2007-04-20
Good Morning Cherished of God,
We continue the discussion of materialism by asking two important questions: Whose opinion about provision matters most? Do you believe in God's promises? To answer these questions, begin with prayer. This is the one that I prayed today. "O Lord, we thank you for all the needs that You have met in our lives. We come before Your throne with praise for You and with a request for Your help in putting the circumstances of our lives in Your perspective. Thank You for the Scriptures and prayer. We will quiet ourselves and listen to You speak first. You are a gracious and generous God. We seek to know You better. In Christ's mighty name, we pray. Amen."
There are some verses which are so very appropriate at a time like this. PS 119: 93, "I will never forget Thy precepts: for with them Thou hast quickened me." PS 51:2, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." And simply said: PS 27: 11, "Teach me how to live, O Lord." And one more which helps us come full circle: PS 70: 4, "Let Your worshippers celebrate and be glad because of You." Notice the except from PS 51 here. We begin and end this effort still being sinners, but our Lord teaches us to live lives of righteousness, if we confess our sins and open our hearts to the guidance given by the Holy Spirit [RO 10: 9-10]. We have already dedicated ourselves to willingness to study God's word and let Him reveal Himself to us through them. Of course, that includes learning His will and His teaching. Now, we must open ourselves to the truth that we are sinners and begin the hard task of expunging those sins from our lives. We're not the only ones to have needed this. Read the words of David written so long ago in PS 51: 10-12. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant a willing spirit, to sustain me." Those words may be familiar, but in this context they take on a relevance that applies to us all in this very materialistic society in which we live.
In my own past, I collected books and fabric [I love to sew] like there was no tomorrow. My own excesses in these areas came home to haunt me at the time Peter and I moved to much smaller quarters than we had been. It was hard as nails for me to get rid of ten boxes of my beloved books, but God knew this was an idol that had to be addressed in my life. These were donated to a local charity. Getting rid of most of the fabric was much harder. We simply didn't have the room to store all of it. This was done in a series of garage sales, times when I had to sit in our garage for eight hours on raw, cold days. It was a hard lesson for me. I still feel embarrassed when I think of how so many wonderful friends from church packed all these things for us before the move, because I was too ill to do it all, and Peter was at work. I still have many books left, and must admit that I read a lot. This was a hard lesson learned, but for me, a necessary one. I'm reminded of Christ's admonition in MT 7: 19-21 about storing our riches in heaven and not on earth.
In looking at the second question above, the one about believing in God's promises, each of us must answer it for himself. This is a faith issue, faith as defined in these two ways: HE 11: 1, "To have faith is to be sure of the things for which we hope, to be certain of the things we cannot see." And, that means, "Faith is taking God at His word..." from Les Feldick. In looking at the last one, "word" can be meant either as something spoken or written, or when capitalized, can mean Jesus Christ Himself. The second usage applies in JN 1: 1-4, for example. Either way, our faith comes from knowing and believing in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Does this mean that traditional Jews can't have faith? Certainly not, because they frequently use the word, "Eloheim," without understanding that this pleural Hebrew word refers to the Trinity. Christ, Yeshua, is there, but for now God has cast a veil in front of their eyes, so that they are temporarily rejecting Him. We know this is temporary because of RO 11: 25, which I hope you will review.
Now that we understand that believing God is a Promise-keeper is a faith issue, we are called upon to examine the status of our own faith that He will keep His promises. I can't help thinking of the perfection of Jesus Christ, revealed for all to behold, in His keeping of His promise to suffer and physically die, taking on the sins of the world on the cross so that others can be saved [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10]. I'm not ashamed to make reference to this highest act of keeping promises made in every devotion I write. As for God's love for us, how can we question it? After all, He gave us His only begotten Son on the cross and the Holy Spirit to dwell within all who believe. Imagine how we would feel watching our only child suffer like that for people who are your enemies at the time. It's almost too huge for us to understand! RO 5: 8-11, "But God has shown us how much He loves us-it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By His death we are put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by Him from God's anger! We were God's enemies, but He made us His friends through the death of His Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ life! But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has now made us God's friends."
PRAYER: O Lord, You are our Deliverer, our Strength and our Shield! You deliver us from sin and teach us not to store our riches on earth, but instead, in heaven. Then, when we study Your word and pray, allowing You to speak first, You reveal Yourself and Your will to us. We must dedicate ourselves to examining the issues of materialism in our own lives to see if and where there might be sinful excess. Lord, You are a loving, compassionate, and patient God, Who gives us the opportunity to inventory our material belongings and shows us how to ask: Is this item necessary? PS 37:11 puts these matters in Your perspective. "But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing, and shall have wonderful peace." PS 81: 10 reveals Your generosity. "I, the Lord, am your God, Who brought you out of Egypt. Open your mouth and I will feed you." Sometimes Your provision for us has been miraculous. PS 98:1, "Sing the Lord a new song, because he has done miracles. By His right hand and holy arm He has won the victory." While this is an OT verse, it clearly refers to the victory that Your Son, Jesus Christ, won for us all on the cross. We need never worry that grace is only for the select few. It is for anyone who is willing to listen and to believe in Jesus Christ. It is for anyone willing to repent of His sins. You are there for us, Dearest Abba, and You love us all. As for our needs, we hear Your words through Paul in PHIL 4: 19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs." There are plenty of times when Your teaching gives discernment in separating wants from needs. We must listen to it and act on it. We offer You are our thanks, praise, worship, and adoration in Christ's holy and mighty name. Amen.
Next week, we will finish up the discussion on these two questions and be reminded of five statements of faith we can believe. Yes, faith is the central issue, not only of this segment of messages on materialism, but also of every message I'm directed to write by the Holy Spirit. The whole idea is for us to examine why we should have strong and obedient faith in the Lord. There are so many reasons that I can't possibly enumerate them all here. He loves us like no other. IS 64: 4, "No one has ever seen or heard of a God like You, Who does such deeds for those who put their hope in Him." PS 105: 42-43, "For He remembered His sacred promises to Abraham, His servant. He brought His chosen ones singing into the Promised Land." HO 14: 9, "The Lord says, 'Bring My people back to Me. I will love them with all my heart; no longer am I angry with them.'" IS 54: 10, "The mountains and hills may crumble, but My love for you will never end; I will keep forever My promises of peace, 'so says the Lord Who loves you." PS 145: 14, 17-19, "The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all those who bow down. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him. He fulfills the desires of all who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them." And finally, 1 JN 4: 12, "No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." Food for thought? I would say so! If you are feeling loved, encouraged, and motivated, then I have written what the Holy Spirit directs.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn