And the LORD Shall Help Them...

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their strength in the time of trouble.—Psalm 37:39

“Lord, have mercy on me for I am weak” was my cry this morning as I opened His word.  Father, thank you for this reminder!  Oh how my heart needed it this morning. The LORD is my strength in my trouble. Today, I want to live right here in the truth of this verse.  The LORD...the omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent God, not only gives me strength in times of trouble but He IS my strength!    

When my soul is in despair within me...when my burdens are more than I can bear, I will remember that the Lord my God becomes for me my strength, my refuge and my help.  My burdens are nothing to the One who is so near to me that all His power is mine.  My burdens are not too heavy for my God whose unfailing love toward me never ceases. I have enough strength for today, because He is my strength. In me, weakness abounds, but in Him is perfected strength. The truth of verse 40 jumps off the page and into my heart.  

“And the LORD shall help them”—Psalm 37:40a

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,

And bless Your inheritance;

Shepherd them also,

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

Pursue Love...1 Corinthians 14

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.  3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.  4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.—1 Corinthians 14:1-4

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is pre-eminent.  It is the greatest of gifts because God IS love and is therefore, enduring and eternal. Chapter 14 begins with Paul telling us that we are to eagerly pursue love as a goal.  Beloved, love edifies...love never fails...it always has an effect.  

Paul continues to speak on gifts here in Chapter 14 and emphasizes that we are to desire the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues because prophecy speaks to men and tongues to God.  The believer who speaks in a tongue speaks to God in praise and worship; but the believer who prophesies shares the Word with the church and helps those who listen. Prophecy entails both foretelling the future and speaking forth Gods words in teaching, exhortation and encouragement. Today the latter is more prevalent than the former. 

The bottom line is that as members of the body of Christ we are to pursue those gifts that edify the whole body.  The mistake the Corinthians were making was that they were selfishly focused on gifts that built themselves up and not their fellow believers.  They were neglecting prophecy and giving a wrong emphasis to tongues.

I looked at the Corinthian error in emphasis as a lack of love problem. If they had been giving love the pre-eminence and pursuing it above all other gifts, than balance among the other gifts would have been achieved. 

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.—James 3:16

Dear one...pursue love...seek first God, who embodies love and His word and all else will fall into its proper place.  Speak to others for their edification.  Speak to them in a way that promotes spiritual growth.  Speak words of encouragement that will uphold and counsel them concerning matters of God. Speak words of consolation to compassionately comfort them. 

Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.—Colossians 3:16 AMP. 

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.—Ephesians 4:11-16

God IS Able...1 Corinthians 13

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;—1 Corinthians 13:4-8

These words from 1 Corinthians 13 always have the effect of blowing my pride out of the water, so to speak. They make me collapse on the inside because they confront me with my insufficiency.  That, however, is such a good thing! I AM INSUFFICIENT!  My God, thankfully, is not and He is my Helper. 

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

To be a Christian is to first and foremost love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love is the bond of perfection. Love is the debt that is always owed.  It is the one thing “we” can do to fulfill the law completely.   As believers, love for Christ must be the motivating force behind all that we do and all that we say. 

It would be great if this kind of self-sacrificing love were our natural response toward others. Unfortunately, it is not. In fact, we don't even often have loving feelings toward those around us. Most of the time our thoughts are on how they can love us. Since their thoughts are probably on themselves also, we are at an impasse. Biblical love, however, is a command. Our response therefore, is a matter of obedience.

As was said earlier, in and of ourselves this kind of love is impossible.  With God, however, all things are possible. When we believe, His love is poured out in our hearts by His Spirit who now dwells in us.  It is ONLY by HIS love that we can love others as He loves us.  Without His love we are nothing and can do nothing good.  

If I feel myself going awry during the day, it is ALWAYS helpful for me to remember love...to pray and surrender what “I WANT” and allow the Spirit of God to do what I cannot - love the precious people around me with His love.  

Beloved, by His Spirit love one another fervently; love never fails because love is of God.   When we walk in love, we walk in His perfect will and shine like lights in a dark world.  When we walk in love, we also walk effectively, not only temporally but also eternally.  I love thinking on that.  Loving others with God’s love has eternal consequences.   God’s love reaches beyond this world and into eternity.

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.—1 Corinthians 13:2

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

Deliberate...Depend...Delight Psalm 36:7-12

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures

9 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,

And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;

They have been cast down and are not able to rise. —Psalm 36:7-12

There is no other quality that fills my heart with gratitude more than the The Lord’s lovingkindness.  His steadfast love surrounds me like a shield, and in times of trial and trouble it is what draws me into His Presence. My God is loving and He is kind.  He keeps me as the apple of His eye and hides me under the shadow of His wings. He is tender toward me. 

David does a good and wise thing here, and in it he is a good example.  He stops and shifts his perspective from his enemies (vs 1-4) and sets his mind instead on the immeasurable attributes of His God! (Vs 5-9). David delights in His God who is merciful, faithful and righteous altogether.  Believers rest securely, ensconced under the shelter of His wings and covered with His feathers.  Verse 8 finds them not just satisfied, but abundantly satisfied with the fullness (fatness) of His house. They drink from the river of His pleasures.  That picture taken by itself is enough to turn my mourning to dancing.  

According to Warren Wiersbe, the word pleasure comes from the same Hebrew root as “Eden” in Genesis 2 and 3. When man fell in the garden, they were cast out of Eden.  But God, because of his great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Him!  Through our faith in Christ, we have access into His Presence and live permanently in His unmerited favor, where His steadfast love toward us never ceases.  

In Him is the fountain of life. In His light I see light!  Beloved, God is the source of all physical and spiritual life. He is also the Source and Sustainer of all and makes even my darkest moments light about me!   O come let us walk in His light and allow it to shine in our hearts!  The LORD makes our path like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter as we draw nearer and nearer to our heavenly home. In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

In verses 10-12 David examples his dependence on God through prayer and then reminds us (vs 12) to keep our perspective by dwelling on those things that are true. 

Praying that we do as David did when we, like David, lose our “God” perspective and begin to sink...deliberate, depend and delight ourselves in Him.  Rejoice all you upright in heart!  The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad!  

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me.—Psalm 42:8

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:13

Better to Dwell in the Wilderness...

Better to dwell in the wilderness,

Than with a contentious and angry woman.—Proverbs 21:19

This verse is repeated in several different ways throughout Proverbs and none of them paint a pretty picture. One likens a quarrelsome wife to a continual dripping of rain.  Oh, may this never be said ( or thought!) about me!  To be fair though, women do not have the corner of the market on contentiousness. A lack of self-control when it comes to strong emotion is not just a woman’s problem.  It is a sin problem, and it is as rampant today as it was back when this proverb was penned.  

An angry wife, an angry husband or an angry child can make the lives of the people who live with them at best uncomfortable and, at worse, miserable or even downright impossible. The word “wilderness” here, by the way, means an uninhabitable land. For the purpose of this study I will focus on the wife, but the root sin problem and the antidote are the same for all.  

I am of one flesh with my husband.  When I am feeling something, he feels it with me. When we are not living in unity because one or both of us is being irritable, argumentative, cantankerous, irascible, or just a plain jerk, there is no joy in Mudville (as the saying goes).  As believers, we are to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of our flesh. We are not to allow our passions to rule, but are to depend on our God’s grace to love those that God has placed in our lives. We are to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.  We are, in effect, to point them to Christ by both our words and our actions.  

What do I do when I find myself falling into the role of the contentious woman?  I examine my heart.  I ask myself the simple question...what do you want that you are not getting?  Why that question you might ask? Because my bad attitudes ALWAYS stem from what I am not getting. What I, in my selfishness (and wrong thinking), think I deserve.  

I then remind myself of the truth.  I deserve death, and it is only by God’s grace that a place in heaven is reserved and being prepared for me.  My life then should never be one of contention, but should instead be a continuous song of praise and thanksgiving before Him.  I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. I have been crucified with Him; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  

Praying today that my heart and my home would be a soft place to fall for the precious people with which my God has blessed me.  Beloved, God is our Rock of Refuge from the tribulations and trials of this life.  A Man is our covert in the storm.  Point those you love to Him.  Be gracious and not contentious. May we, as believing wives, saved by His unmerited favor, make the words of Isaiah In Chapter 25 live in our heart and our home.

For You have been a strength to the poor,

A strength to the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm,

A shade from the heat;

For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5 You will reduce the noise of aliens,

As heat in a dry place;

As heat in the shadow of a cloud,

The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.—Isaiah 25:4-5

Ending with a portion of Scripture that is my go-to when it comes to relationships...

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 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 3:12-17

Returning Evil for Good...

Fierce witnesses rise up;

They ask me things that I do not know.

12 They reward me evil for good,

To the sorrow of my soul.

13 But as for me, when they were sick,

My clothing was sackcloth;

I humbled myself with fasting;

And my prayer would return to my own heart.

14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;

I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

15 But in my adversity they rejoiced

And gathered together;

Attackers gathered against me,

And I did not know it;

They tore at me and did not cease;

16 With ungodly mockers at feasts

They gnashed at me with their teeth—Psalm 35:11-16

There is not much else that brings more sorrow to the heart of a believer than when their good (Christ’s good) is spoken of as evil...when the people close to them return the good they had done toward them with evil, lies and ingratitude.  In David’s adversity they rejoiced!  They gathered together as attackers and tore at him without ceasing.  

But as for me, David laments, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting and I prayed for them.  I paced about, he continues, as though he were my friend or my brother.  I bowed down heavily as one who mourns for his mother.  David’s heart was tender toward them!  He gave them good for evil.  

Beloved, as a follower of Christ, what happened to Christ, what happened to David WILL in one shape or form happen to you.  Take heart, and know that you are in good company. Be encouraged also, because in Christ, God has given you everything you need to navigate through these waters.  He is Your sufficiency.  His word is replete with advice and encouragement for just such a time as this. Immerse yourself in it.  Allow it to penetrate your heart and be the anchor of your soul.  As you do this, hear the footsteps of Christ...He is with you even as He was with His disciples in the midst of the storm saying:

“Be of good cheer: it is I, be not afraid”. 

All others may forsake, but not our God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He loves you with an everlasting love.  In your grief, sorrow and betrayal, go to your Jesus.  Make His footsteps Your pathway.  He Himself has passed through these flames and braved these floods.  Allow Him to plead your cause and comfort your heart.  Jesus is your friend who loves at all times and also your brother born for your adversity.  Bring your sorrow to Him...He is your defense. Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him...Your God is a refuge for you.  

Beloved, may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.  

****

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.—Matthew 5:11-12

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.—1 Peter 1:13-17

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 2:23

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.—James 1:4-5

For I am ready to fall,

And my sorrow is continually before me.

18 For I will declare my iniquity;

I will be in anguish over my sin.

19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;

And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.

20 Those also who render evil for good,

They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;

O my God, be not far from me!—

22 Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation!—Psalm 38:17-22

11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One.

Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.

They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.

Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.

12 But, O LORD of hosts,

You who test the righteous,

And see the mind and heart,

Let me see Your vengeance on them;

For I have pleaded my cause before You.—Jeremiah 20:11-12

Psalm 69

Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in deep mire,

Where there is no standing;

I have come into deep waters,

Where the floods overflow me.

3 I am weary with my crying;

My throat is dry;

My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause

Are more than the hairs of my head;

They are mighty who would destroy me,

Being my enemies wrongfully;

Though I have stolen nothing,

I still must restore it.

5 O God, You know my foolishness;

And my sins are not hidden from You.

6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;

Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Shame has covered my face.

8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,

And an alien to my mother’s children;

9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,

And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,

That became my reproach.

11 I also made sackcloth my garment;

I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me,

And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,

O LORD, in the acceptable time;

O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,

Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

14 Deliver me out of the mire,

And let me not sink;

Let me be delivered from those who hate me,

And out of the deep waters.

15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,

Nor let the deep swallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;

Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,

For I am in trouble;

Hear me speedily.

18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;

Deliver me because of my enemies.

19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;

My adversaries are all before You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart,

And I am full of heaviness;

I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;

And for comforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me gall for my food,

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table become a snare before them,

And their well-being a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;

And make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation upon them,

And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.

25 Let their dwelling place be desolate;

Let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecute the ones You have struck,

And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,

And let them not come into Your righteousness.

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,

And not be written with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful;

Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull,

Which has horns and hooves.

32 The humble shall see this and be glad;

And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

33 For the LORD hears the poor,

And does not despise His prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,

The seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion

And build the cities of Judah,

That they may dwell there and possess it.

36 Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,

And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

All Things Are Lawful...1 Cor 10

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.—1 Corinthians 10:23-24

There are not many qualities more lovely or more like Christ than when unselfishness and self-sacrifice are lived out among His people. Love does not seek its own...it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things...love is eternal...it never fails.  It has its Christlike effect here, and because it is eternal, its effect goes before us into eternity.  Loving someone with this kind of love bears lasting fruit.  

As a Christian, I do have freedom.  My freedom was purchased by the precious blood of my Jesus who gave Himself for me.  Paul says rightly that all things are lawful for him, but not all things build up and some things can lead us back to our old Master...Satan.  He reminded the Corinthians of this earlier in Chapter 6 verse 12. 

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.

We who have died with Christ are now His slaves unto righteousness. We are no longer in bondage to sin. We have the freedom not to sin. 

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 6:5-11

In our freedom we also have a responsibility to those who are weaker in the faith. Some of the things that I am free to do, might lead another to go against his conscience and fall into sin.  (For whatever is not from faith is sin).  As a member of the body of Christ it is my job to always build the other members up and seek their advantage over my own. As Christ followers than, love is our rule of law.  Love is the one thing that we always owe and is never repaid.  Love edifies. Love fulfills the law because it does no harm to a neighbor. 

Father,  thank you for the freedom you have given me in Your Son.  Thank you that I have been set free from sin through faith in my Jesus. Thank you that by Your Spirit’s power, I have the freedom NOT to sin!  May I glorify You today by living out the truth of what I believe. May my actions follow what my heart believes!   May all I do today be done in love and for Your glory. Praying that by the means of the Spirit’s power within me, I use my freedom to build others up by loving them with Your self-sacrificing love. May I treat them the way You, my God, have treated me. 

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!—Galatians 5:13-15