2014-01-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I was led to write about what people who resist faith in Christ miss. They don’t realize what is the work of the devil and what is not. Nor do they understand that believers in Christ are given the same power to fend off the devil that the Father used to raised our Lord Jesus from death to eternal life [EPH 1: 18-20]. There is spiritual evidence of the truth of the Gospel in salvation [JN 3: 16], eternal forgiveness [1 JN 1: 9], justification [RO 4: 3], and reconciliation [1 PET 3: 18]. There is also physical evidence of the truth of the Bible in archeological evidence found in such places as Jericho [JS 6: 15-17], etc. We were reminded that Christ prays for us with the citation of LK 17: 21, the urgency for unbelievers to come to faith, and for all of us to be live “in Christ,” being obediently faithful to our God.
This week, I am to write about how the Lord’s enemies are our enemies, because of our covenant partnership. We need to consider not only the criteria for selecting our human leaders, but also why we should believe in Christ as our Eternal Leader. We must learn to think in the greater eternal context. PS 62: 7-8, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our Refuge.” Christ’s words, in JN 7: 18, are illuminating. “He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the One Who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” These are powerful words, words which place light on the difference between a human-centered world and a God-centered one. Our church is doing a three-year program called “Greater,” which is based on JN 3: 30, “He [Jesus] must become greater, I must become less.” Both these verses express something that is hard for us to do, because it goes against our outer fleshly desires. However, we have been created to do this-to listen to the prompting of the inner spiritual self, the Holy Spirit in us. If God, our Covenant Partner, has no evil in Him (which this author believes is true), then as His human covenant partner, we should feel obligated to model our thoughts and behavior after His. God hates evil, and so should we!
Christ has told us, in JN 15: 15, that He is willing to give His life for His friends, and we are His friends [see also RO 5: 9-11]. This is not the only place Christ has told us that. JN 10: 9, 11, and 14-15 deserve our attention. “I am the Gate; whoever enter through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture…I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep…I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me--just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep.” The question begs asking: Are we willing to lay down our lives for our Covenant Partner? Furthermore, are we willing to put ourselves on the front lines and witness to the unbelievers around us who will listen, to those around us whose faith needs strengthening for Him? Only each individual can truthfully answer these questions for themselves. Please prayerfully consider them.
Our God is wise, beyond the wisdom of any human. Once again Christ weighs in, JN 12: 49-50, “For I did not speak of My own account, but the Father Who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” Wouldn’t we want a Leader guiding us who has these qualifications added to always being true? HE 4: 12-13, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” These criteria apply eternally, not just to earthly life. HE 13: 8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And what should be our attitudinal prayer? Consider PS 90: 12, “Teach us to number our days alright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
During WW II, there were two human leaders who showed godly direction in their decisions. One of the was Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, when he planned the risky, but necessary, D Day Invasion in 1944. This leader knew the chance of losing many good soldiers on Utahand Omahabeaches was high, but had to have the courage to order this move for the greater good in liberating Europefrom the Nazis. My own father-in-law drove a tank in this invasion and never spoke about the horrific scene there for the ensuing 60 years until the last two days of his physical life. Yet the alternative would have been unthinkable. The other human leader was Harry S. Truman, who had the unenviable task of deciding whether or not to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshimaand Nagasakifor the greater good of getting the Japanese to surrender. Neither decision could have been made without courage and God’s intervention. God’s courage has been seen over and over again in the Bible. The greatest incidence of this came in His decision to sacrifice His only Son, Jesus, so that believing mankind could be saved for eternity [JN 3: 16]. We are blessed beyond measure that our God, our Covenant Partner, had this kind and extent of courage.
PRAYER: O Lord, we plead for You to give us the wisdom we need to make decisions that will serve us well in the long-term, to teach us to think in the eternal perspective. We make this plea, because we know that only You have the patience, compassion, and wisdom that we seek. You are omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. It is with greatest awe and reverence that we approach Your throne, knowing from EPH 3: 12, that we an do so with freedom and confidence. You deserve our utmost respect and loyalty. It doesn’t come naturally for us to ideate in the eternal perspective, but it is from You that we learn to do that –through prayer and Your word. Our need is to consider not only the intellectual wisdom of Your teaching, but also the ethical foundation of it. We learn from 2 TIM 3: 16-17 the reasons why daily study of Your word is so important. “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The ethical foundation You give us is essential to making right decisions, ones carefully considered for their long-term ability to stand the test of time and to bring Your goodness to an increasingly evil-spirited earth. As You separate the sheep from the goats [MT 25: 32], we hope and pray that our decisions and actions can places us firmly with the sheep-those You will take back to Your side in Your perfect time for an eternal life in heaven with You. We trust Your compassion to protect us from harm and to bring us through the trials ahead. We offer You our praise and thanks for being here with us. All these prayers we say in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
NEXT WEEK: While we looked at the question of criteria for our heavenly leader this week, next week I’m led to write about the cross as a permanent reminder of what our Covenant Partner actually did for us in the sacrifice of His physical life on it. As humans with all our foibles and weaknesses, it’s too easy for us to forget or to devalue the act of giving One’s life for His friends. Christ has done more than that for us, but this is the greatest thing-bringing us a way to reconcile with God and to live eternally. His love for us is that great, that He deserves for us to remember this. His words, in JN 17: 24, matter. “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me, because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” They give us some insight into how much He cares about us. They also mesh with God’s insight given to Peter in 1 PET 1: 19-21, “But with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” We are given the knowledge that God is our Refuge and our Defense [PS 46: 1; PS 71: 3], and for what more could we ask? Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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