Not Cowed or Discouraged…

Peter and John had just been arrested and imprisoned and threatened by the rulers of the Jews for healing a lame man and for their boldness in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that they were released the next day because the council could find no way of punishing them because it was evident to all that a miracle had been performed.

17 But to keep it from spreading further among the people and the nation, let us [sternly] warn them not to speak again to anyone in this name." 18 So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority]. 19 But Peter and John replied to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]; 20 for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard." 21 When the rulers and Council members had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because [of their fear] of the people, for they were all praising and glorifying and honoring God for what had happened; 22 for the man to whom this sign (attesting miracle) of healing had happened was more than forty years old.—Acts 4:17-22 AMP

I love that Peter and John by the power of the Spirit of God were not cowed or discouraged by the High Council’s threats, but emboldened and their companions with them. Read the next verses with me:

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

'Why did the nations rage,

And the people plot vain things?

26 The kings of the earth took their stand,

And the rulers were gathered together

Against the LORD and against His Christ.'

27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

SO ENCOURAGING!! SO EMBOLDENING!! SO UNIFYING!!  SO COMFORTING!!  

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in You.—Psalm 39:7

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:11

I am just gonna rest here today.  As Spurgeon is apt to say, I am gonna lay my head down on the pillow of my God’s sovereignty and immutability.  

Praising Him right now not only for His sovereign control over all but also for the comfort that always comes to our hearts as we look into and see the truth of His word.  Oh Father!  

And They Realized That They Had Been With Jesus…

 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.—Acts 4:13

I love this!  The message is so simple!  Those who were listening to Peter and John realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus because they resembled Him. In them they saw Jesus’ boldness, His authority, His grace and His power.  As a child of God we ARE to look like (and imitate) our Father in Heaven. God’s people are His living witnesses here on earth. Our affiliation with Him should be obvious to the people He has placed in our lives for just that purpose.  Beloved…Psalm 135 tells us that we will become what we worship.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

The work of men's hands.

16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;

Eyes they have, but they do not see;

17 They have ears, but they do not hear;

Nor is there any breath in their mouths.

18 Those who make them are like them;

So is everyone who trusts in them.—Psalm 135:15-18

The Bible tells us that as we look to our God and spend time with Him, we begin to resemble Him. Moses face shone after spending time in the Presence of God. The same is true for us as believers. When we look to Him, we become radiant and our faces unashamed.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.--2nd Corinthians 3:18

And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,—Colossians 3:10

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 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 12:1-2

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”—1 Corinthians 1:27-31

Spending time with Jesus helps us to see all in our life in the light of His glory...other things that might seem important and compete for our attention fade as we behold Him. The darkness in our own soul and the wickedness of our heart will be overcome by His marvelous light.  Through no power of our own, we begin to put away sin and strongholds that have held our heart captive. Behold your God....Seek His face....Seek His presence....abide in His word, surrender to His Spirit and allow Him to transform you into His glorious image.  

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.—2 Corinthians 4:6-12

Our God is Near…

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.—Psalm 75:1

Our God is near!  He is not a God afar off!  He is NEAR and His steadfast love toward us endures forever!   Oh give thanks!  

There is no where I can flee from His precious Spirit.  His presence fills both heaven and earth.  Beloved, as His children, the very fullness of God dwells in us!  ALWAYS He is with us…NEVER does He leave us!  In Him we live and move and have our being.  

When I call on the Lord, I KNOW that He hears me. His Spirit testifies with my spirit that I am His child. He is my very present help in times of trouble. His favor toward me is good. He is powerful, and His workings in my life are wonderful!  His lovingkindness is always before my eyes. The evidence of His love surrounds and envelops me as I walk through this vale of tears. My God is for me and acts on my behalf!  He defends me, fights for me, performs all things for me and makes perfect that which concerns me. 

Beloved…oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt Hid name together.  Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever!  

1 I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!—Psalm 34:1-8

A 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. 

His Little Turtledove…

 1 O God, why have You cast us off forever?

Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,

The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—

This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;

They set up their banners for signs.

5 They seem like men who lift up

Axes among the thick trees.

6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,

With axes and hammers.

7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts,

"Let us destroy them altogether."

They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

9 We do not see our signs;

There is no longer any prophet;

Nor is there any among us who knows how long.

10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach?

Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.

12 For God is my King from of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,

And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 You broke open the fountain and the flood;

You dried up mighty rivers.

16 The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

17 You have set all the borders of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD,

And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.

19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

20 Have respect to the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!

Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.

23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;

The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually. —Psalm 74

What a great psalm for us to pray through today as our own world becomes increasingly filled with voices of the enemies of God. 

Verses 1-11 speak to the psalmist’s fear as he acknowledges that God had seemed to have abandoned His chosen people. I can also feel that same kind of abject terror whenever I contemplate what my life here in this fallen world would be like without God as my stay…without His hope, His wisdom, His provision, His shelter and especially His merciful, loving, comforting kindness in and over my life.  

In Verses 12 through 17 the psalmist speaks of God’s power.  My God is powerful, and His works are wonderful.  I can, as the psalmist does, look back over my life and remember his merciful protection. Yes, I have faced and still face very grieving trials, but my God is faithful!  His promises are forever.  His mercies never fail.  He has commanded His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song has been with me. My God is my very present help…I have no cause to fear.  His favor toward me is good. I can hope in His mercy. 

Throughout this Psalm, Asaph reminds God of the special bond He has with His people and of His everlasting covenant with them. As I read the psalmist’s plea for help in verses 18-23, I was reminded of God’s promise to me from Philippians.  

being 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

Verses 19 and 20 were my favorite because in them Asaph not only reminds God of the covenant He has with His people, but also of His affection for them.

19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

20 Have respect to the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty

I am His little turtledove, saved by His grace.  Yes, in this world I will have tribulation, but in and through every tribulation will also be His comforting, merciful Presence. I can be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world…even its darkest haunts of cruelty. My God will see me through this life.  Beloved, if you are His child, hear the words of Amazing Grace…for they are yours.

Amazing grace, How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come,

'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

When we've been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

Trusting God as We Journey…

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.—Luke 9:1-3

Here Jesus, after giving his disciples both the ability and authority, commissions them to go out and do what they had seen Him do.  

My focus, as I read, zeroed in on verse three.  The disciples were to journey depending on God to meet their needs.  They were to trust His care, His provision and His power in everything...from food, clothing, the casting out of demons and the of healing diseases. He (the Great I AM) would become for them what they needed as they journeyed. 

I am pretty terrible at this. Even when I think I am trusting Him, there is always an underlying anxiety in my heart that seems to overshadow.  I know it is there because I have habits or “tells” that belie my outward calm.  I also know its root cause, but how to ease my concerns is not in me. My mind “trusts” that God can be relied on, but my heart is not so easily convinced.  What do I do?  I confess my sin and press on.  As I do this, I pray that He will unite my heart to fear His name and root out the double mindedness that is evident. 

Beloved...the One whose Presence goes with me (us), the One who performs all things for me, (for us) will make perfect that which concerns me. (us). He will align my will and yours with His perfect one.  It won’t happen overnight (although He could do that), but it will happen moment by precious moment as I (we) continuously place our trust Him.  

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

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.—John 14:27

The following is a list of verses from my Thompson Chain Reference Bible in regard to dependence.  My heart was encouraged and helped as I read them this morning.

Genesis 41:16

Exodus 17:11

Exodus 33:15

1 Kings 17:4

2 Kings 6:27

2 Chronicles 20:12

Psalm 22:10

Psalm 127:1

Jeremiah 10:23

Matthew 8:25

Matthew 15:32

Luke 9:3

Luke 11:3

John 3:27

John 15:4-5

Acts 3:12

1 Corinthians 4:7

2 Corinthians 3:5

2 Corinthians 4:7

God Knows What We Need…

 21 Thus my heart was grieved,

And I was vexed in my mind.

22 I was so foolish and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.—Psalm 73:21-26

Asaph is struggling here with sins of envy, evil thoughts and discontent.  Specifically why do the wicked prosper…why are they at ease even though violence covers them like a garment. Verse 2 and 3 tell us that he had almost succumbed to this temptation, until he went into the sanctuary of his God. 

16 When I thought how to understand this,

It was too painful for me—

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

Then I understood their end.

Asaph goes to the right place in his sin and his struggles. He brings his heart to God. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.—Psalm 62:8

I was in this same place last night as I prayed and read the Scriptures before bed. My heart was convicted and my spirit pricked.  I felt as Asaph described…foolish, ignorant and like a beast before Him. My sin loomed large and gross in the light of my holy, good and merciful God. I went to the devotional I had written that morning and was singularly comforted. My God knew at the beginning of yesterday what I would need from Him by evening. I remembered that despite all my failures and shortcomings, I am beloved of God.  There is nothing that can separate me from His love…not even me.  Asaph says it perfectly.  

Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Beloved of God…Truly, it is good for us to draw near to our God and put our trust in Him.  We are weak, but He is strong. 

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

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved…

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”—John 20:1-2 (emphasis mine)

John, the inspired author of the Gospel of John, refers to himself throughout its pages as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Like David, the great Psalmist of Israel, the apostle John emphasizes his personal relationship with His God.  I love it in the Psalms and I love it here in John’s gospel.  I like to think that every time John wrote those words  his heart was filled with the wonder of them.  Jesus loves Me!  Jesus loves you!  This is a simple, but nevertheless amazing and profound truth that brings so much comfort and peace to my heart.  I, like John, am beloved of God.

My beloved is mine, and I am his.—Song of Solomon 2:16

The older I get and the longer I walk with the LORD, the more I love my Jesus. But it is also true that as I get older, the more I know me and as a result, the more amazed I am that Jesus TRULY loves ME.  

Beloved…May our mouths be filled with grateful praise today as our hearts dwell on this simple truth. May we then go forth in the power of His Spirit and live the wonder of it! 

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

 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.—John 13:23

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.—John 19:26-27

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.—John 21:7

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.—John 21:20-24

No Matter the Pain…

 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.—John 19:25

Scripture tells us that when all the other disciples had forsaken Jesus only these four precious women and John remained.  No matter the pain…no matter the price…these lovers of God remained with their Lord at the foot of His cross.   

I cannot (and don’t want to imagine) what witnessing a crucifixion would be like.  Watching even a true criminal and someone I am not acquainted with face death in such a way would be dreadful and very difficult for me to watch.  But the horror (and helplessness) of watching my own beloved Son die this kind of death as Mary, the mother of Jesus did here, is completely and utterly beyond my capacity to even imagine. Truly, as Simeon, by the Spirit of God said:

a sword will pierce through your own soul also…

How did these women and John not collapse under the heaviness of what they faced?  The verse that comes to mind is this one. 

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

Beloved, truly the Lord’s grace is sufficient for all we will face here.  

Oh Father, May Your grace to me in times of trouble and overwhelming suffering surround me and strengthen me.