God's Perspective

Week 25

In order to understand how we can do the will of God, we need to try and see ourselves through the eyes of God. What does he see when he looks at us. From his perspective, what is our purpose? Obviously he is the God of the universe and doesn’t need us for anything. He is self-sufficient and he was before there was anything else. In Genesis 1:1 we see that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now why do you suppose he did that? Was he lonely? Bored? Did he just need something to do? As we read farther in Genesis we see the way that he created the earth. He planned it for us. Everything in the environment was perfectly suited for us. He gave us everything we would ever need to live an abundant life. His focus was on us before he even created us. He had a vision of what we could become and the relationship he would have with us. In Genesis 1:27 the word tells us that God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

God made us in his image, how amazing is that? None of the animals were made in his image. Plants, birds, fish none of these were made in his image. Only man and woman. What is the difference between us and the animals? It is my belief that God created us to be in relationship with us. He wanted someone to share in the glory that was his. He wanted to communicate with someone and lavish someone with all the good things that he had created. He chose us, he made us like him to be able to appreciate him and his goodness.

But what did we do with all he gave us? We turned it over to Satan and let him come between God and man. Since God is holy and righteous, and since he is a God of honor, he let us have our own way. It is impossible for a righteous God to have a relationship with an unrighteous people. When he destroyed the earth with the flood he wanted to preserve a remnant of all that he had made. He saw in Noah a possibility of righteousness on the earth again and made a covenant with Noah not to destroy the earth with a flood ever again.

But the sin nature was imbedded in mankind forever. There was no hope for us and our relationship with the Almighty God was doomed. But God knew a way to get us back. It would require a sacrifice on his part.

In Genesis 22 we see a glimpse of God’s heart as we read the account of Abraham taking his son Isaac to Moriah to sacrifice him. In verse 8 we hear Abraham tell his son that God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. And in Exodus 12 we see a similar event when the Hebrew people were set free from bondage in Egypt only after a lamb was slaughtered and the blood applied to their door posts. God was trying to give us a preview of what he would have to do to reconcile us to him.

God gave the Hebrew people a set of guidelines to follow, the Ten Commandments. Not because he knew they could do these things, but to show them that it would be impossible to live righteous lives on their own power. They could only live holy lives if God lived a righteous life for them. He had planned all along to do just that.

At the right moment in time, the perfect time in history, God came to earth as one of us. In the form of a human baby, God became one of us to reconcile us to himself. There was no other way that he could do this. He loved us so much that he would do this for us. The prophets, had advance warning that this would happen and time and time again they tried to put this concept into words. 

In 2 Samuel 14:14 we read these words from the woman from Tekoa.  “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.” In Isaiah Chapter 7 we read about the birth of the Messiah. Messiah in Hebrew means the anointed one of God. We find out from the prophet that God will be with us. His name shall be called Immanuel, God with us. Each of these prophecies was fulfilled by Christ Jesus.

God looked on us more than 4,000 years ago and knew that he wanted to redeem us. That plan was carried out by Jesus on the cross when he said, “It is finished.” The power of sin over us was broken and once again we could live in a relationship with the Almighty God.

So what keeps us from having a relationship with God? God doesn’t change, his plan for us is finished. He has done his part by becoming the acceptable sacrifice. Now he is waiting to reveal himself to us. He is waiting for us to begin communication. When we accept his gift of salvation, Jesus sends God’s Holy Spirit to live in us. That spirit speaks to us and guides us if we let him. We sometimes mistakenly think that once we are saved life will get easier or better. We look to God to fix the problems that we encounter on this earth. And sometimes he does to show us the love he has for us. 

But he is looking for faithful followers. People who will believe that even if things aren’t great here on earth, and we all know that there are always problems. God is still God, he is still good, he is still our creator and the one who loves us enough to die for us. That never changes no matter what. God wants us to get hold of that truth and never let it go. The apostle Paul understood that and tried time and time again to share that belief with us in the New Testament letters.

God has a plan for each one of us. He can’t use people who have their own agenda, but he wants us to look to him for everything that we need. He is so happy when we speak to him like we would a father. He just wants to be a part of our daily lives. In James 4:8 we read, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” That was God’s plan when he created the earth for us. He just wants to be near us and fellowship with us.

Heavenly Father,

We know that you love us with an everlasting love. We know that you have made a way for us to fellowship with you by dying for our sins. We know that we should communicate with you all day every day, but we get so caught up in the rat race and daily routines of our lives that we forget you. Please forgive us when we fail to acknowledge you. Put reminders in our paths every day to speak to you about the things that are happening in our lives. Help us to turn off the TV and the radio and spend time alone with you. Show us how to speak to you like a friend. We want that kind of relationship, but we don’t always feel comfortable talking with an unseen person. Become very real to us and answer us when we pray. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our mediator and best friend. Amen.

Vacation in the sun

Our family of eight seldom went on vacations. My father drove a bulk milk truck, transporting milk everyday from local farms to a nearby dairy. There were very few days off for him, but I remember one particular summer. It was 1967, the summer before my senior year in high school.

There was a very generous dairy farmer who had rented a cottage on Indian Lake in Russel's Point, Ohio. This sweet man appreciated all that my father did for him and when he got called back to his farm unexpectedly, he suggested to dad that our family finish out the weekend in his cottage. He also had a boat that he included with the offer. 

We packed up bathing suits and everything we needed for a weekend getaway and spent three glorious days on the lake. Although I had to help watch my younger sisters, I didn't complain because it was the first real vacation we'd had in years.

We had the time of our lives speeding across the lake in that boat, lounging around on the beach and ordering pizza to finish off a perfect day. The weather cooperated perfectly and most of us suffered from sunburn. But the peeling skin the following week was just a reminder of the great time we had.

A few months ago several of my sisters and I were talking about that vacation and shared the fact that most of us didn't know how to swim and we couldn't remember wearing life jackets while riding in the boat. Even my dad admitted that he had never driven a boat and there were all sorts of problems that we could have experienced. 

The Lord kept us safe on that little mini-vacation and some beautiful memories were created. I'm sure that the dairy farmer, Bill Venrick, has gone on to glory, but we will always think of him with gratitude in our hearts.

My Life as a River

Week 24

My Life as a River

One day Jesus met a woman at a well, he had a conversation with her even though he, as a Jew, should not have spoken with her, a Samaritan. He told her that he could give her living water. “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14.

What was this living water he spoke of and how can we have it? In John 7:37-39 Jesus tells us. “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

Do you believe? If you do, the Spirit of God is living in you and you have access to this living water.

The source of this living water is Jesus. He said if we were thirsty we could come to him. What did he mean by thirsty? I believe that those who seek God, those who know there is more to life than mere existence, those are the ones who are thirsty. We want more and we find more in Jesus. As the source of our existence we realize our need for him. We are sinful creatures, we are lost sheep without him. He becomes our means of support. 

Our bodies are composed mostly of water and we need water to live. We need Jesus to live an abundant life. Believing in him is only the beginning of our living life to the fullest. As we begin to trust in him and our relationship with him grows, the water within us springs to life and a continual flow comes forth. As long as we remain in a relationship with him.

The Holy Spirit longs for us to know more about Jesus and about God. Isaiah 58:11 says, “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

What happens to those around us as we begin to flow in the spirit? We touch so many people in the course of our lives. And we have the potential to minister from the flow that we have within us. Just how can we let the life-giving water within us affect others? It is almost like we don’t even have to think about how this will happen. It just does. It is a natural progression and sometimes we don’t even realize the affect we have on those around us.

In the spring of 2002, I wrote a series of articles focusing on cancer survivors for The News Democrat. The articles were in preparation of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. The first article was about a lady with breast cancer. She wanted to stress the importance of self-exams to women. 

Fast forward one year, the lady I had interviewed was at the Relay for Life the following year. She wanted to share with me that a woman told her that as a result of that newspaper article, she strongly felt that she should do a self-exam. She found a lump, went to the doctor and found out that it was a very aggressive form of cancer. She is being treated successfully, but had she not found the lump when she did, it may have been much harder to treat.

I don’t take credit for any of this, but God’s Holy Spirit flowing through me led me to the lady to interview. That same spirit prompted her to share her story and stress self-exam. The same spirit flowed into the lady who read the article and spoke to her about what to do.

We never know how this life-giving flow will affect us, the people around us or those who come after us. In Isaiah we read, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3. This passage speaks about the continual flow from the Spirit. It is one that doesn’t stop flowing just because I die and pass on to the next life. The Spirit within me will flow on to my descendants.

Things that my grandma Fisher did were shared by my mother until her death. The life my mother lived is now being shared by my sisters and her grandchildren. I am encouraged and strengthened to know that my grandmother was such a good hearted Christian woman. She left a legacy of love. Every Christian does that. Someone left behind shares a memory or quotes them. Sometimes it is a favorite hymn that is shared or a poem. Our memories just keep flowing on through life.

In Revelation, John hears these words from Jesus. “He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty I will give a drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’” Revelation 21:6-7. 

Again we hear similar words in Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

It’s free, it’s available to anyone who wants it and it lasts forever. Can the world offer us anything even half as good? God has provided us with this pure, clear water that amounts to everlasting life. Why don’t we drink it?

If you believe that Christ Jesus died for your sins, if you believe that he is alive today, you have the life-giving Spirit within you already. It will flow through your life continually and it will also flow into the lives of others. Share the life in you with others every chance you get.

Heavenly Father,

We give you praise and we thank you for your holy Spirit that has become part of us. We are so grateful for the love that you have for us and for the opportunities you give us to share your love with others. We look forward to the time when we will see Jesus face to face and be able to thank him for the gift he has given us. We bless you Lord and we thank you for blessing us. In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray. Amen

God's Commandments

Week 23

God’s Commandments

Can you recite the Ten Commandments? Most of us can get through four or five of them. We kind of know what they are, but let’s review them.

 I    You shall have no other gods before me.

II    You shall not make for yourself an idol. 

III   You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

IV   Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

V    Honor your father and your mother.

VI   You shall not murder.

VII  You shall not commit adultery.

VIII You shall not steal.

IX   You shall not give false testimony. 

X    You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What was God’s purpose for these laws? Why did he give them to Moses and ask him to pass them on to the people? Was it because he was a mean God who wanted to make everybody listen to him or maybe he just wanted to show everyone how powerful he was.

God wanted to show us that no matter how hard we tried to live righteous lives. We couldn’t do it under our own power. Look back over the commandments again. Have you always been able to keep each of these laws? Oh sure, maybe you haven’t murdered anyone. Maybe you aren’t a thief or a liar. But have you always honored your parents? Have you ever made an idol of anything? Have you ever placed anything before God in your life?

These laws, as practical and holy as they are, are impossible to keep. We just can’t do it!

Jesus came to fulfill the law. He told us, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:17-18.

Jesus came to show us exactly how God wanted us to live our lives. Before Jesus, we had the ten commandments which God was trying to use to show us what he expected from us. But these laws were impossible for us to keep. Jesus came and taught us, “...in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12. It is all about love. Love for God, love for self, love for others.

As it says in Galatians 3:23-24, “Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

And we see what happens to us when we become believers in Romans 7:6 “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Once we put our trust in Christ, we live our lives in love, we begin to walk in the Spirit because Jesus sent his spirit to live in us and teach us and guide us.

When asked by the teachers of the Jewish law which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.

What does this teach us? That if we can love God and others as Jesus loved them, the rest of the commandments will not be broken by us. Look back at the commandments again and think about them if we apply love to each one. We would be obedient not because we were trying to save ourselves, but because there is a genuine love for God and people.

We need to develop a love walk with God that is steady and faithful. How can we do that? By just walking every day with him. Developing a relationship with God and learning more of his heart. He loves everyone, we don’t and we can’t. But if we let God’s spirit lead us and teach us, we can learn to let God love people through us.

I have to use Mother Teresa as an example. She tended some of the dirtiest, smelliest, sickest people you could ever imagine. It is really hard to love someone who smells bad and is dying. We don’t want to touch people like that, but God does. He uses our hands to meet the needs of people, especially the unlovable. But we have to be willing to be used by him. That is all he is asking for. Our willingness.

When we yield to God and are willing to be used by him, he gives us grace for the work. In Romans 6:13 Paul instructed us, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Holy, Righteous God,

We do love you and we want to love you with all of our heart, soul and mind. We need to surrender to you daily and let you love others through us. It is hard for us to do because we want to be in control of our own lives and it seems really scary to relinquish control to you. 

We invite your holy spirit to guide us and instruct us. We will listen to your voice and we will do whatever you ask us to do. We know that you love us and want only what is best for us and that you can use us to minister to others. We just ask for the grace to do all that you want us to do and we thank you right now for showering your grace upon us. It is in the name of Jesus Christ our master we pray. Amen

Under His Wings

Week 22

Under His Wings

In the book of Ruth we read a story of a young widow who chooses to return to the homeland of her husband's family. She tells Naomi, her mother-in-law, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17.

Ruth was willing to leave her family and everything that was familiar to her. She evidently saw something in her mother-in-law that drew her to the God of Israel. She had a sense of loyalty to this woman and respect for her that was very deep. She obviously loved her very much. 

In the next chapter of Ruth we see an encounter she had with Boaz. He was a relative of Naomi and he knew that she was working very hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Boaz tells Ruth, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband-how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Ruth had taken refuge under the wings of the Almighty God when she opted to follow Naomi. How did she know to do that? What prompted her to leave her home? We don’t really know the background of the story, but we do know the outcome of her coming under the wings of God. She married Boaz and had his son. His name was Obed and he became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of King David. Coming under the wings of the Almighty God certainly did reward Ruth.

In Luke 13:34 we see Jesus’ heart for Jerusalem when he says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

God wants us to come to him for refuge. There is something in these stories that shows us God’s heart. He wants us to seek him, Ruth sought him and did what she knew to do and was richly rewarded for that. God blessed her beyond measure. On the other hand, the Jewish people rejected Christ and refused to seek God. They continued believing that they had all the answers within themselves and they, even today, are not living with God’s full blessing.

David wrote many times in the Psalms about taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. He continually sought God’s protection and shelter. He must have heard the story a thousand times of his great-grandmother leaving her homeland, seeking the protection of God and becoming the wife of Boaz. Just the fact that her story is preserved in Jewish history is a testimony to her faith. 

In Psalm 91 we read again that those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will rest, they can trust in him. He will save those who come to him, he will cover us with his feathers. He will be faithful to us, we have nothing to fear. If we make the Most High our dwelling, no harm will befall us. He will command his angels to guard us. Because we love him, he will rescue us and protect us. He will deliver us and honor us with long life. These are promises from God.

Over and over we see God make good on his promises

there is an old hymn that is called, “Under His Wings.”

One of the verses says, 

Under his wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blest.

Under his wings, under his wings, 

Who from his love can sever?

Under his wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

*Text William O. Cushing/Music Ira D. Sankey

There is safety in God. God takes care of his children. But we have a responsibility as his children. 

If we look at David’s life we see that he called upon God for everything. And we see that even in the midst of trials and failures, he was able to continue believing that God was good. 

In Psalm 57:4-5 we hear David cry out as he is being pursued by Saul. Saul was trying to kill David and David was literally running for his life. He was hidden in a cave when he wrote these words. “I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts-men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Could we be so faithful and exalt God in the midst of terror. Could we remember to praise God even though we were fearful? That is what it means to seek refuge. David truly abided in God. He lived and breathed the presence of God.

To come under the protection of God’s wings what do we have to do? We have to surrender control of our lives, Ruth did that. We have to acknowledge that God is powerful and that he is able to meet our needs. David did that. We have to want a relationship with the Almighty God of the universe. We can each do that.

Almighty, most holy God, today we seek you and we come to your throne of grace seeking shelter from the storms of our lives. We are helpless and powerless to change our circumstances, but we give you praise because you are a God of glory and majesty. You are strong and merciful. We are your children and that entitles us to come under your protection. We ask you to vindicate us, we trust you to take care of us. We love you and know that you love us and want what is best for us. Bless you Lord. Thank you for hearing our prayer. We offer this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus the Christ.