Prescription for Smoothing “Wrinkled” Thinking…

 

 

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Come, behold the works of the LORD,

Who has made desolations in the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

The LORD of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah—Psalm 46

Be Still and Know That I Am God…

When my daughter, Rebecca, was a little girl and feeling out of sorts she would come up to me and say, “ Mom, my mind feels full of wrinkles.  It needs straightening. I am gonna go read my Bible for a little while. There are no words to express the joy that rose up in this Momma’s heart whenever I heard those words.  What a gift for me to know that God was becoming her “go-to” in times of trouble.  

As I read Psalm 46 this morning, the Lord brought Rebecca’s sweet words of long ago to mind.  She would often read Psalm 91 (and still does) for comfort, but for me it is Psalm 46 that smooths out the “wrinkles” in my thinking. 

Beloved…keep these precious words of David nearby.  Read them after you read the news. Read them whenever your thinking begins to go awry during the day. Turn away your eyes from looking at useless things and focus them on the truth of the word of God. One prayerful read through and you will begin to feel the Spirit renewing your mind, quelling your anxious thoughts, strengthening your inner man and making the crooked places straight.  Keep reading and keep resetting. The world and its problems, your world and your problems will, as the song says, grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. 

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11

Here is Psalm 91 in its entirety…

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust."

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation."

The Heart Knows Its Own Bitterness And A Stranger Does Not Share Its Joy…

 

The heart knows its own bitterness,

And a stranger does not share its joy.—Proverbs 14:10

At first glance this verse seems like a very sad commentary on life in this fallen world.  No one on this earth can’t really share my joy nor feel my sorrow.  Both my suffering and my rejoicing at their very deepest level is personal and private.  They are both mine to bear.  

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?—1 Corinthians 2:11a

(That is not to say that we shouldn’t rejoice with the those who rejoice and weep with those who weep as Romans 12 exhorts us. In fact, Galatians 6 reminds us that we are to bear one another’s burdens and in so doing fulfill the law of Christ.)

I say all of this not to bring my reader to despair but to make my point.  Whether people understand our sorrow or our joy is of no real consequence because our God does!  He not only understands...He considers them and bears them!!  Jesus brought His greatest earthly sorrow to His Father in Heaven and surrendered it into His care at Gethsemane.  Yes, He asked that the disciples remain awake and pray with Him, but despite their regard for Jesus, they could not stay awake with Him even for an hour. Solomon also alludes to this in His prayer of dedication when the Ark was brought into the temple.  

whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), (1 Kings 8:38-39 ESV)

Psalm 139 tells us that our God knows everything about us, and Colossians 2 reminds us that we are complete in Him.  Beloved, the Lord is our Shepherd, in Him, we have everything we need.  He is our refuge and our strength.  A very present help in trouble. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

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

Isaiah Perks…by Anna

 

Isaiah 51:12-16 “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? The captive exile hasten, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared—the Lord of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

Wow.

Just…wow.

Let me go over that again. (Wow.) No, that wasn’t what I wanted to go over... “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?”

That was it!

When I read this, I was in my nightgown and comfortably ensconced within my covers, just about ready to call it a night and flop down on the pillow.

Guess what? The pillow stayed unflopped. Even in my nightgown, with no slippers, in a very old, very creaky, occasionally drafty house, I still wanted to commence with that impromptu jig I mentioned in an earlier devotional, and shout at the top of my (very off-key) voice for the world to hear that I didn’t have to be afraid. Ever again. EVER AGAIN.

Let me repeat that. (I’ve never been one for redundancy, but the Bible deserves to get a little awestruck repetition once in a while.)

EVER.

AGAIN.

(And of course, as before, whether or not I actually did that nightgown-clad jig is none of your business.)

That’s one of the biggest perks in this Christianity deal. We’re His children. We’re His sons and daughters. We belong to Him. (No “unclaimed” people here!) We are the children of the God and Creator of Heaven and Earth. We have unlimited access to His protection, His grace, His love, and His comfort. WE ARE HIS.

(I know I’m going a little overboard with the caps, but cut me some slack. I can’t exactly yell for joy via cyberspace, now can I? Don’t answer that.)

And what God is saying here—for about the fifty billionth time, just as patiently as He did the second and fifteenth times—is that we, as His children, as His beloved, don’t have to be afraid. He comforts us. He watches out for us. He never slumbers or sleeps. He is the shade at our right hand.

He’s also going in for a bit of wry teasing here, too. Note the contrast.

“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?”

“Hello…oh, beloved children, please pay attention…I’m here for you…I died for you...c’mon, you’re afraid of that puny guy who I made and whose father I made and whose grandfather I made and whose great-great-great grandfather I made? I know it might seem like he’s all-powerful down there, it might seem to your mortal eyes that he holds your life in his hands…BUT HE DOESN’T. I do. And I love you, I always have and always will, and I am in complete control of your situation.”

C’mon. God and Creator and Savior of Heaven and Earth vs. tiny little guy over there in the corner that He knows inside and out, backwards and forwards, who He created in the first place.

Which one are you betting on? I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna go for the obvious. At least while I still have my senses. (In a few minutes after I step away from this keyboard, I’ll be back to my thickheaded ways again…sigh. Keep reminding me, God!)

Written by my daughter Anna a long time ago…

Complete In Him…

 

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.  Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.—Colossians 2:6-10

In Christ, I am complete.   It IS that simple.  No worries, though!  I can complicate it!

What is not “according” to Christ in my life?  What leads me away from the fullness I have in Him?  The answer is obvious.  It is me...I cheat myself out of the fullness of Christ when I walk according to the dictates of my own heart and not according to His Spirit.  It is my “me, myself, and I” philosophy that draws me away. I take myself captive...I lead myself down wrong paths...um, no surprise there.  

1 Peter 4 comes to mind here because I really do want to live the rest of my time on this earth for the will of God...to please the One who suffered for me in the flesh. Oh, that it would be no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me!  

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.—1 Peter 4:1-3

If then, I want to be armed with the mind of Christ, I need to disarm and despoil me of me.  “I” need to die so Christ can live through me.  How do I do this?  

Scripture tells me...

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

Unless the law had been my delight, I should have perished in my affliction.--Psalm 119:92

Beloved, don't let anyone or anything lead you away from Christ and the truth of the Gospel.  You are complete in Him.  He is all you need because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  Fill your heart...the very center and seat of not only your physical life but your spiritual one as well...with His word. 

Out of your heart springs the issues of life.  Out of the abundance of your heart your mouth speaks.  As a man thinks in his heart so is he.   Let His word be your delight.  Abide in it.  Meditate on it. Obey it.  It is His truth that will enable you to walk in liberty.  It is His truth that will break the bars of iron and make the crooked places straight in your life.  

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.--Isaiah 32:17

A Hymn of Faith…

 

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.--Habakkuk 3:17-19

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla, 

Such a beautiful hymn of faith!  Such a profession of unwavering confidence in our God.  Verse 16 says that the prophet trembled when he heard of the judgment coming from the Babylonian invaders. But his solution was to rest in Him and wait on Him.  Habakkuk's fears took Him to God and it was in Him where he found rest.  It is in Him, girls, that we also find rest from the fears and sufferings of this world. Habakkuk's strength melted at the thought of what was to come.  God's strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul said this in 2nd Corinthians 12:9.

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.

Habakkuk decided or purposed in his  heart to delight in God.  All that was predictable and normal in his world was collapsing. All that He knew might be gone but the Lord would remain. His God would not leave him nor forsake him.  Here is the point.  Habakkuk's desire was not for the things of this world or his own comfort and peace.  Habakkuk's desire was for God himself.  This was what made all the difference in his outlook.  Paul had spoken of this very thing in Philippians.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.--Philippians 4:11-13

The Lord was Paul's desire.  It was God in whom he rejoiced.  Trials show you where your heart is...there is no joy in a heart that does not know Jesus when they are abased and in need. There is nothing left here on earth for them and nothing to look forward to eternally. A person who has the living God in his heart can praise God for their salvation and rejoice and even sing like the apostle Paul during times of deep distress because he understands that this world is not his home. Our hope and our security are not here in this world but are in the person of Jesus Christ. It was and would be Habakkuk's faith in God that would sustain him and enable him to endure.  

Here is what Matthew Henry said about these verses:

"Thus the prophet, who began his prayer with fear and trembling, ends it with joy and triumph. And thus faith in Christ prepares for every event. The name of Jesus, when we can speak of Him as ours, is balm for every wound, a cordial for every care. It is as ointment poured forth, shedding fragrance through the whole soul. In the hope of a heavenly crown, let us sit loose to earthly possessions and comforts, and cheerfully bear up under crosses. Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and where he is, we shall be also."

 

Love

Mom

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

That We Might Be Conformed to the Image of His Son…

 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.—Romans 8:28-30

Think on the beauty of what God is saying to us here in His word.  That we might be conformed to the image of His Son.  That is the goal. That is the ideal. As believers that is what each of us want. Think on Jesus. Think on all His wonderful attributes…His lovingkindness, His goodness, His holiness and hatred of sin, His strength, and His sweetness.  Think on how much He loves us. Think on His life of utter submission to His Father and His self-sacrificing love. Read Ephesians Chapter one. We as believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. I don’t know about you but I want to appropriate every one of those blessings. I want Jesus in every part of my heart and my life. When people see me, I want them to see not me, but my Savior. The apostle Paul expresses this desire for conformity to Christ so well in the following verses:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:12-14

Paul wanted to know the fullness of all the Lord had laid hold of for Him. His will was surrendered.  The desires of his heart were God’s desires. He fought the good fight. He walked by faith and not by sight. He wholly desired to be conformed to the image of His beautiful Savior and Lord. He continually reached for the heavenly prize of Christlikeness. 

Philippians 3:15-16 continues this way…

All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us stay true to what we have already attained.

Because this was Paul’s heart, at the end of his life he could say this:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Beloved…Be like Paul.  By the Spirit of God who dwells in you…fight the good fight. Be poured out for your Lord. Keep the faith. Finish well.  Behold Him who always beholds you and be transformed moment by moment into the precious image of His Son. 

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.—2 Corinthians 3:18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.—Philippians 2:12-13

Caleb, the Son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite...

 

Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”  13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. 14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.—Joshua 14:6-14

I stopped in the midst of my reading today to think on the life of Caleb, whose name means “dog”.  If I am honest, I have always felt that he got short-changed in the name department, and I love dogs.  But now that I think about it...maybe he didn’t.  

A good dog is single-minded, obedient, faithful, loyal and brave. His heart, body and “spirit”...I know that is a stretch...are wholly focused on his Master.  And that was Caleb in a nutshell. 

Caleb was one of the 12 spies selected by Moses to spy out the land.  Of the 12, only he and Joshua brought back a positive report. The other 10 were overcome by fear, desiring to return to Egypt rather than obey God and take possession of the land. Caleb, on the other hand, was courageous, willing and unafraid. 

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."  31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."—Numbers 13:30-33

Caleb lived by faith and not by sight.  He knew that God would make good on His promise...He would fight for him.

Caleb is speaking here to Joshua...

Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.  Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”—Joshua 14:8-12

AND 45 years later, when Caleb was 85 (and still willing to fight the giants), the Lord gave him the land on which he walked because he wholly followed Him.

Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 Then he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir (formerly the name of Debir was Kirjath Sepher).—Joshua 15:14-15

Caleb walked in truth, believing God and taking Him at His word.  Caleb’s speech and his life lived in harmony. They never failed to express his love for God.  Beloved...when we walk this way (unafraid and loving God with all of our heart), we encourage others to do the same. Trust God.  Hold on to His promises.  

Matthew Henry says this about Caleb:

Caleb answered to his name, which signifies "all heart." Hebron was settled on Caleb and his heirs, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. Happy are we if we follow him. Singular piety shall be crowned with singular favor.

I loved what Mr Henry said Caleb’s name signified...in my old age, I want to be “all heart” for God like Caleb was.  

Oh Father...Give us steadfast hearts to walk as Caleb did... courageous, loyal, willing and unafraid...wholly following the Lord our God.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.—1 John 5:4

Seeking Those Things That Are Above…

 

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

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 10:38-42

I have written about Mary and Martha before, but this time as I read through this short section of Scripture it hit me that despite being distracted with much serving Martha knew where to go for help. The word tells us that she approached Jesus to enlist His aid in getting her sister Mary to help her with serving.  

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

I am really glad that Martha went to Jesus with her problem and asked for His help.  Having Jesus’ perspective has helped me so often in choosing the better part. At times, like Martha, I can feel overwhelmed, overwrought, overworked and under appreciated.   I can also feel torn between various obligations and choices. It is a relief and a comfort to know that Jesus does not want us to feel like that. Mary did right, but from my perspective, Martha did too, because she brought her care-filled heart to Jesus and He relieved her of her burden.  And in relieving her, he relieved us as well. She gave us all permission to bring our own careworn selves to Him and have Him choose for us at any given moment in our lives, where we should be focusing our energies. 

Beloved…Go to Jesus, because in going to Him you will always be choosing the better part…the part that can never be taken away. The part that will last through this life and into eternity.  Choose well. Choose Christ. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.—Matthew 6:33-34

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

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.—1 Timothy 4:8