“Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Being still is not an American trait. We are an active people who are in a hurry, even if we don’t have anywhere to go. All one has to do is to get on an interstate highway to know what a hurry we are in. If you want to drive the speed limit, you had better get on a two lane highway because the traffic on interstates will not let you. This is an illustration of life in America. We desperately need the message of Psalm 46:10a: “Be still and know that I am God…” We could say this about the entire world. Everyone needs to know to be still in order to know that God is God. What does it mean to be still? We have to stop, be still, and let God speak to our hearts. We are so busy talking and doing that we do not take time to meditate and reflect on God. To be still means to shut up, as well as to cease activity at some time and consider what the will of God is for our lives. If we are going to be centered in the will of God, we will have to stop and listen to Him. I think of the time that Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt. He wasn’t busy doing religious things, or talking. He was alone tending sheep, being still and he saw a bush burning that was not being consumed. This was God’s way of getting Moses’ attention in order to reveal His will for him. When God spoke loudly to my heart and turned my mind and my life around, I was alone in my bunk on the U.S.S. Hornet. I was being still and God got my attention. No, I did not see a burning bush, but He got my attention anyway and spoke to my heart. In retrospect, I think that’s when I learned the meaning of “Be still and know that I am God.” I don’t know how you usually worship God on a given day, or even if you do, but I want to suggest that you get alone somewhere, center your mind on God and let Him speak to you. It would help to have your Bible with you and meditate on some of your favorite verses. We have to be still in order to exalt God to the people around us. This doesn’t mean that we go off to ourselves at work. What it does mean that we will not be able to exalt God to others, or witness to them effectively, if we do not spend some time alone with God. When Jesus’ disciples were arrested in Acts, the Jewish leaders “took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.” These men sat at the feet of Jesus for three years, saw His miracles, heard His parables, soaked up His love and it showed to the world. Could it be that the world today does not take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus because we do not spend enough time at His feet? Take a moment and reflect on your private worship. Do you take time each day to be with Jesus and Jesus alone? Being still and meditating and reflecting on God’s word, praying and just quietly worshiping Jesus has a way of making Him show Himself in our lives. The world is crying out for us to be still, to soak up the love of Jesus and let them see it. The world desperately needs for us to do this. Basically, what it means to “Be still and know that God is God,” is to seek Him above all else. This is what Moses did. This is what David did. This is what Peter did. This is what Paul did. This is what all of the great Christians across the ages have done, or they would not have been great Christians. We might not know many of the greatest Christians today because they are not famous preachers, but they are quietly influencing the world around them because they are taking the time to spend time with God in His word, in prayer and in corporate worship in church. You can be one of these Christians if you will take God’s advice: “Be still and know that I am God…” Bro. Joe
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"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."
First, we must answer the question, what is a "good" man/woman? This not a reference to a perfect person. Only one person who walked this earth was perfect, and that was Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 tells us that: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." A "good" person is one who has surrendered his or her life to Christ and is living by faith in Him. Unlike the Pharisees in the New Testament, this person does not flaunt his or her own religiosity, rather, he or she humbly serves the Lord in a spirit of humility and love. This does not mean that he or she approves everything. It does mean that he or she lives his or her life based on faith in Christ and on belief in the tenets of the Bible as set forth by Jesus. This doesn't leave room for self-righteousness, nor does it leave room for self-denigration. Second, what does it mean to have one's steps "ordered by the Lord"? How can a person know what it is that God wants him or her to do? One thing that this person does is pray. For example, as I have tried to have my steps ordered by the Lord, I have prayed for His guidance, and in His wisdom, God has helped me make right decisions for my life. I would be lying if I tried to convince you that I have done this perfectly, but it has surely worked well for me many times in my life. I can also relate to you that when I have not prayed and have not listened in my mind and heart for the Lord's guidance, I have made big messes. Another thing that this person does is to try to live his or her life in line with the Bible. There people who make fun of the Bible and make horrible examples of people in the Bible to prove that the Bible has a mixed message. These horrible examples are there to remind us that when we get away from God's guidance in our lives, we make a mess. There are a lot of people whose lives are big messes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know right from wrong. Just a cursory glance at the Ten Commandments will offer great guidance on how to live a good life. Third, what is the advantage of having one's steps "ordered by the Lord"? It will give direction to our lives. When I turned the direction of my life over to God in 1959, things began to fall into place in my mixed-up life. I wish that I could tell you that I have done it perfectly, but that would be untrue. Following His direction, however, I knew where I needed to go and went that way. Looking back on my life, now, it is amazing to me how God has ordered my steps. The best biblical example that I can think of is the great apostle Paul. His life was headed in a direction of destruction. He was following his anger and his prejudices, and trying to destroy God's work in the world. When he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, his life took a dramatic turn and he went in a new, more constructive direction. For example, he ended up starting many churches, and writing a third of the New Testament. Having our steps ordered by the Lord will give us the guidance that we really, really need. Many of you might disagree with me and say that you can make your own decisions and that you know what is best for your life. I wouldn't argue with you about that; I would just suggest that you will understand this concept only when you turn your life over to Jesus, live by faith, study the Bible and develop a prayer life. You need divine guidance in your life. You can fight it, but if you will seek it, your life will be better. Take the psalmists' word for it: "A good (person's) steps are ordered by the Lord." Watch your step. Bro. Joe "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. 60. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
Stephen had been chosen as one of "the Seven" to administer the distribution of food among the Christians. From this we already know that he was a man filled with the Holy Spirit, that he was honest and was of "good report." But the real test of a person's faith is seen in how far he will take it. Stephen witnessed and debated with those who refused to believe. He was an effective witness because the unbelievers could not shut him up with their own arguments. Because of this, they made up a story about him that they had "heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God." In the first part of Acts 7, Stephen preached a sermon based on the history of Israel and concluded by telling them they were just like their fathers, who had killed the prophets in Old Testament days. Because of this, they condemned him to die by stoning. How far would Stephen take his faith? He was willing to die for it. But this does not tell the whole story, for we must look at how he died. Most people would have furiously lashed out at those stoning them and cursed them. What did Stephen do? The first thing that he did was to ask Jesus to "receive his spirit." Stephen knew that when he left the earthly plane that he would go to Jesus and to a heavenly plane. He was willing to die, because he knew that something better awaited him on the other side. But it doesn't end here. Instead of condemning his persecutors, he asked that this sin not be laid to their charge. How far would Stephen take his faith? He took it as far as Jesus did, for Jesus' first words from the cross were: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Stephen's final prayer was in the same vein. To be honest with you, this makes me angry with myself when I realize how easy it is for me to get angry with people who might even dare to disagree with me, let alone stone me. Doesn't Stephen's reaction make all of us ashamed of ourselves when we live petty lives and wear our feelings on our shoulders? It makes me ashamed and I pray that it will have the same effect on you. How far are you willing to take your faith? What a challenge for today. Take it! Bro. Joe "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. 60. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
Stephen was chosen as one of "the Seven" to administer the distribution of food among the Christians. From this we already know that he was a man filled with the Holy Spirit, that he was honest and was of "good report." But the real test of a person's faith is seen in how far he will take it. Stephen witnessed and debated with those who refused to believe. He was an effective witness because the unbelievers could not shut him up with their own arguments. Because of this, they made up a story about him that they had "heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God." In the first part of Acts 7, Stephen preached a sermon based on the history of Israel and concluded by telling them they were just like their fathers, who had killed the prophets in Old Testament days. Because of this, they condemned him to die by stoning. How far would Stephen take his faith? He was willing to die for it. But this does not tell the whole story, for we must look at how he died. Most people would have furiously lashed out at those stoning them and cursed them. What did Stephen do? The first thing that he did was to ask Jesus to "receive his spirit." Stephen knew that when he left the earthly plane that he would go to Jesus and to a heavenly plane. He was willing to die, because he knew that something better awaited him on the other side. But it doesn't end here. Instead of condemning his persecutors, he asked that this sin not be laid to their charge. How far would Stephen take his faith? He took it as far as Jesus did, for Jesus' first words from the cross were: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Stephen's final prayer was in the same vein. To be honest with you, this makes me angry with myself when I realize how easy it is for me to get angry with people who might even dare to disagree with me, let alone stone me. Doesn't Stephen's reaction make all of us ashamed of ourselves when we live petty lives and wear our feelings on our shoulders? It makes me ashamed and I pray that it will have the same effect on you. How far are you willing to take your faith? What a challenge for today. Take it! Bro. Joe "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
The writer of Hebrews called upon the recipients of his letter to "exhort" one another. Exhortation is a big word with a big meaning. The meaning of exhortation is to encourage. It comes from the Greek verb, parakaleo. The word as a noun (paraklete) is used of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that He would send the Paraklete, the "Comforter," to be with them when he departed. So we are encouraged to "parakaleo" one another. How do we do that? Like the Holy Spirit, we "come alongside of" each other to offer comfort and encouragement. Let's not forget that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of us when we are saved. In the same way, we are to recognize that we are all together in the faith. We are to be there for each other through the good times and the bad. We are to be there for each other, even when we might disagree over this or that. To use today's vernacular, we are to "have each other's backs." What it all comes to is that we are to encourage each other instead of discouraging each other. When times are good, we can rejoice and praise God together. When times are difficult we are there for each other still rejoicing and praising God together. The fact is that God has given us to each other to have fellowship, to pray for one another, to pat one another on the back, to remind each other of right and wrong. We should be able to depend on our fellow Christians to help us to live the Christian life to the fullest. We should make sure that we are dependable Christian friends and help others live the Christian life to the fullest. I have never been in a church where the fellowship was perfect, nor have any of us. But I can tell you that I have had fellow church members that I could depend upon to pray for me, to give me a word of encouragement and to remind me when I needed to do better. That is what it means to "exhort one another," and to have real Christian fellowship with each other. I hope that this blog has been a reminder to you of what it means to be a good church member, and to be among those who "provoke unto love and good works." My prayer is that all of us will decide that we are going to be "exhorters," or encouragers. Bro. Joe The Lord speaking to Ananias after Paul's conversion: "15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings and the children of Israel. 16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."
Old Testament prophets had mentioned that the Lord would reach out to the Gentiles. When Christ came, He broadened the scope of God's concern by going into Samaria and into Gentile country. Though the Jews did not wish to share this glory with Gentiles, it was inevitable that it would happen. How was Jesus going to reach the Gentiles? One would think that He would find a fine, upstanding Gentile, convert him and send him to his own people. This is not what God did. He found the meanest Jew that He could find, converted him and sent him to witness and minister to Gentiles. Saul of Tarsus had wreaked havoc on the Christian church. His aim was to stamp out this movement before it infected the whole world. He made a fateful decision to go to Damascus, arrest Christians and send them bound by chains to Jerusalem to be tried for heresy. On the way to Damascus, the Lord Jesus Himself stopped Saul, and converted him. Just that quickly, a hater of the Christian faith became a follower of the Christian faith, and became one of its most eloquent defenders. From chapter 11 until the end of the Book of Acts, the book becomes a chronicle of Paul's work among the Gentiles. In the end, he wrote one-third of the books of the New Testament, and much of our Christian doctrine is based on his letters to churches and individuals. Only God could accomplish something like this. Why am I writing this? I want to point out that God knew what he was talking about when He inspired Isaiah to write that, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways." (This is not a direct quote. Let's just call it a "Beauchamp" translation.) We should not expect God to do as we would do, or as we would want Him to do. God does things that only He can do, and uses people that only He can use to carry out His purposes. Some of my high school friends were amazed when I became a preacher. Frankly, I was a little amazed myself, though God had been dealing with me since I was twelve years old. I humbly submit that this was God's choice for my life. As you read this, you might wonder if God can use you to aid in carrying out His purposes. Indeed, He can use you. If He could use Paul and if He can use me, He can certainly use you. Listen for God's voice in your life and let HIm lead you to what He wants you to do. Think about it. Selah Bro. Joe "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us? and who knows us"?
I used to think that my mama had eyes in the back of her head. I figured it must be true, since she knew what I was doing, even when her back was turned. I also thought that she could see around corners, or through walls, because she would know what I was up to even when she was not in the same room. Since I have grown up and am a little more mature, I realize that if I had been behaving myself none of that would have made any difference. This is what Isaiah 29:15 was about. Isaiah 29 is an indictment of Jerusalem. They were accused of "honoring God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him" (verse 13). Isaiah also censured them in verse 16: "You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'He did not make me'? Can the pot say to the potter, 'He knows nothing'?" (NIV) The people of Jerusalem thought that they could hide from God because He was no longer real to them. They had no fear, or respect, for God; therefore, they did what they wanted to do. They had become what we might call "practical atheists," i.e., they might have believed in God, but they acted as if He did not exist. This looks an awful lot like what is going on in our world today. For example, Europe has all but abandoned the Christian faith and the Christian church. The same is true in our own beloved country. A majority of the people in the USA believe in God, but they live like He does not exist. We need to realize that God is not deaf, dumb and blind. We cannot hide from Him. He sees and knows all that is going on in our lives. We can pretend that He does not exist, but He does and He is aware of our follies. We ignore the Bible as well. It makes no difference what the Bible teaches, if a majority of Americans believe something is alright, it is alright. It's as though morality is determined by polls. Lest I seem too self-righteous here, we need to straighten up our act in churches too. God sees everything that is going on. He knows our every thought and our every word. He even knows how many hairs we have on our heads. We can't hide from God - period. Bro. Joe Verse 67 - “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”
Verse 71 - “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” According to The American Century Dictionary, “affliction” means to be “distressed mentally or physically.” The psalmist does not tell us what his affliction was, but he did tell us that being afflicted was good for him. It is my opinion (for what it’s worth) that it was a physical affliction. Whatever his affliction was, it made him a better person. How was affliction good for him? He learned the value of God’s discipline. Paul learned this lesson in 2 Corinthians 12 when he wrote about his “thorn in the flesh.” He prayed three times for it to be removed, whatever it was, but was told by Jesus that His grace was sufficient for him. The Bible also tells us that “Whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son (or daughter) whom He receives. If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chastens not?” (Hebrews 12 6-7) I don’t know why this is true, but it is. When we undergo affliction, we can react to it like the psalmist, or we can moan, groan and complain. Believe me, from my experience I know that it is easy to moan, groan, and complain, but if we do that we miss out on what God is trying to do in our lives. We have to understand that what God allows in our lives is ultimately for our benefit. Whatever you are going through right now, remember that you can complain or pray. The latter will make you a better person, as it did the psalmist. The psalmist’s affliction drove him back to God’s word. He wrote that “before I was afflicted I went astray.” This means that he had gotten away from God’s word and that his life was not as good or fulfilling. Maybe what you need today is to either return to God’s word, or go to it for the first time. But the psalmist not only read the Lord’s word, he studied it, for he “kept” what he read. He also wrote that his affliction had been good for him because he had learned from God’s statutes. It is just a fact that sometimes we will not “keep” the word or live our lives in obedience to it. I found in my affliction that the word of God spoke to me more plainly than it had spoken before. I want to encourage you to try the psalmists remedy. Also I want to encourage you who are not undergoing affliction that the word of God will make your life better too. What we learn from these two verses is that when we are going through afflictions, whatever their nature, God has not forgotten us; rather He is using them to make our lives better. When people give in to self-pity and complaining, they do not become better, but they become bitter. It would be good for you to bow your head this moment and pray, asking God to do a work in your life through your present distress, and turn to the Bible for it has the “words of life.” Bro. Joe "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (NIV)
Christians are often reminded of the need to be humble, but we are also reminded that we have a special calling from God to be His people ln the world. We are all that the text says, not to boast about our position in Christ, but to be His witnesses in the world. The text declares that we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." That is heady stuff, isn't it? But the very last lines in this verse tell us why we are all of this. It is certainly not to give us bragging rights, but "to declare the praises of Him Who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light." We are told what to share with people. We are to share "the praises of Him..." We have a lot to praise God for. We have been called out of a life of sin and degradation to a life of joy and satisfaction in Christ. We need to share this verbally, but we also need to declare it with the way we live our lives and in the way that we treat people. We have the promise of eternity with God in heaven. That is something that a lot of people do not think about, because they are so busy with life, making a living, etc. But we need to call their attention to the fact that there is a life beyond this one and that it is all-important for them to receive Christ as their Savior. I know that sounds quaint today, and is the source of a lot of jokes, but it is, nevertheless true. These are two examples of all that we have to praise God for. We are told why we can share His praises. Notice how we came to be in the position of God’s chosen people. It is because He called us out of the darkness. Those who hear God’s call to become Christians are those who are given the privilege, opportunity, and duty to share “the praises of Him.” I need to be careful here, because I know that in Baptist circles the word “called” is usually in reference to a call into the ministry. It could be a call into the ministry, but that is not what it is about. It is a call for people from all walks of life and in all professions to“declare the praises of Him…” If we are to be what God wants us to be in this world, we can’t all be in church - related vocations. God’s call is to store clerks, doctors, dentists, dental assistants, secretaries, CEOs, or whatever vocation one is involved in. In fact, people out in the workaday world have closer contact with people than church staffs. Think of what a difference it would make in our world if all of the Christians in the workaday world “declared the praises of Him.” I imagine that our churches would have fewer empty pews, and more importantly, the kingdom of God would have more people to “declare the praises of Him.” We are told why we should declare His praises. It is because we have been called out of darkness into light. I consider myself a positive person, but as I look around me, I see a lot of darkness. I see the possibility of darkness in my own life. Satan always calls us back to the earthly pleasures of sin, and we have to be on guard about that. I see the darkness of the world all around me in the newspaper, on television, on the radio, etc. I do not wish to join that darkness. I remember living in a dark world and it was not satisfying. But we are not called to shun this dark world but to encounter it with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember we are declaring that we have been called out of darkness into light. We do not need to be self-righteous about it, because that would be counter-productive.But it is true, nevertheless, and we are to declare it humbly, being thankful that we are in Christ. Bro. Joe “And the night following the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
Paul had been arrested by the Jewish council ostensibly for bringing a Gentile into the temple area. It was the night after his arrest that God spoke to Paul about why he was going through this treatment. This answers why Paul was willing to endure two years of wrongful trial, imprisonment and a tortuous sea voyage – It was God’s will. When we endure hardship we need to consider this text, because God is probably preparing us to carry out His will. God had a higher purpose for Paul in allowing him to endure the aforementioned hardships. Is it possible that God has a higher purpose in allowing us to endure hardships? Don’t dismiss this idea out of hand. God wants to use us and He always has a higher purpose for our lives. We can learn from Paul’s reaction to his hardships. The first thing that we need to consider is that Paul accepted God’s will. There is no indication that Paul hesitated to accept God’s will, no matter what it entailed. Paul was told to “be of good cheer,” or to “take courage,” for this was God’s means of getting him to Rome. He could have asked, “Lord, can’t you let me get to Rome without all of this hardship?” He just accepted the Lord’s will and courageously faced what he had to face in order to live out God’s will for his life. I don’t mean to imply that following God’s will always entails hardships, but we should learn to accept God’s will for our lives in spite of whatever hardships His will might involve. It’s not easy to accept that God’s will might mean hardship for us. Actually, we usually expect God’s will to take us from one blessing to another. But this is not always the reality. Paul is a good example here, and we might also think of Moses and what he had to go through to carry out God’s will. This could be said of countless others in the Bible, e.g., Abraham, Joseph, and all of the eleven true disciples of Jesus. Pray about accepting God’s will for your life if you haven’t already. The second thing that we need to consider is that Paul simply believed God. In Acts 27:25 in the midst of the storm at sea while on the voyage to Rome Paul told those with him: “Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as He told me.” (God had earlier assured Paul that he would get to Rome in spite of the storm.) The only two choices that Paul had was to believe God or doubt him. Think of what he would have missed, and what we would have missed, if Paul had doubted God instead of believing Him. We, too, can believe God or doubt Him. Think of what we will miss in our lives if we doubt God instead of believing Him and realize His higher purpose for our lives. Think of what we will miss if we prefer the easy way instead of God’s way. The stakes were high for Paul to get to Rome God’s way. The stakes are also high for us to accept God’s way. (They are high for our families and churches as well.)The work of the kingdom of God will go on whether we accept God’s purpose for us, but we will miss the blessings that will come our way because of it. Consider this as you pray. The conclusion of the matter is that in his obedience Paul realized God’s higher purpose for his life. Paul went to Rome God’s way and great things were accomplished. Philippians 4:22 tells us why: “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” Paul won people around Caesar to Christ, who in turn carried the message to Rome and to other places in the world. Who knows what Jesus might use us to do for Him if we simply believe Him and obey Him? We will never know if we do not believe and act. Have you accepted God’s will for your life, and would you carry it out if it included hardships? Until you say “yes” to Jesus, you will not realize God's higher purpose for you. Bro. Joe |
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