May the Lord Make Us Increase and Abound in Love...

 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.—1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

The more we know God...the more we trust Him

The more we trust Him...the more we love Him

The more we love Him...the more we obey Him

Verse 10 says this:

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

What is always lacking in our faith as fallen human beings saved by grace?   

LOVE.  

Beloved, true faith works through our love toward God and our love toward one another.  God IS love and His love is the the bond of perfection and the overarching theme of all of Scripture. Love is the debt that is never paid and is always owed. There is always room in our hearts and our lives for more love to abound toward God and toward one another.   Love enables us to fulfill the law and in so doing establishes our hearts blameless in holiness before God.  

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.—Matthew 7:12

Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."—Matthew 22:37-40

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.—1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:8-10

Clinging, Cleaving and Girdles...

 1Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 

 2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. 

 3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 

 4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 

 5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 

 6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 

 7Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing--Jeremiah 13:1-7

Yes...God is saying exactly what you think He is saying. He paints quite a word picture of cleaving and clinging...one that I certainly won’t soon forget.  This passage comforted me by showing me the extremes God goes to get our attention and that, is such a good thing.

God told Jeremiah to buy a girdle and put it on.  He then tells him not to wash it or take it off  but to go the   Euphrates, and bury it in a hole under a rock. Days, months, maybe years went by...and the Lord spoke to him again telling him to dig it up.  Jeremiah did as he was told...When he unburied the linen garment it was rotted, ruined and profitable for nothing.

So what was the point? Read the next few verses: 

8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear--Jeremiah 13:8-11 

God was saying that He had drawn His people, Israel, close to Him...as a girdle clings to  a man's skin; God wanted to be close to His people. BUT they rebelled and sought help in the wrong places and went after other gods. They walked in the imagination of their own hearts...believing their own lies and had done what was right in their own eyes.  Because they had put off their God and clung to their pride, they liked Jeremiah's underwear,  had become rotted and good for nothing. Judgment was coming to Judah via the Babylonians.  There in Babylon they would  finally be cured of their idolatries.  Their city and temple would be ruined just as the prophet's garment.

The application here for us is pretty obvious. Without the Lord, we are USELESS. Rotten and good for nothing.  Beloved...cling to your God...abide in the Vine. Put  Him first in your life always. We are made for His pleasure...to glorify Him.  If you are living for anything but the Lord, you are not living your life as He would have you live and will become unprofitable.  May it never be.

I love what Jeremiah says a little further down in Chapter 13 beginning in verse 15.

Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken.  Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble  On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness.  But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly  And run down with tears,  Because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive. 

Jeremiah says if you won't listen I will weep for you...wow...I will weep for you.  He wasn't mad or flipping out..he was heartbroken for them.  What a heart Jeremiah had for God and for the people God had placed in his care.  Oh, Father, would that my own heart would be the same!  

Continuing Earnestly in Prayer...

 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;—Colossians 3:2

Beloved, may we reach out by faith to God continually in prayer. May our dependence on our God undergird and underlie all that we do, all that we say and all that we are...ALWAYS.  Without Christ we can do nothing good. Connection to Jesus, is vital. 

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”—John 15:5

Father, 

By Your Spirit help me to depend on You by continuing earnestly in prayer...I am a frail and weak human being.  My days are filled with problems that overwhelm and feelings that very often can crowd out rational thought.  I need You, desperately every moment of every day.  Thank you that You don’t change. Thank you that I can never lose You.  Thank you that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank you that You are on my side.  Thank you that You sent Your Son, Jesus to die for me when I was still Your enemy. How much more now that I have been reconciled to You, will You give me what I need to sustain me through this life. Your goal is only my good. 

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:14-16

Father, I can rejoice in a sure and certain hope of good continually both temporally and eternally. You have secured my past, present and future.  My past is covered because my sins were forgiven at the moment of my salvation.  My present is covered because Your Son, Jesus, by His death and resurrection tore down the wall of separation.  As a believer, I can NOW come boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in my time of need.  My future is assured because You are my sure and certain hope and my refuge both now and at death.

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.—Hebrews 6:17-20

If We Must Boast...

 Thus says the LORD:

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight," says the LORD.—Jeremiah 9:23-24

I LOVE this promise from God!  What a relief it is to read and contemplate. The LORD delights in those who know and understand Him...how wonderful is that!  People glory (boast) in so many things...looks, talents, degrees, riches, jobs, children, spouses, etc.  These are what they parade before others so that they will be admired and thought of well.  Such are the vain and futile aspirations and thoughts of fallen man.  

There is no peace in this kind of boasting nor is there any satisfaction because there will ALWAYS be someone wiser, richer, mightier or more talented than we might be.  The love and admiration of man is capricious.  But to boast in knowing God...THAT not only delights God but brings the boaster peace!  All striving ceases because He is the One who makes perfect what concerns us and performs all things for us.  It is God who works in us both to do and to will for His good pleasure. 

So if we must boast, let us boast that we know and understand the one true God and that He knows us, loves us and died for us!   It is He that can make us wiser than the wise, richer than the rich and mightier than the mighty.  Beloved, spend time getting to know Him and you have spent your time in the very best way you can this side of eternity. 

And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."—Luke 10:41-42

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.—Colossians 3:1-4

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.—Colossians 3:16-17

Slippery Slope...Ps 78; Jeremiah 6:16

 In spite of this they still sinned,

And did not believe in His wondrous works.

Therefore their days He consumed in futility,

And their years in fear.—Psalm 78:32-33

Thus says the LORD:

"Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'—Jeremiah 6:16

Two different times in Israel’s history of apostasy they responded to God’s warnings in the same way...stubbornness and refusal.  Oh Father...we, even as believers, can be the same!  By your Spirit help us!  We are at times stubborn, prideful and I will add, FORGETFUL.  We want what we want and we FORGET that our very breath is in Your hand...we FORGET to be thankful and in so doing we STEP on You mercy. In both of the circumstances above, what was needed was Israel’s obedience.  It is the same for us today. 

I am so thankful to God for His word because my daily reading and meditation on it is the only thing that keeps me on the “old” paths.  God’s word keeps me from forgetting His laws and His goodness.  It reminds me of who my God is, who I am, and why I am here. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to help me stay the course and abide.  My sin disheartens me, the word of God heartens...it renews, re-minds, and transforms.  It teaches me to be wise in the ways of righteousness and keeps my days from futility and fear. 

O, that I would always follow hard after You, fleeing in my distress, to You, my strong refuge. May your mercy, O God, surround me just as I hope in You.  Blessed is the man who trusts in You.  It is all of grace! 

 

Heartbroken Before God....

 19 O my soul, my soul!

I am pained in my very heart!

My heart makes a noise in me;

I cannot hold my peace,

Because you have heard, O my soul,

The sound of the trumpet,

The alarm of war.

20 Destruction upon destruction is cried,

For the whole land is plundered.

Suddenly my tents are plundered,

And my curtains in a moment.

21 How long will I see the standard,

And hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 "For My people are foolish,

They have not known Me.

They are silly children,

And they have no understanding.

They are wise to do evil,

But to do good they have no knowledge."—Jeremiah 5:19-22

Oh Father...give me by Your gracious Spirit, a heart like Jeremiah’s!  A heart that faithfully speaks Your truth in love and weeps for the wayward and the lost.  

Such a beautiful picture.  Jeremiah preached to the hard-hearted...he preached to those who did the right things outwardly but had hearts that were far from God.  In 42 years of preaching he had no converts.  He was despised, persecuted and tortured for his ministry ...AND YET...Jeremiah wept and grieved for those people to whom he preached...people who turned away from their God and his message. 

Warren Wiersbe says this of Jeremiah:  "he was bold before men and heart-broken before God".  Beloved, dwell in mercy and love...draw near to God in brokenness for those He has placed in your path. Pray for them, weep for them, preach to them and leave the results in the hands of our faithful God.  

On Being Forgotten...

Can a virgin forget her ornaments,

Or a bride her attire?

Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.—Jeremiah 2:32

Such sad words...To be forgotten by someone who you only have an acquaintance with is one thing, but to be forgotten by someone you have literally poured your heart into...is another.  When a child rejects a parent as Israel rejected God who had done so much for them it is unnatural.  It is an offense against, as David Guzik says,  “all that is good and right”  I looked up up “forgetfulness” in my Thompson Chain and what I found was very helpful. 

It defined forgetfulness as living as though God did not exist.  It also outlined the warnings given in Scripture for living this way and categorized them. 

The first warning was that there is a need for watchfulness...

 "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,—Deuteronomy 4:9

The second warning given was that forgetfulness often follows prosperity...

"So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, "houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full--

"then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.—Deuteronomy 6:10-12

The third was that it leads to doom...

And there will be desolation.

Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation,

And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold,—Isaiah 17:9b-10

The fourth warning was that it begets moral cowardice..

I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you should be afraid

Of a man who will die,

And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?

And you forget the LORD your Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

You have feared continually every day

Because of the fury of the oppressor,

When he has prepared to destroy.

And where is the fury of the oppressor?—Isaiah 51:12-13

The final warning in regard to forgetting God was that it ends in bitter tears...

A voice was heard on the desolate heights,

Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel.

For they have perverted their way;

They have forgotten the LORD their God.—Jeremiah 3:21

In closing, some verses from Hebrews 2 and Psalm 103 come to mind...

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.—Hebrews 2:1

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.—Ps 103:1-2

On Bringing Your Heart to Him...

But My people have changed their Glory

For what does not profit.

12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this,

And be horribly afraid;

Be very desolate," says the LORD.

13 "For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,

And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.—Jeremiah 2:11-13

Often, I go through my day looking and hoping in wrong things.  My heart looks for fulfillment and joy where it will never be found.  As it says in Jeremiah, I hewn for myself cisterns...broken cisterns that can hold no water and I forget the fountain of living waters!   I wonder as David did in Psalm 42:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

In my self-sufficiency, Father,  I am in distress...every hand of misery comes against me.  But, You, my God, because I am Your beloved...You bow down toward me and speak to my heart  You draw me to Yourself with gentle cords of love. You remind me to come...to cast all my care upon You because it is only in You that my soul finds its rest. 

So I bring you my heart and lay it bare before you.   Ahhh...then I remember where my help, my hope and my expectation are found....they are found only in You.  As I seek you, my heart is filled with what it has searched and longed for in the wrong places.  My soul is filled with your lovingkindness and your songs of deliverance surround me.  You, Father, care for my heart...You want my heart...You want all of me and desire only my good both temporally and eternally.  You, are my Savior, my Lord and my God...You are my all in all.  My eyes lift to You in earnest expectation.  In You, O God,  I will not be ashamed...Be magnified in my life.    

My expectation is from Him...

My soul waits silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.--Psalm 62:5

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in Your word.--Psalm 119:114

My God will withhold from me no good thing...

The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.--Psalm 34:10

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.--Psalm 84:11

My God is sufficient...

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.--1 Corinthians 1:25

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,--2nd Corinthians 3:5

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.--2 Corinthians 9:8

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.--2 Corinthians 12:9

Broken, Weak, Humbled and Contrite

 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone’?

18 “Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”—Luke 20:17

But to this one I will look [graciously],

To him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.—Isaiah 66:2b

for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—Philippians 3:3

Father

May the trials of this life leave me continually broken, weak, humbled and contrite before You. The verses above strung together paint such a clear picture to me that says none of my life here on earth is about me...it is all about You, the One who came to earth to die and save me from an eternity in hell.  It is not about confidence in my flesh...what I have or who I am...it is about who You are and what You have done. Oh Lord,  give me eyes to see who I REALLY am and in seeing may I fall flat on my face and say along with Job:

5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

6 Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.”

Or along with Isaiah:

“Woe is me, for I am undone!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King,

The LORD of hosts.”

You preserve the simple; I was brought low, and You saved me!  You are good and do good!  You are near to those who have a broken heart and save such as have a contrite spirit. Thank you for the trials You send that humble me and draw me away from the world and into a deeper relationship with You.  Thank you for the trials You allow in my life that reveal to my heart what I really love.  Thank You for the trials that show me, as You showed Paul, that Your grace IS sufficient for me...that out of weakness I am made strong.  Truly, Father, I don’t know how to come in or go out...I need You desperately!  

I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word, to me, Your servant.  Fill me today with Your Spirit of Wisdom....give me understanding so I may keep Your law.  Keep my eyes off others and on You. Teach me to look to You and You alone for direction.  I have put my trust in You...I will never be put to shame.

Nevertheless I am Continually With You...Psalm 73

Psalm 73 is a Psalm of Asaph wherein he wrestles with a question that all of us as believers struggle with from time to time.  Why do the wicked prosper?  Life very often just does not seem fair!  Often the wicked seem to have it so much easier than the righteous.  Here are some excerpts from the first 16 verses of Psalm 73:

Asaph starts off by telling us that he was near to stumbling as he looked upon the prosperity of the wicked and was envious, he says, of the boastful.  Pride serves as their necklace and violence covers them as a garment.  They have more than their hearts could wish...they scoff and speak loftily.  They set their mouths against the heavens and their tongue walks through the earth.  They increase in riches and are always at ease.  But as for Asaph...he says surely he has cleansed his heart in vain...he is plagued all day long and chastened every morning.  (God lets him get away with nothing)  Asaph's wages for doing good were affliction!  Rightly, Asaph was afraid to speak his thoughts...keeping them to himself they would hurt only him but speaking them aloud would hurt and grief so many others....Asaph does not want to grieve, offend or be the cause of discontentment among his brethren...he knew that his speech had consequences, but he wants an answer!

Asaph goes on to say this in verse 16:


When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Asaph did not understand until he went into the sanctuary of God...until he got the eternal perspective on things.    Setting his mind on things above changed his viewpoint entirely.  It was then that he saw their end.  It was then that he saw how the wicked were brought to desolation in a moment and were utterly consumed in terror.  That in reality they were set in a very slippery place...they were rejectors of God and hung over the precipice of hell every moment of their unbelief.  As Jonathan Edwards wrote...they were sinners in the hands of an angry God.  Asaph's envy was now replaced with a holy horror not only of their impending doom but of the way God dealt with them here on earth.  This was not the way Asaph wanted God to deal with him!


Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

Now Asaph gets it!  His original sorrow was not that the wicked prospered, but that God had arranged it so they would.  This is what had upset the psalmist...why would God favor them so....it just did not seem fair!  Here he finally sees that God had not placed them in these positions to bless them.  "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places....their positions were dangerous...God placed his enemies in these spots...not his children.  He chose a more difficult path for his beloved here on earth to keep them close to Him.    One where they would be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Their blessings...which was His presence with them always....would come as they depended on Him in the storms and trials of this life.   As for the wicked who had been raised so high in this life...how great would be their fall.  How dark would hell be in comparison.  The joy they had in this life would make the horror of the next more awful....the contrast marked.  Their fall will be great...without warning, without escape, without hope.  They were like men living in a dream world that disappears upon awakening..coveting the wrong things, they have been fools living for riches that will vanish in a moment. 

Asaph now understands and his heart is grieved by his own sin of acting so foolishly as to envy the wicked...even to desire to be like them!  He tells his God that he was like a beast before Him.  He had judged happiness the way men did..by outward appearances...by things attained in this life...how foolish!  His faith had not been his sight.   Asaph confesses his sin and clings to His God saying, "Nevertheless, I am continually with You."  His "old man" might have gotten the best of him but his God upheld him always...his God kept his feet from slipping.  He then goes on to affirm that God shall guide him...no more does he want his own way...he will be content with whatever his God has for him.  O, would I have this attitude, always!! Afterward Asaph knows he would be received up to his Father in glory.  The Lord's guidance would safely deliver him some day directly into the presence of His Father.  Asaph could survive the present knowing that THIS was his future!

The Planting of the Lord...

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61:2-3

Beloved...Our God is the Becoming One.  He becomes for us whatever our need is. When Jesus comes into our heart, He brings all things with Him, and we find our all in Him. His sustaining grace gives us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and praise for heaviness.  

Philippians 2:1-4 from our OYB reading seems an appropriate exhortation here...Because or since there is consolation in Christ, because there is comfort of love, because there is fellowship of the Spirit, because there is affection and mercy, let us have the same love and the same mind toward others. Let us, like Jesus does, meet others at their point of need.  Because He is our Becoming One, we can, by His Spirit that dwells inside us, put aside selfish ambition and conceit and put on humility...esteeming others as more important than ourselves. 

We will outlive the sorrows of the world. Truly we can consider them light affliction compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. We can comfort others with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God.