over salted, over sugared foods we've always enjoyed? What would Jesus do?  Another friend is dating a married man.  How would Jesus respond to my friend?  Yet another friend has joined what I believe to be a cult and is now inviting me to check it out.  How do I respond?  How would Jesus respond?  Another friend has been dating this wonderful man who is now pressuring her to have sex to show that she really loves him.  She's asking what would I do.  Will my response be the Jesus response?  How do you discipline your children, God's way or the world's way?  Surely God can understand that my living expenses must be covered before a tithe can be paid to the church.  My friend trips over her foot and falls in my home, breaking her ankle.  With no insurance, she wants me to pay her full medical expense and will sue me if I don't do so. How would Jesus respond?

Good the world's way or God's way?  Which will it be for you?