Showing Kindness...

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.—Acts 28:1-2

You can’t outgive God. He sees all.  Compassion is a universal language. The natives’ acts of unusual kindness to Paul and his shipmates was repaid pressed down, shaken together and running over!   Paul healed Publius, the island’s leading citizen of dysentery, as well as the rest of those on the island who had any diseases.  

For God [is] not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, [in that] you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.—Hebrews 6:10

Scripture is silent as to whether the gospel was preached at Malta, but my read on it says that it was. The natives understood that murder was wrong and that evil people were punished. Paul writes this in Romans 2:

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?—Romans 2:14,15,27

By making Paul immune from the effects of the viper, God made a way for the Gospel to be received and the One, true God worshipped. One act of kindness prepared by God beforehand for such a time as this, caused an eternal ripple effect that would be “heard” the world over.

And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."—Matthew 10:42

[Be] kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;—Romans 12:10

My Everlasting, Unchanging Friend...

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.—Proverbs 18:24

I don’t know about you, but one of the things this pandemic has shown me is that my mind likes to race and go on trips without my consent.  The older I get, it seems, the more likely it is to race past the moment and into the future.  Maybe it’s because I feel less capable of handling a crisis in my age weakened state and am attempting to compensate by thinking on all the combinations and permutations of what might occur in a given situation so I can be ready for anything.  

Now in my heart of hearts, I know that my God is in control, and that all of this is just useless wrangling on my part to “feel” like I have got “this”...whatever “this” may be.  The truth is, I don’t have this.  The truth is that this kind of “thinking” is wearying, tiring and absolutely useless.  The past is gone and the future is not mine...the moment is.  How much better to use my mind to think on things that are eternal...to set my mind, as the Scriptures tell me, on things above.  

Today, by His Spirit, I will do this.  I will think on what it means to have Jesus as my friend....the Friend who sticks closer than a brother and loves me at ALL times.  The LORD is my Shepherd and my Friend. I have everything I need. No matter what I might face here, He will be with me and He will never change.  My God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The Creator and Sustainer of the Universe hears my voice and desires to have fellowship with ME!  He wants me to pour out my heart to Him.   My God is my refuge...my strong tower...my “go-to”....MY FRIEND!!  Scripture tells me that my Jesus loves me to the end of perfection and that I am His friend because I do whatever He commands.  

Oh, Father help me to do Your will here on this earth.  For Your sake, help me to be the kind of friend to others that You are to me.

I CAN rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything BECAUSE the God who made the heavens, the earth and all that is in them is my friend.  He is for me and on my side. He will NEVER forsake those who love Him and place their trust in Him.  

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.—John 13:1

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.—John 15:14-15

But I Have Trusted in Your Mercy...

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

My defense is of God,

Who saves the upright in heart.—Psalm 7:1;10

Father...So often I succumb to the burdens I carry that are just too heavy for me.  They monopolize my thoughts and twist my thinking.  David’s confidence in God is the backbone of this Psalm.  Praying today, that by Your grace, I can be like David is here!  

—Today, Father, I place my trust in You.  

—Today, I will roll each one of my burdens into Your care, trusting that You are sufficient.  

—Today, I will trust in the steadfast, unfailing love and mercy of my God. You will make perfect that which concerns me. 

—Today, I will praise You with a composed and confident heart that is immersed in Your love. 

—Today, I will wait patiently for You, my mighty God, to do exceedingly abundantly on my behalf.  

Thank you, ABBA, for the privilege of casting my cares into Your all capable hands.  You have and will deal bountifully with me. 

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—Psalm 94:17-19

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.  (Psalms 7:17, ESV)

Winning is in Depending...

And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him.—1 Chronicles 5:20

These words hit my heart this morning. The armies of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh succeeded in battle because in their distress they cried out to God. He heard their cry because they put their trust in Him.  It really IS so simple.  Don’t trust in your own skills, in your own wisdom and in your own strength.  Pray and seek God’s wisdom, God’s direction and God’s strength.  Winning is in depending.  Winning is in remembering God and trusting in His will and His purposes for you. Trusting in me opens the door to pride. 

Father...some trust in chariots and some in horses...By Your gracious Spirit, Father, I will humbly place my trust in You!  I will be faithful because You are faithful.  You will hear my cry and I will be helped.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Closing with the words of one of my favorite hymns by Alan Jackson...

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

And what a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit

Oh, what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged

Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness

Take it to the Lord in prayer

The Beautiful Prayer of Jabez....

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.--1 Chronicles 4:

9-10

The first several chapters of the Book of 1st Chronicles are comprised mostly of genealogies.  Today’s reading brought me to Jabez.  Some of them men chronicled were characterized as unfaithful, evil or wicked, but Jabez is singled out here as being more honorable than his brothers.  Why was he different from his brethren? Jabez called on His God. Jabez was a man of prayer who served God.  He desired to do good and not cause hurt to others. May I owe no one anything but love.  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

By God’s Spirit of Grace I can want for myself what Jabez wanted...the honor that comes from my God.  I want to please my Creator...the One who died for me and now lives to make intercession for me!

Bless me indeed, Father... with the knowledge of Your love...I want to be filled with all the goodness of who You are!  Enlarge my territory...my area of service.  My desire is to leave the fragrance of Your Son wherever I go.  How beautiful are the feet of those who share your gospel! May many see and place their trust in You!

May Your righteous right hand guide and direct my steps....I want You to uphold me and keep me from falling.  I want your hand upon me always!  Keep me from evil and allow me not to grieve and hurt those around me.  Work all together in my life for good...even the evil intended by others.  Transform my sorrows into blessings! 

Answer my prayer, Father!  Keep me close to Your heart so I can pray Your desires.  Like Jabez, I am calling on You my God, in humility and brokenness...."Lord bless me!"

And Will Not Be Ashamed....

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. 16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.—Acts 24:14-16

How do I react when I am accused of being a fundamentalist religious fanatic who believes that the Bible is the literal word of God?  I want my response to be similar to Paul’s. Guilty as charged!  In the world today love of God is very often despised...and at times even seen as a hate crime. May I never draw back from fear but by Your grace move forward in faith proclaiming Your wonderful name.  

I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,

And will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in Your commandments,

Which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,

Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.—Psalm 119:46-48

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.—Matthew 10:32-33

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.—Philippians 1:27-30

Father, 

Let me not be silent. Your love to me is better than life.  By Your Holy Spirit, let me speak Your name with grateful love and reverence not fearing the ridicule and hatred that might come from men but desiring instead the praise that is from You.   I will look to You and be radiant...my face unashamed.  

I will love You, O LORD, my strength. I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You.  I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.—Ps 18:1; Ps 138:1-3

God Stands With Us to Strengthen Us...

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

As I read this verse in Acts 23 this morning my heart was encouraged.  It is God’s will that despite all that is happening around us...despite the evil...despite the uncertainty...we are to remain faithful and to be of good cheer.  The gracious consolations of God sustain us.  The Lord stands with us and strengthens us!  Truly, if  God is for us, who can be against us?  

My God is my refuge and strength. He is my very present help in time of trouble.  Therefore, I NEED NOT fear.  He IS with me and upholds me with His righteous right hand.  All those incensed against me shall be ashamed and disgraced.  They shall be as nothing and those who strive with me shall perish.   Even now, God holds my right hand and says, fear not, I will help you.  I CAN be of good cheer.  There is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  I am His and He is mine. He calls me by name.  When I pass through the waters, He is with me, and the rivers, they do not overflow me.  In Him my heart has peace.  In the world I have tribulation, but I can and will be of good cheer...He has overcome the world.  

After I finished writing the above, I read today’s Psalm and rejoiced as I heard David’s faithful and cheerful heart 1000 years earlier even as he flees from Absalom, his son.  We CAN be faithful..we CAN be cheerful...for it is the Lord who is in us and stands by us. 

1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me.

2 Many are they who say of me,

"There is no help for him in God."

Selah

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

4 I cried to the LORD with my voice,

And He heard me from His holy hill.

Selah

5 I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD;

Save me, O my God!

For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;

You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD.

Your blessing is upon Your people.

Selah—Psalm 3

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory...

1 Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us."

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;

The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,

And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 "Yet I have set My King

On My holy hill of Zion."

7 "I will declare the decree:

The LORD has said to Me,

You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You

The nations for Your inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;

You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

And rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,

And you perish in the way,

When His wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.—Psalm 2

What a joy Psalm 2 is to read this morning while the world around me splits and divides with so much hate and depravity.  His truth truly goes marching on in its midst.  My spiritual eyes can see through all the evil and unrest to the glory of his coming!  The wicked will not prosper. 

Psalm 2 reminds us that God is sovereign and sees all.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  

Verses 1-3 speak to human rebellion.  Our hearts, Jeremiah reminds us, are desperately wicked.  They devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble. 

But God, in verses 4-6, is still seated in the heavens.  He holds the wicked in derision and in His displeasure, distresses them. The end for the wicked and the rebellious is destruction. God’s King will be enthroned in Jerusalem. It is as good as done. Verses 7 through 9 speak to His divine rule.  Paul says this in Romans 1:

concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, (Romans 1:3-6, ESV)

What is the right response to His Kingship?  Verses 10-12 speak to this.   Read them now and as You read, hear our God’s mercy.  His tone is gracious as He warns us both as nations and as individuals.  Immediate judgment does not occur. The Lord and His Annointed give us opportunity for repentance.  God wants no one to perish, but for all to receive life in His Son. 

Praying today that those who do not know the Lord would be wise...that they would give thought to His word and be blessed both temporally and eternally as they place their trust in Him. 

The King of Kings rules!  He is our Supreme Sovereign.  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.  May we grow together in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Ending with Psalm 72...

1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! 

2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! 

3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! 

4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! 

5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! 

6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! 

7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! 

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 

9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! 

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 

11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! 

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. 

13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 

14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. 

15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! 

16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! 

17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! 

18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. 

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! 

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.  (Psalms 72:1-20, ESV)

Desiring King Josiah’s Tender Heart...

because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. 20 "Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place."'" So they brought back word to the king.—2 Kings 22:19-20

Oh, Father...May Your word be my wisdom, my refuge and my strength!  Give me a tender and humble heart like Josiah.  Bring me comfort in the midst of grief knowing You love me and have good for me always. Truly, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. Allow my own grief and pain to give me a caring and affectionate heart toward another’s pain and let not the foot of pride come against me.  May the abominations of the wicked make my heart cry out in anguish and sorrow against sin. May I weep for the lost knowing their end.  Give me, Father, a praying heart that desires what You desire...that all should come to repentance. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.  Bring revival to my heart and to the hearts of all who belong to You.   Bring repentance ABBA, to the lost, hopeless and dying of this world.  Thinking of a song that You used to bring my heart good desires, hope and joy as a young girl...

Make me a channel of Your peace

Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love

Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord

And where there's doubt, true faith in You

Make me a channel of Your peace

Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope

Where there is darkness, only light

And where there's sadness, ever joy

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of Your peace

It is pardoning that we are pardoned

In giving to all men that we receive

And in dying that we're born to eternal life. 

Trust in Him at All Times...

And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's ahands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."—2 Kings 19:1;14-19

In 2 Kings 18 King Sennacherib of Assyria besieges Jerusalem and boasts against the God of Israel by sending the Rabshakeh, his servant, to speak arrogant and blasphemous words against the God of Israel in the hearing of all the people. The final verse of 2 Kings 18 says this:

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Chapter 19 then begins with King Hezekiah of Judah tearing his clothes after hearing the Rabshakeh’s words and covering himself in sackcloth before going into the House of the Lord to pray. King Hezekiah goes to the right place in his deep affliction.  His faith and trust reminded me of another great king of Israel — David.  The psalm that came to my mind was one that David wrote in a time of deep trouble.  In verses 1-3 we hear David crying out to God in prayer.  Then in verse 4, we hear him praise God for his anticipated answer.  The last verse we find David scolding himself for his doubt.

Vindicate me, O God,

And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

2 For You are the God of my strength;

Why do You cast me off?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God;

For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.—Psalm 43

Hezekiah, like David, knew that communion with and reliance on God was the best way to ensure deliverance from the enemies that surrounded him. He wants God’s light and truth to be his guide and calls for Isaiah the prophet to speak God’s word to him.  Isaiah speaks words of comfort and encouragement to King Hezekiah, telling him that God had heard his prayer against Sennacherib.  He tells him not to be afraid of the words that he heard but to trust that God is in control.  Isaiah promised that God would defend Jerusalem and that God would confound the wicked, arrogant Assyrians.  

In Verse 35-37 of Chapter 19, we read of Sennacherib’s defeat and death...Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled!

And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

This event in Hezekiah’s life reminds me of how important it is to live in dependence on God. Though Hezekiah wasn’t always perfect, in this moment, he did the exact right thing — he brought his trouble straight to God  His faith and trust, once again, brought King David to mind. 

When God delivered David from all his enemies and from the hands of King Saul, he spoke these words of victory and thanksgiving...you can find them in both 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18.  I can hear Hezekiah singing along with him.  

I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.—Psalm 18:1-6

Oh, to be like David...to be like Hezekiah...and in our affliction and our fear go to our Lord God Almighty.  He is our refuge and our defense from the strong enemies of our soul.  

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah—Psalm 62:8