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?

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).

Doctrines of the Faith: Who is the Holy Spirit?

The greatest life pursuit of man is to know God. But that is not natural to our human, sinful natures. The desire to know God comes from God. He orchestrates it and provides the Teacher: the Holy Spirit. To have the Holy Spirit we must know Jesus Christ (Rom 8:9-11). Here you have the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, uniquely three in one. It is one of the great mysteries of the faith, pondered by men for thousands of years. No one has been able to fully explain this Holy Oneness. I choose to take the Trinity on faith. In this part of our Doctrines study, we will focus on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a person – not an “it,” and He is equal in power, sovereignty, divinity, and all other attributes of God the Father and God the Son. We tend to think of the Holy Spirit as a New Testament entity, but the Bible tells us that He was an active participant in the Creation. Genesis 1:2 says “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (emphasis added). The Holy Spirit was the power that generated all creation into being.
The Holy Spirit was visible in the Old Testament imparting power, strength, and wisdom to those God used to accomplish His sovereign purposes. However, the Spirit’s activity within man was only for the task, leaving the person when God’s work was fulfilled. One example is found in 1 Samuel 10 when “The Spirit of God came upon Saul in power” and he prophesied. Later, the Spirit departed from Saul when David was chosen by God to succeed him on the throne of Israel(1 Sam 16:14).
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit fell on the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12), giving them the ability to proclaim “the wonders of God” in previously unfamiliar human languages. He was the driving force behind the birth of the new church. The Holy Spirit now dwells within all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, not coming and going as before, but literally “taking up residence” in the heart of the believer. He is our assurance that we belong to Christ (Rom 8:9).
We will look deeper into the Scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit in the next couple of weeks. For today ask yourself, Beloved, do I know God through His Holy Spirit?

Only One Way to God

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself”

Do you believe that? I hope not because it is a lie from the pit of hell. It is also a popular philosophical statement from Swami Vivekananda. He was a Hindu philosopher, mystic, author, and religious teacher in the late 1800s who introduced and popularized many Hindu practices in the West, including yoga. He was the driving force behind interfaith awareness – popularized in recent years by “Coexist” bumper stickers. It’s a trendy theory, but it’s not true, and it won’t grant you eternal life. It is interesting that someone who does not know God himself would counsel the world on how to know God.

I discovered the quote while looking for an image about believing God. Google orders search results by popularity. This is what the world wants. A spirituality that is built around themselves rather than built on God. They want a God who is made in their own image, rather than recognizing that they are made in the image of God.

God wants us to know and believe in Him. The Scriptures repeatedly say that God works and acts “that you may know that I am God.” Those words are so frequent I can’t note all the references. But you and I won’t know and believe in God through ourselves. We will only know Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Let me be clear: there are not many roads to God. There is only a one-way street. Jesus is the only way. That is not a popular statement, but it is a true one. Jesus also said, “If you really knew me, you would know my father as well” (Jn 14:6-7).  Jesus is God. He acts in accordance with the Father. He speaks for the Father (v.10). He is “in the Father, and the Father is in [Him]” (v. 11).

Jesus prayed to His Father, “Now this is eternal life; that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3). Beloved, I don’t want you to miss this. There is no hope “if [you] ignore such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3). Oh, but if you believe, there is hope and peace and Joy and love. Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in God. Believe in His Son. And you will have eternal life.

Acts: Lydia and the Miracle of Faith

Women didn’t have many prominent roles in the Bible. The Jewish faith and culture was patriarchal – dominated by men – and had little opportunities for woman.  But women – then and now – have always been influential in the church. Women are essential to the work of God’s Kingdom.

Lydia was the first European convert to Christianity. Her story starts in Acts 16:11-15. She was a wealthy businesswoman who lived in the town of Philippi and she “was a worshiper of God” (v. 14) – a Gentile who believed in the God of the Israelites. She was meeting with several other women beside a river, outside of the city, to pray. Jewish law required a minimum of ten men to organize a synagogue. We don’t know the number of women that were gathered together that day, but it didn’t matter as women were not counted in trying to create a quorum. Women were permitted to gather in groups to pray, but any formal, public worship or reading of the Torah, or the giving of public blessings required at least the minimum of men.

Philippi is the first place that Paul and company stopped after the Lord spoke to him in a dream (see v 9-10). They joined the women at the river’s edge and began to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Luke said that she and some of her household believed and were baptized. Afterward she invited the missionary team to her home. Eventually, the budding church in Philippi found a home in Lydia’s home (Acts 16:40).

The world is filled with people who are aware of God, who “believe in God” but who still do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. James said that “even the demons believe that there is a God – and they tremble” (Ja 2:19), but they don’t combine it with faith (see Heb 4:2). They lack the faith Lydia had to see that Jesus is the true son of God and the only hope we have of redemption. Yet that faith didn’t originate with Lydia. Luke said, “The Lord opened her heart” (v. 14). Faith is a gift from God. It is given, not manufactured. And that is how we must pray for our lost loved ones. Beloved, do you have someone in your life who “believes in God,” but doesn’t have saving faith in God? Pray, “Lord, open his heart to the truth.” “Lord, give her faith to believe you.” Ask God to do a miracle in their heart. That is His specialty you know.

Are You Devoted to God?

The Bible is full of questions but surprisingly many of them come from God and not from people. The first question was when The Lord God came to the garden in the cool of the day to visit with His beloved creation and asked, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). And the story of sin came tumbling out.

I came across a question this morning that has deeply challenged me. “‘Who is he [or she] who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:21 NIV). Keep in mind that He wasn’t asking that of the general population of the world, He was asking that of His people, Israel. I believe He is also asking that of the church today.

This verse speaks of devoting oneself – and when I first read it I thought it meant making a firm commitment to draw near to God through Bible study and prayer and all those holy habits of discipleship. That was the direction I was writing. Then the Spirit said, “It’s more than that – dig deeper.” I discovered that this verse is saying something much different. This is not about discipleship, it is about sacrifice. The word “devote” in ancient Hebrew means to put up a pledge of security – in a modern sense, to “mortgage.” Mortgage what? Everything, including one’s very life, for one purpose – to come near, to approach God.

Here’s what I found fascinating: this same Hebrew word is used in Nehemiah 5:3 where the people said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” They sold everything they had just to survive. That is how desperate we must be for God.

This means saying, “God, I am giving my entire being – my physical life, my possessions, my loved ones, my desires, passions, time, money, future, emotions, thoughts, rights, my mind, my pleasures, my entertainment, and everything I know to You so that I can have a real relationship – not just an acquaintance – with You. I am holding on to nothing. I am desperate for you.”

Which begs a new question – Are you that desperate for God? Not just to have a passing knowledge of Him but to know you need Him in order to survive? Will you give it all up for Him? Beloved, will you devote yourself to be close to the Lord?

Redeemer

“Lord, I do not understand. Why this battle? Why this hard thing? Why this discouraging place? Why Lord, is this happening?”

I wonder if you’ve said those words or something similar lately. Why does God allow these painful things in our lives? I believe it is to show us Who He is. God wants you and me to know Him. Over and over and over in Scripture the Lord said He allowed certain things to happen “That You will know me” and “That you will know that I am the Lord.” Think about it, I would never know God as my Provider unless I had a need I couldn’t meet. You would never know God as your Healer if you were never sick. We would never know He is our Protector unless we needed protection. If you never find yourself in the darkness, you don’t appreciate the Light.

There is a name that I believe God wants you and me to know above all the others.

I ran across a verse this morning in Micah, one of the small books in the back of the Old Testament. The people have rebelled against and disobeyed the Lord. God told them: “You will go to Babylon” (Micah 4:10). And they did. They were torn from their beloved home and exiled to a foreign land. It would be a very hard time. God could rightly leave them there. They deserved punishment for their sins. But He doesn’t.

He said, “There you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you.” God is our Redeemer – the one who saves us from danger, hostility, and slavery. That is the name I believe He most wants us to know. Because until you know Him as Redeemer, you cannot know Him as Provider, Healer, Protector, or Light. God revealed Himself as Redeemer when His people were in places of danger and distress and hardship. He redeemed them first out of Egyptian slavery. He redeemed them out of Babylonian exile. And He is still redeeming. He gave His one and only Son to redeem you out of bondage to sin and death (John 3:16). God redeemed you because He loves you. When you grasp that you cannot help but love Him too.

I know you may be in a very tough spot right now. But consider this Beloved, that hard place you’re in is the perfect place for you to get to know your Redeemer. Call out to the One who loves you with perfect, holy, redeeming love.

Don’t Be a Spiritual Couch Potato

I had a conversation once with my chiropractor about trying to get off the couch and get moving.  I said, “But I have no energy!”  He told me that when we only use a small amount of energy every day, our body gets accustomed to that and eventually doesn’t demand any more of us.  That is how a “couch potato” is born.  But if we push past that low bar we have set, our body will begin to respond to the demand for additional energy and will build a greater energy reserve. 

Likewise, if we allow ourselves to become satisfied with just a little bit of God, we will never want more of Him.  But if we push past that low bar, our hearts will begin to respond to Him more and more, and we will find that we can never get enough of Him.  We will be filled with His love, and His Spirit will give us new life.

Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when You seek me with all your heart.”  This speaks of an intense desire to know Him, and a passionate and determined pursuit of Him.  The wonderful truth is that God promises to reveal Himself to us when we do.  In fact, the original Hebrew says that He will cause us to encounter Him – if we seek Him with all our hearts.  As He reveals more of Himself to us, our love for Him deepens, and our search for the heart of God intensifies more and more.

Are you “satisfied” with your relationship with God, or do you long for more?  Turn off the T.V., push yourself up from the couch, and begin to pursue Him.  Get involved in a local church, with faithful attendance.  Join a Sunday school class or Bible study group.  Find a Christian mentor you can learn from.  Establish a daily habit of reading your Bible, memorizing Scripture, and praying.  When you make knowing God a priority in your life, He will show you truths you never dreamed of.  Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  God wants you to know Him, and He has promised to reveal things you never even thought to ask about.  David wrote, “You have said to my heart, ‘Seek my face!’ Your face Lord, I will seek” (Ps 27:8). Beloved, this is your invitation to go deeper with God.  Will you seek Him?

Stand Firm

This morning something caught my attention in 1 Corinthians, and when I turned the page to 2 Corinthians there it was again. I knew this was the word for today: “Stand firm.” Paul wrote, “Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58). “Stand firm” in the Greek means “to be settled.” It’s worth noting that we determine how we will respond before the battle, not in the middle – and we do not waver.

But life is hard, the evil world is cruel, and the devil is always on the attack. How can we stand firm when everything thing around us is against us? That’s where 2 Corinthians comes in: “Now it is God who makes us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (1:21-22). Oh, thanks be – God Himself enables and empowers us to stand firm through His Holy Spirit.

But we do have a responsibility in this as Paul added, “It is by faith that you stand firm” (v. 24). Peter said that “God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him . . . [and] through His very great and precious promises” (2 Pet 1:3-4). Knowing God makes the decision to stand firm, and faith plants our feet on the solid rock of what – and Whom – we know.

One more point. Did you notice the “Therefore . . .” in the first verse? What’s it there for? Throughout the entire 15^th chapter Paul focused on the resurrection – specifically the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the resurrection of the body. This is our guarantee (2 Cor 1:22) that all who are in Christ will also be resurrected at His return (vv. 20-21) and we will be given perfect heavenly, eternal bodies (vv. 42-44). Peter said these are God’s “very great and precious promises” (v. 1) Each of these verses tied the ability to stand firm with the hope of eternal life with Christ. “Therefore,” the hope of eternity is our motivation for standing firm in our faith in Christ.

I know, it’s not easy. I know you have wounds and battle scars inside and out. But the promise of eternity is your impetus for faithfulness. Stand firm, Beloved. It will be worth it in the end – because in Christ, there is no end.

In the Darkness

I’m not a fan of the nighttime. I don’t like being in the dark. That’s true in the physical world – and in the spiritual realm too. God is light and His children live in His light. So why do we experience times of darkness? Has God left us and taken His light away? No. Not ever. Remember, God is faithful. So, what is happening when the light dims and our world turns dark?

I watched a documentary some time ago about gem mining. Do you know where gem mining happens? In caves in the deepest part of a mountain. Where it’s dark. All. The. Time. Miners spend all their working hours in darkness, looking for little glints and sparkles to know where to dig for buried treasure. Treasure in darkness. The Lord declared, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places . . .” (Is 45:3).

What kind of treasure? Treasure for your soul. Treasures that start as little flashes of hope and peace. Treasures of comfort. Treasures of trust. And yes, even treasures of Joy. But the greatest treasure I’ve found in times of darkness is the treasure of a deeper, stronger knowledge of God. That’s the other half of our key verse: “so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” When I was down for weeks with a serious leg infection, I learned that God is my Healer. When my pantry was as empty as my bank account, I found that God is my Provider. When the enemy came roaring after me, God was my Strong Tower. In this season of anxiety, God continues to be my Hope and Peace and Joy.

But there’s more to these treasures in the darkness. Jesus said, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight (Matt 10:27). Tell somebody about the treasure you found. Paul wrote, “The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor 1:3-4). That’s why I am so open about my life – I want you to know Him like I know Him.

Seasons of darkness will come, but God always brings the Light. And when you find those treasures hold out that diamond of faith, the emerald of trust, the ruby of Joy, and the sapphire of hope for someone else. Grab a pick, Beloved. I’ll show you where the good stuff is.