Longsuffering
Father, I am grateful that progress was made in preparation for our Sunday service but mentally and emotionally this has been a very taxing day. May I keep in mind, Father, that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
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I am just going to leap from there…
I don’t know about you, but I am so, so weary of all that is going on right now, in our country in particular. And Lord, I also acknowledge that You see all these things and much more. You don’t just see the obvious, visible elements of the evil and wickedness that we are dealing with…You see into the hearts of minds of it all!
Hebrews 4:13 tells us,
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (NLT)
There is so little compassion for one another. There is so little grace…and mercy…and most importantly love for one another. There is so little patience, there is so little long-suffering. But one thing there is in great supply – we are abundantly stocked with hatred. There is absolutely no shortage of selfishness.
I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)
Christian! You who call yourselves by this title! Where are you? Where are the tell-tell signs of your faith? …lowliness…gentleness…longsuffering…love…unity…peace.
It’s hard enough to take from those who do not believe. But my heart is crushed when those who claim fellowship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, show these attributes in such limited amounts.
And why is that the case? Don’t we have an unlimited supply by which we can fill our parched and weary souls?
When God passed before Moses, He said of Himself,
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth… Exodus 34:6 (NKJV)
Elsewhere the Bible states,
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15 (NKJV)
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
I tend to use more modern translations when I study and write but one word sticks out to me here – longsuffering. Others translate it slow to anger or patience, they are good words, too, but looooong…suf..fer…ing. Doesn’t that say so much more?
We tire of suffering. We despise suffering. We avoid it with all the effort and energy we can muster! But God? He…is longsuffering…
May we seek to be like Christ – no matter what anyone says or does.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
Meditate upon the words of the old hymn, O to Be Like Thee
O to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinners to find.
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.
June 11th, 2020, Thurs, 9:00 pm
Keep It Plugged!
1 I love you, Lord;
….you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
….my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
..He is my shield, the power that saves me,
….and my place of safety. Psalm 18:1-2 (NLT)
Luke 11:4b (<<click to read the passage)
I think I read the novel Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, many years ago. It was written in 1865 by American author, Mary Mapes Dodge. There is a short story encompassed in the book about a Dutch boy who saves his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike. The boy stays there all night, despite the cold, until the adults of the village find him and make the necessary repairs.
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It seems like I’ve written about temptation before… But of course, we never have to deal with it…do we? Well, we might not have to deal with it every day – though somedays it seems like it is all we do!
I really do think that most days, temptation is lurking around every corner. If we are of a mind to, we can readily stop it dead in its tracks, a quick prayer, and it is vanquished. But there are those days that we allow that one itsy-bitsy indiscretion and it is like that Dutch boy pulling his finger out of the dike!
The Holy Spirit is always with us and is but a thought away. There is no reason why we should yield but that bent to sinning can deafen our ears. That is why we pray, “And lead us not into temptation [but rescue us from evil].’”
Here is an encouraging passage from 1 Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. (AMP)
You can do it! Just say “no” to whatever may be lurking around the corner. Emulate that Dutch boy and keep it plugged! Help is just a prayer away!
June 10th, 2020, Wed, 6:01 pm
Long Walk, Short Pier
You will show me the way of life,
….granting me the joy of your presence
….and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 (NLT)
Luke 11:4 (<<click to read the passage)
Have you ever needed to forgive someone? That’s a rhetorical question if there ever was one! Every single person to ever walk the face of this earth has had to forgive – even Jesus, for that is why He came, to provide a means of forgiveness for us all.
If we are followers of Jesus, we are called to forgive. One might think that following in Jesus’ footsteps and being filled with His love and living out His love would make forgiveness a piece of cake…but it doesn’t. Forgiveness can be a challenge!
In my lifetime I have served at seven different churches. One I left because the senior pastor left. Another I was asked to leave, though no reason was ever given as to why. And a third one I left because the senior pastor thought I had what it took to be a senior pastor myself. He had a lot of faith in me, but I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in myself…so it hurt…a lot. I was frustrated. I was angry. I was confused. I felt like I had been sent out to take a long walk off a short pier.
Everything in my life seemed to come crashing down. I, in no way, felt that I was in any position to pastor a church. I was floundering and my long walk off the short pier had left me in cold water.
When it happened, I questioned everything. I questioned myself. I questioned the leadership above me. …and the worst thing I did was question my senior pastor. I put the blame for it all on him. And, honestly, I was the one that was wrong. He was looking out for my best interests, but I couldn’t see it.
In the end, after I had allowed God to work in my heart and mind, I could see clearly. And because I saw the way things really were, one of the first things I did was to forgive my pastor. There had been no ill will on his part, but he was the one I took my frustrations and pain out on. So, in my heart, I forgave him, and then I had to seek his forgiveness. In my anger and confusion, I had lashed out at the one person who believed in me…the one person, from a ministerial level that had had my back all the way. I can only imagine how much I hurt him…and he was a good man…a godly man.
Part of the model prayer that Jesus shared with His disciples made the stipulation that because we are forgiven by God that we must forgive each other.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us].
Lord Jesus, those memories seem so long ago but going through them once more brings to mind the utter respect and love I have for my former senior pastor. He is a man after Your own heart.
May we all forgive and enable ourselves to move on. All that I went through has made me who I am and enabled me to be where I am today.
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. Romans 8:28 (AMP)
June 9th, 2020, Tues, 8:20 pm
Daily Nourishment Needed
A full day with family surely has its rewards, Father, but we are all pretty worn out. Thank you for Your blessings and watchcare over our comings and goings.
Luke 11:3 (<<click to read the passage)
It is interesting how our physical bodies often parallel our spiritual bodies.
Water is essential to our continued good health. The standard rule of thumb is that we should strive to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day, which equals about a ½ gallon.
The thing is, it’s not bad for you to drink more water in one day but it has to be throughout the day. Say that you doubled your water intake each day, spread out, you would be fine but if you drank that much water in a short amount of time, hyponatremia could occur. Hyponatremia is when there is so much water in your body that the sodium in your blood gets diluted and it could make you sick. Your kidneys can eliminate quite a bit of water each day – about 5.3-7.4 gallons, but the kicker is they can’t get rid of more than 27-33 ounces (that’s around four 8 oz glasses) per hour.
Today’s verse reads, “Give us each day our daily bread.”
It is important to realize that the sustenance we get from God is a daily thing – not an all at once thing. My study Bible* says,
We cannot store it up and then cut off communications with God. And we dare not be self-satisfied. If you are running low on strength, ask yourself, “How long have I been away from the Source?”
So many people think that they can stockpile all the spiritual nourishment they need in a single service on Sunday and they are good to go for the week. Yeah, we fill up on some good stuff in a good service of Word and song in our weekly time of corporate worship but it is of paramount importance that we attempt to nourish ourselves numerous times throughout the week – daily would be great, several times a day would be even better.
Right now, my goal is to provide some nourishment. You can also pick up and read your Bible. Listen to some uplifting spiritually oriented music. Pray – and not just before your meals. Read other faith-based literature – books, blogs, devotionals. Just about anything will be beneficial!
Water is essential but nobody in their right mind would try and drink your whole week’s requirement in one day, much less in one hour! Now obviously, no one has ever had adverse effects from experiencing a lot of Jesus, but it is so much more beneficial to spread it out.
He is the source of our strength. He is the source of our love. He is the source of our compassion for one another. He is the source of our forgiveness and grace and mercy and…you get the picture.
Each day we need to ask for our daily sustenance, and God faithfully fills us with all good things. Amen? Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
June 8th, 2020, Mon, 9:17 pm
Cheez Wiz and Wafers
Thank You, Father, for the safety provided as we took care of somethings away from home today. As I come into Your presence tonight may I clearly see what You have for me. Amen.
Luke 11:2 (<<click to read the passage)
Several years ago, I worked in a Christian bookstore. At one point I was the supervisor over the Church Supply area. We had pretty much anything a church would need in basic supplies – bulletins, candles, anointing oil, choir robes, offering plates, communion trays, along with a couple of types of communion bread. We carried the little square pillows and we also sold the round wafers.
One day a lady came in asking about the wafers, so I showed her where they were. I will never forget what she said to me next! Wafers in hand, she very matter-of-factly said, “You know, these are great with Cheez Wiz!” I about fell over!
I realize that those wafers are made with common ingredients, but still! They are a part of a holy sacrament of the Church – set aside to remember the body of Christ as He gave Himself in our place to secure our salvation!
As I read the first couple lines of this very familiar prayer, another thing that should be kept holy – that quite often isn’t – came to mind. A portion of verse 2 reads, “Father, hallowed be Your name.”
Before you say, “That’s not right!” let me say that Luke’s version of Jesus’ exemplary prayer varies just a bit from that recorded in Matthew. It is Matthew’s version that most of us can recite by heart.
The point that needs to be made has to do with that phrase, “Father, hallowed be Your name.”
It used to be that most people were careful not to used God’s name in vain. And in case you have forgotten, it is one of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:7,
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (NLT)
From an early age, I learned to not even speak something that sounded like God’s name! Even typing these words makes me uncomfortable, but they have become so commonplace in our world. Every day we hear words like, jeez, gosh, golly, Jiminy Christmas, and one of today’s popular ones is OMG! I can’t bring myself to use them – in my mind, they are just wrong!
And those examples are the mild ones! I cannot even begin to count the number of times that someone around me has literally spit out the name“Jesus Christ” and it had nothing to do with my Lord and Savior…it was used solely as a curse! God’s name is used in conjunction with other curse words for the same effect – I don’t think we need to be reminded that God’s last name is not damn! It is profane!
So, what does hallowed mean? It means to set apart. It means to keep and treat as holy and revere. What we need to do is to check ourselves. The mindset that it is OK to say things like these because – let’s say it together, “Well, everybody does it!”
Our God is holy. Yes, He loves us. Yes, His sacrifice to bring us back into right relation with Him is beyond our comprehension. It is of utmost importance, at least in our hearts and minds, that we set God apart from the mundane perverseness of our culture. May we treat Him and the Name we call Him, may we set them apart with paramount holiness and reverence. Amen!
June 5th, 2020, Thurs, 9:12 pm