My help comes from the Lord...

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:1-8

I have some good news for you.  The government of your country is not your source.  The politicians in Washington, regardless of the party label they carry, are not the answer to our problems.  The bills and laws which are submitted to congress for approval or rejection, will never save you. 

I do not like to see all the turmoil our country is experiencing, and I certainly do not have all the answers, but I do know our God will never shut down his grace, his mercy, nor his love for us.  That is why the psalmist would write words which encourage us to our place our confidence and dependence on God, especially in times of trouble. 

Today I will pray, like every day, with full assurance God will hear and answer.

Today I will trust, like every day, in his direction for my life.

Today I will help, like every day, those who are hungry or hurting.

Today I will look, like every day, for opportunities to share my faith.

Today I will share, like every day, a kind word, a good deed, or a caring concern for someone who needs me.

Today I will be aware, like every day, of the presence of the Holy Spirit living in me, to lead, and direct me in right paths.

Today I will be thankful, like every day, to my Lord, Jesus, for giving his life to pay for my sins.

Things may be getting very serious for our country and its future. I will pray for America and her leaders to turn and seek the face of God as they lead us through these times.  

But, at all times, I yearn for all to know, " My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."  

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Having the mind of an animal....

The book of Daniel in the Old Testament tells the story of strong and prosperous King Nebuchadnezzar, who went to bed one night and had a dream.  He described himself as living a life of contentment and prosperity, but something about this dream he had brought him great fear. 

Nebuchadnezzar sent for those he considered the wisest men of Babylon, and that included magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners.  He told them his dream, but none could interpret it. 

Finally he called for Daniel, also known as Belteshazzar, and told him about the dream. It was a dream which centered around a huge tree whose height reached the sky, covered with limbs and leaves and fruit, and animals found shelter under the tree, while many birds claimed the tree as their home. 

Also in his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a messenger, like one that had come down from heaven, which instructed him to cut down the tree, strip its leaves and branches and scatter all the fruit. The animals will all leave, and the birds will have no place for their nests. He was also told to leave the stump and the roots in the ground.  How would we interpret such a dream?

The Bible says Daniel was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him.  It took a lot of courage for him to give the dream's interpretation to the king. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, "You, O King, are the tree!"  Remember the tree standing tall and majestic, covered with leaves and fruit, shows a king that is great and strong. But life was about to change for Nebuchadnezzar. He is now shown as the tree that is cut down and stripped, living and controlled by an animalistic mind.  This was to get Nebuchadnezzar to see he was going down.  Daniel's suggestion was simple, "Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

From a king to an animal, the picture of Nebuchadnezzar is a picture of us,  when we outgrow our need for God. The king rationalized with himself that he had built his dynasty, he was successful on his own, he was content with his life of prosperity. But he had forgotten God. It was as if God had gotten in his way and wasn't needed anymore. 

The part of this which scares me the most is the description of a king, whose mind was changed into that of an animal. Sin does that. It brings not only mental but a spiritual insanity when we succeed to the point of not needing God anymore.  Thankfully, Nebuchadnezzar in repentance looked toward heaven again and he got his mind restored which led to praise and honor toward God. That needs to happen for a lot of mankind, too. Remember Paul's words in Romans 12, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  God longs for us to seek him, receive him, and love him with hearts and minds that will be continually blessed; not because of anything we have done, but because of everything God has done.   God bless. 

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They were young....

A devotional pamphlet I was reading carried a brief story about a young man named Darrell Blizzard who had grown up in an orphanage. He was attending Penn State for his first semester of college. The year was 1942 and World War II was in full swing. All those who were recently out of high school and beginning college were keeping an eye on the war, especially on the draft. If they were drafted they would automatically go into the Army, and probably to combat positions on the front line. 

Darrell had always been interested in flying, and attempted to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Following several setbacks to get into training schools, he finally found himself a member of Air Corps, inducted in Pennsylvania, but attending Basic Training in Florida.  It was in North Carolina where he actually started some training in a Piper Cub, which was just a frame of an airplane, with canvas covered body and wings. 

His desire to become a bomber pilot sent him to training in Marfa, Texas and Hobbs, New Mexico, facilities which are no longer operating. While reflecting on the long hours of training and schooling, Darrell was quoted by a reporter that the largest thing he had driven was  a four-mule plow team, and now he was flying a four engine B-17 bomber. He was also quoted as saying, "We were all just a bunch of kids in combat regions, flying missions which could have tremendous impact on the outcome of the war."

I failed to mention when our story started, Darrell Blizzard was 17 years old. After all his training and schooling, he was 19 and about to turn 20, and carrying a huge responsibility in his task as a bomber pilot. He later became an airline pilot so we can understand how flying was his passion. 

Would we question someone that young and inexperienced to have such a responsibility?  Even in the church when a task is assigned to someone in their youth, we are reluctant and often uncomfortable giving responsibility to some because of their age.  We want them to have experience.....successful experience before we trust them with important duties. 

That devotional magazine I was reading mentioned several examples from the Bible which might make us think otherwise.  1 Samuel 2:18 says, "Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child." And remember the story of David when was told on several occasions that he was too young to be a soldier and fight against the Philistines. He was told he was not able to fight Goliath, because he was still a youth.  Another example is Mary. All indications have us thinking she was a very young woman when the announcement was made to her that she would give birth to the Son of God.  Then one more is the attitude of Paul as he told his young ministry student, Timothy, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to all believers."

God places great value on every child of His, regardless of age, when they place their trust in Him. My challenge to you today is to spend some time praying for those who are young in their Christian walk, and then on Sunday at church, give them some words of encouragement and let them know how much you appreciate their example.

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The Rescue

1 Samuel 7
³ And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
⁵ Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel was leader^[a] of Israel at Mizpah.
⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.

The incidents in these verses occurred just before Israel started asking God to let them have an earthly king. That is contrasted with Samuel's role as a judge over Israel, and a close observation of that contrast gives us a very important glimpse into the kind of man Samuel was. 

His role, in the light of the victorious achievements over the Philistines, was two-fold.  First, his message to Israel about returning to the lord and getting rid of their false Gods, denotes an act of rescue. Their response of committing themselves to serve only the Lord, was accompanied with the promise that they would be delivered out of the hands of the Philistines. 

In addition, the second role Samuel was playing here is to rescue Israel from themselves.  Just as they were saved from destruction at the hands of the Philistines for following God's instruction.  Likewise they were saved from their own apostasy in their repentance and confession of sin against God. 

This is an important lesson for us to learn, especially in our lives when we have a tendency to call out to God to rescue us from the predicaments we bring to ourselves.  God is always willing for us to return to him.  He has been and will be our rescuer just as he was for Israel. But don't forget, God is also in the business of saving us from ourselves.  The key, as Samuel was quick to point out, is in confession and a continual commitment to God and his ways. Just like Israel, we too, need a reminder from time to time to return to our covenant with God, and return to loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

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Listening to God

Wouldn't it be exciting to have a relationship with God, like David?  or Joshua?  or Abraham?   A similar question was expressed in a group conversation recently when a lady said, "Living for God  would be much easier for me if I could have a relationship with him like that of many of the Bible characters.  Am I alone in thinking like that? "

Let that soak in a bit and then join me and others who confess that we could be closer to God in our relationship with him, but we are too busy with the kids, with work, with movies, with vacations, with__________ (you fill in the blank.)

From what I detect in the study of those Bible characters we consider "successful" in their relationships with God, there is one element they all seem to have in common.  That element is the art of listening.  God spoke and they listened to him.  Could that be part of our problem? 

While I have never heard the audible voice of God, I do know God speaks to us.  The whole purpose of preserving his words and his dealings with the people of old  is for our good as much as theirs.  We gain tremendous insight into the workings of God when we are familiar with the Bible stories of old, and countless times we can receive God's instruction for us, simply by reading how he handled similar situations for the people of the early Bible stories.  So he speaks to us through the Bible, his Word. 

There is more for us to consider.  If we are the redeemed people of God, then we have been promised he lives in us, in the form of  his Holy Spirit.  The function of the Spirit living in us is to comfort us, direct us, lead us, and help us.  That is another way we can listen to God, if we pay attention to the nudging and leading of the Spirit which lives in us.  The Holy Spirit has been known to lead us in the direction to meet someone that needs to hear about Jesus, or to someone that needs our prayerful attention. 

That's how important listening is to the child of God.  Those who think they would be more successful in maintaining a right relationship with God if they had lived in biblical times, need to understand the concept of intense listening today!   But, there's more. 

I have noticed these which we call the "successful" Bible characters not only listened to God, they were obedient to God.  Here comes part two of our failure to have the closeness in our relationship with God. We have conditioned ourselves to believe knowing ABOUT God is the equivalent to knowing God. Simply reading the Bible will let us know about God.  We can memorize the entire Bible and quote it word for word and know as much as anyone else about God.  Actually knowing him in a one on one relationship requires action on our part. 

 

So God speaks, and we listen.  The intimacy of the relationship can only exist when we are obedient to the things he says.   

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Believe

The last few weeks I have been involved in the beginnings of an extensive Bible study which is to last 30 weeks.  The study was put together by our preacher, Randy Frazee, and carries the title, "Believe."    Randy has come up with 30 of the major topics of the Bible, and each week's lesson is based on one of those 30 topics.

If you frequent any of the online book sellers, you have probably seen the book, "Believe."  It is an arrangement of those scriptures which detail the topic for study. Each week, we read a chapter of the book, which contains those scriptures which help to understand and perhaps learn with deeper understanding, the topic for that week. 

We know "head learning" may be important, but the real blessing comes when we make the application to our personal lives.  It is then when we can learn how the truth of  Scriptures can lead us into a closer relationship with God.

In addition to the "Believe" book, there is a study guide which we use for a weekly small group study.  Study questions are considered and discussed, all with the aim of leading us to be better prepared to understand life, the Bible and its application in our lives.  We are all involved in this study so we can become more like Jesus. 

A sample of the topics include chapters on God, how He is personal to us, Salvation, Our Identity in Christ, and others.  These come from the first 10 of the lessons which will help us to "think like Jesus."  The second 10 lessons teach us to "act like Jesus." Then the remaining 10 lessons direct us to "be like Jesus."

If you are interested in this type of Bible study, give some thought to purchasing the book, available at Christian book stores, or online.  These studies are really good for small groups, as well as personal independent studies. It can begin any time and will become for you, one of the most interesting and valuable studies of your life. 

I will be giving reports as I progress, and will be hoping our readers will investigate the book and study guide, and allow "Believe" to bring you closer to God.  As with any Bible study, read and pray about what you have read.  God bless.

ronbwriting@gmail.com

Imitating God's Love

Paul's letter to the Ephesians has been the source of numerous topics of our studies. We have discussed who we are in Christ, and even the concept of the power God supplies to Christians. The first few chapters of the letter address the need for us to KNOW and then the latter part of the book challenges us to BE.  For generations there have been problems in churches due to the fact we humans get things in reverse. We try to be the people of God without really knowing God.  Reading the book of Ephesians in its entirety could give us a much better perspective of the intent of Paul's letter. 

Perhaps you, like me, have felt the need for a closer association with God, yet we are reminded of our weakness and the sin in our lives that prevent that from happening. Often, we try to give the impression that we are spiritual enough to know God, so it automatically follows that we are being what God wants us to be. 

In chapter 5 of Ephesians, Paul gives some admonition to Christians like those at Ephesus, and like you and me. He opens with a verse that we could read over quickly and not really pause to consider all its meaning. 

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children  and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" Ephesians 5:1.

Read that verse several times and let it soak in.  Allow God to really teach you something from that sentence.  There really is a message here that most of us need. 

First, "Be imitators of God."  Before we can imitate God, we have to know him. Knowing about him is a good start, but actually knowing him will help us imitate him. 

"Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children."  I hear people say, "I have read the Bible, know the right commands to obey, and now I'm just working my way to heaven."  We still have the idea that our salvation will be based on how good we are, when in reality, God wants us to know it is based on HIS grace and goodness and his willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice for our sins.  We should be happy that Paul is trying to show us here that our God loves us and we need to be living and acting like "dearly loved children." 

 When we reach that point, Paul encourages us to live a life of love. That's how you can be an imitator of God.  You know of his love, you strive to live like a dearly loved child, and that prompts you to live a life of love.  Paul likens it to the love of Christ who gave himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice to God. 

The beginning point for us in imitating God is of vital importance.  Imitate his love because you are a loved child of his, and live a life of love, just like Jesus.  That's a big order for us to fill but God loved us enough to let us know the starting point. Yes, there are other areas of the characteristics of God we should imitate, but how wonderful it is for us when we know his love, and be an imitation of that love by loving others. 

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