Faith Like a Child…

 

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.—Mark 10:13-17

Oh my goodness!  I can make things so complicated.  I overthink everything. “I” get involved and humility, trust and dependence on God go out the window.  

God does not want it complicated. He wants it simple, and He makes it simple. Truly, He spells it out right here.  He doesn’t want us to grow up.  He wants us to grow dependent on Him. He wants us to trust Him as a little child trusts his parents in everything and for everything.

Oh Father!  Do this work in me! Thank you for this passage that pictures so perfectly the simple trust I desire to have toward You.  Trying to deal with all this life throws at me is emotionally and physically exhausting.  It is too much for me!  I want to be as a child before You…not knowing even how to go out or come in. 

Oh Lord, may My heart safely trust in You and may You do in my life as seems good to You. May Your mercy be upon me, Father, just as I hope in You.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.—Proverbs 3:5-6

LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.—Psalm 131

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

Be of Good Cheer! It is I; Do Not Be Afraid...

 

47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.—Mark 6:47-52

“Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”  Allow these beautiful words of Jesus to penetrate your fearful, fretting heart this morning. He is with us in an even greater way than He was with the disciples, for His Spirit dwells in us. Jesus commands us here to not be afraid, but to have, as John MacArthur, explains a continuing attitude of courage.  The words “It is I; “ echo Exodus 3:14’s self revelation of God..literally “I AM”. 

Beloved...the Becoming One dwells with us and becomes for us whatever our need may be. There truly is no reason to fear...in Him, we have everything we need.  Be of good cheer...

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”—Mark 10:49

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”—Matthew 9:2

But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.—Matthew 9:22

But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.—Acts 23:11

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,

And bless Your inheritance;

Shepherd them also,

And bear them up forever.—Psalm 28:7-9

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23 (emphasis mine)

Daughter, Your Faith Has Made You Well…

 

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"

But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 

'Who touched Me?'"

And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."—Mark 5:25-34

I can’t even imagine what this woman’s life was like. She was not only destitute and weak, but also ostracized as unclean by the Jewish law.  When I think on her, my mind always goes to this verse from Psalm 142:

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.

But there was One who did care and this woman did not let anything stand in her way to get herself to Him. Putting myself in her place, I think that 12 years of affliction, disappointment and rejection by society might have made me feel ashamed and very unworthy. I probably could have thought of a lot of excuses not to risk possible public humiliation and another disappointment. Instead of turning aside, though, this woman pushes and presses forward toward Jesus. Her faith was not bold and it was probably a bit superstitious, but Jesus honored it and healed her body. 

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.—Psalm 34:5

When Jesus asks the crowd who touched Him, she comes to Him in fear, trembling and thanksgiving and courageously tells Him everything. My eyes filled up when Jesus called her by the affectionate title, Daughter, in verse 35. According to commentators it is its only recorded use by Jesus. She was now a daughter of God. Jesus had not only made her whole physically but spiritually as well. He tells her that it was her faith (not the touch of his clothing) that made her well. Her faith had caused her to seek help from the Source of all help…Jesus Himself. 

Oh Father…by Your precious Holy Spirit help me to honor You today with my faith…to seek You and You only in my weakness and need. Thank you that as I trust You, Your word tells me that mercy shall surround me.  Thank you that You are my Abba…You call me, daughter. ❤️

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

I Will Cry Out to God Most High…

 

I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.—Psalm 57:2

I love thinking that spiritually speaking it is God who performs all things for me.  It is my God who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 

In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;

Every hand of misery will come against him.—Job 20:22

I so desire to rest in Him.  I didn’t work to save my own soul…Christ is my Savior.  So often though, I worry about being insufficient to get through this life…about not being able to keep up…about not being able to hold on or keep my head above the waves.  Instead of fearing this though, what I really should FEAR is doing this life in my strength.  

Praying today that I will never again look inwardly for wisdom and strength but look to my God who sees me, looks after me and  performs all things for me. Oh Father! You are my Helper.  You are my strength, my shield and my exceedingly great reward. Help me to look to You in all things!  Give me a steadfast heart. Let my entire reliance be fixed on you.  Today, I will cast the burden of all my cares and insufficiency on You who perfects that which concerns me and performs all things for me.

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me—Psalm 138:8

It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.—Psalm 18:32

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.—Psalm 16:1

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.—Psalm 16:7-8

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.—Psalm 138:3

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."

14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.—Exodus 33:13-15

Notes on Job Chapters 17-20

 

“My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation? “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me?

Job is feeling like he cannot endure much more as Chapter 17 opens.  He longs for someone to take his side.  ("who is he that will strike hands with me")  Jesus is our Advocate...the word in the Greek for advocate is paracletos...or one who comes along side. I love that!

My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows.  Upright men are astonished at this, And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.--Job 17:7-9

Even fair minded men were astonished at Job's plight.  Job, himself, lacked insight as to the reason  for his own suffering and misery.  Job reminds others as well as himself here that the righteous man should hold on the path God has before Him.  He should move forward in faith and continue to live rightly. Even though all around him were heaping scorn and shame upon him....even though his reputation was being slandered...even though he had become a byword among his people, Job would hold fast and would remember that it was not important what man thought but what God thought that mattered.

The last several verses of Chapter 17 find Job about as low as a man can get. (he does manage to go lower though)  All was dark, his good days were all behind him and his hope was in the grave.

Chapter 18:

Bildad speaks next and truly he has lost his patience with Job.  Verse 1 and 4 are some of my favorites.

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “How long till you put an end to words? Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak. Why are we counted as beasts, And regarded as stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?

Job shut your mouth and Job does the world come to an end because you are suffering?? He then goes on to paint for Job 4 pictures of the death of the wicked.  He likens it to: a darkened light, a trapped traveler, a fugitive and a rotting tree.  Thank you Bildad!

Chapter 19:

Job answers Bildad and his other comforters by asking them how long they will continue to accuse him and vex his soul.  You are breaking me into pieces with your words, Job says.  You have not proved anything against me...it is God who has overthrown me.  Job then uses 4 more analogies than Bildad to describe his own situation.

Job is like:

1.  An innocent animal trapped by God

2.  A wrongly accused criminal

3.  a man fenced in by darkness who cannot see the path that leads out

4.  like a king dethroned

5.  like a tree uprooted

6.  like an enemy of God besieged

7.  like a building destroyed

8.  like a man forsaken and forgotten

Oh the irony of verses 23-24...

“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!  That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever!

Job got his wish...

In verses 19 through 26 we read great words of faith...some of the greatest in the Bible. 

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Job KNEW that his Redeemer lives!  When he died, he knew he would see God and one day he would have a new body.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”   

Our hope is heaven!  As we go through trials and difficulties the word is revealed to us in a new and fresh way. We receive an increased understanding of the nature and character of God.  We begin to think on eternity more and more. We long for heaven and hold on less tightly to the things of the world.

Chapter 20

It is Zophar's turn to speak.  And surprise, surprise it is more of the same stuff we have been hearing over and over again.  If we are tired of it, can you imagine how Job feels.  He has not only lost his children, his health and all his worldly goods but now he has to be told over and over again that it is all his fault.  Now we know that Zophar's speech about the wicked does not really apply to Job because we know that Job is a righteous man. Those who are not, however, should take what Zophar says to heart. Worldly success is temporary, riches without God are bitter and there is no rest or peace for the wicked.  In fact, a life lived without God is no life at all..it is vanity and grasping at the wind.  

One Act of Kindness…

 

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.—Acts 27:1-3

Kindness always gives me pause.  I think it is because it is in the kindness of others that I see my Jesus most clearly. It is other worldly and beautiful.  God’s steadfast love toward each of us never ceases.  His goodness endures continually, and His lovingkindness is always before our eyes. One act of kindness can have far reaching eternal effects. Romans tells us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.

I am so thankful that… 

My Jesus is FULL OF KINDNESS AND COMPASSION…

He condescends…He bends low…He stoops…He heals the brokenhearted…He makes the crooked places straight and He makes a way in the desert.  

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;--Isaiah 42:3

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

And carry them in His bosom,

And gently lead those who are with young.--Isaiah 40:11

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”--Matthew 11:28-30

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.--Isaiah 53:4

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord

And the praises of the Lord,

According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,

And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,

According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

For He said, “Surely they are My people,

Children who will not lie.”

So He became their Savior.

In all their affliction He was afflicted,

And the Angel of His Presence saved them;

In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;

And He bore them and carried them

All the days of old.--Isaiah 63:7-9

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.--Matthew 9:36

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.--Matthew 14:14

And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.--Luke 7:12-15

When Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. ( John 11:32-35)

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.--Matthew 18:11-13

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!--Matthew 23:37

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”--Luke 7:13

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,  saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. --Luke 19:41-42

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.--2 Corinthians 8:9

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:15-16

Father...

Give me eyes ALWAYS to see Your Son, Jesus, in everyone I meet. Give me a sincere heart that loves and serves the people You have lovingly placed in my life as if I was serving You!  May I do all I do here on this earth as unto You and not unto man.  Thank you, Father, that I can freely give without concern for me, because You CARE for me...Your steadfast love and kindness toward me never ceases.  Thank you that You see all that I do and will not forget the work and labor of love that I have shown toward Your name. No good thing done for Your glory will go unrewarded.  Oh how blessed is the man who places his trust in You. 

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your name.—Psalm 86:11