2014-05-16
Hi There Dear Ones,
Last week, at the direction of the Holy Spirit, I was writing about God’s warnings against laziness and the need for all able-bodied people, below retirement age, to work for a living. LK 12: 48 tells us to those whom much is given, much is expected. We are also not to keep everything we earn for ourselves. There are taxes to be paid in accordance with Christ’s words in LK 20: 25, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” We need to be enough self-sufficient not to be a financial burden on either the church, our families, or the government. If we need help temporarily from any of these sources, then we should pay forward at our earliest opportunity. It is this kind of sharing of resources that builds community for the Lord’s sake.
Why is this important? Many of us forget that everything we are and all we have belong to the Lord. PS 24: 1-2, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” This is reason enough for us not to hold back in selfishness. Think about how unselfish our Lord is. RO 8: 31-32, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give up all things?” We are reminded of God’s generosity here and of considering the negative consequences, spiritual death for all humans, had He not given His Son on the cross for us [JN 3: 16; RO 23: 24-25]. Immediately, I am reminded of the sacrifice of a ram stuck in a tree given to Abraham as a substitute sacrifice for his son of the promise, Isaac, on the altar [GN 22: 12]. This foreshadowed the greatest sacrifice of all, that of Christ’s physical life on the cross.
When we think eternally, rather than simply in terms of our time on earth, we can better understand 1 SAM 2: 7-8, “The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” Now look at RO 8: 17 to see a connection. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Further understanding of the Lord’s fairness and generosity is seen in LK 6: 38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The story of the gratitude and generosity of the Macedonian churches came at a time when the social experiment in Jerusalem wasn’t going well, and the former’s donations really made a difference. This exemplifies the principle that immediately precedes it here. 2 COR 8: 1-5, “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in their generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this sacrifice to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.”
We now are ready to look at the significance of becoming a covenant partner to name changes and a meal with the Lord. One might ask, has this author lost it, sharing a meal with Christ while we’re on earth and He is in heaven? Yes, this is just what I mean, when we take Communion. That’s what a true believer and covenant partner is doing when we partake of the bread and wine. Let me return to that subject later while we look at some instances where humans change their names. The first is in marriage. Although there are some people who choose today to keep their own names after marriage, I am a believer that if a woman truly loves her husband in a mature way, she will be honored to take his last name. That may have something to do with being a part of the generation now considered “seniors,” but it’s how I feel. It was a signal honor to me to take Peter Johnson’s last name when we married 37 years ago. I’m realistic enough to know there are some people who disagree with that. Peter is not only my husband, but he is also my covenant partner. We share the same faith in Jesus Christ, even though I call Him Yeshua [the Aramaic name used by Messianic Jews], and Peter has always been a Christian, calling Him Jesus. We are believers in the principles of marriage taught in EPH 5: 21-25. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also should wives submit to their husbands in everything. Husband, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” There is a loving responsibility to avoid any kind of abuse or neglect in such a Christ-led marriage. A person who abuses his spouse, even emotionally, is not living in such a relationship. Our covenant partner in marriage or between friends should be free of such behavior, for our Covenant Partner would be displeased, and we would not be recognizing the preciousness of the covenant relationship.
PRAYER: O Lord, we bow our heads in reverence to You, for You are an awesome God Who teaches us how to be in a covenant relationship with unparalleled patience, compassion, generosity, and wisdom. In most cases, You are a God of second chances, a generous Lord, Who gave up Your physical life on the cross, so that we could have everlasting, blissful life with You and the Father. You recognized that we can’t always speak for ourselves with the Father, so You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts and souls of the believers, Who does this and teaches us what is truth. RO 8: 26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He Who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Dearest Jesus, You watch over us and guide us to make right choices. And when we commit sins that are not heinous, and recognize they are wrongful through the Holy Spirit, You grant us forgiveness in the presence of confession and stoppage of that sin. You are generous in Your wisdom and guidance, through both prayer and study of Your word. What the Scriptures teach us is consistent and applies to all time [HE 13: 8; 2 TIM 3: 16-17]. This gives us an ethical foundation upon which we can stand in all we think and do. For Your presence in our lives and Your intervention, we offer You eternal praise and thanks. In Your holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We continue in the segment called “Richer Than Imagined,” looking at more name changes and a meal with the Lord. What a great privilege it is to be in a covenant relationship with both the Lord and all other believers and potential believers. It’s necessary to add the latter group, because we have been called to witness to others willing to listen to our faith [MT 28: 19-20]. How rich we are when we realize we can appeal in prayer to the Lord for His help, His guidance, His wisdom in decision-making, and His very presence in our lives. If we are willing to place Him at the center of our lives, He will be more generous that we can imagine with His blessings. He gives us the example of generosity, so that we will be generous with others. Sometimes that generosity can lead to a soul being saved for eternity! It’s sufficient motivation for us to witness to our faith, because if we look hard enough, we can see him blessing other human covenant partners around us. Witnessing to our faith really is God’s will. IS 55: 11 [God speaking], “So is My word that goes out from My mouth! It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” If we follow the example of a devout believer and his fiancée to keep a list of God’s blessings noticed each day and then to share it with each other, we will begin to see just how generous our God really is. Once we have done this, then we are ready to acknowledge the Lord for Who He is and what He does. HO 6: 3, “Let us acknowledge the Lord. Let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like winter rains, like spring rains that water the earth.” This is the life He wants for us, one in which we can enjoy the wealth that He gives us, regardless of our financial situation. We can recognize we are richer than imagined! Praise and thanks be to the Lord forever and ever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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