Christ Could Come at Any Moment...

“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.” ~ 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, NKJV

Paul spends chapter seven of his first epistle to the Corinthians responding to certain things of which the Corinthians had written him, mostly concerning marriage. Marriage, as Paul explains, is good. But our fallen human nature means that marriage also brings trouble in the flesh (since each spouse is trying to live with another sinner), and all things being equal, it is easier for someone who is unmarried to serve the Lord without distraction. Paul's point in the passage above is that believers - whatever their state - need to be living for eternity. Since Jesus' ascension, the "time is short," that is, Christ could return for us at any moment. That was true in Paul's day and it remains true today. The constant imminency of His return is by design, so that is easier for us to see God's kingdom as near to us rather than planted somewhere in the vague, distant future. If we know His kingdom is near, we will be more concerned about heavenly priorities rather than being ensnared by the temporary cares of this world. A life lived for heaven is the best kind of life to have on earth. Are you married? Christ could come at any moment. Don't hang on your marriage those hopes and expectations that can only be fulfilled by God. Are you weeping? Christ could come at any moment and wipe all your tears away. Are you rejoicing? Christ could come at any moment. Rejoice, but don't stake your soul on human causes for celebration. Are you buying or investing? Christ could come at any moment. Don't assign those possessions too much value, or let them own you. Do you use this world? Christ could come at any moment. Use the world, but don't misuse it, inverting your priorities to care only about the things of this world and not the things of the world to come. The form of this world is passing away! When it goes, its cares, its sorrows, its cruelties, its valuables, its petty gratifications, and its priorities are all going to go with it. We will get more out of this world and we will be blessed in the next world if we live our lives with the Lord as our highest priority. Not even marriage is more important than He is. For the believer, the fact that this world is passing away brings comfort and hope. We see the evil that flourishes here. We see the pain and the sorrow and the corruption. We see death. But we look further ahead, to Christ's return and all that it will bring - the resurrection of the dead, the new heavens and the new earth, the fulfillment of our salvation, the casting of Satan into the lake of fire forever - and we rejoice with a joy that does not pass away.

by Rebecca...

Nothing Can Separate Us...

“So he [Joseph] asked Pharaoh’s officers [the chief butler and the chief baker] who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’

And they said to him, ‘We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.’

So Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.’” ~ Genesis 40:7-8, NKJV

Egyptians were religious regarding dreams and their interpretations. People could bring their dreams before an expert or specialist, or perhaps a magician, to have them properly interpreted. Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker, imprisoned in the house of the captain of the guard (Joseph's master, Potiphar), each had dreams but did not have access to an interpreter. Since they were not experts themselves, they had no way of understanding the meaning of their dreams, and this troubled them deeply. Imagine what it must have been like having one's access to something so important be so fragile. Joseph urged Pharaoh's troubled officers to share their dreams with him, saying, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" The Egyptians would have agreed with that statement. But their access to God or gods was restricted, bureaucratic, uncertain, delayed, and in the case of these officers, easily blocked. Joseph's access to his God - the one true God - was otherwise. He needed no interpreters, no temples, no priests, no political or social clout; God was always with him. Conversation with God was never more than a prayer away. God gave Joesph the interpretations to the butler's and the baker's respective dreams, and the interpretations came to pass exactly as Joseph said. Believers do not any special circumstances, places, or intermediaries to access their heavenly Father. They don't need priests. They don't need saints. (They are the saints.) They don't need rituals. They don't need bureaucracy. They don't need experts, or interpreters. Like Joseph, we have God with us always. We go straight to Him, with no delays or relays or formalities. Our connection to Him is unbreakable, immediate, and intimate. He hears our cries; He knows our hearts; He feels our pain; He perceives our thoughts; He walks with us through our lives. He is always ready to respond when we reach out to Him, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV)

by Rebecca....

Set Free...

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:12, NKJV

Corinth was a church with problems - namely, its members. Though true believers, they often behaved more like fallen human beings rather than as children of the living God who were indwelled by His Spirit. The intense love Paul bears for this community of believers, evident in his letter to them, is representative of the infinitely more intense love God bore them. This love comes as an encouragement to us when we stumble as badly or perhaps even worse than the Corinthians. In Corinthians 6, Paul expresses dismay at the believers' practices of cheating, wronging, and suing one another. He reminds them that, "Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Of such were some of the Corinthians! (vs. 9-11) But then they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They were washed, they were cleansed, they were sanctified and justified through His sacrifice on their behalf. They received the Spirit of the Living God and now had new life inspired and energized by God Himself. How could the Corinthians go back to their old ways? Paul warns the Corinthians that though, in Christ, all created things in and of themselves are lawful for the believer, not all of those things are helpful. Nor should we engage in those things that bring us under the power of anyone or anything except God. We were already enslaved to sin. We were already under its power. By the grace of God we have been redeemed - so we shouldn't go back! What things bring our minds back into bondage vary from person to person. But the principle remains the same. We have been set free - we have liberty in Christ. We are now able to do those things that are good and righteous. It makes no sense for us to go back to slavery and the harsh taskmasters of sin! Instead, we ought to seek to be like Paul, able to say, "I will not be brought under the power of any." My Master is God, and God alone; may He give me the grace to live accordingly.

by Rebecca...

Because the Lord was With Him...

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” ~ Genesis 39:2-3, NKJV

Joseph consistently impressed those around him. Potiphar, his Egyptian master, made him overseer over all that he had; in fact, he so trusted Joseph that he left everything in Joseph's hands, and did not himself know what he had except for the food that he ate. Potiphar's goods prospered under Joseph's stewardship, and Joseph never let him down. Joseph was imprisoned only because of the lies of Potiphar's wife, not because of any crime which he committed. But even in prison Joseph found favor with those around him! The keeper of the prison committed all the prisoners to Joseph's hand, "whatever they did there, it was his doing." (vs. 22) The keeper didn't even look in to anything under Joseph's care, "because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." (vs. 23) Later we see how Joseph so impressed Pharaoh that he was made second-in-command of all Egypt. Now Joseph was likely a diligent, exemplary young man, faithful and honest in all his doings, but Scripture does not lay the credit for his greatness at Joseph's feet. The narrator specifically and repeatedly identifies the Lord as the reason for all the favor shown Joseph. Because the Lord was with him, because people saw the Lord, not Joseph, when they looked at him, Joseph met with such favor. God is desirable to man. God is everything we are not: righteous, loving, sovereign, peaceable, truthful, pure, diligent, faithful, joyous, patient, kind, just, wise, and above all, good. God is so much these things that they can scarcely be ascribed to Him as adjectives - instead He is their source, their definition. For all he is in rebellion against God, man wants what God is. What God is "works." His attributes make the world go round. They bring prosperity and stability. Joseph, the man who had God with him, was so impressive and conspicuous - a metaphorical giant - precisely because God was with him. As believers, God is with us, as well; we have the Spirit of God living in our hearts, and God Himself walks with us throughout our lives. His favor is on us and He is jealous for our well-being. But when people see us, do they see Him? Can they perceive His presence overshadowing our own fallen selves? When they are with us, do they come away feeling as if they had been with Jesus? Oh, that this would be true! I pray that as I study God's word and apply it to my life, I would come more and more under the influence of His Holy Spirit. May He so overshadow me that it's not me people see; it's the Lord.

By Rebecca...

Sincere and True...

“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” ~ 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, NKJV

Paul wrote the above regarding the Corinthian church's response to their member who had his father's wife. Instead of being grieved by this sin, they condoned and even paraded it, actually glorying in something that should have brought them shame. Jesus, in His parables, used leaven to represent sin. Paul continues that metaphor here. A little bit of leaven (yeast) leavens the whole lump of dough. Any sin in the midst of the "lump" of the church leavened the whole church with sin, hindering their relationship with the Lord and sabotaging their witness in the world. Since the Corinthians were truly unleavened because of Christ's sacrifice on their behalf, Paul urges the church to purge out the old leaven - the deeds and practices of their old, sinful natures - and walk in the Spirit. They needed to put away from themselves the "evil person" (vs. 13), and repent of their own sin of glorying in shame and rejecting the law of God. Then they, as a church, would be keeping Jesus' Passover feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Taking sin out of your life takes away duplicity, deceit, double-mindedness, hypocrisy, facades, manipulation, and everything that is untrue or insincere (not genuine). A believer who is walking in the Spirit (that is, under the influence of and in obedience to the word of God) is very different in character from a nonbeliever, or even from a believer who has allowed the old leaven of sin to once again permeate his life. Someone keeping Christ's Passover knows the truth and lives his life according to it. Because of this practice, he is also what we would describe as "real": genuine, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, graciously honest, forthright, straightforward, honorable, and undeceiving. Sincere and true - that's the kind of person I want to meet or associate with; that's the kind of person I want to be. But the only way I can become that kind of person is if I immerse myself in the word of God, receiving it with meekness and allowing the Spirit of God to energize its application in my life. May God grant each of His children the grace to do so.

by Rebecca...

We Have Nothing We Have Not Been Given...

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” ~ 1 Corinthians 4:7, NKJV

As they vied for superiority over one another, the Corinthians abandoned an important truth: we have nothing we have not been given. Everything we have - our being, our bodies, our possessions, our talents, our lives, our world, the very breath in our lungs - we have received from God. He is, after all, the Creator; there is nothing that does owe its existence to Him. So why were the Corinthians boasting about what they had (in this case, from who they had received the word of salvation), when they had no right to take credit for it? Paul urges believers to boast in nothing except Jesus Christ. Boasting about Jesus is another way to point to Him with praise and thanksgiving. It makes praise much more personal in that you yourself are deeply invested in what you share. It is profitable boasting, since it serves not only to glorify God, but to share the good news of His salvation with others! There is nothing about myself in which I can boast. But there's everything for me to boast about in Christ, not least of which is implied in the verse above: I can't earn God's love. Everything I have has been given to me, yes? I can't claim credit or ultimate, creative ownership of anything, yes? So that makes it impossible for me to even begin to earn or pay for the favor God has given me. It's not even worth trying; to do so would be an exercise in futility and a defiance of logic. I have nothing to give and there's nothing I can do about that. Isn't that great? It's a huge burden that God has taken off our shoulders! "No," He says, "you don't have to sweat and strive and sacrifice to try to afford Me, because I've made sure that such a goal is beyond your reach. I don't want you to have to labor like that. I want to give you all My love and all My favor for free. Like everything else, you just need to receive it." Unfortunately, we human beings (or at least this human being) find receiving difficult. Receiving requires humility. It requires a surrender of our self-willed independence. To receive the better things God has for us we need the filling of His Spirit, which comes through the influence of His word, so that the receiving is done in His power and not in ours. It is not an easy process. But it leads to life, and life abundantly - with a Father like no other.

by Rebecca...

Jesus, the One Who Has Borne Our Griefs...

“And he [Jacob] recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him.” ~ Genesis 37:33-35, NKJV

Jacob's favoritism promoted hatred and rivalry among his sons. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, they hid their crime by dipping Joseph's multicolored tunic in the blood of a young goat. They brought the tunic to their father, as if they had "found" it, and asked him if he recognized it. Convinced his beloved son had been taken by wild animals and torn apart, a devastated Jacob grieved bitterly. He refused the comfort offered him by his sons and daughters. He resolved to go to his grave still bearing the grief of his loss. Jacob is not the only one to respond to intense sorrow in this way; it is a phenomena that is difficult to explain within a materialistic or evolutionary framework. Why not accept comfort? Why not try to make yourself feel better? What benefit is derived from stubbornly remaining in mourning for a loss you cannot recover? What makes the pain desirable? I know that mingled in my own grief is a cry for justice. I don't accept that is, should be. Death and evil are an affront, an offense, a contaminant - not the natural order of the world. If your worldview does not include God that there is no accounting for such a bone-deep demand. There is no point or depth to relationships. There is nothing beyond this physical realm of existence. There is no hope in using your grief to throw down the gauntlet in a demand that the world be different. If you do not believe in God, then you might as well abandon your sorrow and give up any desire to see things be "right." You may as well surrender yourself to the nightmare of a world that dies. Or you can be like Jacob. Whatever his sins, he loved his son. I would rather spend my life in mourning than give in to the reign of death. I will bring my tears and my sorrow and my loss to Jesus, the one who "has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows," and by whose stripes "we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4, 5) Jesus conquered death. He overcame evil. He is salvation to those who believe in Him, so that there will come “to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’

‘O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?’” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

I'll keep my grief. Because instead of exchanging it for emptiness, I will see it transformed into joy.

by Rebecca....

Evidence of Spiritual Immaturity...

“For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” ~ 1 Corinthians 3:3, NKJV

The Corinthians' lack of spiritual maturity, as evidenced by the prideful, petty, and self-promoting divisions that existed among them, was a cause of great concern for Paul. When discussing spiritual things, he wanted to be able to give them "meat" and not "milk." But they weren't ready to dig deeper into the truth. Instead of exercising their faith to maturity, they had remained in the familiar ruts of their old, fleshly (carnal) ways. They behaved like mere fallen human beings, dead in their spirits and dictated by the lusts of their flesh, rather than like the children of the living God. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Paul cries in verse 16. Believers have the glory and power of God Himself living inside them! Our bodies are actually God's temple! His Spirit is Him, in all His fullness, and we can freely access that fullness. We can live in His power; we can shine with His glory; we can walk in His truth; we can see with His eyes; we can act with the character of His Son. By exercising our faith through obedience to spiritual maturity, we become more able to tap into the resources of the Holy Spirit. We come further under His influence. We behave not as mere men and women, still trapped in the bondage of sin, but as children of the living God, free and full of life and joy and power.

by Rebecca....

On 9/11....

“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
Which will not heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
Break their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
Before your pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
So that men will say,
‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth.’” ~ Psalm 58, NKJV

As I remember, the 9/11 Commission determined that our failure to anticipate the attacks made on that day was one of "imagination." We didn't think big enough to believe that our enemies would hijack passenger jets and drive them into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Even today we repeat the mistakes of the 1930s, choosing to deny or ignore or diminish the reality of evil. This is the evil of silence, and it is just as deadly as the evil that clamors and draws attention to itself. But David makes no bones about declaring evil for what it is. He speaks his mind; he uses graphic, vivid language; he calls it like he sees it. Evil is real. Evil is everywhere. Evil is powerful. To deny it and claim that doing so is righteous and upright is just to participate in a different form of evil, which weighs out violence in the earth and brings death and destruction. But where there is evil, there is also judgment! David's God - our God, the God of Israel - is a just God. He is righteous and He judges in the earth. There have been times in history when His hand of judgment has been apparent; there have been other times when it seems not so. There is also coming a day when every evil will be judged, every unrepentant soul will face His wrath - and everyone will know it. I take comfort in this psalm. Yes, the evil that I see and feel in the world around me is real, no matter how much it is denied; and yes, that evil will face judgment from a righteous and holy God. When those truths guard my heart the madness of this world cannot bring me to despair. I have hope instead.

By Rebecca Lilley..

Led Astray by Pride...

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12, NKJV

Led astray by their pride, the Corinthian believers were wasting time pursuing the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom and power of God. Paul reminds them, “‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” Since we have been given the Spirit of God (who alone knows all the things of God), we have unparalleled access to Him and can know all the things that He has, in His infinite love, freely given us. These things include His wisdom; His grace; His salvation; His life; His power; His exceedingly great and precious promises; His (Christ's) inheritance; His hope; His joy; His peace; and so much more. How could the Corinthians neglect this gift in favor of the things of the world, which, apart from God, are passing, empty, and damaging? How can any believer follow the Corinthians' example? Unfortunately, of course, we find it all too easy; we "default" to the ways of the flesh, and it takes time for the truth to become rooted in our hearts and replace our old habits of thinking and feeling and doing. But oh, the joy that we have when it does! When the Spirit teaches you the things of God, and you know what He has freely given you, your cup becomes filled to overflowing.

by Rebecca...

Walking in the Fulfillment of God's Promises...

“Also God said to him [Jacob]: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.’” ~ Genesis 35:11-12, NKJV

In this passage, the Lord is passing on to Jacob the promises He also first gave to Abraham and to Isaac. But in Jacob's case, he is actually beginning to see God's word come to pass. Abraham was promised that he and Sarah would be the parents of a great nation, and yet they had just one son together, and that when they were old. Isaac and Rebekah, in their turn, were barren for many years before finally just having two sons, Esau and Jacob. As far as descendants and nations and claiming Canaan went, the size of their family looked highly inadequate. But with Jacob the tide changed. Twelve sons and one daughter filled his household! With each generation came more increase, until Pharaoh, king of Egypt, would become to afraid of Israel's numbers that he force them into slavery and enact brutal population control measures. What a privilege it was for Jacob to witness with his own eyes the beginning of the fulfillment of the promises God had made to his fathers. When we see God's promises fulfilled in our own lives, we get a glimpse of His glory, His perfect timing, and His sovereign power. My prayer is that these truths about my God would be so engraved upon my heart that the way I think and what I believe would be transformed.

by Rebecca...

You, Think You're so Great?

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” ~ 1 Corinthians 1:25, NKJV

Paul addresses the divisions and contentions that existed in the Corinthian church by addressing their root cause, human pride. He points to God's own strategy for our salvation, and His methods of action in the world - using the foolish things of this world to accomplish His purposes and to confound the humanly wise - as proof that God is not interested in our glory. In fact, He is interested in the opposite. Why? Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men! Man doesn't have anything to glory about! In His love for us, God breaks down our pride and exposes our frailty so that we do not, in our pride, drive His salvation far from us. I love 1 Corinthians 1. I love the Lord's care for us and His sense of humor. (You think you're so great? All right. I'll turn your whole world upside down, and I'll use twelve broken-down, Galilean commoners to do it!) I love most of all that I serve a God who is so much greater than me! If His foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of men, and His weakness is stronger than the strength of men, then I am safe indeed.

by Rebecca....

Behold, God is my Helper...

“Behold, God is my helper;

The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.

Cut them off in Your truth.” ~ Psalm 54:4-5, NKJV

Without God truth has very little meaning and very little power. God, after all, is truth. He defines truth, He encompasses truth, and He empowers truth. He's what gives truth weight because truth is what He is. David suffered much injustice during the years he fled from Saul. Truth was buried. He wrote this psalm after the Ziphites informed on him to Saul, saying, “Is David not hiding with us?” So when David prays for the Lord to cut off his enemies in His truth, he is praying for justice; he is praying for God's laws to be manifested. Going against the ways of God is like violating a natural law. The penalty is usually built into the crime. Defy the law of gravity, and you will fall; defy the law that human beings cannot breathe water, and you will drown. Defy God's spiritual laws and the result is much the same. You bring upon yourself misery, death, and ultimately, separation from God (the definition of hell) as truth exacts its toll. David indeed suffered many trials during his years on the run, but he took comfort in the inviolable nature of God's truth. So can we.

by Rebecca...

Greet Apelles, Approved in Christ...

“Greet Apelles, approved in Christ.” ~ Romans 16:10, NKJV

The closing chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans is filled with names as he greets, with much love, individuals known to him. The phrase Paul chooses as Apelles' identifier is "approved in Christ." Technically speaking, all believers are "approved in Christ." Jesus is the one who makes us good enough, who marks us as sufficient - not because we are sufficient, but because He is. What we could not achieve Jesus achieved for us, and imputed it to our hopeless accounts. Did his approval in Christ mean so much to Apelles, perhaps because of his past or ethnic background, that this was how people knew him - as the man whom Christ had made sufficient? Or was it Paul's subtle encouragement to Apelles by reminding him that in Christ, he did, indeed, have the approval of God? I don't know. But I treasure Paul's words. Like Apelles, I am approved in Christ. I am sufficient. I am good enough. I meet the mark. I've been adopted as God's daughter, perfect and complete, without flaw or blemish. There is no condemnation, no despair, no defeat, no tearing down for the child of God. He is approved in Christ.

by Rebecca....

The Goodness of God Endures Continually...

“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?

The goodness of God endures continually.” ~ Psalm 52:1, NKJV

David wrote Psalm 52 after a servant of King Saul, Doeg the Edomite, told the king that David had gone to the house of Ahimelech, the high priest. Not knowing of King Saul's vendetta against David, Ahimelech willingly provided David with food and a weapon. When Doeg reported this to Saul, Saul had Ahimelech, eighty-five priests of the Lord, and a city full of the priests' families were executed - by Doeg's hand. From Psalm 52, we know that Doeg boasted in his evil. He loved devouring words, lying over speaking righteousness, and evil over good. He worked deceitfully and his tongue devised destruction. (See Psalm 52:2-4) But Doeg was foolish. The goodness of God endures continually. Because He is God, because He is good, and because He is unchanging and eternal, any evil is doomed; God will not fail to judge and bring justice. David addresses Doeg in his psalm, writing that as Doeg worked destruction, "God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living." (vs. 5) There is no need for the believer to despair or be discouraged when evildoers lift themselves up and glory in their deeds. If they do not repent, their judgment is sure. But those who are clothed with the grace of God's salvation (because we deserve judgment just as surely as Doeg), there is peace. We trust in His mercy forever and ever. (vs. 8) We are blessed and will be made to prosper. For us, eternity holds not judgment, but life. What peace we have with God!

by Rebecca....

The God of Peace Be With You...

“Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” ~ Romans 15:33, NKJV

Paul writes this verse as he prepares to close his epistle to the Roman believers. Earlier, he had written, “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.’” (vs. 8-9) Jesus, while He was on the earth, submitted Himself completely beneath the strictures, ordinances, and rituals of the law (or the circumcision), so that in fulfilling it He might then, through His death, confirm God's promises of salvation and restoration. He did this “for the truth of God”; that is, so that God's word might be true. He did this furthermore for the Gentiles, allowing those who were once apart from God to bring Him glory through His mercy to them. Jesus' death on the cross, as penalty for sin, brought peace with God to both Jew and Gentile. The law - though good - is death to both groups alike! We can never fulfill it, and it justly condemns us. Our enmity with God brought us the death contained in the law. With death comes all its dreadful cohorts, those enemies who are to blame for every breach of peace in the world: fear, envy, strife, anger, bitterness, pride, rebelliousness, selfishness, greed, despair, anxiety, and the like. But when the God of peace walks beside us - and because of the peace won by Christ He can walk beside us! - there is no room for death and all his friends. They are cast out by God's perfect peace through His unfailing and unlimited love.

by Rebecca...

Jacob Wrestles with God...

“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” ~ Genesis 32:24-25, NKJV

As Jacob prepared to meet Esau again, he spent the night alone on one side of the ford of Jabbok. Here he wrestled with God until dawn - and he prevailed. It's not good to prevail against God! A man only prevails against God when God restrains Himself, as a father with a child. God, our heavenly Father, wrestles against our wills in order to bring us into submission to Him, where we can prosper, have joy and peace, and be blessed. When we, like Jacob, won't yield to the Lord, He must move beyond wrestling and cripple us. A shepherd with a perennially wandering sheep will break that sheep's leg in order to save it from destroying itself (as would surely happen if it kept wandering). Then he binds the leg and tends the sheep as it heals, keeping the sheep close to himself. Later, when the sheep is well, it no longer strays far from the shepherd. Sometimes, as with Jacob, our wills our so vehemently opposed to God's that the Lord must cripple us in order to save us. He put Jacob's hip out of joint. He may send an injury, a sickness, a disability, or a confining circumstance to other Jacobs. When God cripples, whether permanently or temporarily, He always does it in love and with His child's best interest at heart. Through a crippling we learn, as a sheep does, that the best place to be is close to Him. But how much gentler, how much easier - on God and on ourselves! - to let Him prevail when He wrestles us! We save ourselves much time and pain, and we come that much quicker into the blessings and goodness of our loving Father God.

by Rebecca...

Whatever is Not From Faith is Sin....

“But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” ~ Romans 14:23, NKJV

Eating the meat of an animal sacrificed to an idol was considered as part of the act of worship. In pagan cities, where animals were offered to idols and the meat was served to guests or sold in the marketplace, believers faced a difficult decision. Was eating the meat tantamount to idol worship? Or was it, as Paul wrote on more than one occasion, just meat? Nothing in God's creation is unclean of itself. If someone had the faith to accept God's word and eat the meat without a doubts in his conscience, this was all well and good - as long as his eating wasn't making another, weaker believer stumble. But it was not well and good for someone to go against his conscience and eat the meat, because his actions, indeed, would be sin - he was going against his conscience and doing that which he believed to be wrong. Faith is the believer's connection to everything that is good. Faith is what holds him to the truth of God's word. Faith is how he receives the Holy Spirit and God's nature. God's nature is good and encompasses all that is good; human nature, on the other hand, is only evil. So, as Paul writes above, whatever is not from faith is sin. All the good motivations - such as love - have their roots in faith. All the evil motivations, like fear, pride, envy, self-seeking, anger, and revenge, are found apart from faith. It's an eye-opening and rather intimidating division of sin and righteousness, but it's also a division that brings simplicity. Where are my actions coming from? Are they from faith? Are they in accordance with the word of God? Are they empowered by the Holy Spirit? Or are they not? Paul makes it very easy to see what deeds are worthless and what deeds are not. And the grace of God is always there to help us walk by faith and not by sight.

by Rebecca

Fear of Isaac...

“Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.’ And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.” ~ Genesis 31:51-53, NKJV

Unsurprisingly, Jacob and Laban's relationship ended on rocky ground. Laban had used Jacob and dealt dishonestly with him. Jacob - while a tricky man himself - ultimately obtained great wealth from Laban because the Lord supported him. Having heard from the Lord that it was time to return to Canaan, and afraid of Laban's displeasure, Jacob left Haran secretly with his wives, children, servants, and goods. Laban pursued him and the two parties met in the mountains of Gilead. Here they set up stones, shared a meal, and struck a pact of mutual distrust. Neither Laban nor Jacob would pass the stones towards the other while intending harm. The idea was: “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.” (vs. 49) It's interesting, however, that when Jacob swears to uphold this covenant, that he swears by the "Fear of his father Isaac." The Lord is the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (Abraham's brother), but He is also called the Fear of Isaac. Why? Isaac feared God, certainly, but I don't think that's what this term implies. There is also no indication that Isaac was a particularly warlike man. I don't think he needed to be. The fear of God guarded Isaac from his neighbors' ill-will. Fear of Him was synonymous with fear of Isaac, because God favored Isaac. Our God favors all His children. We will almost certainly experience harm at the hands of the world, facing tribulation and trial and suffering, but there is nothing we can do or the world can do that the Lord will not work together for good for us. Nor is there anyone who does us harm that will "get away with it." The Fear of Isaac awaits them for judgment in eternity, and what we might endure now is nothing compared to what they will have to endure. Because of the certainty of God's judgment, I don't have to hate my enemies. I don't have to wish vengeance on them. I have a Fear on my side that vastly outweighs the fear of evildoers, and instead of responding to my enemies with defensiveness I can show love instead. I can pray that they will find mercy and salvation. I can pray for the joy of receiving them as a dear brother or sister instead of as an enemy. When I trust in my fear-inspiring God, and have confidence in His love for me, I have great peace.

by Rebecca

Put on Jesus...

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” ~ Romans 13:14, NKJV

It's a mistake to focus either only or foremost on the latter half of this verse (making no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts). A believer's flesh is his or her "old man," or old nature, which is a slave to sin. Am I offended by a perceived wrong someone has done me? That's my flesh at work. Am I afraid to the point that I disobey God (which is the only thing that should really frighten me)? That's my flesh at work. Am I trampling over the hearts and needs of others in an effort to get what I want? That's my flesh at work, as well. Would I like to be able to make no provision for my flesh (don't feed it, don't give it room or opportunity to work), fulfilling God's purposes instead of my old man's? Yes. Do I? No, not really. When it comes to those fleshly desires that challenge my commitment to obey God, I don't have a lot willpower to overcome them. That's why it's deadly to focus only on the latter half of the verse above. If I try, if anyone tries, to overcome their flesh in their own strength, it will only end in defeat and discouragement. Our human efforts may in fact only sink us deeper into bondage. Instead of release, we find only guilt, condemnation, and fear. This is not what God has for us! He tells us first to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," because unless it is Christ doing the fighting, our flesh is going to win the battle. Putting on Christ, however, is not a magical, one-time thing, or some fantastic effort of self-hypnosis. On the contrary. To put on Christ, you must become like Christ. The way to become like Christ is to spend time with Him through immersion in His word. As Paul wrote earlier in Romans 12, the truth renews one's mind and transforms him into someone heavily influenced by the Spirit of God. The more we come under the influence (control) of the Holy Spirit, the less provision is made for our flesh; and gradually, instead of the lusts of the flesh, we begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit: "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23) Putting on Christ is the only way to victory!

by Rebecca

The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable...

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” ~ Romans 11:29, NKJV

Paul spends three chapters of Romans on the spiritual condition of Israel, which weighed heavily on his heart. He longed to see his countrymen believe in their Messiah. Though God had His remnant among the Jewish people (a remnant which included Paul and many others), the majority of Abraham's physical descendants remained in belief. Paul spends time in Romans 11 showing how much Gentile believers owe Israel for the gospel which came to us through them (even through their rejection of the gospel). Believers are to love and bless Israel because it is through them that we were given all our spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. As a rule, the Jews were enemies of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles, but "concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." God chose Israel - the people descended from fathers much loved by Him - and called them out of the world as His witness to the world. While the fullness of the Gentiles comes in they remain, as a whole, in unbelief. But the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable! God is not done with His people. In the last days they will experience revival and will once again be His witness. God's gifts, and His calling, are irrevocable. That promise holds true for us as well as for Israel. I have been called out of the world. I have been gifted with all the riches of God in Christ Jesus. The Lord will not go back on His word! He does not give up on me; He does not abandon me; He does not take back what He gives. I can rely on His faithfulness and know that what He has given me is permanent. In a changeable and faithless world, this is precious indeed.

by Rebecca

“When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” ~ Genesis 29:31, NKJV

Jacob the deceiver and supplanter met his comeuppance in Laban, his mother Rebekah's brother. Laban willingly lied to and cheated his nephew (though he ultimately lost more out of their relationship than Jacob did). After Jacob served him seven years for his daughter Rachel, Laban gave him Leah, Rachel's elder sister, instead. Jacob didn't discover the deception until morning, when he challenged his uncle's actions. Laban gave Rachel to Jacob as well as Leah (for another seven years' labor), and predictably, Jacob loved Rachel and did not love Leah. Leah had her own sins, but when reading Genesis 29, one cannot help but pity her. I love that the Lord brought balance to the situation by blessing Leah with many children. Leah and Rachel never had to compete with each other for God's love or favor. He sought the best for them both, working their sins and their husband's and father's together for good. I do not serve a God who is out for Himself, or a God who esteems people the way men esteem them; I serve a God who loves me unconditionally, unchangeably, and unreservedly. Abiding in His love brings the heart peace in the midst of a stormy, unkind, and tumultuous world.

by Rebecca

Our Reasonable Service...

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ~ Romans 12:2, NKJV

Paul broke into praise at the close of chapter eleven, declaring that “of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (11:36) He uses this doxology as a springboard from which to launch into the practical portion of his epistle. If all things - including we ourselves - are of God, through God, and to God, doesn't it make sense that becoming living sacrifices (12:1) is our reasonable service? Under the old covenant, a sacrifice - usually an animal - was something given wholly to God. The animal would be killed, with parts of it burned on the altar and the rest eaten by the priests and the ones who brought the sacrifice. But believers are living sacrifices - we die only the sense that we die to ourselves, our old man of sin, as we give ourselves wholly to the Lord. In so doing we find ourselves sharing in the fullness of the life of God as we conform not to this world, but to the likeness of His Son. Becoming a living sacrifice is not easy; it is a battle. The way we fight that battle is by renewing our minds with the word of God (the truth) so that, little by little, we come more under the influence of His Holy Spirit. You recognize someone who is filled with the Spirit! Their lives are markedly different - they're more alive, more joyous, more loving, more peaceful, more gracious...more complete. This kind of living proves God's will to be what He says it is: good, acceptable, and perfect. No, it's not easy giving one's self wholly to Him. It's easier to just jump off the altar. But when you do obey and you do die to yourself in, say, one particular battle, you come through on the other side with experiential knowledge of just how much it is to be doing it God's way than your way. This knowledge gives you courage to obey again and again and again, as you watch your life and your heart transformed by the power of God.

by Rebecca

The Faithfulness of God...

“[The LORD to Jacob as he journeyed to Haran]: ‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’” ~ Genesis 28:15, NKJV

After Jacob infuriated his brother Esau by stealing his blessing, Rebekah convinced Isaac that Jacob should be sent to her brother in Padan Aram so that he might take a wife from among his own family and not from among the daughters of Canaan. Jacob left with Isaac's blessing and journeyed towards Haran and Padan Aram. As he stayed the night in a certain place, the Lord spoke to him in a dream, confirming to him the promises He had previously made to Abraham and Isaac. Additionally, the Lord addressed Jacob's present situation - his banishment from home and his uncertain future. The Lord told Jacob that He would be with him, no matter where he went, and that He would also bring him back to the land which his descendants would one day inherit, "...for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." Jacob had a long way to go before he could truly be called God's man, Israel; he responded even to his vision in a very pragmatic and self-willed manner (like me). But he made a step in the right direction. And whether Jacob believed it or recognized it or not, his God never left him - He stayed with him to accomplish all that He had promised him. This faithfulness of God applies to us as well. The Lord never fails to carry out His word to the full. He never leaves nor forsakes those who are called by His name. When He makes a promise, He stands by it. Regardless of our worthiness (or rather unworthiness), reactions, failures, and faithlessness, the Lord remains faithful. So we can be "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, NKJV)

By Rebecca

God is in Control...

“Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, ‘Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.’” ~ Genesis 27:33, NKJV

Believing his life was drawing near to its end, Isaac sought to bless his son Esau in a way contrary to what the Lord had already declared concerning the two boys (Jacob and Esau). Rebekah overheard Isaac's plans and directed their younger son, Jacob, to deceive his father and thus secure the blessing for himself. Genesis 27 is a sad, confused, painful chapter - the fruit of sin in the family's relationships. Isaac "trembled exceedingly" when Jacob's deception was revealed to him. He had sought to bless Esau, his favorite son, and give him what he knew the Lord had given to Jacob; now, after he knew which son he had actually blessed, I think he repented of his disobedience. "...indeed he shall be blessed." At that moment I think Isaac realized that God had accomplished His will through Isaac's very attempts to thwart it! God is sovereign. Despite Isaac's sin, despite Jacob's, despite Rebekah's, and despite Esau's, the Lord still accomplished His perfect purposes. But how much easier and how much better, in every way, is it when we obey Him rather than fight His work. Then, indeed, we are blessed.

By Rebecca

The Righteousness of Faith

“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:5-9, NKJV

Paul uses the Old Testament Scriptures to show that the two paths to righteousness - law and faith - are incompatible with one another. If one hopes to live by the law he must do the things that are in the law; this kind of righteousness (which is impossible for man to achieve) is entirely works-based. The righteousness of faith, on the other hand, is entirely based on Christ. We don't have to bring Jesus down from heaven, or bring Him up from the dead. God has already done that. Righteousness is as near to us as our own mouths and hearts, because with them we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and receive His perfect righteousness imputed to our bankrupt accounts. The law brings only shame because of our inability to fulfill it, but “Whoever believes on Him [Jesus] will not be put to shame.” (vs. 11) The righteousness He gives us is His. I'm not relying on myself for my salvation. I can't measure up; I can't not fail. But Jesus remains faithful, and He is the one who guarantees my righteousness.

By Rebecca

God's Sovereignty...

“For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” ~ Romans 9:15-16, NKJV

As part of a larger line of reasoning, Paul makes a point about God's sovereignty here in the above verses. How do you "get" God's mercy and compassion? Why do you get it? Why are you called out as a child of promise? The answer is straightforward: God willed it. It has nothing to do you with you. You can't will it, you can't earn it, you can't win it, and you can't qualify for it through biological or ritual means. This is good news! It is impossible for any of us to earn even the least of God's gifts. We are sinners who deserve only His wrath, not His mercy or compassion. But because He gave me grace anyway, based on His merit and not mine, I have more than I can even imagine. I have salvation. I have life. I have hope. I have peace. I have joy. I have love. I have all my needs supplied. I have blessings upon blessings (material and spiritual) heaped upon me. I have God Himself as my Father. I enter His presence as His beloved daughter and as Christ's little sister. These are goodnesses given to me by God, in His sovereign grace, and guaranteed to me by Him - they're not dependent on my performance, my heritage, my position, my anything. What incredible relief! I have utter rest because I abide in Him who performs all things for me.

by Rebecca

Blessed of the Lord

“Then Abimelech came to him [Isaac] from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, ‘Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?’

But they said, ‘We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, “Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.”’” ~ Genesis 26:26-29, NKJV

The Lord confirmed to Isaac His previous promises to Abraham, and made Isaac prosper. Isaac prospered so much, in fact, that Abimelech (king of the Philistines) sent Isaac away from Gerar because Isaac was mightier than they. In the passage above he came again to Isaac in Beersheba, seeking a covenant of peace with him. They wanted his word that he would not harm them, because they saw clearly that he had inherited the favor God set on his father Abraham. Believers share that same favor as the Lord's beloved sons and daughters. This is something for me to remember when I am afraid, when I feel alone, or when I am overwhelmed. The fear of my Father God is my protection and my shield.

By Rebecca

"Abba, Father!"

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” ~ Romans 8:15, NKJV

Earlier Paul dealt with the dichotomy that exists in all believers. Our bodies follow the law of sin and death, but we, with our minds, serve God. Though a believer sins and must fight his flesh constantly, seeking to obey the Spirit instead, he does not walk according to the flesh anymore. The direction of his life is toward God. He has been set free from the law of sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ, and now, in Christ, he has the liberty to say "No," to sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who, because they are in Christ Jesus, do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit! (Romans 8:1) The Spirit of God is not the spirit of bondage that we are used to, which brings us terror and leads us into death and more terror. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of adoption, who gives us the right to cry out to God, "Abba, Father!" God's perfect love for us casts out fear and builds for us an unassailable fortress of security. If the living God and creator of all things treats us as and calls us His beloved sons and daughters, how are we going to come to any harm? He works all things together for good for us. (Romans 8:28) Paul takes the truth of the Spirit of adoption and follows his line of reasoning right into the glorious finale of Romans 8:31-39: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

'For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I do not have the spirit of bondage. I am no longer under any condemnation. I have no reason to be afraid with any terror. I have received the Spirit of adoption by whom I cry out to the Sovereign God, "Abba, Father!"

by Rebecca

Despising God's Gifts...

“And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’

Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” ~ Genesis 25:32-34, NKJV

Esau sold his birthright (which entitled him to a double portion of inheritance and established him as spiritual leader in the household) for some bread and a bowl of stew, because he was hungry and weary after being in the field. Esau's oath was binding. Though the Lord had already chosen Jacob and told Rebekah that her elder son would serve her younger son, the birthright was still Esau's. It was a God-given gift to him that had eternal value and consequence. Esau despised it, preferring the temporary satisfaction of stew and bread to the never-ending satisfaction of fulfilling God's calling on his life. The author of Hebrews writes of Esau's actions, “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” (Hebrews 12:17, NKJV) Esau realized too late what he had sacrificed, and he suffered the consequences of his contempt for God's gift. May that never be the case for us. I want eyes that perceive and esteem eternal value, and I want a heart that treasures the gifts of God, be they circumstances, positions, talents, relationships, or opportunities. To make a practice of despising God's gifts and the calling He has placed on our lives is to end up like Esau - empty, remorseful, and bitterly disappointed.

by Rebecca

Thanking God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” ~ Romans 7:22-24, NKJV

In chapter seven of his epistle, Paul focuses on the law and the role it plays in our lives. Human beings are born slaves to sin. The law exposes our true natures, making our sin "exceedingly sinful," (vs. 13) through the commandment, because the very fact that we are told something is wrong awakens our desire to do that very thing. The law is good. We are not. But in Christ, we died to the law that condemns us and are born again under grace. At salvation, we are given a new nature, an "inward man," who delights in the law of God and desires to do good. Paul recognized the dichotomy that existed between his inward man and his flesh (his physical body). One wills to do the will of God. The other wills to do the will of the flesh, that is, sin. For the believer, life is a continuous battle between these two natures! No wonder Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" As believers fight their flesh and seek to let God's Spirit take control of their lives, we cling to the hope of verse twenty-four: "I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Our salvation is not yet complete. There is a day coming when my body and not just my spirit will be resurrected into new life, wholly free from the old law of sin. Jesus took my old nature with Him to the cross. Soon He's coming again, and He will deliver me from my body of death and bring me into the fullness of life.

by Rebecca...

Waiting and Letting Him Take the Lead

“And the man, wondering at her [Rebekah], remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” ~ Genesis 24:21, NKJV

Abraham sent his oldest servant to his former country in order to find a bride for his son Isaac. As one reads Genesis 24, one can't help but be impressed by the quality of this servant, and by his obvious faith and love for the God of his master Abraham. When he arrived in Abraham's old country (by the city wells, about the time when the women of the city came out to draw water), he prayed for the Lord to direct him to the woman He had chosen for Isaac: “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” (vs. 14) The servant had hardly finished speaking when Rebekah came to the well. She gave the servant a drink and volunteered to water all ten his camels - no quick or easy undertaking. Verse 21 records that as Rebekah worked, the servant watched her silently. He was waiting to see whether or not she would finish the task and thereby demonstrate that she was the one whom God had chosen.

God wills to prosper all His children, always. He prospered Abraham, He prospered Isaac, and He prospered this faithful servant on his mission to find a bride for his master's son. I love how the servant responded to the Lord in verse 21. He didn't leap to inject himself into the situation as soon as Rebekah spoke; he didn't immediately begin to question her or decide she was the right choice; he waited. Even better, he waited silently. He let the Lord show him what to do before he did anything. It's so easy for us to leap ahead of the Lord, seeking to take control of the situation ourselves rather than wait (quietly!) for the Lord's guidance. Abraham's faithful servant, who was also a faithful servant of God, is an example to all God's children. He is willing to prosper us. But we are best prospered when we are willing to wait and let Him take the lead.

--by Rebecca

Under Grace....by Rebecca

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” ~ Romans 6:14, NKJV

When he exists under the judgment of the law (the unchangeable code of what is right and wrong), man has no hope; the law exposes his sinfulness and subjects him to just condemnation. We wouldn't be able to say sin has dominion over us if not for the law, which tells us what sin actually is (and demonstrates that we, by nature, practice sin). But Christ's death changed all this. We are no longer under the law. We died to the law, our old man being crucified with Christ. Now our new man, who has Christ's nature, is alive to God and no longer under the judgment of the law. Instead we are under the judgment of grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor. Grace brought Jesus into this world to pay the price for my sin. Grace forgave me. Grace made me alive when I was dead in trespasses and sins. Grace adopted me into the family of God. Grace gives me free and bold access to my heavenly Father's presence as His beloved daughter. Grace saved me. Grace gives me what I need to make it through each day. Grace walks with me through each day and comforts me and gives me peace. No, I am not under the law. I am under grace. And this joy is all because of my Savior Jesus.

He Answered Nothing...

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.--Matthew 27:11b-13 (emphasis mine)

He answered nothing.  Jesus held His peace.  What a wondrous example of wisdom...SILENCE.  

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

For in You, O Lord, I hope;

You will hear, O Lord my God.--Psalm 38:13-14

You, my Jesus, was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, You opened not Your mouth.  You faced so much unjust suffering and were accused of so many things and answered them nothing!  You knew they could have no power against You unless it had been given to them by Your Father in heaven.  Your surrendered completely to His will for the joy that was set before You and endured the cross...You died because You had set Your love upon ME!! before the foundation of the world!! You desired me and chose me as Your peculiar treasure to be with You always and forever...AND YOUR CHOOSING HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR MERCY, LOVE AND COMPASSION.  

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: --1 John 3:1a

It is written in Your word that no Man spoke as You spoke, but silence was Your answer to Your accusers and Your to Your persecutors.  You bore it all, speechless and said not a word in Your defense...not a word to stop Your slaughter. You were the perfect self-sacrifice. You, who knew no sin, bore our sins for us and took the punishment we so rightly deserved!  Our sin is defenseless.  Nothing can be said in excuse of human guilt and no one can save us but our God and it was to Him that You committed Yourself!  Such a beautiful and perfect example You left for us in the face of suffering.  Silence is so very often the perfect response to an opposing world.  Quiet endurance answers so many questions so much better than words often can.  Thinking on the martyrs who spoke volumes as they gave up their lives for what they believed.  How utterly awesome, Father that in Your Son's silence He proved conclusively that He was the true Lamb of God by fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy!

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.--Isaiah 53:7

Oh Father, may silence be my wisdom as I face an opposing world who hated You without a cause and because I follow You, will hate me, also. 

May I consider my Jesus, who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself and may this keep me from becoming weary and discouraged in my soul knowing that I have not yet resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.

May I do as Your precious Son did in the face of persecution and oppression:

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;--1 Peter 2:21-23

When I suffer according to Your will, Father, I pray that I do not take offense; but instead commit my soul to You in doing good...You are my faithful Creator. You have seen and observed both my trouble and my grief and will repay it by Your hand.  The helpless commits himself to You...Into Your hand, then,  I commit my spirit.  You have redeemed me.  You have abolished death and brought immortality to light through the Gospel.  May I live for You unashamed for I know whom I have believed and like Paul am confident that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.  May my last words be as my Jesus:

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.--Luke 23:46