October 30, 2013

²² Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (ASV)

Most days I chose the NIV translation for verses because that is the translation with which I am the most familiar.  I selected the American Standard Version today for two reasons.

 ASV- Cast thy "burden"      NIV- Cast your "cares"

In my mind "cares" speaks more to light-hearted, ho-hum worries.  "Not a care in the world" type stuff.  As opposed to the ASV's choice of "burden".  Life is about burdens.  Life is hard.  Life is heavy.  But Christians do not have to bear that burden alone.  Our loving Heavenly Father wants to, even commands us to, give Him our burdens.  Throughout scripture Christians are commanded to let Him be our worrier.  Let him be our burden-bearer  Allow Him to shoulder the heaviness of life.

I would go so far as to say we are sinning when we don't allow that.  If sin is not following God's directives.  Since God has directed us to "cast thy burdens" on Him, when we don't, we are being disobedient.


 ASV- Jehovah                  NIV- LORD 
Throughout the Bible, God is referred to by several names which highlight His different attributes.  "Jehovah" translates to "LORD" (note all caps), so in essence the NIV and ASV are using the same name for God.  But I have always connected Jehovah with Jirah.  

Jehovah Jireh means The Lord will Provide.

Cast thy burdens on Jehovah. . . He will provide salvation.
Cast thy burdens on Jehovah. . . He will provide peace.
Cast thy burdens on Jehovah. . . He will provide a good night's sleep.
Cast thy burdens on Jehovah. . . He will provide wisdom.
Cast thy burdens on Jehovah. . . He will provide for your needs.

Cast thy burdens on Jehovah, and He will sustain thee.

October 26, 2013

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.   1 John 4:7 (NIV)

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 27
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8534/pg8534.html

October 25, 2013

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Psalm 37:3


Let us bow our souls and say, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!" Let us lift up our hearts and ask, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" Then light from the opened heaven shall stream on our daily task, revealing the grains of gold, where yesterday all seemed dust; a hand shall sustain us and our daily burden, so that, smiling at yesterday's fears, we shall say, "This is easy, this is light;" every "lion in the way," as we come up to it, shall be seen chained, and leave open the gates of the Palace Beautiful; and to us, even to us, feeble and fluctuating as we are, ministries shall be assigned, and through our hands blessings shall be conveyed in which the spirits of just men made perfect might delight.
Elizabeth Charles (1828-1896) Christian author*

 "Every "lion in the way," as we come up to it, shall be see chained. . ."  The lions will still be there.  God did not vanish the lions from then den when Daniel was cast in, but the Lord did seal their mouths.

God does not promise a lion-free life.  He does promise that those lions will not devour us. 

Will there be times when it feels as if the lions are devouring us?  The lion of cancer?  The lion of unemployment?  The lion of adultery?  Lions may rob us of physical and material blessings, but they don't have to rob us of our peace and tranquility.

Lions lurk.  Lions stalk.  Lions roar.  But God chains lions.  God tames lions.  God vanquishes lions.  Allow the Lion Tamer into your life.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 27
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October 23, 2013

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NIV)


I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.  Psalm 34:4 (NIV)

The LORD is near to all who call on "in truth".  Not with KJV thees and thous.  Not with church-sounding phrases.  Not with sycophantic praise.  But TRUTH.  

Are you mad at God?  Tell Him.  Are you fighting the same temptations day after week after month?  Be truthful with Jehovah.  Sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Let Yahweh know.  

The reality is that He already knows and has known since eternity past exactly what you are feeling.  He knows your fears, struggles and vexations.  But there is healing power in acknowledging and verbalizing those things to God. 

The first step in the Alcoholics Anonymous program is to admit complete defeat due to alcohol.  "Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built."*

Whether it is alcohol, worry, spending, eating or selfishness, personal, gut-level honesty with God is a necessity.  The LORD is near to all who call on Him in TRUTH.

His faithfulness is not based on our truthfulness.  He still protects, loves and saves His less than forthcoming children, but truth is a requirement of a deeper, richer relationship with Him.  It may very well be that there are areas of our lives that may remain a mess until that tissue-soaked time of honesty is spent with Abba.

Call on Him in TRUTH.

 *http://www.aa.org/twelveandtwelve/en_pdfs/en_step1.pdf

 

 

October 21, 2013

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1 (NIV) 

God beholds thee individually, whoever thou art. "He calls thee by thy name." He sees thee, and understands thee. He knows what is in thee, all thy own peculiar feelings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, thy strength and thy weakness. He views thee in thy day of rejoicing and thy day of sorrow. He sympathizes in thy hopes and in thy temptations; He interests himself in all thy anxieties and thy remembrances, in all the risings and fallings of thy spirit. He compasses thee round, and bears thee in His arms; He takes thee up and sets thee down. Thou dost not love thyself better than He loves thee. Thou canst not shrink from pain more than He dislikes thy bearing it, and if He puts it on thee, it is as thou wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for a greater good afterwards.

J.H. Newman (1801-1890) Roman Catholic Cardinal*

"Thou dost not love thyself better than He loves thee."  I can write about God's love for me. I can look up verses about God's love for me.  I can sing (although not well) hymns about God's love for me.  But until I allow myself to feel, to accept, to bask in God's love for me, it remains a dry, academic endeavor.

God is love.  His love is perfect.  His capacity for love far outstrips my puny human attempts at love.  He does love me better than I can ever love myself. 

The depth, perfection and strength of His love for me is reason for celebration, adulation and thanksgiving.    

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 25
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October 16, 2013

February 22

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

    

That prayer which does not succeed in moderating our wish, in changing the passionate desire into still submission, the anxious, tumultuous expectation into silent surrender, is no true prayer, and proves that we have not the spirit of true prayer. That life is most holy in which there is least of petition and desire, and most of waiting upon God; that in which petition most often passes into thanksgiving. Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God's will. The Divine wisdom has given us prayer, not as a means whereby to obtain the good things of earth, but as a means whereby we learn to do without them; not as a means whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby we become strong to meet it. 
F.W. Robertson (1815-1852), English divine*

"Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it with God's will."  That is a very thought-provoking and seldom taught goal of prayer.  

I remember from my days at Second Baptist learning the prayer acronym, A.C.T.S.
A = Adoration
C = Confession
T = Thanksgiving
S = Supplication

Robertson might argue the "S" could stand for "Subjugation".  We pray until our will, our wants, our wishes are either extinguished or align with God's will, wants and wishes.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 22
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October 15, 2013

¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

Whatsoever we ask which is not for our good, He will keep it back from us. And surely in this there is no less of love than in the granting what we desire as we ought. Will not the same love which prompts you to give a good, prompt you to keep back an evil, thing? If, in our blindness, not knowing what to ask, we pray for things which would turn in our hands to sorrow and death, will not our Father, out of His very love, deny us? How awful would be our lot, if our wishes should straightway pass into realities; if we were endowed with a power to bring about all that we desire; if the inclinations of our will were followed by fulfilment (sic) of our hasty wishes, and sudden longings were always granted. One day we shall bless Him, not more for what He has granted than for what He has denied.  H.E. Manning (1865-1892) Archbishop of Westminster*

 
The old dudes could write! 

There are some things which we can ask of the Lord and be 100% assured they are within His will:  salvation, the fruit of the spirit, opportunities to witness, and others; however, much of what we pray for must be left to His will and wisdom.

Healing from an illness. . .We don't know what will serve the kingdom better- health or continued illness or death.  Financial distress. . .Perhaps He is using that difficulty in a manner which will bless us even more than great wealth.  Job challenges. . .Difficult employers and colleagues may be just the crucible our faith needs.

I was at the store Sunday and there was a little boy begging his parents for a Mountain Dew from the soda cooler conveniently placed in the check-out line. 
"Please mommy."
"No."
"I want it!"
"No, you don't need it."
"Daddy, can I have it?"
"Your mother said, 'No'."  (Dad threw mom under the bus here, but the story still has application.)

Eventually the parents allowed the little tyke to get a bottle of water. 

How many times do we ask our Heavenly Father for Mountain Dew with all its sugar, caffeine and additives when He knows that water is all we need and is much better for us?  Just like our earthly parents want only the very best for their children, so God will only give us those things which will better serve His kingdom.

Does that mean He will not allow us to make poor, damaging decisions?  Certainly not.  We can still act outside His will and end up with a basket full of trouble.  But if we stay in His will for our lives, whether He answers "Yes" or "No" to our prayers, we can be assured the ultimate outcome is the very best He has for us.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 21
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October 14, 2013

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:13 (NIV)



⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” Luke 11:52 (NIV)

A vexation arises, and our expressions of impatience hinder others from taking it patiently. Disappointment, ailment, or even weather depresses us; and our look or tone of depression hinders others from maintaining a cheerful and thankful spirit. We say an unkind thing, and another is hindered in learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh no evil. We say a provoking thing, and our sister or brother is hindered in that day's effort to be meek. How sadly, too, we may hinder without word or act! For wrong feeling is more infectious than wrong doing; especially the various phases of ill temper,—gloominess, touchiness, discontent, irritability,—do we not know how catching these are?

F.R. Havergal (1846-1879) English poet and hymn writer*

For years since I have quit drinking, one of my reasonings for that decision was not to put a "stumbling block. . .in the way of a brother or sister."  While I still believe this is solid rationale for a Christian's abstinence, Havergal's comments take the stumbling block reasoning to a much more daily, every-minute-of-every-day level.

A look.  A reaction.  A sigh.  An attitude.  All can be an "obstacle in the way of a brother or sister."  Perhaps worse, these same things could be what Satan uses to reinforce a lost person's denial of Jesus Christ.

These things are also much more difficult to control. 

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 20
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October 11, 2013

It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes. (NIV) Psalm 119:71

But though He cause grief yet will He have compassion, according to the multitude of His mercies. (NIV) Lamentations 3:32

Heed not distressing thoughts when they rise ever so strongly in thee; nay, though they have entered thee, fear them not, but be still awhile, not believing in the power which thou feelest they have over thee, and it will fall on a sudden. It is good for thy spirit, and greatly to thy advantage, to be much and variously exercised by the Lord. Thou dost not know what the Lord hath already done, and what He is yet doing for thee therein.

I. Penington (1616-1670, religious writer)*

"Not believing in the power which thou feelest they (distressing thoughts) have over thee, and it will fall on a sudden."

 Agree, disagree and wish it were so.

Mr. Penington's quote contains several spiritual truths, but falls short on a couple of points.

Agree:  Distressing thoughts only have power if we choose to give them power.  Power to ruin a good night's sleep.  Power to disrupt a weekend's relaxation.  Power to create physical distress.  If we dwell on those distressing thoughts, they will be more than happy to set up residence in our minds and emotions.  Thoughts are not like a physical ailment that may have a permanent effect on us.  By God's power, we can control our thoughts.

Disagree:  "But be still awhile."  Clearing our minds of distressing thoughts is, at least for me, a much more active process than just being still.  I find that in the stillness of my mind is when those thoughts start to creep back.  

2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds believers to "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ."  Banishment of distressing thoughts is not passive.  "Take captive."  "Make it obedient."  Both phrases speak to an active, willful process of thought control.  

Wish it were so:  "It will fall on a sudden."  Oh, were that so for me!  It has been my experience that distressing thoughts are like warts.  They need constant application of Compound SD (spiritual disciplines).  Maybe for some, or even most, once a distressing thought is banished, it stays banished.  Not for me.  

Distressing thoughts are like crabgrass.  Dig 'em out.  Apply Round-up.  Here they come, creeping back, making it necessary for another dose of prayer, meditation, verse quotation.  If only they would "fall on a sudden" and stay fallen.

But regardless of how or how often one has to banish distressing thoughts, they do not have power over us.  They do not have to ruin a believer's peace or health.  God can, will and even wants to take on all our worries, distresses and anxieties, but we must willingly and purposefully give them to Him.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 18
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October 8, 2013

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.    1 Chronicles 28:9

 

"Little things come daily, hourly, within our reach, and they are not less calculated to set forward our growth in holiness, than are the greater occasions which occur but rarely. Moreover, fidelity in trifles, and an earnest seeking to please God in little matters, is a test of real devotion and love. Let your aim be to please our dear Lord perfectly in little things, and to attain a spirit of childlike simplicity and dependence. In proportion as self-love and self-confidence are weakened, and our will bowed to that of God, so will hindrances disappear, the internal troubles and contests which harassed the soul vanish, and it will be filled with peace and tranquility."

Jean Grou (1731-1803)  French Roman Catholic mystic and spiritual writer*

 I love the turn of a good phrase, the perfect blending of two, three or four words.  Substance with brevity.  Complex conciseness.  "Fidelity in trifles."  Therein lies one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian life.

Strip clubs?  Never!  Smoking crystal meth?  Not a temptation.  Under reporting income to the IRS?  Well, they will never know.  Criticizing a spouse?  It is my duty to help her become a better person.  Gossiping about a coworker?  It's just that others really need to know.

Fidelity in trifles.  Obedience in minutiae. As I mulled today's entry over, I realized that perhaps the key to "fidelity in trifles" becomes easier if we realize to God nothing is a trifle.  The Creator of the Universe has numbered the hairs on our heads.  He knows when a sparrow falls from the sky.  

He heals when the hem of His garment is touched.  A simple request for wine at a wedding becomes the catapult for His public ministry.  What may seem insignificant to us, a trifle, may have implications beyond what we can imagine. 

Even if our actions do not have far-reaching effects, our fidelity in trifles is a demonstration of our obedience to Him.  An outward demonstration of our love for Him.  A requirement of our service for Him.

What little things require your obedience today?  Pray that God will impress upon your spirit those trifles which need your fidelity.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 16
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October 7, 2013

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.    1 Chronicles 28:9

 

October 4, 2013

⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.  James 2:8 (NIV)*

It is a sad weakness in us, after all, that the thought of a man's death hallows him anew to us; as if life were not sacred too,—as if it were comparatively a light thing to fail in love and reverence to the brother who has to climb the whole toilsome steep with us, and all our tears and tenderness were due to the one who is spared that hard journey.
George Eliott (1819-1880, English novelist, journalist and translator)*

Not trying to be morose or morbid, but for a few seconds, imagine your life without that spouse you yelled at last night.  Think about the pain you would feel if something tragic happened to your teenage son who is driving you up the wall.  Stop and think about how much you will miss your nagging parents after they are gone.  Really try to feel the emptiness, hurt and sadness.  

As George Eliott points out we seem to honor, salute and canonize those who have passed, but treat those same people with disrespect, disregard and dishonor when they are with us.  If you are guilty of this, as I know I am, STOP!  Treat that family member or coworker with the same honor and respect you would if he or she had passed away.

Few people would ever go around complaining about a person laying in a coffin.  Gossip about a dead person? Ghastly!  Criticize a corpse?  Surely not.  

Don't save those kind words for a eulogy.  Heap compliments on the living.  Celebrate those who are still with us.

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 15
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October 1, 2013

"I would have you without carefulness." (KJV)  1 Corinthians 3:32a

"Without carefulness."  All in.  Nothing held back.  No dipping just a toe into the shallow end.  "Without carefulness."  Although Paul was writing to the early church in regards to marriage, this maxim should apply to how we live our lives for Christ.  "Without carefulness."

E.B. Pusey wrote, "Cast all thy care on God. See that all thy cares be such as thou canst cast on God, and then hold none back. Never brood over thyself; never stop short in thyself; but cast thy whole self, even this very care which distresseth thee, upon God. Be not anxious about little things, if thou wouldst learn to trust God with thine all. Act upon faith in little things; commit thy daily cares and anxieties to Him; and He will strengthen thy faith for any greater trials. Rather, give thy whole self into God's hands, and so trust Him to take care of thee in all lesser things, as being His, for His own sake, whose thou art."*

Usually the accompanying for the entries in Daily Strength support the verse a bit better.  Pusey's excerpt seems to limit "without carefulness" to just worries and anxieties.  It is much more.  We should commit all aspects of our lives to God "without carefulness".  100% of our time should be God-directed.  100% of our spending should be God-directed.  100% of our conversation should be God-directed.

We will fail to do this at times?  Yes.  Will we fail to do this daily?  Most likely. Does this excuse us from the effort?  Certainly not.

Let's not be careful Christians today.  Let God direct 100%.  See what happens.


On an aside-  Thoughts about Pusey's second sentence, "See that all cares be such as thou canst cast on God. . ."?  Are there any cares that are not of these types?  Hmmm. . .

*Daily Strength for Daily Needs- February 14
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8534/pg8534.html