God’s Public Relations Dept. – His Word

Posted on May 24, 2018 by heartcalm7

God makes Himself known most clearly in His Word.  He spoke through Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, and His followers, explaining to us His nature, His character, and His plan for us, both in this world and the next.  It is His owners’ manual for our lives, His answer key to life’s puzzle.

He stipulates through Moses that, if the people of Israel should choose to put a king over themselves, that
“. . . he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”                   Deuteronomy 17:18-20

Jesus spoke of the importance of centering our lives upon the Word of God:

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”                                                                     John 8:31-32

“Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.”                       Psalm 119:18

Lord, let me see You in Your Word.  Let me see Your wisdom, majesty, power, beauty, grace, and forgiveness in Your Word.  Let me see how You would have me live, how I can be all that You created me to be, that I may be most happy and fulfilled in following that path, and that You may be most glorified in my dependence on You.

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God’s Public Relations Department – Creation

Posted on May 21, 2018 by heartcalm7

TwoJackLake

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”               Psalm 19:1

The Creator’s love for beauty and order, and His generous desire for us to enjoy what He has created, is plentifully evident all around us.   Only the most hardened and prejudiced observer would fail to make the connection between the beauty and majesty of what we see and the Intelligent Benefactor who created it.

“O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
 

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!”                             Psalm 8:1, 3-5

cropped-half-dome-at-sunset.jpg

“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands
And I ordained all their host.”                                                        Isaiah 45:12

O Lord, forgive our civilization for clapping our hands over our ears when You cry out to us in Your creation, begging us to come to You.  Forgive us for making up all sorts of explanations for the wonder we see around us, rather than fall on our faces before You in grateful worship.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”                                                                      Romans 1:20

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The Gift of Listening

Posted on May 17, 2018 by heartcalm7

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient. . .”             Isaiah 50:4-5

“Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.”      James 1:19
One of the very deepest desires we all have is to be heard, for our innermost heart to be understood by another human being.  We long to be valued.  Unfortunately, we live in a world of people like ourselves, who are self-centered and would rather talk about themselves.  Carl Medearis, in his 42 Seconds:  the Jesus Model for Everyday Interactions, says,

“If you want to be intentionally present with people, try asking . . . questions. . . . Then listen.  God gave us two ears and one mouth.  Use them in proportion.  We have a hard time listening rather than talking because, well, we’d rather talk.  Talking keeps us in control.  We don’t have to hear anything we’re not interested in.  We’re the center of attention.  We can bolster our own identities.  Try listening to understand, not to formulate your reply.”    pages 41-42.

Listening to the person God has put us with conveys respect for their importance, that their thoughts and concerns matter.  It is one of the most honoring, supremely desired gifts we can give to people.  To be this fully present in the conversation requires conscious emptying of the Self.  It demands shunning any agenda, letting our conversation partner set the agenda according to their need.

Jesus was a good example to us in the way He listened to the woman with chronic hemorrhage, on His way to save the life of Jairus’s daughter.  He did not allow his urgent mission to stop Him from offering Himself to the lady, fully present to her need.              Luke 8:40-48

Lord, let me worship You by acknowledging with reverent awe that You have preceded me in my conversation partner’s life, knowing that You will guide me to be to them what they need in that moment.  Let me be fully present to them, to hear their hearts.  Let them feel through my ears Your own love for them.

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Your priestly function

Posted on May 14, 2018 by heartcalm7

Believers in Christ have been given the unbelievable, undeserved assignment of being Christ’s ambassadors on earth, representing God to desperate, confused, hopeless people, as He were entreating through us (2 Corinthians 5:20).  [See also 5-10-18, as well as 2-22-18.]

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.                          1 Peter 2:9

So, in our interactions with the unbelieving world, we have the important role of 1) representing God, 2) pleading with anyone who will hear to be reconciled to God through Christ, and  3) proclaiming God’s goodness and forgiveness.

Additionally, we priests have a role to play with our fellow believers, that of shepherding the flock of which we are part.


Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.    1 Peter 5:2-4

Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, will reward us according to the seriousness with which we perform His assignment.  O God, let us perform this task You have given to us with earnestness, realizing that we will soon give an account to You for how we have managed it.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.        Hebrews 13:17

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The Priesthood of the Believer

Posted on May 10, 2018 by heartcalm7

Are you up to the assignment of being a priest of God and of Christ?  The Pope, the Bishop of Rome is commonly referred to as the Pontiff.  pexels-photo-234510.jpegThe etymology of the word Pontiff derives through Old French pontif from Latin pontifex, a word commonly held to come from the Latin root words pons (bridge) + facere (to do, to make), and so to have the literal meaning of “bridge-builder.”

Those humble enough to accept Jesus’ full payment of their sin-debt are both fully forgiven and, incredible as it is, charged with being God’s representatives on earth, His priests, bridge-builders between men and God.

And they sang a new song, saying:  “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”        Revelation 5:9-10

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.                            Revelation 20:6

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.                                               2 Corinthians 5:20

O God, we do not feel, in our own strength, capable of serving this function.  How are we to help others know You better, when we have so many faults, so many failures we ourselves have made in life.  But who are we to argue with Your assignment?  Do what You will with us, working within us to make us equal to this great task.

[To read more on this subject, see February 22, 2018, and next Monday.]

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Costly Worship

Posted on May 7, 2018 by heartcalm7

When King David purposed to thankfully worship God for holding back His hand from more extensive punishment on the people of Israel, it was proposed to him that he make offerings on the rocky threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
David the King might have appropriated it by eminent domain, for the benefit of all Israel.  But he knew he had been the cause of the Lord’s anger and felt a conscience against confiscating this land for a place of worship.  When Araunah offered to give it to the King, David answered,

No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.            2 Samuel 24:24

Our own worship may cost us something, too.  The cost might be setting the alarm clock in order to get up in time to attend church on the only day you have to relax.  It may be turning off the TV in order to get down on the floor and play princess with your daughter.  For a friend, it meant getting rid of the computer and cell phone so he would have fewer temptations to seek out pornography.  For one who is fasting to strengthen her concentration in praying for something important to her, her sacrifice may be willingness to be hungry for a time.
The week before Jesus was crucified, his friend Mary of Bethany exercised costly worship, anointing His head with very costly ointment perfume, “preparing Me for burial,” Jesus said.  When onlookers criticized her for “wasting” the precious perfume, He said,

Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.       Matthew 26:13

Are there things in our lives we should sacrifice, for the sake of being all that God wants us to be?  For the sake of worship?  Costly worship is very sweet-smelling to God.

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Repentance without regret

Posted on May 3, 2018 by heartcalm7

“He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;  yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”         Hebrews 12:28-29

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”          2 Corinthians 7:10
When you sin and are caught in it, do you squirm with the shame of it, the embarrassment it causes you, sorry for your damaged reputation and for the hurt it has caused both you and other people?  Are you angry that you have been found out?  Do you grieve over the seeming hopelessness of your hurtful habits, now discovered?
Or, do you recognize this as an opportunity to rejoice?  That your doctor has put His finger on the sick part, and that healing is on the way?  Now that the hideous, offending sickness has been made known, both Doctor and patient can cooperate to exterminate the disease, allowing health to return.
This is a repentance without regret, resulting in relief and healing.  Relief that we no longer have to keep up appearances, hoping that we will not be found out.  We can gladly agree with our Diagnostician that, Yes, that is right where it hurts!  Can You fix me, please?

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Friendly fire

Posted on April 30, 2018 by heartcalm7

“O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.
May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel”                        Psalm 69:5-6
It is a deep wound inflicted on the Body of Christ when we sin, dragging the name of God in the mud.  We are well aware of numerous occasions when public sin by a vocal Christian mars the reputation of our God.

We are called to be God’s lights illuminating the darkness, not poster-children for the twisted and evil.
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”          Matthew 5:16

“. . . giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited.”      2 Corinthians 6:3
“. . . so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”          Philippians 2:15

Too often, the choices we make have the opposite effect.

“However, . . . by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. . . .     2 Samuel 12:14

May God forbid that we should blaspheme the name of the God we love by the life we live in this world!

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Gratitude

Posted on April 26, 2018 by heartcalm7

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”             Hebrews 12:28-29

The reason for the gratitude that naturally flows from our hearts is twofold.  We are grateful, of course, for an eternal home that has been prepared for us in the presence of our Mighty Creator and the Lamb, who purchased us with His own blood.  This is a home that is better than anything we have ever experienced or hoped for on earth, and it is an eternal one which shall never be taken away or destroyed.  (Hebrews 10:34, 11:16, 35, 1 Peter 1:3-5)

pexels-photo-842876.jpegSecondly, this is a reassuring confidence, in light of the wrath we might rightfully expect for our selfish and rebellious attitudes and actions.  The contrast between what is deserved and  what is received is astounding and motivating.

Gratitude is the natural response when dread of this shaking is transformed into relief and rejoicing for our permanent home in His kingdom.  Reverence and awe are the product of this gratitude.  Our unshakable kingdom is both unexpected and undeserved.  This is grace.  Reverence and awe produce action in keeping with the wonder we experience within.  Our hands, feet, and lips respond in service that is acceptable to our gracious God who redeemed us.

Lord let my thoughts, words, and actions reflect gratitude appropriate for Your undeserved favor.

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Examine me, O Lord . . .

Posted on April 23, 2018 by heartcalm7

“Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my mind and my heart.”      Psalm 26:2

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.”         Psalm 139:23-24

One way God shows us what is within us to to put us through testing, for our benefit, so that we may see dangers in our character and habits that could lead us to personal loss and harm to His kingdom.
We find out quickly what is within a glass when it is shaken or bumped.  There were proving grounds near my childhood home where new car designs were tested by pushing them to the limits on the road course.  Other products are tested for strength before release to the public, to assure our safety.

“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
 Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”           Isaiah 48:10

Of course, our great Physician knows where to poke and prod to make His diagnosis.  He helps us to see what is in our hearts, what occupies our minds.  What are my loves?  My idols?  What do I love more than Him?  What fills my thoughts as I go through each day?  What am I worried about?

I should welcome such helpful, but painful diagnostic efforts.  When He shows me the ugly habits of thinking and acting within me, then I can offer them back to Him for cleansing and needed mid-course corrections.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my anxious thoughts!

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