"Reflections of Faithfulness"

    

    God cannot be other than who He is, nor can He do anything that does not coincide with His perfect character and nature.

    "He cannot deny Himself… The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works" (II Timothy 2:13; Psalm 145:17).

    I often consider this wondrous truth when I fail to act in accordance with, as the saying goes, "Whose and who I am."  Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ belong to God, and in Christ we are "created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).  Unlike our Heavenly Father, however, the fruits of our lives do not always accord with the fact of our Life.  One day this will be the case, but not yet.  "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we appear with Him in glory… Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.  But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (Colossians 3:4; I John 3:2).  Again, the contrast between ourselves and God often manifests itself in His perfect consistency and our lack thereof.  

    Such Truth presents opportunity for awed worship and appreciation of our blessed Lord.  Someone exists who will be tomorrow who He is today, and He will be today who He was yesterday.  Moreover, He will act accordingly, and even more wonderfully, "as for God, His way is perfect" (II Samuel 22:31).  This means that there is Someone to trust in the universe, especially for those who recognize and acknowledge our too frequent (although never excusable) lack of trustworthiness.  Interestingly, the reception of this Truth accomplishes in us the growth we require in being more consistent.  That is, the more we discover in our hearts, minds, and lives the reality of God's perfect faithfulness, the more find ourselves enabled to walk in greater faithfulness.  "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18).  We serve as moons reflecting the sun, as it were, or more literally, as sons and daughters absorbing and then revealing the glory of the Son.

    In times of faithfulness, we rejoice and give all glory to the Source of all righteousness.  In times of unfaithfulness, we repent and look to the same Source as our restoration and hope for more consistent devotion in the present and future.  We find Him to be the same always, and become more like Him as we do.  

"I am the Lord; I change not."

(Malachi 3:6).

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised."

(Hebrews 10:23)

Weekly Memory Verse

    I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38-39)

"Perfect Promises, Growing Confidence" Part 2

    Why does God sometimes withhold provisions and protections if we do not trust Him to supply them?

    "Ye have not because ye ask not… They could not enter not in because of unbelief" (James 4:2; Hebrews 3:19).

    The answer lies in the truth of our personhood.  The Lord originally created us in His image for the purpose of living relationship and fellowship with Himself.  As the one true God, He necessarily made us in a dependent, subservient role.  We rely upon the Lord for our existence and sustenance - "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  Some blessings come to us with no response on our part, including life, breath, and the shining sun and falling rain on the just and unjust (Acts 17:25; Matthew 5:45).   In many matters, however, we must consciously determine to avail ourselves of our Heavenly Father's good gifts.  Regarding personal salvation and subsequent relationship with our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, we must actively receive God's grace.  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved… Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you" (Acts 16:31; James 4:8).  

    Recognition of our privleged responsbility to trust and submit unto God motivates believers to actually do so.   The more we discover His promises and our need, the more likely we are to join the Psalmist in trusting determination: "I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised" (Psalm 18:3).  As A.W. Tozer wrote, "we will all know God about as well as we choose to know Him."  Thus, God's trusting children in Christ must recognize that He sometimes withholds His provisions and protections because we do not seriously look to Him for their supply.  He waits to be trusted before acting on our behalf.  This is true relationship and fellowship between the Divine and human, as opposed to merely technical programming of the latter by the Former.

    I find this truth to be both blessedly encouraging and greatly challenging.  No more thrilling reality exists than the possibility of knowing God in living reality.  "In Thy presence is fullness of joy.  At Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).  We live in a world, however, wherein many obstacles (including our own flesh) seek to hinder our knowledge and reponse to the love of the Lord Jesus.  "Mine enemies are lively and they are strong, and they that hate me without cause are multiplied" (Psalm 38:19).  Through Christ we can overcome, and by His indwelling Spirit we may and must avail ourselves of God and His good graces.  The path is nevertheless not easy, and much conscious determination will be required if we are to increasingly respond to our Heavenly Father's love.  Thus, we do well to pray for each other and ourselves that we will avail ourselves of the Available, that is, that we will grow in our awareness of God and His faithfulness in order that we might respond accordingly, experiencing those wonders that can only be known as we consciously access them by faith…

"Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."

(Jeremiah 29:12-13) 

Weekly Memory Verse

    I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38-39)

“Verbal Abuse, Victorious Availing” Conclusion

    

    This brief series of messages involving the believer's response to unkind or unjust words has dealt primarily with the internals of our relationship with God, along with our reciprocal response of how to respond, think, believe, and relate to our Lord in this challenging matter.  A final thought regarding the matter concerns relating to our offender, particularly regarding the attitude in which we act and express ourselves toward him.

  "Bless them that curse you" (Luke 6:28).  We determine that our response will not originate according to the characteristics of the world, the devil, and the flesh from which the attack proceeded, but rather from the indwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.  That is, we determine to seek the glory of God and the offender's benefit - "bless" - in how we respond and what we say.   This does not mean that we cannot address the "curse" of which we have been the victim.  There is no fault in informing another person that their words have been hurtful and unfair (we may also in some cases follow the pattern of response mandated by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18:15-20).  We do so, however, not from the wound of our hurt feelings, but rather from the solace and strength received because we have sought the Lord and His truth - "This is my comfort in my affliction, for Thy Word hath quickened me" (Psalm 77:2).  We remember that the Lord Jesus well knows the pangs of verbal abuse to a far greater measure and degree than we will ever experience.  He overcame them all, and now dwells within us by His Spirit to lead us accordingly.  "Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (I Peter 4:19).

    In essence, we respond in love, the love of Christ.  This involves the devotion to our Heavenly Father that constitutes His honor and will as the primary issue in the matter of verbal abuse.  As the Lord Jesus declared, "I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:29).  The Spirit of our Savior dwells in us to motivate and enable the same response.  "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).  The path paved from such reality involves the determination to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh for the purpose of pleasing and honoring our Father, as opposed to punishing and hurting our offender.  Indeed, a great Truth presents itself to us in this challenging matter, namely, that walking with God involves seeing our relationships with people, whether pleasantly or unpleasantly experienced, as opportunity to relate to Him.  In blessedness, we give thanks for the wonder of knowing our Lord and His love as revealed in humanity.  In difficulty, such as the verbal abuse we presently consider, we give thanks in the recognition that the weaknesses of humanity provide opportunity to seek our "faithful Creator" in the assurance of His comfort, His leading, His enabling, and His provision of an opportunity to know and express His wondrous love not only in pleasantries with people, but in persecutions.

   Few more challenging paths lies before us in our walk with the Lord.  Unkind and unjust words hurt.  However, few more blessed paths offer to us a walk with God in the love of His grace, mercy, and truth.  Responding to Him when verbally abused leads and enables us to respond to our offender in a manner that reveals the living Word, the Lord Jesus.  As always, the challenge provides the opportunity for victorious availing that would not otherwise exist.  This is the Christian life, the life of Christ, as presently experienced in a fallen world wherein "the Light shineth in darkness" (John 1:5).

"As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more conquerors through Him that loved us."

(Romans 8:36-37)

Weekly Memory Verse

    I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels more principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height not depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38-39)