“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
I’m not sure whether I have written on this text before in CouchPotato, but I wanted to write on loyalty, and this is the best example of loyalty that I can find in the Bible. What does this text tell us about loyalty? It means to keep on fighting no matter how many obstacles you encounter. Paul wrote “I have fought a good fight.” Think of all of the opposition that Paul had, yet at the end of his life he wrote: “I have fought a good fight.” He could have written this is as “I fought on in spite of the obstacles put in my way by Satan and people.” Think of your own commitment to the Lord. When you have encountered some criticism, or opposition, did you keep on fighting, or did you say, “I don’t have to put up with this, no Sunday School class, choir, pastorate or whatever, is not worth this.” What about your own sense of loyalty? Do you keep on “fighting” in spite of obstacles? It means to finish what we start. Paul wrote: “I have finished my course.” I think that Paul did everything that he thought he could do. Think of all of the churches that he started and actually stayed in close touch with them, at least as close as you could stay in those days. His communication with them was with letters. We have some of those letters in the Bible. He spent years under house arrest in Caesarea, and in prison and house arrest in Rome, yet he continued to write and to witness for Christ. Paul did not think that he had done all that could be done, but all that he could do. He was ready to go to heaven. Let us continue our “course” until we have completed it. It means to keep the faith. Paul kept the faith by continuing to serve the Lord in prayer and faithful service in spite of everything that he encountered. Satan will try to tell us that sticking with our work of faith is not necessary. I encountered this over the years in my own work of faith. There were times when I thought I could give up the work of faith that I had been called to do, but I could never really do that. It was tempting, and I’m certain that Paul met that temptation, but he continued to preach Jesus and to serve Him until the end. Whatever God has called you to do, do it in faith. If it wasn’t important, He would not have called you to do it. This is what Christian loyalty is all about. Read it and believe it! Bro. Joe
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“Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. 10. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. 11. Quicken me (preserve my life)., for your name’s sake: for your righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble.”
David had a deep need to be delivered, probably while running from Saul, but he had a deeper need than to just be delivered. After deliverance, he wanted God to do a work on his life. The best way to explain what I mean to look at the text. First, David asked the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. David had real enemies throughout his life and he needed constant deliverance from whomever his enemies might be. He depended upon the Lord to “hide” him. I don’t know exactly how the Lord would do that, but he certainly can. (Hey, He’s God!) The point is that we can depend on the Lord to deliver us and “hide” us however He chooses to do it. I guess we have some human enemies, but the main enemy we need deliverance from is Satan, and only the Lord can deliver and hide us from him. Second, David asked the Lord to teach him to do His will. David knew that deliverance was tied in with staying in the will of God. The emphasis here is on “His will” instead of just teaching. David was not looking for intellectual guidance as much he was looking for guidance in the will of God. We should certainly be conscious of God’s will in our lives. The times that I have wandered from God’s will have been tough going. You need to pray today for the Lord to teach you His will today. Whatever your job in life, God has a will for your life. This will come about only through prayer and meditation. If you haven’t thought about God’s will for you, it is time for you to do it. Selah Third, David asked the Lord to “quicken him.” “Quicken as used in the Bible refers to live. The best translation of this that I have read is, “preserve my life.” David had some real enemies who literally wanted him dead; therefore, he was depending on the Lord to keep him alive. This can also be interpreted as asking the Lord to be alive in our lives, guiding, delivering and hiding us. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to lead and guide His people, and we need to ask the Lord to “quicken” us in this way. It is my prayer that your reading this article has made you more aware of the activity of the Lord in your life, and that you will seek His deliverance and guidance for your life in this way. Do it! Bro. Joe "See to it that you do not refuse Him Who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven? 26. At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27.The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29. for our God is a consuming fire."
We are caught in the tension between "things," which we need, and eternal things which we need even more. If we are not careful, we will put too much emphasis on "things" instead of eternal things. We need to remember that there is nothing on this earth that is eternal, that is "created things." We are proud of our stately buildings and great institutions, but they will all vanish when God removes the "things that can be shaken." We are proud of our possessions, e.g., cars, houses, jewelry, etc., but they will vanish too. We think that there are things that we cannot do without, but that is not true. We are warned not to be possessed by our possessions. That was the problem with the "rich young ruler" in the New Testament. He wanted eternity, but he wanted to hold onto that which was not eternal. Jesus was trying to teach the young man, and us, that the greatest thing that we can do is to serve God, even if it costs everything that we have. There is nothing that we possess that can save our souls. There is nothing that we possess that can take us to heaven. It is only through the unseen God that we can be saved and go to heaven. I'm not saying that our possessions do not count. In fact, we are told to be good stewards of what we possess. We are not to keep them only to ourselves for our own aggrandizement, but to share them as best we can. What I am saying is that our possessions are not eternal, and will vanish. Let me use the example of trading cars. We get "trading fever" and that car seems to be the greatest thing in all of the world and we just have to have it. We buy it, drive it and smell it's newness. Before we know it, time has gone by and we relegate that treasured possession to the used car lot, or the junkyard. The joy that it brought was only temporary. Everything on this earth is only temporary. One day God will "shake" the heavens and the earth, and only what is eternal will remain. I want to hitch my star to that which will not fade away. I have done that by trusting Jesus as my Savior. I hope that you have too. Bro. Joe “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good and our land shall yield her increase. 13. Righteousness shall go before Him, and shall set us in the way of his steps.”
These verses contain the components of true revival. We can take these promises that were given to Israel and apply them to our need for revival. We need to understand that for us to have true revival we will need God’s mercy and truth. They are tied together in this text to show us that we need to experience both. We need God’s mercy because we are sinners in need of God’s mercy, which He gives abundantly. But with God’s mercy comes His truth. We cannot fully appreciate God’s abundant mercy if we do not also appreciate His truth. We have an answer for mercy and truth through Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus is ready and willing to supply His mercy and truth for us. We cannot deny our need for Christ’s mercy and we cannot deny His truth in our lives. The promise that Jesus gave to the church in Laodicea is also given to us: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.” The psalmist tied righteousness and peace together. He wrote that they have “kissed each other.” The Hebrew word for “kissed” means to “kiss repeatedly and intensely.” (Key Word Study Bible) We are reminded, as we were with mercy and truth, that we cannot have peace without righteousness. Revival will mean that we have surrendered to living righteously and in the process have peace. We cannot have one without the other. Often we try to attain, and maintain, peace in our churches without also living in God’s righteousness. Of course our commitment to biblical truth is important in our experiencing the revival that is promised in this text. Finally we are promised that when we receive God’s mercy and truth, and when righteousness and truth have “kissed each other,” we will realize the blessings of the Lord in our churches. Read verses 11-13 in the text printed above. It is important to see the concluding words in the text: “and (He) shall set us in the way of His steps.” God-sent revival makes a difference in our fellowship and in our personal commitment to following in the steps of Jesus. Are we ready for this kind of revival in our lives and in our churches? Bro. Joe “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints, but let them not turn again to folly. 9. Surely His salvation is near them that fear Him; but glory may dwell in our land.”
The psalmist pleaded for revival in verses 6-7, then in ensuing verses he gave some idea of what revival would be. As I read these verses I thought that we could use these ideas in our churches to have revival. First, he wrote that he was listening for the voice of God in the matter of revival. It occurred to me that we need to listen for the Lord’s voice in planning for revival. This would call for prayer on the part of members of the church. God will speak to our hearts if we really want to see what His will is. Second, the message from the Lord would be “peace unto His people, and to His saints.” The Lord’s message to us will always end in peace if we really understand His will. The interesting thing is that when God gave “His people and His saints” peace, they should not “turn again to folly.” If you have really read about the nations of Israel and Judah, you know that folly pretty much describes what they did. They worshiped the false gods of the Canaanites. In their actions they did not reflect the lives of God’s “saints.” If revival accomplishes anything it will bring change to the membership of the church. We are not strangers to “folly,” with our church feuds and splits. (Please forgive my negativity, but we need this message if we want revival.) Third, the psalmist wrote the Lord really wants revival for those “who fear Him.” This does not mean that revival would make us afraid of God. It means that we would be careful to seek His will, and because we know that He is the source of revival in our churches. Proverbs 14: 26-27 speaks to this issue: “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and His children shall have a place of refuge. 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” If we want our churches to come alive, we will honor the presence of God in our midst and in His will for us. This would call for confession and repentance. When we go to our knees is prayer, we are already having revival. Look for “This Is Revival II” tomorrow. Bro. Joe “For you (God) do not desire sacrifice; or else I would give it: you do not delight in burnt offering. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.”
When David prayed the prayer of repentance that is recorded in Psalm 51 he was a broken man, not proud of his sexual conquest with Bathsheba, and his rash decision to have Uriah murdered. David did not come before God bragging on himself, or justifying what he had done. He seriously wanted God’s forgiveness and he hung on in prayer until he received it. God wants your heart too, and He will not be satisfied with your religious activity. He will be satisfied with that, when He has our hearts and when we are doing what we do to serve Him, not ourselves. This reminds us of Peter’s reaction after he denied the Lord. He went out and cried tears of repentance. He did not justify himself for his denial. He did not make excuses as to why he had to deny Jesus. Peter had a broken spirit and contrite heart, and he went on to become one of Christ’s choice servants. What does God want of you? He wants you to have a spirit of genuine repentance and brokenness. You might be having spiritual problems right now because you are trying to get yourself right with God by justifying your sins. Self-justification just will not work. The Lord demands the same thing of us that He wanted of David – “a broken spirit and a contrite heart.” He does not want you to remain broken in spirit, for one of His great desires for us is to be joyful people, but not at the expense of our relationship with Him. It would be good for us to meditate over this text, and search our own hearts and minds to see if they are broken and contrite. Do not let sin disrupt your relationship with Christ, and disrupt your joy in Him. Bro. Joe “For you (God) do not desire sacrifice; or I would give it: you do not delight in a burnt offering. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
The two verses above come at the close of David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51. David was, indeed, a broken man. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba, had Uriah, her husband, killed at the front lines and tried to lie his way out of it. The whole prayer is a prayer of repentance, but I want to focus on these two verses. David pointed out that God would not “delight in a burnt offering.” This was an offering that the Jews made at the holy place, the tabernacle and later the temple. What God was looking for from David was not to do some religious exercise. This does not mean that burnt offerings were not important in David’s day. What it does mean is that David had probably offered burnt offerings the day before his adultery with Bathsheba and all that ensued, and it didn’t keep him from the sins that he committed. We are not pleasing God because we are involved in religious rituals, like going to church, singing in the choir, etc. These, of course, are not bad things; they just do not have the power to save us, keep us and sustain us. There are a lot of things that are good things to do, but what God wanted from David was for him to be broken and repentant because of the sins that he had committed. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of God.” He does not mean that He wants us to be unhappy, long-faced and moping all of the time. What He wants is for us to be sorry for our sins, and come broken to Him for forgiveness. Jesus gave us Joy as a gift of the Holy Spirit, but sin cannot result in joy. The sacrifices or rituals that God wants from us is a “broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart.” Jesus wants to work from within us to change us and grow us in His grace. The Holy Spirit wants to break us and bring us to repentance so that we can go beyond our sins and grow in Him. God does not want us to be proud of our sins, nor does He want us to excuse our sins. He wants our sins to drive us to repentance and change. (continued tomorrow) Bro. Joe “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust…”
Do you really trust the Lord? This is not a trivial question, and the answer may not be as easy as we think. I want to answer three questions pertaining to trusting God that that you must consider in deciding whether or not you really trust God. Do you trust God’s love? John 4:8b boldly declares that “God is love.” That is a bold statement and it is easy to quote, but when we look at our own lives do we really see it? The question is not that “God is love” in a general sense, but do you believe that God really loves you? I have found in my own life that it is easy for me to see God’s love, but I have asked, why does He love me? I know that He loves me because love is His nature. He loves us in spite of our sins. Grasp the fact that God really loves you! Do you trust God’s word? We call God’s word “the Bible.” We have the word of God in nature, and we have the word of God’s Spirit, but we must trust His word from the Bible. Psalm 111:7 says: “The works of (God’s) hand are verity and judgment; all His commandments are true.” This means that God’s written word is true. Let’s take a look at 2 Peter 1:19-21: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. 20. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21.For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The “sure word of prophecy” that is mentioned above is the written word of God – the Bible. Do you trust God’s Son – Jesus Christ? If you trust God’s love and His word, you will also trust Jesus. He was written about in the Old Testament in prophecy and according to John 3:16 that “God so love the world, that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should perish, but have everlasting life.” In John 14:1 Jesus told His disciples: “You believe in God, believe also in me.” God sent His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins that we might trust Him and have everlasting life. Do you really believe in Jesus? If you do trust God’s love and His word, you will believe in His Son. Bro. Joe “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The meaning of Psalm 1:3 is clear: A tree that has an abundant supply of nourishment will be a fruitful tree. When this is applied to a godly person, it means that he or she has a constant supply of spiritual nourishment that makes his or her life fruitful. The lesson here is so simple that it seems almost unnecessary to write about it, but it will not hurt us to be reminded of it. First, a fruitful person will read and study the Bible daily. Bible reading is absolutely essential to a fruitful life. This being so, why don't we Christians spend more time in the Bible? We cannot realize God’s abundant supply of grace, love and mercy if we do not stay close to His word. I do not mean to be legalistic, but when we neglect the Bible, we cease growing spiritually. I know this personally, that if I neglect the Bible I encounter more spiritual problems. That’s why I make an effort to read it every day. I need an abundant supply of the word of God to help me to be fruitful in my service for God. Second, a fruitful person will, to quote Paul, "pray without ceasing." This does not mean that he or she will have to be on their knees all of the time, but they will stay in constant contact with Jesus. We need to remember that the ear of God is open to us all day every day. It is important to stay in communication with God. He doesn’t need for us to pray, but we certainly need to pray. He loves to hear and answer our prayers. Third, a fruitful person realizes his, or her, need to have fellowship with God’s people, and to love them. We need each other, not just on Sunday, but at all times. We really need to pray for each other, and to care for each other. Fourth, the fruitful person will have to take all of the inspiration from the Bible, prayer and fellowship and go out and tell others about Jesus. We call it witnessing. All of this needs to be wrapped in our love for God and for each other. I'm sure there is more that could be written about this verse, but these points should suffice. This seems almost too simple to be written, but the state of Christianity seems to dictate that it is a lesson that we need to remember and to practice. Bro. Joe “And when (Jesus) looked round about on them with anger, being grieved over the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”
Jesus went into a synagogue in Capernaum on a Sabbath morning, He saw a man with a “withered” hand. The Pharisees present there were looking to see if Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath. Jesus did heal the man, after which the Pharisees, in league with the Herodians, plotted to kill Jesus. Our text tells us that Jesus was grieved because of the “hardness of their hearts.” The word “hardness” caught my attention, and I thought about what that meant. I want to share what this means based on a study of the Greek word for “hardness.” This meant that their hearts were “callow.” We would say that they had callous hearts. This means that they were unfeeling and unsympathetic toward the man. People, who would have rescued their donkey on a Sabbath day, had no feeling for the plight of the man with a paralyzed hand who needed healing. If our religious rules keep us from empathizing with real needs, we need to examine our hearts and see if our hearts have grown hard. This meant that their hearts were insensitive. The relationship that we have with Jesus should make us sensitive to the needs of people around us. A lack of sensitivity shows inattentiveness to the people and circumstances around us. The Pharisees were not thinking about the man, but about their own rules. (There was no Sabbath rule that forbad helping people.) This is reminiscent of the priest and Levite in the parable of the “Good Samaritan.” If you remember, those religious men went right on by a man who was bleeding to death on the side of the Jericho Road. The parable is reminding us that when we encounter people and circumstances that call of a touch from Jesus through us that we need to reach out with a caring hand. This meant that their hearts were selfish. Jesus was grieved because they did not think of anything beyond themselves. They didn’t think about the fact that the man could not work because of his paralyzed hand. In that day, that could have meant that he and his family would have gone hungry because he could not draw a day’s pay. Jesus pays attention when we think only of ourselves, and we cause His heart to grieve. We need to examine our hearts and see if they are “hardened.” Bro. Joe |
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