The Lord is My Shield

Along with being a fantastic cook and a dependable, patient man one of the many things my husband provides for me is a sense of security. Before he retired, when he had to be out of town for training, I did not sleep well. My “security blanket” was missing. So I wrote out a verse and taped it on the wall over my bed when he was away: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8). That was all I needed.
The Bible is full of promises of God’s protection. They are a great comfort to me, especially in these uncertain and wicked times. Here are just a few from the Psalms:
“He shields all who take refuge in him” (Ps 18:30).
“You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me” (Ps 18:35).
“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word” (Ps 119:114).
“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! . . . But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high” (Ps 3:1, 3). (There’s great anthem written from this verse!)
And here is my favorite: “May Your love and Your truth always protect me” (Ps 40 11).
Over and over in Scripture, we see God as a shield and protector. The Hebrew name for the Lord in this role is Yahweh Magen – The Lord the Shield. This ties perfectly with the Shield of Faith in the Armor of God (Eph 6:16). The shield is not based on how firmly we believe, but in what – or Whom – we believe. When you grab hold of these truths about the Lord, you are taking up your shield of faith.
When you and I are confident that Almighty God loves us and His promises to us are true, we can stand boldly in the fight. Paul wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39), Beloved, is your faith based on the strength of your grip or on the One you are holding onto?

True Evangelism

I was on my way to work yesterday when I saw a squirrel in the middle of the road. Suddenly, another squirrel ran up to him, stood up on his hind legs, motioned with his paws, and started shoving his friend toward the side of the road. It’s as if he was trying to move him out of danger. All this happened in just a couple of seconds, but I thought to myself, if that wasn’t the perfect example of evangelism, I don’t know what is. Evangelism isn’t “your best life now.” Evangelism is a warning.
When Peter preached his first sermon at Pentecost Luke said, “With many words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation’” (Acts 2:40). The people “were cut to the heart” (v. 37) and wanted to know what they should do. Peter told them to repent and receive Christ and be baptized. Three thousand people did just that.
Jonathan Edwards is well known for his fire-and-brimstone sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” His vivid imagery of everlasting torment in the burning fires of Hell along with Scriptures detailing the wrath of God sparked the First Great Awakening (1730–1755). His theme of the horrors of hell, the dangers of sin, and the terrors of being eternally lost fell heavy on his listeners. And when Edwards told them about forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ, thousands gladly received God’s grace.
Yes, people need to know that God loves them. They need to know that He cares about their broken lives and broken hearts. They need to know that He has a good plan for them. But they also need to know that they are a sinner and every sinner is condemned to everlasting hell. And they need to know that God in his great mercy provided salvation through His Son.
Charles Spurgeon said, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Beloved, if you love a sinner, go into the middle of the road and warn them. (But don’t try to shove them into heaven.) It is the most loving thing you can ever do.

Is Heaven Unfair?

I have been in school for ten years. As long as it is a perk where I work, I will be in school for another ten years. You may think I’m crazy, but I want to die with a textbook in my lap. I love to learn. I don’t necessarily love writing papers – but that’s because I wait to the last minute to get it done. But there is one thing about school that I dislike: participation grades. When everyone gets an A just for doing the assignment – whether they followed the instructions or not – that grade feels hollow to me. I want to earn it. And I want my classmates to earn it too. If the assignment is supposed to be 3-5 pages long, and I write 4 pages to my classmate’s 2 pages and both of us receive an A, that really bugs me. It isn’t fair. I don’t like unfairness.
A lot of life is unfair. I’m sure that’s no surprise to you. We all feel the tension of inequity in the world. It’s not fair that some people are so much richer than me. But I am considered very wealthy by people who have no stable roof over their heads and no steady meals. It’s unfair that I have so much more than them. Even heaven is unfair. Before you stone me as a heretic, let me explain. If “fair” means to conform to established rules, then heaven is not fair. The rule is, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) – that is, eternal separation from God. The truth is “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (3:23) – including me. So if God allows me – a sinner – into His heaven, then the rules have been suspended. I don’t belong there. I belong in hell. Unless Someone else has paid my sin debt. Someone God deems as a sufficient sacrifice. It’s not fair that the sinless Son of God should bear the burden of my sin.
But hear me loud and clear – I am not at all saying that God is unfair – that would be blasphemous. God is more than fair – He is exceedingly gracious and merciful. The only reason I can look forward to heaven is because of Jesus. Remember Romans 6:23? The rest of that verse says, “. . . but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Beloved, You and I can never earn heaven, but we can receive it through Jesus. Have you?

Will God Still Rescue Me from My Own Mudpit?

Do you remember the old saying: “You made your bed, now you have to lay down in it.”? It means, in essence, I have to live with the consequences of my own foolish choices. Sometimes those consequences cost us money like my son having to replace a window he broke, or rest – like losing sleep finishing an assignment I put off too long. But some consequences are painful. Ask any prisoner in a cell or my cousin who cut his foot off playing around with a chainsaw. Sorrow and suffering are magnified when the offense against us is our own.
The people of Israel found themselves in just such a situation. Against God’s direct command, Israel allowed the pagan Canaanites to remain in the Promised Land. The Canaanites worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth, and their worship was largely sexual and perverse. Their evil practices spread throughout Israel. In their lust, they forgot the Lord who rescued them and broke their covenant agreement to worship only Yahweh. Judges 2:14 says “In His anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around.” They had danced to the devil’s tune, and now it was time to pay the piper.
What misery is greater than witnessing our own fingerprints in our suffering? I’ve been there many times. I expect you have too. Perhaps you’re sitting right now in a mud pit of your own making, wondering how you could have been so foolish and how will you ever get out of it. I used to believe that God was unwilling to help me when I got myself into trouble. “Sorry child, this is your problem, You’re on your own.” But that is not Him at all.
Even after the Israelites’ rebellion, “The Lord was moved to pity by their groaning” (Judges 2:18) When His children are suffering, God hears. He sees and He rescues. His compassion is boundless. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam 3:22). That’s good news if you’re struggling with the consequences of your own decisions and actions. Beloved, God has not and will not abandon you – even in your self-made misery. He hears your cries. He sees your tears. His heart is moved on your behalf. He rescued His people, He rescued me, and He will rescue you.

Find Strength in the Lord

I love the Psalms because they are raw and real and timeless. David and the other psalmists often wrote of pain and fear, of disappointment, loneliness, and grief. But they also wrote of faith. They turned their thoughts back to what they knew about the Lord God. Like David who returned home from a battle to find that his home and the homes of his men had been destroyed and their wives and children had been taken captive. Those mighty warriors wept and grieved “until they had no strength left to weep” (2 Sam 30:4). David did the only thing he knew to do: “David found strength in the Lord his God” (v. 6).
How do we do that? Psalm 73 is a good answer. This was written by Asaph, a Levite and “worship leader” for Israel. He was dealing with some very strong emotions – anger, envy, and frustration are evident in his words. That sounds familiar. He even confessed, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You” (vv. 21-22). Yep, been there too. Then comes the hinge on which his heart turns:
“Yet, I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You” (vv 23-25). Yet. Despite the circumstances, he reminds himself of the Lord’s faithfulness and tenderness towards him. This is an act of his will, just as it is for you and me. You may get tired of hearing me say this, but your thoughts are your choice. You can choose to dwell on misery or anger or hurt or you can choose to focus on the goodness, kindness, and faithfulness of God. I know this one personally.
Here’s the part I want you to see; when he turns his mind to God, his heart soon follows. Listen: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (v. 26). And that is how we find strength in the Lord our God. “We take captive every thought . . .” (2 Cor 10:5) and we fill our minds with truth (Phil 4:8). Not just once, but every time those negative thoughts and emotions pop up.
It’s a life-long lesson that I’m still trying to master. But if it worked for David and Asaph, it will work for you and me. Beloved, find strength in the Lord – it will change everything.

Satisfied

Oh the sweetness of a mother with her baby – thirty plus years later and I can still vividly remember the quiet love that washed over me like a tidal wave when they placed my son in my arms. But he had only one thing in mind – his craving for nourishment. He wanted to eat! Every mom knows that infants will sound the alarm when the first pangs of hunger hit. Mom fills the baby’s empty tummy, and for a season that is all the child knows of her. She is the one who meets his needs. But children grow and the relationship grows with it. The baby soon discovers that Mom is more than a place to eat.
David wrote, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps 131:2). This is a picture of the child who is past the craving stage; he no longer sees his mother as just a source of food. She is a person to enjoy, a person who loves him. Now he can be content just being in her presence without making demands of her. He still calls for her when he has a need, and he will frequently glance back at her to make sure she is still there and is satisfied to see her nearby.
Are you content simply being in the Father’s presence? Or do you still regard Him as a means to fill your wants and needs? Those who are most satisfied in their relationship with God are the ones who have learned to enjoy Him for who He is. Yes, they trust Him to meet their needs as they come. But He is so much more than a solution to their problems. More and more the Lord is teaching me to love Him for who He is, not just for what He can do for me.
Can you sit with Him in the quiet and just enjoy the privilege? God is able and willing to meet your needs – and your greatest need is Him. Beloved, won’t you come a sit a while with your Father?

Why Should You Believe the Gospel?

The gospel is the heart, soul, and foundation of Christianity. The gospel says that Man is a sinner, a condition passed down to every human being from Adam and Eve, who rebelled against God and did what God expressly said not to do. The penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God. But God still loves His Creation and He sent His one and only Son to earth. He lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died on a cross for man’s sin. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave and returned to heaven, guaranteeing that all who believe in Him have eternal life.
That’s a lot to ask someone to buy into, isn’t it? C.S. Lewis wrote, “If Christianity were something we were making up, of course we would make it easier” (Mere Christianity).
If Christianity were something we were trying to mass-produce wouldn’t we make it more attractive to “sell?” Wouldn’t we create a “hero” who was invincible – who took out His enemies rather than letting them nail him to a cross? If we were making it up, why would we make it so hard to believe? Any fantasy writer knows your story can’t be too far “out there.” There have to be some believable elements to it to be a good story. But truth – they say – is often stranger than fiction.
Could it be that the story we are telling is true? Could it be that it is more than a “story?” Is it possible that this was God’s plan all along? It is not only possible, it is factual. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was prepared for God’s redeemed people “since the creation of the world” (Matt 25:34). Scripture also says that Jesus – the Son of God (Lk 1:35), the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14), the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29) – “was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). That means before God called forth the light, the kingdom was ready and waiting and the plan of salvation was already in place.
I can’t make you believe. But I can tell you that the gospel and Christianity are true. I can tell you that if you do not make a conscious choice for Jesus, you are choosing against Him. So choose well, Beloved. The consequences of your decision are eternal.

For the Weary Warrior

This year has seen my family shatter and Joy unexpectedly taken several hours away from home. It has been a year of grief, conflict, tension, brokenness, and isolation. It has worn me down. My body is tired of carrying so much tension. My brain is tired of jumping through all the legal hoops. My heart is tired of sorting through the emotional aftermath. My spirit is tired of . . . well, my spirit is just tired. The enemy has been telling me I just need to quit – to shut myself up in a room, lick my wounds, and put it all away. In other words, to give up. I’m not going to lie – it has been tempting.
But the Spirit keeps bringing one verse to mind: Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). The word “weary” means be so exhausted as to lose courage. Notice it doesn’t say, “don’t admit that you’re tired.” It just says, “don’t give up. Because God is faithful.
I ran across this today in my Facebook memories and it explained so much about the past year and about what I am feeling. It was written by Francis Frangipane of In Christ’s Image Training Ministry. “There are times when we face extended spiritual conflict. We fight, endure, and finally prevail. Yet remember: our enemy is a “thief” (Jn 10:10). You may be so relieved that your main battle is over that you fail to notice your joy is gone. The obvious fight has been won but in your weariness your peace was depleted. Therefore, routinely take inventory of your soul. Wait before the Lord and listen. Make sure the thief hasn’t stolen any of the fruit the Holy Spirit has been cultivating in your heart — that your “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” are all functional and growing in you (Gal 5:22-23).” –www.icitc.org.
Paul and Francis are both right. We can’t give up. But we can rest. There is too much at stake to throw up our hands and throw away our peace and Joy and hope. I’m going to take the summer off from school and I’m going to enjoy every minute I get to spend with my girl. I going to let the Spirit of Christ nurture my spirit. I might even clean up my house. But I will not give up.
Beloved, I don’t know what battles you’ve been fighting, but maybe it’s time to rest a spell. Let the God who loves you heal and refresh you. Just don’t give up.

To Know Him is to Love Him

To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile make my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do.

Written by Phil Spector and first recorded by “The Teddy Bears,” this song hit the number-one spot in 1958. Through the years it was covered by many other artists and I bet as you read those lyrics, you were singing the melody. I know I did as I typed them. Do you remember those early days of love, when you just couldn’t get enough of your beloved? You wanted to spend every moment together, learning all you could about one another. What is her favorite flower? What is his favorite song? What makes her happy? What makes him laugh? Her fragrance was intoxicating. You hung on his every word. You became “a student” of the one you love, trying to discover all the wonderful things about them, like hunting for hidden treasures. It seemed that the more you knew about each other, the deeper your affection went.
Do you have the same desire to know and love God? Jesus said, “This is eternal life; that they may know you . . .“ (John 17:3). He also said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37). That’s not a casual Sunday-only relationship.
He is the greatest and deepest love you can ever know. Perhaps it never occurred to you that you can know God, but over and over His Word expresses His desire for us to know Him. The apostle Paul said God wants us to “seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:27) The same principle in our earthly relationships holds true in our relationship with God.
I have discovered that the more I come to know Him, the more I love Him and the more I love Him the more I want to know Him. Beloved, can there be any better pursuit for your life than to seek to know and love God? Not just know about Him, but know Him. In the Bible, the word “know” implies a level of intimacy that describes a marital relationship. It means there is nothing that comes between the husband and wife. It is deep. Committed. Unbreakable. Everlasting. That is the love God desires from us. “My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

In God’s Hands

Joy was walking around the living room last night with her eyes closed. “Joy, you need to open your eyes so you don’t trip over something,” I said. “My eyes weren’t closed, Nana,” she insisted, “I was looking through my fringes.” Fringes, in case you didn’t know, are eyelashes. Her eyes were opened just enough to “see” through her lashes, though not enough to look like they were opened. And not enough to actually see where she was going.
Joy’s “fringe vision” made me think of Paul’s words: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor 13:12). Paul was saying we have imperfect knowledge and understanding. This world in which we live often leaves us confused and, let’s be honest, fearful. The more we try to figure things out the more uncertain life seems. I get it. I’ve been living in the “fringes” for the last year plus. Everything has been turned upside-down and inside-out. I thought God and I had a plan – I thought it was a good plan – but God has other ideas.
Job, in the midst of his painful trial, said we all live on the “outer fringe” of God’s works and ways (Job 26:14). The Hebrew translates to the “mere edges.” In other words, because He is so big and so other, we can’t see what God is up to. We don’t have His perspective. We can’t see “the end from the beginning.” But He can (Is 46:10). Not like a fortune teller who can “see” what will happen in the future. This is the sovereign God of the universe who determines the future and sets things in motion to achieve His plan. He said “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand” (Is 14:24).
I trust God’s plan. I trust that everything He purposes will be good because He is good. I trust that nothing – not one single thing – will touch my life that has not been filtered through His loving, gracious, merciful hands. Yes, even the hard things and the unexpected things and the things that break my heart. Because I trust His heart. And I know that the plan is ultimately to conform me to the likeness of Son.
Beloved, you and I may not see everything from the fringes of His hand, but we can trust Him nonetheless because – even at the edges – we are still in His hand.