Faith

Guided by the eye or turned by the bridle

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James 1:26 says that a man’s religion is useless unless he bridles his tongue. Religion is here defined as the ceremonial and external aspects of religion. However, the bridle is not God’s preferred way.

Psalm 32:8-9 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near yet.

The horse and mule are very good workers. They handle heavy burdens and get much done. But when the master wants to direct them in a certain way, he has to pull on the bridle so they know what to do. They cannot be guided by the eye for they are undiscerning and unresponsive to that.   And so the master remains out of their sight, utilizing the only method they will respond to – the pull of the reins from behind them. This is a picture of the religious man. He is busy with many spiritual looking things. He is such a hard worker, getting so much done. But for the master to get his attention and change his direction, he must be turned by the bridle.   He is much too busy to stop and wait to be guided by the eye. The spiritual man however, is busied with this one thing – gazing upon the master, not moving until he perceives that the master is directing him. Although this man may seem to be slothful when his activities are set alongside the feverish pace of the religious man, the things he does, having been uniquely directed by the master’s desire, are highly profitable.

You get to choose if you will be guided by the eye or turned by the bridle.

We don’t understand the whole plan

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Matthew 17:22-23 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

To their minds it would have seemed better for Jesus to stay among them. So many were being healed and set free. The truths of the kingdom were being preached to hungry souls. Twenty or thirty more years of this kind of ministry from Jesus would have made such a difference in Israel and the surrounding regions. The thought of Him being taken away was exceedingly grievous to them and seemed like the dashing of their hopes and dreams for the kingship of Jesus. But they didn’t understand that the plan of God was far more than Jesus reigning over a nation — He was to reign over ALL the nations and that could only be accomplished through his death and resurrection. The power to preach and bring healing and deliverance was to be an indwelling reality in multitudes who could take this blessing to the farthest corners of the earth, but the Spirit of God couldn’t come and abide where the blood had not cleansed. Had they understood at that time the scope of what was about to be accomplished, their sorrow would have been overshadowed by hope.

In the same way, we find ourselves in places of discouragement when our life isn’t going as expected. The plans we had for life, family and ministry didn’t go as planned and we look upon our lives as though all that remains is to sorrowfully endure until it’s time to go to heaven. But what if your greatest disappointment is just the precursor to your greatest opportunity? What if today’s rejection ushers you into a greater walk with God, the fruits of which affect the lives of those around you? What if today’s sorrow is about to be swallowed up in tomorrow’s overpowering joy?

The plan of God almost inevitably involves suffering. But it doesn’t end there. His plan is bigger and better than you have even imagined. Today, let your sorrow be overwhelmed by hope.

 

The Prepared Heart

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2 Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

Prepare (H3559) – to establish, make firm, make ready, set up, to fix, provide for, to direct toward, arrange

The prepared heart is our defense against entropy. If our heart is not fixed and made firm and directed towards seeking the Lord and our life is not ordered and arranged to make this a priority, it will not happen.

Every morning when I get up I take my thyroid medicine. I know that it provides something that I don’t naturally produce enough of, it is for the benefit of my health, and I have experienced the downgrade in my overall well-being when I don’t take it for a period of time.  I have it in a prominent place on my kitchen table and I have a routine that I follow.  I have learned the importance of making sure that I do this every day by the consequences I experience when I don’t.

I have learned this in my spiritual life as well.

If the heart isn’t fixed to seek the Lord, the Lord will not be sought. Ten thousand things an hour will scream for urgent attention, the tasks of the day will demand our focusing upon them, and the fatigue of our body will cry out for the pillow…thus days, weeks, and years go by spent in pursuits that have no eternal consequence.

The heart must be made firm, determined, that Jesus has preeminence in the life AND in the time, for this will need to be defended frequently from the cares of this life that will attempt to encroach upon it.

Is it possible that the heart is not made firm in these things because the benefit (and the absolute spiritual necessity) isn’t realized?  Oh God, help us to see how much we need You!

Don’t stop giving!

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I have put two portions of Scripture below which I hope you will take the time to read. I have included a few brief comments on them.

We do not give based on whether or not it is a convenient time for us to give. We give even when it seems to be an inopportune time because it is well pleasing to God. He is always faithful to bless the life that gives.

What we possess has been given to us by God so that we might be a channel through which others are helped and blessed. Our giving brings honor and thanksgiving to God as the needs of others are met by God through us.

We miss out on so much if we stop giving.

Deuteronomy 15:7-10 If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.

But do not forget to do good and to share, for which such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Building a life

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Last night I was reading Deuteronomy 11 and I noticed several times the Lord revealed to the people how interrelated things are. Here are some examples of this process:

From Deuteronomy 11:1-9 —— Being aware of the acts of God and His power employed for the good of His people and the judgement He brings to the wicked –> obedience to His commands –> strength to possess and dwell in what has been promised by God.

From Deuteronomy 11:13-15 —— Loving the LORD your God and serving Him with all your heart and with all your soul –> provision for growth and satisfaction is given

From Deuteronomy 11:16-17 ——- You forget the Lord and serve and worship other things –> the blessing is withheld –> everything you once enjoyed withers up

I was thinking about these three examples and the progression that was involved in each. None of these happens in a single moment, but they come about through the process of time. But here’s the thing to keep in mind: the decisions we make and our obedience or disobedience to God today sets things in motion that we may not see the fruit of (whether good or bad) for days, months, or even years.

The things I desire in my spiritual life won’t be the result of a moment, but of a process. This is why every day matters, consistency matters, endurance matters. At the moment we begin the ascent to a closer place of intimacy with Jesus we may not sense anything has changed, but things are set in motion, the fruits of which may not be visible for some time.

My life is a continual sowing. It is being built one moment, one decision at a time. That which is not spiritual isn’t necessarily morally wicked. It could merely be carnal. In which case it just dies a quiet death, but brings forth nothing life-giving. And what is lost in the accumulation of those carnal sowings is the benefit that could have been brought if those sowings had rather been spiritual in nature.

I am reminded of this verse:

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:8-9

The current situation in our world could possibly be a time of re-evaluation of our lives, what we are giving ourselves to, and what we are sowing into our future. Sow now what you desire to reap later.

Go deep in God

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Today I was watching as a large bird was flying over the water, so close to the water that it seemed to be barely above it at times.  This bird was on a mission, searching for it’s next meal. The victim would be a fish that was swimming close to the surface and easy to snatch up. The bird can’t go into the fish’s environment to get it so it has to wait until the fish is close enough to the bird’s own environment. And the unsuspecting fish hanging out in the shallows becomes dinner.

Shallow living is dangerous for the fish in water and the Christian on earth. We have an enemy who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  For the believer safely abiding in Christ, the devil may not. But the believer who plays around in the shallows of this life rather than plunging deeply into intimacy with the Saviour, makes themselves an easy target as they live their lives on the fence called compromise.  They venture so close to the enemy’s environment that he snatches them up in an unsuspecting moment and they find themselves a captive to some sin or other…never knowing they had been so vulnerable.

Go deep in God, believer. And then go deeper still.

Portraits of passionate pursuit – You

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The final portrait is your own and it remains unfinished. Each day it is being painted, moment by moment and choice by choice. With each rising of the sun you are given another opportunity to pour your life out for Jesus, to forsake all to follow Him, to count your life as not dear to yourself and to live boldly for the glory of Jesus alone. As His purchased possession, do we dare live unto ourselves? As His bride, why would we even want to?

 So now… what will we do? Will we be satisfied with the safe and comfortable life, with church attendance, with a good work here and there? Can that possibly be enough? Or perhaps we will hear through these portraits from the past, the call to a passionate pursuit of Jesus – a pursuit that disregards the opinion of man, religious tradition and our own reputation. A pursuit that will no doubt lead us to the foot of the cross again and again and to a very real forsaking of all to follow Him. Oh that we might hear the call to run after Him with all our hearts and let our lives be poured out at His feet. Listen carefully… do you hear it now?

 My soul follows hard after thee…Psalm 63:8

 

Portraits of passionate pursuit – Paul

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The apostle Paul was a man selected by Jesus to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Incredible miracles were performed through this man. He wrote two thirds of the New Testament, had visions of heaven and made disciples of Jesus everywhere he went. He threw away a respectable future in religion for the sake of a gospel that was hated by those whose favor he had once courted. And he never looked back. He was a man that walked with God. Yet as intimately as Paul knew the Lord, as he approached the end of his life his cry was “that I may know him.” His life had become a constant pursuit. His gaze was fixed upon One infinitely more glorious, more desirable, then anything he had known before and a glimpse of His glory had ignited a hunger and thirst within his soul that could not be quenched. And for the remainder of his life he was willing to suffer the greatest of hardships for the name of Jesus Christ and for the sake of His gospel.

 

Portraits of passionate pursuit – The sinful woman

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The sinful woman was a well-known character in her town. The people whispered about her when she passed by. She tried to ignore them but mostly attempted to avoid them. There were a thousand reasons she could justify her lifestyle. Until that one day… and that one Man. She heard His words and they pierced her heart. Confronted with a God whose mercy was extended even to her, all the years of coldness and hardness of heart began to melt away. And in a moment, a glorious moment, she became a different woman. A forgiven woman. Her life was so transformed and her heart so full, that she searched Him out and found Him… at dinner with the religious folks. Certainly she knew the ridicule, the rejection she risked by approaching Him in such a setting, but she was compelled by love and a heart overflowing with gratitude to do it. And as they sneered and scorned, she wept at His feet the tears of the redeemed. The religious crowd hated her for her emotional display, but to Jesus it was precious and He memorialized her forever for it.

 

Portraits of passionate pursuit – David

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King David was a man elevated from shepherd boy to king. Not elevated by man, but hand chosen by God Himself. He experienced victory over all his enemies, fame throughout the nations, amassed great wealth, and enjoyed the goodwill of his people. Yet none of that satisfied him. Hear the longing of his heart:

 ”One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.“ Psalm 27:4

 If the temple had been in existence at that time David’s longing to dwell in the house of the Lord would have been more understandable. Who wouldn’t enjoy meeting with God amidst the ornate carving and abundance of gold in Solomon’s temple? But during the life of David there was no temple. The ark of God remained in a tabernacle of skins and curtains as it had done since the days of Moses. King David had built for himself a house of cedar, certainly something grand and palatial – suitable for a king. Yet his heart longed more intensely for the tent where God was than the comfort of his own dwelling.

 Kings belong in palaces, not tents. Yet Almighty God dwelt in a tent, and that made it a palace to David.