Keep Walking

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Psalms 37:23-24

After forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jorden River. Moses was gone and Joshua was called by God to lead the people. The Israelites walked to the river and camped beside it for three days preparing themselves for the crossing. It was harvest season and the river was flooded making it very dangerous for over a million people to cross. Yet God told Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” (Joshua 3:7-8). God did not say to go to the river’s edge and wait, pray, or sing. To paraphrase it, God said to go to the river’s edge and keep walking into the flooded river where you might easily be swept away and drowned.

The priest followed God’s command. When the priest’s feet touched the water in the Jordon, the water upstream stopped flowing and piled up in a heap. All the people crossed over on dry ground while the priest stood in the middle of the river on dry ground. (Joshua 3:14-17). God did an amazing thing that day. But he only amazed the people after the first foot touched the water. God did not stop the river from flowing and wait patiently for the people to calm down and feel comfortable. No! God acted after seeing that the priest would trust and obey him.

God still wants to show us amazing things and bless us, but first we must step into the water. We must walk forward into an uncertain future to watch God shape our lives for the better. We must be willing to step into a new relationship, job, or ministry to see the new and amazing things God will do for us. God wants children who trust and obey even when the odds seem impossible. Though we cannot imagine how things could work for our good, with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27).

From ancient days God has told people to walk in obedience to the Lord and our days will be long and prosperous. (Deuteronomy 5:33). This verse is after God gave the 10 commandments to Moses. God wants us to walk and he tells us what to do while we are walking. Through out the Bible there are numerous commands on how to behave, how to treat people, what to avoid, and how to worship. God tells us so many things to do while we are walking through this life.

He gave the Israelites hundreds of laws under the Mosaic covenant. Laws which governed every aspect of family, social, and national life. God was concerned about every detail of their lives. Nothing is missed by God. There is no detail too trivial for God to notice. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows every time a sparrow falls to the ground. He holds the universe in his hands and still watches every detail of every living plant, animal, and person. There are 7.5 million people in this world. God calls each one by name and is able to hear the prayers of each one simultaneously.  God is truly amazing.

God does not call us to walk then abandon us to wander alone. He is there with us every step of the way. From the day we are conceived until after our death, God knows what is happening in our lives. He knows every thought before we think it. He sees every tear and every chuckle. He understands our heartaches, our joys, our rebellions, and our obedience. (Psalms 139). He is always only a breath away. He will never abandon us. (John 14:18)

When the Israelites did not obey the Lord, Moses intervened to spare them the wrath of the Lord. Then Moses told the Israelite that God sent him to lead them on their way. What God expected was for them to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Even when they sinned God still told them to keep walking and what he expected of them while they were walking. If we are struggling to trust and obey God, he will still not abandon us. As long as we continue to call to him in the midst of our struggle. God will continue to guide us.

Psalms 23 tells us that even when we walk in darkness we do not need to fear for God will be with us. His rod and his staff will comfort us.  A rod and staff are the tools of a shepherd to keep the sheep from wandering off onto the wrong pasture or into the dangerous woods. The staff is a long piece of wood with a crooked end which can be used to pick a sheep up by the neck and turn it in a different direction. A rod is a type of club which is thrown in front of the sheep to stop it and make it run in a different direction. Both the rod and staff are uncomfortable and scary experiences for the sheep. But the shepherd uses them to guide the sheep and to prevent the sheep from making dangerous decisions.

Sometimes when God walks with us we fail to give him our attention and wander in the wrong direction. God, being the good shepherd will use uncomfortable and scary situations to lead us back to the good path he wants us to walk. In Psalms 138, the psalmist declares that when he walks in troubling times God will save his life and save him. God is always with us, we are never alone. He protects us and blesses us when we are obedient to him. He also redirects us when we wander the wrong way.

When Jesus called the first disciples, he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. (Matthew 4:18) Jesus amazed people by healing the lame. He forgave sinners and commanded them to “get up and walk.”  Jesus called men to follow him as disciples, and fishers of men. He did not tell them to come sit with me, or pray with me, or sing with me. He said follow me. Over twenty times in the gospels, Jesus told people they must follow him. Jesus wants us walking through this world with him as our guide, leader, shepherd, and Lord.

Walking is an important part of life. As Christian we are called to follow Jesus, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8). As we go through our daily lives let us never forget that God is there with us.

Dear Lord, you are an amazing God. Your knowledge of us and our needs is overwhelming. Your ability to always be there in good times and bad times, reaches deep into my heart. Your love consumes me and leaves me weak. Thank you for being my God. Thank you for loving me so much and sharing your love with me. Let me never forget that you are as close as my breath.

Pointing Finger and Malicious Talk

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8.

It is easy to think of things which satisfy our flesh. Wanting to feel superior in our beliefs we point to other’s beliefs and explain how they are wrong, rather than examining ourselves for error. The Bible tells us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 2:23) If we commit one sin we have committed them all. (James 2:10) But somehow, we are slow to remember those things and quick to point our finger.

In Isaiah 58 God says he will hear our call for help if only we will put away the pointing finger and malicious talk. Even in ancient Israel people were pointing their fingers at others. It is a product of our human flesh to distract ourselves by searching for other people’s faults. Or to blame other people for what is wrong in the world around us, when we don’t know how to fix a situation. It feels better to blame someone else rather than to admit our confusion and lack of ability. This originates from our flesh which includes acts of hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy. (Galatians 5:19-21) All of these are motivations to finger pointing.

God calls us to put away things of the flesh and to walk in the freedom of the God’s love. (Galatians 5:13-15) To love one another. If we continue to fight with each other we will be destroying ourselves. If we continue to talk about how others are the real problem, in the end we hurt ourselves and our walk with God. We are called to develop the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Controlling the tongue can be one of the most difficult fruits to develop in our lives.

Fruit growing on trees requires time to develop, sunshine and water, fertilizer and pruning.  In our lives the fruits of the spirit require time to develop, prayer and bible study, discipline and determination. When finding ourselves pointing a finger at someone or speaking from the flesh, we should stop and take a deep breath. Say a prayer to God for help. Then choose to speak differently. Chose to speak from the spirit not the flesh.

Keep your tongue from uttering malicious talk. If you want to live a life with good days you will learn to guard your tongue. (1 Peter 3:10) As Philippians 4:8 directs us, find something pure, lovely, or praiseworthy to say. Practice speaking well of others. If you can’t find anything good to say then offer a prayer for the person’s wellbeing. Praise God for the good things in your life. Ask God to guide you in the difficult areas of your life. Memorize and repeat scripture to remind yourself of God’s guidance.

Dear Lord, you are holy and worthy of all praise. From you we learn how to speak and how to love others. Teach us O lord to speak the words you want to hear. Show us how to change from malicious talk and pointing fingers to talk that is lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Call to our minds your words in the Bible. Lead us in all we say and do.

What is the Truth?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

One of the ways Jesus describes himself is “the Truth.” There is nothing false in him. He never lies or misleads people. Everything he says can be trusted. It is impossible for God to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) This should help us understand why the truth is so important. It is the very essence of what God is. When we stand in the truth we are standing with God himself. When we turn away from the truth we are turning away from God.

Our world is full of alternate truths, spins on the truth, misleading stories, and plain old lies. We need to be careful about what we see and hear. (Matthew 13:15-17) We need to commit ourselves to Godly discernment. (Psalms 119:125) When we allow ourselves to believe a lie we are walking closely with Satan. Jesus called Satan the father of lies, a murderer, and someone who does not stand in the truth. (John 8:44) Surely none of us wants Jesus to look at us and say we do not stand in the truth!

With social media, and 24-hour news how are we to know what is the truth? With so many stories, reports, and spins floating around in the cloud and into our homes, our eyes and ears, how do we discern truth from a lie? First and foremost, we turn to the source of all truth, that is God. We admit our inability to always know and humbly ask God to lead and guide us into His truth. We pray for God to help us see the world as He sees it. And we keep asking, keep praying, knowing that we are always subject to being misled by Satan and his lies. We are always dependent on God to guide us through each and every day.

Secondly, we study the Bible. Although the Bible is an ancient book with no references to our modern 24-hour, instantly available news, it still offers us a multitude of truths. When we read and study daily we begin to view situations the way God views situations. Over time we hone our ability to use Godly discernment to separate truth from falsehood.

For example, the parable of the sower tells us much about God’s view of things. (Matthew 13, Luke 8, and Mark 4) God knows that even when good seed is distributed not all seeds will produce a crop. The sower distributed the seed in four places, on the path, on a rocky place, among thorns, and on good soil. Of the four paces only one produced a good crop. The other three places produced nothing good. By considering the truth as a seed distributed by God, we quickly realize how easily that truth may not have Godly results.

A path is a place for people to walk past the field, perhaps not even noticing the field. The seed is used to feed the birds not for a crop. If your life is full of activities and busyness you may be walking the path constantly and not notice the seed or truth growing in the field. Your activities may be good and honorable things involving children, work, or church, but if you do not have time for prayer and Bible study you will become easily lead away from the truth.

A rocky place is often covered in shallow soil which prevents the roots from growing deep into the soil and nourishing the plant. The seed germinates but its roots will hit rock and have no nourishment. Some people live a shallow life. They chase after the trending news. They easily believe what satisfies their opinions and never take time to look deeper into the matter. The truth does not grow in their lives because they follow anything which provides emotional excitement. The deeper truths of God will pass by them.

Other seed fell among thorns which choked out the crop. Sometimes people have difficult lives. They can’t find a good job. There are health issues and medical bills. There could be addiction or abuse in their lives. These things can have an emotional effect on people and cause them to struggle with God and his guidance. A person abused as a child, may not be able to consider any father loving. A person with health issues may wonder, why the Bible talks about healing when God has not healed me. This can cause the truth to be choked out of a person’s life. It becomes a struggle to trust and obey when we feel God has disappointed us.

Then there is the seed which falls on good ground. This represents people who are willing to listen and willing to be taught. People willing to spend time studying a matter and comparing it to other truths. Someone who is not searching for an emotional high but rather is able to accept the truth even when it requires making changes. This is the seed that bears fruit and produces a hundredfold crop.

It may be depressing to know many people are not good ground for the truth. There are many who reject the truth as foolishness. Others are too busy or lazy to search for the truth and accept anything handed to them. Some cannot let go of what life has given then to fully take hold of the truth. But the parable tells us when God distributes his word or the truth enough seed will flourish to produce a hundredfold crop. God’s word does not come back to him empty. There is always a crop. God will always tell us the truth. God’s purpose is always accomplished. (Isaiah 55:11)

What must we do to fully search for and embrace the truth? First stay in a close relationship with Jesus. Let him guide you in all you do. Pray. Attend Bible studies. Let the truth of Jesus wash over you day after day. Jesus said that if we ask it will be given to us. If we search we will find. If we knock the door will be opened. Pray over Matthew 7:7 and ask Jesus to guide you in your search for truth.

There are also practical ways to find the truth. When studying the Bible use a commentary to help illuminate what you are reading. A wonderful resource for commentaries is this web page https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/. Which has 110 commentaries. I recommend you start with William Barclays Daily Study Bible https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb.html.

Books to read include The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies,  Parables: The Mystery of God's Kingdom Reveled through the Stories Jesus Told by John MacArthur.

When you hear a person speaking on non-religious matters and wonder if it is true, there are a few internet sites which debunk popular opinions floating around in our culture.

https://www.factcheck.org/ a non-partisan site trying to search for the truth on both sides of the aisle.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/ Gives a more in-depth research of why political statements are true or false.

https://www.snopes.com/ Covers urban legends and viral stories.

I recommend being very careful when watching network news. FoxNews has a conservative bias while CNN is liberal leaning. If you watch only one channel you will hear only one side of the story. Be careful with reports that are all opinion with no facts to substantiate the story. If you truly want to know if a subject is reported truthfully rather than completely biased, then pray and ask God to help you hear the truth. Do some research at the library, bookstore, or internet sites. Pray for God to lead you to truthful material.

There is not always time to research everything we hear. But be careful of accepting anything handed to you. Do not let your emotions lead your opinions.

In Matthew 13:11-13 Jesus said, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Those that have and will be given more are the ones who study and search for the truth. In their search they find more truth than they had before. Those that do not have and what they have will be taken away are the ones who refuse to study, refuse to search for truth. The little knowledge that they have will evaporate from their minds and they will accept anything which comes their way.

Diligently work to become a person who sees and hears the truth.

 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city. 

Jerimiah 5:1

Dear Lord, Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for answering when I ask. Give me eyes that see your truth and ears which hear your truth. Guide me through the onslaught of information around me. Help me to navigate around the lies and towards the truth. As your son is the truth, I want to learn to fully embrace your truth in my life. Let the search for truth always be one of the desires of my heart.

Honoring the Sabbath

¹³ If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
    from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call the sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;
¹⁴ then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob,
 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:13-14

The Sabbath was created as a day of rest. God rested from all his work and made the Sabbath day hallowed. He created the Sabbath as a day of praise for himself. The Sabbath is a day away from the cares of daily life. And it is a time of refreshing in the presence of the Lord.

In postexilic Israel the people were not observing the Sabbath. They continue with their work and their daily living. The Sabbath was not a day of rest but a day to pursue their own interest rather than the interest of God. God set aside the Sabbath to worship and praise him, not to go our own ways. But Israel ignored the commandment to rest on the Sabbath. As a result Israel was not enjoying the blessing of the Lord. They complained that God was to weak and deaf to help them.

Do we ignore the Sabbath? Do we go our own way? Is it enough to go to church on Sunday morning, give God an hour or two of our time? Does he want more? Is playing golf and watching football the same as going our own way. What of shopping malls and running weekend errands on Sundays? When we enjoy ourselves by doing our own thing, we are not resting the way God intended.

It is not enough to lie down on the couch and rest from work. We must learn to take delight in the Sabbath and honor the Sabbath. For most of us this is Sunday not Saturday. But still, we must try to understand what it means to delight and honor God on Sunday. Perhaps a walk in the woods and praising God as you go for the beauty he created in this world. You might spend time with family, actively drawing close to each other in activities such as board games or touch football. Rather than shopping for more things, we could prepare a meal together and invite friends to our table.

It is not an easy change to let go of our own ways. But with God’s help we can discover the delight of the Sabbath. More than just a day consumed with selfish interest but a day to find new pleasures. The Sabbath can become a day to refresh us spiritually, mentally, and physically. A day set aside from all other days of the weak. A day to praise God in all we do.

Dear Lord, help me to find ways to delight in the Sabbath. Help me give up my own interest and honor you. Give me wisdom to give up my own ways and to make the Sabbath a holy day to you. 

That you may know

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 2:18-19

What is the love of God? We talk about it but do we comprehend its breath, length, height and depth? It is easy to believe God loves us as we love him.  Sometimes we love him as a good father. Other times he seems to be a far off wondrous mystery. Something we can’t quite grasp in our feeble brains. It is easy to believe that God’s love for us is a reflection of our feelings. Days when thing are good we see God’s love as good. But on days when things are bad we see God as more distant.

On Sundays we speak of God’s love but what of the other days of the week. Do we forget after church that God still loves us? Going through our days of work, shopping, house cleaning, sporting events, and leisure can distract us from lessons learned on Sundays. Sometimes pressure of the week can drain the knowledge attained on Sunday out of us.

God showed his love for us when Christ suffered and died on the cross. This is one indisputable point where we know God loves us. A time when God called us back to himself, to be redeemed as his loved children. Surely this is what Paul spoke of in Ephesians, to know love that surpasses knowledge. The breadth, length, height and depth of God’s love were demonstrated when the King of the universe chose Calvary.

Yet as undeniable as the cross is, there are other ways to experience God’s love. In faith based prayer, one can feel the love of God when prayers are answered. Reading the bible one can experience the very breath of God as he speaks to us. The love of a parent for a child is a reflection of God’s love for us. Charitable acts can share the love of Christ with others.  

In this world we can experience God’s love for us and we can share the love of Christ with others. What of the next world? It is one thing to hear a loved one’s voice or to read a letter. But what happens when we stand face to face with the King of the universe in heaven. What emotions will we experience as love in heaven? We will probably discover the breadth, length, height, and width of love far surpass our earthly imagination. What we know this side of the grave is but a reflection of what we will experience on the other side.

Dear Lord, Let me know the breadth, length, depth, and width of your love. Let me share your love with others. May I become a reflection of your heavenly love for others. That through me others will have a desire to draw closer to you and your great love..

The God who sees us

If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Psalms 139:9-10

One of God’s names is El-Roi, the God who sees me. He was called this in the Old Testament by Haggar when God told her she would have a son. She said “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing Him?” She was amazed that God not only spoke to hear but she saw Him. We do not know if she saw Jesus, the Holy Spirit of Jehovah. But it affected her to the point that she gave Him a name and the spring where they met was named also.

It would be a life-changing event to met Jesus face-to-face. Certainly in the Bible people were always changed when they met God. In the New Testament thousands of people were changed when they heard Jesus speak. He not only feed the five thousand but he taught them. He captured their attention with his miracles and many became his followers.

It is wonderful to see Jesus but it is also significant to grasp that he sees us. As El-Roi means, he sees me. There is nowhere we can go to be out of his sight. Nothing we can do that goes unnoticed. As the Psalms says, even on the farthest limits of the sea there God is to lead us and hold us tight. He never lets go and never turns away. He watches us always.

It is a great comfort to have a God who is always there. No circumstances or trial are beyond his watchful eye. His hand is always stretched out to take hold of us. We are never beyond his grasp. Whatever comes in the difficult world, our God is there.

He sees us and he knows us. We have no secrets from him. Whatever we tell him he knew before. We cannot surprise him or shock him. All the details of our life are laid open before him. If there is anything we need to take before God, we can rest in the assurance that it is already before him. He only waits for us to speak. Sometimes he will bring it to our minds that we may speak to him.

God is loving, kind, and compassionate. He sees everything and still wants a relationship with us. We are never beyond his reach in deed or thought. We can rest in the peace that he knows us and still loves us.

Hope of His calling

with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Ephesians 1: 18-19

The eyes of our heart is our understanding. Paul wants the Ephesians’ understanding of God to have spiritual depth and spiritually insight that they may better know that God has called them to be in Christ. The hope that God has called us is to live with the peace and wisdom of Christ. To live beyond a normal existence and experience things this world cannot give. To be in Christ is to accept him as Lord over our lives and live according to his will.

How do we learn to live with the peace and wisdom of Christ? What is it that transforms us to experience a life different from others in this world? Although prayer and Bible study are important there are others things which God uses to enlighten our minds. Sometime painful experiences are the only way to get our attention. When we are busy with day to day problems we often forget God. In our comfortable lives God seems unnecessary. We put God on the back burner and busy ourselves with menial task. We comfort ourselves with loved ones, shopping sprees, or entertainment. There is so much in this world to draw our attention we fail to notice how we replace God with people and things.

Suffering is a powerful focusing agent. If a loved one is ill or we lose the ability to pay our bills the associated pain quickly prioritizes out thinking. Where we once drifted from one amusement to another, pain will cause us to drop every insignificant thing and bring all our attention to bear on the pain. We quickly turn to the Bible for a word of hope or to prayer for peace.

Suffering produces endurance as we learn to carry more for a longer period of time. Endurance produces character when we have learned to endure we become people with a better reputation. We stop acting as children and display the character of maturity. This new found character produces hope of Christ in our lives. And the richness of God’s salvation from a life of sin to the inheritance of the saints produces peace.

Dear Lord, fill me with hope to know your calling. Let me learn from the things you bring into my life. Give to me all I can bear so that I may develop endurance, character and hope. Let me always remember the glorious richness you have given me and the immeasurable greatness of your power.