God

Oil in Abundance in the Secret Place

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2 Kings 4:3-4 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors–empty vessels; do not gather just a few. “And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

My attention was arrested by these words – “shut your door”. It reminded me of this New Testament verse:

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

This woman had a bit of oil, but it wasn’t enough to sustain life. She needed more in order for it to be useful to herself and others. She didn’t just sit in her house lamenting her lack, she went to someone that could help her. The answer came in as much abundance as she had the faith to receive and she was able to trade with the oil. The flow of oil was only limited by the lack of something empty for it to be poured into.

I am reminded of how we can often be – stagnant, the life of God shut up in our earthen vessels. We have some bit of oil, but we sense our lack. We are receiving nothing of heaven into our life adding to our meager supply of oil and thus we have nothing to give out. Would to God that we would see this as a problem and call out for help. If Elisha was willing to help the poor widow, how much more will our Father be willing to help His own children that cry to Him. But we must bring emptiness to Him-not lives crammed full of other things that we’ve used as a substitute for the life of God. Discard all of that…let yourself feel the ache of your empty life…and then come to Him and receive the oil. Shut the door behind you because this is a holy moment, it is an intimate moment, this is the secret place. Let Him fill you with as much as you can contain. Then when you are full, bring what you have to those who need it.

There has never been a shortage of oil – just of empty vessels willing to receive it.

 

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.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

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I have a friend whose best friend was murdered this week.  She was only 48. My friend’s sorrow is compounded by the feeling that she left things unsaid and undone.  I’ve been thinking about that and I’m sure that if I happened to lose someone close to me unexpectedly, I would have the same response.  It makes me want to do things differently.  I was reminded about something I shared on here a few years ago.  It seems applicable now:

Several years ago I met a homeless man named Ricky. I see him almost every weekend on Third Street and he always comes over to chat. He has come to church with me several times and whenever he meets somebody that he thinks I can help, he will call me. It has been an unexpected friendship. One Friday night a couple of months ago I saw Ricky on Third Street and as usual he came over to visit for a while. And just out of the blue he began to share some kind words about how our friendship had affected his life. I didn’t really know what to say in response so I just stood there for a few moments in silence. He said “when people die, their friends and family will have flowers sent to the funeral home. The flowers will be laid on top of their grave but that person will never experience any enjoyment from those flowers. I wanted to give you a flower now.”

I think about these words often….and about how easy it is to leave things unsaid, sometimes until it is too late to say them. Don’t wait…..give out some flowers today.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. (1 John 4:7)

You have saved our lives

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Genesis 47:23-25 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. “And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”

The people of Egypt were well into the seven year famine and had already given all they possessed to buy food from Pharaoh. Left with nothing else, they sold their land and themselves to him as well that they might have food to sustain them through the remainder of the famine. They are given seed to sow in the land and they are allowed to work the land and keep 4/5th of the produce. Pharaoh required 1/5th for himself. And they were happy to give it, acknowledging “you have saved our lives”. They didn’t grumble over the 1/5 that they had to give to Pharaoh. If he hadn’t intervened in their lives they would have 0/5ths.

It reminds me of this passage in the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 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.

Just like Joseph, the Lord gives seed to the sower and bread for food. And that seed, which He multiplies, is that we may be a people of liberality, generously giving of the increase that God provides, because He has saved our lives.

Must we consider our giving an obligation that we perform grudgingly lest the Lord be angry and our 9/10ths be cursed? Do we really believe God is honored when we give out of fear of what He will do to us if we don’t give? Oh beloved, our very lives and souls have been saved from a fate worse than famine. Let us be the servants of God, acknowledging in the liberality of our giving that all we have indeed is His.

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.

Don’t give up

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John 16:21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

There are things in this life that we pray for, wait for, believe God for. We shed many tears and lose many hours of sleep.  Sometimes we feel like giving up….like we can’t hold on for another moment.

But what if we knew that breakthrough was right around the corner?  If you knew that it would only be a little while longer, could you keep holding on?

One day….maybe very soon…. that which you have waited for in faith, you will see with your eyes. All the pain, the tears and the sorrow will be forgotten…for the joy over what has been gained.

Hold on just a little while longer my friend.  One day soon you will be so glad that you did.

Leaving everything for a king

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I have always loved the story of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. She was obviously an amazing woman having suffered through marriage to a man like Nabal…. a wise woman, able to disarm the anger of an offended David….. and a humble woman willing to take the blame for the act of a foolish husband for the sake of her household.

1 Samuel 25:2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Nabal wasn’t just rich. He was very rich. Abigail enjoyed a comfortable life with all the luxuries that wealth could afford someone in those days. She lived in prosperity (25:6) The day that David’s servants came to Nabal, he was holding a feast and was very drunk so Abigail told him the next day everything that had happened and how shamefully he had treated the servants of David. Apparently Nabal immediately had a heart attack and died ten days later.

While Jewish inheritance laws may not have given Abigail complete possession of Nabal’s wealth (and we do not know whether there were sons), she would have been well provided for by the estate. She would have continued to have a comfortable life. But when David sent an offer of marriage to her she didn’t hesitate or reason whether she wanted to leave the comforts she enjoyed for a life that would involve wandering the wilderness of Israel with David and his army. She simply walked away from everything.

1 Samuel 25:40-42 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

Even though David was a fugitive at this time, she knew that he was destined for more (25:30). So she left everything for the promise of a kingdom that was to come and a relationship of intimacy with the king. Life would have become more difficult for her, less comfortable. Those who knew her may have through she was crazy. He didn’t seem to be much right now except a fugitive. But she saw the reality that was to come and who this man was to be and she was willing to give up everything to be with him and to be part of his future.

Let’s learn from Abigail. Can we not respond with the same level of abandon to a much greater King? Walking with Him may not always be the most comfortable life….but THE KING! We get to be with THE KING! Wealth, prestige, power and everything the world has to offer will all fade away. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ will endure forever. He picked up His cross and came for you….now pick up your cross and follow Him. You may not see the glory of His kingdom now, but one day…soon…that glory will fill the whole earth.