On Doing the Will of Our Father in Heaven…

 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to completely finish His work.—John 4:34

As followers of Jesus we are to “follow” His lead.  Jesus here says NOTHING about His own will.  The will of Jesus was to do the will of His Father in Heaven. Our mission is the same. It is not we who live but Christ who lives in us. 

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.—Galatians 2:20

I am so grateful to Jesus for His completed work on the cross at Calvary. I am so thankful that I am no longer a slave to sin…a captive to my own flesh and to doing my own wayward will.  I don’t know about you but nothing I do outside of the Spirit ever goes well for me. Truly, He has redeemed my life from destruction. Truly, His will for me is good. Here is the thing, though…despite knowing this, I still struggle mightily in my flesh and the closer I draw to Him the more my sin looms large in my sight. 

Every moment of every day is a battle. My flesh believes that if I could just have this or control that, I would be happy.  This scenario plays out in hundreds of different ways over the course every day.  Some days I do better than others and on those days the truth becomes very clear. My joy is NOT found in getting what I want. That road is endless and gets darker and darker as I acquiesce to its incessant (and insistent) demands. My joy is found in the opposite direction. It is found in the laying down of my will. It is found when I pray and ask God to fulfill His perfect will in me. Then my path will be, as it says in Proverbs 4, like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:10

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;—Philippians 1:6

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.—Philippians 2:5-8

My Soul, Wait Silently for God Alone…

Truly my soul silently waits for God;

From Him comes my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be greatly moved.

How long will you attack a man?

You shall be slain, all of you,

Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

They only consult to cast him down from his high position;

They delight in lies;

They bless with their mouth,

But they curse inwardly.

Selah

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

Surely men of low degree are a vapor,

Men of high degree are a lie;

If they are weighed on the scales,

They are altogether lighter than vapor.

Do not trust in oppression,

Nor vainly hope in robbery;

If riches increase,

Do not set your heart on them.

God has spoken once,

Twice I have heard this:

That power belongs to God.

Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;

For You render to each one according to his work. —Psalm 62

Father…I will cast myself on You and on You alone!  I will turn my heart upside down before You. You are my refuge…You are my trust.  Give me a steadfast heart such as David.  I will sing and give You praise.  Oh, unite my heart to fear your name!  

Thank you for the Psalm 62 and its unequivocal reminder that my hope…my expectation is from You and You alone. For You ONLY do I wait. To You only do I look. You are my defense, my rock, my salvation, my refuge and my strength.  All power belongs to You. 

I will look to You and be radiant.  You will never put me to shame. How blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust. 

I cry out to the LORD with my voice;

With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.

I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare before Him my trouble.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

Then You knew my path.

In the way in which I walk

They have secretly set a snare for me.

Look on my right hand and see,

For there is no one who acknowledges me;

Refuge has failed me;

No one cares for my soul.

I cried out to You, O LORD:

I said, "You are my refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

Attend to my cry,

For I am brought very low;

Deliver me from my persecutors,

For they are stronger than I.

Bring my soul out of prison,

That I may praise Your name;

The righteous shall surround me,

For You shall deal bountifully with me."—Psalm 142

Beauty from Ashes…

 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day."

And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman."—Ruth 4:9-12

Today’s reading in the book of Ruth reminded me that God brings beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 

Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem.  Micah, the prophet, predicted Bethlehem would be where the Messiah would be born.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."—Micah 5:2

The union between Ruth and Boaz would bring forth not only David, Israel’s greatest earthly king, but also Jesus Christ, the Eternal King and Savior of the world. 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.—Matthew 1:1-16

Naomi (Ruth’s mother-in-law) went out from Israel “full” with a husband and two sons.  She returned 10 years later “bitter and empty” with only her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, for comfort and provision. (Her husband and two sons died during their sojourn in Moab). Both Ruth and Naomi’s futures from a human perspective appeared bleak.

Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"—Ruth 1:19-21

BUT GOD knew the plans He had for them both.  Plans for good and not for evil….to give them (and the whole world) a future and a hope.

Ruth, the Moabite, became the great grandmother of both King David and Jesus Christ.  Through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, God provided not only Naomi with a kinsman redeemer but us as well. Jesus Christ became mankind’s Kinsman-Redeemer.   Jesus is He who makes things right before God the Father for those who trust in Him.

Beloved…God used the instruments of sorrow and hardship in these precious women’s lives to bring both radiant joy for sorrow and everlasting blessing for emptiness. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will do similarly in our lives as well. Trust Him. 

You visit the earth and water it,

You greatly enrich it;

The river of God is full of water;

You provide their grain,

For so You have prepared it.

You water its ridges abundantly,

You settle its furrows;

You make it soft with showers,

You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness,

And Your paths drip with abundance.

They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,

And the little hills rejoice on every side.

The pastures are clothed with flocks;

The valleys also are covered with grain;

They shout for joy, they also sing.—Psalm 65:9-13

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61:1-3 

May He Do What Is Good in His Sight…

 When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. 11 And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. 12 Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”—1 Chronicles 19:10-13

Some mornings I wake up and life just feels heavier and harder...like I am walking through a thick, unrelenting cloud that makes any movement at all difficult. Like Joab, the battle line is against me.  The enemy (me, myself and I) is both before me and behind me. I want to be strong for my family and others that God has sovereignly placed in my life, but all in that moment appears formidable and just too much to bear. The weight of all those things that “aren’t right” in my life seems to be resting on my shoulders. At times the word of God can even magnify my grief because truth is sometimes hard to swallow.   It reminds me over and over that I am not in control of anything.  My life and the lives of those I love are in His hands.  Most of the time, I KNOW this is such a good thing, but on mornings like this, the eyes of my heart can get lost in the weeds and forget.  I look at the earthly and not the eternal. I am as Warren Wiersbe aptly puts it…crucified on a cross between two thieves: Yesterday’s regret and tomorrow’s worries.”

God used the words of 1 Chronicles 19 to speak encouragement and truth to me this morning.  My Spirit lifted and my heart rejoiced as I read them. 

Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

AMEN! and I will write those words again…

And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

Such a perfect prayer!  

Beloved…It doesn’t matter that, at times, my world (and probably yours also), seem to be careening out of control.  We can trust that our God is not surprised by any of it and that all is under His sovereign control. His will for us comes from His heart of love.  Our job is to be obedient and do the next right thing...the results are ALWAYS up to Him. He is the God who performs all things for us and also makes perfect that which concerns us. May He do what is good in His sight. ❤️

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD I n the land of the living.  Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  Wait, I say, on the LORD!   

Ending with Ephesians 6:10-19 from the Amplified Bible. 

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God's people.—Ephesians 6 10-18

The Glory of the Lord is Risen Upon You…

Beloved… these past two years of worldly unrest and turmoil have made one thing abundantly clear to me. Deceit is rampant. Truth, as it says in Isaiah 59 has fallen in the streets.  Judgement has been turned backward, justice stands afar off and he that departs from iniquity makes himself a prey.  

What is the answer?  What are we to do in the midst of it all?  How do we not fall for the lies?  2 Peter has the answer.  

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.—2 Peter 3:18

Abide!  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Set your mind on things above and not on the things of the earth. Pursue spiritually maturity by sinking your roots deep into His word. Our faith is built on the truth of God’s word...quoting John MacArthur here...”on the objective, historical, revealed, rational truth from God and is intended to be understood and believed.” The deeper the knowledge, the more grace and peace are multiplied in the believer’s heart. 

Spurgeon says this about 2 Peter 3:18:

There cannot be any grace except as we know Christ. And there can be no growth in grace except as we grow in our knowledge of Christ.

This world needs Jesus. It needs what you have. Go to the One who has the words of eternal life. 

I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.—Psalm 40:1-3

Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the LORD will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.—Isaiah 60:1-2

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.—2 Corinthians 4:6

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.—Philippians 2:14-16

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.—1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Hedged Behind and Before…

 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.—Psalm 139:1-6

My God sees Me!  He knows all and even in all that knowing, He has promised never leave me nor forsake me. Instead of stepping back with that depth of knowledge, He steps forward. He encompasses my path. He hedges me behind and before and lays His hand upon me. He draws near to me in His faithful lovingkindness. 

This is my comfort this morning and this is my joy as I journey through this life. My Jesus is my best friend and He is always with me.  His eyes never close, His divine love surrounds me and His strong protective arm watches out for me.

I Will Carry You…

 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops;

Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.

Your carriages were heavily loaded,

A burden to the weary beast.

They stoop, they bow down together;

They could not deliver the burden,

But have themselves gone into captivity.

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

Who have been upheld by Me from birth,

Who have been carried from the womb:

Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.—Isaiah 46:1-4

As I read these verses this morning my eyes filled with grateful tears. I KNOW I am so insufficient to carry the burdens of this life. I am so thankful for my Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is my sufficiency, He is my strength, He is my song, and He has become my salvation.  

All my cares I roll upon Him. I can rest in His faithful, pastoral care.  He will perfect that which concerns me. Time is nothing to Him. He is worth waiting for. I can trust in His sovereign hand that rules and overrules all in my life for my good and His glory.  Knowing that he will never leave me, that He never changes and that His kindness to me is better than life is what gets me out of bed in the morning.  Psalm 139 is perfect here…I have copied Spurgeon’s take from the Treasury of David after the Psalm. 

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"

Even the night shall be light about me;

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Spurgeon on Isaiah 46:3-4

“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” 

The confidence of Babylon is buried among her heaps of rubbish, for her gods have fallen from their thrones. “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth.” As for us, our trust is in the living God who lives to bear and carry his chosen, even in Jehovah, the only true Lord. 

We begin our spiritual life by faith in him, for until faith comes, we have no power to become the sons of God. Our spiritual life will have to be continued in the same way of trust in the Lord. We live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. We rejoice that we will never have to change our confidence, for our God will never be carried into captivity or torn from his throne. 

Our faith is built on a rock that can never be moved. Nothing in the past has shaken the foundation of our faith. Nothing in the present can move it. Nothing in the future will undermine it. Whatever may occur in the ages to come, there will always be good reason for believing in Jehovah and his faithful Word. The great truths he has revealed will never be disproved. The great promises he has made will never be retracted. The great purposes he has devised will never be abandoned. So long as we live, we will always have a refuge, a hope, a confidence, that can never be removed. 

“even to yourold age I am he” is not just a promise for those in old age. But it is also a promise to the people of God at any and every period between their birth and their death. While the Lord does not say he guarantees all his people will reach old age, he does say he has carried us from the womb and will carry us still. 

The Lord is good to us in all tenses and in all ways. We will not consider the mercy of God to be only for those who are near the end of their pilgrimage but also for his people throughout their wilderness journey—from the day when they first ate of the paschal lamb and left Egypt even to that hour when the Jordan was dried up and they took possession of the land that flows with milk and honey. Our experimental dealings with God make us know that he is our gracious helper from the first to the last. Bel and Nebo disappoint their votaries, but Jehovah is our God forever and ever, and he will be our guide even to death.