Category: Keys to a Happier Life

From Frustration to Fruitfulness

Frustration can lead us to giving up on God and taking matters into our own hands, or it can lead to fruitfulness.

Have you ever wondered why God often chose barren women to become mothers of some of the important people in Jewish history? It cannot be mere coincidence. Our Lord is bound to be teaching us something very important. The recurring theme is for a man to marry a woman he dearly loves only to discover she cannot seem to conceive – Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, Jacob & Rachel, Elkanah & Hannah. In those days, God allowed men to have more than one wife, which is related to my point, because it set up a situation in which frustration, jealousy, mocking, and torment came into play. Hagar mocked Sarah, Leah mocked Rachel, and Peninnah did the same to Hannah. What were these barren women to do? One choice was to become bitter against God, but none of these women did that.

Satan is called the accuser of God’s people. (Revelation 12:10) His weapons against us include lies, threats, fear, mockery, and accusation. Since all of us are very imperfect people, there is plenty of ammunition for him to use against us. He is not above making lying accusations, either.

In the days when the Old Testament stories were lived out, the ability to have children was supremely important and used as a measurement of God’s blessing. Conversely, childlessness was viewed with disdain or pity as a sign of God’s judgment or lack of favor. Indeed, children are a blessing from the Lord in so many ways. They bring joy and fulfillment to their parents and others. In Old Testament times, they helped out with the enormous work load around the home and farm. In addition, children were viewed as a form of security in old age in the days before there were government programs for the elderly. Childlessness could leave you insecure and alone in your old age. Being childless also opened a couple up to being looked down upon by family, friends, and neighbors.

What could make matters worse for many barren women in those days was the presence of another wife who was able to bear children for their husband. The fruitful wife proved that the problem did not reside in the husband. It was all the “fault” of the barren wife. This would be difficult enough in itself, but, if the childbearing wife used her own fruitfulness to mock and accuse the barren wife, it could become intolerable, as in the cases of Abraham & Sarah, Jacob & Rachel, and Elkanah & Hannah. Satan is a mocker, and he seeks to motivate people to speak on his behalf. We should always be alert to the voice of the accuser, no matter who is doing the speaking. Sometimes we even accuse ourselves. Thankfully God is bigger than all of this. (1 John 3:20)

In every case mentioned in this article, the barren wives were dearly beloved by their husbands. This is very important, because fruitlessness is often interpreted as being a sign that God does not love us or has withdrawn his favor from us. Elkanah and Hannah provide the perfect example. Peninnah was the fruitful wife. Hannah was the greatly beloved barren wife. Here is what the Bible says about that triangular relationship.

Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4  On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5  And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the LORD had given her no children. 6  So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the LORD had kept her from having children. 7  Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat. 8  “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:3-8 (NLT)

Being her husband’s beloved was not enough for Hannah. She could not say that her husband rejected her because she did not give him children. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is an important point. There are many childless wives who are dearly loved by their husbands; nevertheless, their fruitlessness still gnaws at their souls.

There is something inside us that longs to be fruitful. This is true in the natural realm and the spiritual one.

In a sense, we give birth to spiritual children when we share the gospel and people are born again into God’s kingdom. When God uses us to be part of that miracle by being the one to act as a sort of midwife in the birthing process, it brings us great joy and fulfillment. If we are not able to lead anyone into a new life in Christ, over time it wears on us, especially if we see others having great success. We begin to ask the same questions Hannah asked. What’s wrong with me? Why doesn’t God give me success? Has God turned his back on me? What am I doing wrong?

Peninnah made matters infinitely worse by mocking her rival, just as Hagar mocked Sarah and Leah mocked Rachel.

Those of us who try to measure our own success or failures against the perceived failures or successes of others are not wise. Doing so is a form of legalism.

The Bible tells us not to measure ourselves by any other standard than Christ; yet, there is an inner drive in us to compare ourselves to others in an attempt to try to gauge how we are doing and, hopefully, feel better about ourselves. Sometimes, however, it boomerangs, producing frustration. Hannah fell into that trap. She was already frustrated, but Peninnah’s mockery threw gas on the fire. It got so bad that Hannah was inconsolable. Fortunately, she knew what to do. She took her frustration to God.

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10  She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11  And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1 Samuel 1:9-11 (ESV)

In every case I mentioned earlier, either the wife or the husband used their frustration over childlessness to turn to God for help. Doing this allows us to use frustration to make progress toward fruitfulness.

When things come easily to us, we may undervalue them or think we did it on our own. The more important a promise is to God’s plan, often there is a greater wait and struggle for us to receive a miracle by faith.

Abraham had to wait twenty-five years for God to fulfill his promise to give him a son. In the interim, he grew weary of waiting and attempted to “help” God by resorting to a man-made solution by producing a child with Sarah’s servant, Hagar. When we do that, we may end up with an “Ishmael,” an ongoing complication and source of sorrow. For another example, consider David, who had to wait about fifteen years after being anointed by the prophet Samuel to actually become king. He went through some very dark and lonely places along the way when he was probably tempted to “throw in the towel”.

Consider Joseph, about whom the Bible says:

The LORD'S promise tested him through fiery trials until his prediction came true. Psalm 105:19 (GW)

Those who fought in the American Revolution on the patriot side also went through some very dark and trying days. When things were extremely bleak and many were ready to give up, Thomas Paine printed a pamphlet that turned the tide, entitled The American Crisis. These memorable words are found in it.

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

In Abraham’s case, much more was at stake than his having an heir: a nation was being birthed which would produce the Messiah and Lord.  In Joseph’s situation, his own destiny was not the only thing God had in mind. Rather, Joseph would be instrumental in the preservation of his chosen people, the line of the Messiah. And God was going to use Hannah’s frustrated desire to have a son to bring into the world one of the great prophets of Israel, whom God would use to install its first and second kings.

God seems to enjoy bringing his greatest blessings in miraculous ways, against all odds, using very unlikely people whom the world despises and judges to be worthless.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27  Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28  God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29  As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT)

So, if we are frustrated and discouraged that promises God made to us look as if they will never come to pass, we should not listen to the mocker and the accuser. Instead, like Hannah, let us seek the Lord.

But, like Hannah, we should be prepared to hold on to the fulfillment very loosely, because God may want to use the long awaited answer for his kingdom. If we give back to God that for which we have waited for such a long time, he will make it up to us. Hannah gave her long awaited son, Samuel, to God’s service, and God gave her more children to call her own. Imagine how proud and fulfilled she was to know her son was such an important man!

The point of this article is that we should never give on God’s promises, even if it is not our lot to experience their fulfillment in our lifetimes.

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Hebrews 11:13 (NLT)

Sometimes God wants us to be faithful so that the next generation can experience the fulfillment.

Moses got Israel through the wilderness, but Joshua led them into the Promised Land. Abraham fathered one son of promise, but that son and grandchildren would become the fathers of a multitude culminating in the Messiah. God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled through his descendants. We are in this for the long haul, which may include multiple generations.

We cannot properly measure the value or significance of our lives and ministries. Only God can do that. Ours is to be faithful, possessing a loyalty and steadfastness that comes from being full of faith.

Let us not cave to discouragement, frustration, or fear. As Winston Churchill so famously said, “Never, never, never give up!” We must not give up on God’s promises. He is absolutely faithful to his Word. He will never let us down. He prizes faith, especially faith that keeps going when the chips are down. Who knows? God may use us to give birth to another miracle. In the meanwhile, we rest in knowing that we are beloved.

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How to Be a Happy Follower of Christ

One of the greatest desires we have is to be happy. God promises happiness to his people.

...Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! Psalm 144:15b (NKJV)

Unhappy followers of Christ communicate that the gospel is not true. Why would anyone be interested in following something that breeds unhappiness in its adherents? One of the biggest “turn offs” for unbelievers is encountering a bitter, legalistic person who claims to be a Christian. Why would anyone be attracted to that? On the other hand, if our lives reflect the unbounded joy of knowing God’s love, it will tend to draw others.

Just before ascending to his Father in heaven, Jesus left his disciples with what is called the Great Commission.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

If we accept that the Great Commission is the church’s mission, here are two big questions.

  • “What is a disciple?”
  • “How can we become happy disciples?”
What Is a Disciple?

The basic meaning of “disciple” is someone who is a learner.

Disciples are always learning from our Lord through his recorded words in the Bible, from the indwelling Spirit, who is the master teacher, and from other followers of Christ who have been instructed from the Word of God and the Spirit.

When Jesus began his three-year earthly ministry, he gathered around him men and women who would become his disciples. Here is one instance of how he called them.

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Matthew 4:19 (NLT)

From this invitation, we learn that a disciple is learner or student who first comes to Christ and then becomes his follower and learns to gather others into the kingdom and make them into disciples.

People follow Christ because they are captured by his love and awed by his greatness and regard following him as the most important and fulfilling thing in life.

In other words, we know him as our Savior and Lord. Following Jesus means we are willing to take seriously his words, think about them, and seek to put them into practice with help from the Spirit of God. It is not enough to simply know what to do. Unless we become doers of what we know, we are deceived.

All of us are fundamentally flawed by sin.

Without the ongoing help of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we simply cannot live the Christian life.

Our dependence on God never ends. That was God’s intention from the beginning. He created us to share in his life forever. God works in us the desire and the doing of his will.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

This is really good news! We do not have to live the Christian life using our own resources.

The secret to being a happy Christian is knowing that God loves us, enjoying his presence on a daily basis, and living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Good News about Jesus is meant to be shared. Once we begin our grace journey of following Jesus, we are privileged to invite others who do not know him yet to join us.

What is the Proper Motivation toward Discipleship?

Here comes the rub. What usually begins as an enthusiastic response to God’s amazing love, often fades into habit, duty, or even neglect. Many of us who were “on fire” disciples when we first came to Christ now seem to have lost our way to some extent. Often after many years of following Christ, we may begin to think that we have now moved beyond where we started and have “gotten our act together,” making us somehow better than those who do not know Christ or who we think are not as committed or knowledgeable about the Bible as we are. When this happens, we become unhappy ambassadors of the kingdom of God.

This was what happened to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time.

If we become self-righteous, smug, and better-than-others people, we lose our ability to be proper representatives of Christ and end up repelling those we hope to reach.

We all desperately need God’s ongoing help, even after being born again and walking with him for a long time. God resists the proud but helps the humble. (James 4:6)

If this has happened to us, how can we regain our humility and be re-aligned with grace? How can we be properly motivated again toward being the sort of happy disciples who attract people to Jesus instead of pushing them away? How can we return to our first love for Jesus? (Revelation 2:4)

Most of us have more knowledge than what we put into practice. For example, most of us know that being overweight is unhealthy, but fewer of us are convicted enough in this area to change our eating and exercise habits. When we do arouse ourselves to make the attempt, we often quickly fail because we do not have the conviction, will power, or whatever it takes to see it through. It is humbling for us to discover once again that we need God’s help.

It may be necessary for us to fail to learn our lesson. It was for Peter.

We often need some sort of breakthrough that internally inspires us to do what we should, whether it’s losing weight, overcoming an addiction, improving our prayer life or Bible reading and study, or reaching out to lost people who live and work around us. We all continually need God’s help, which is the very reason Jesus had to die on the cross.

After we are saved, we need his help every day just as surely as we needed his help to be put back into a right relationship with God before we were saved.

Paul wrote:

How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Galatians 3:3 (NLT)

The fear of the Lord plays of part in turning us away from sin and lethargy. The Holy Spirit convicts us in our hearts without condemning us, bringing about a change of mind and attitude that the Bible calls repentance. But repentance by itself is not enough. We need faith in God’s promises and reliance upon the internal working of the Spirit to enable us to do the thing about which we were convicted.

In other words, to get the results we desire, three internal things have to happen: repentance, faith, and the experience of God’s grace.

Whereas we tend to focus on external indicators of the Spirit’s work, God works in the heart. The fruit of the Spirit is mostly internal, but shows up in our attitudes, words, and behaviors.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)

Earlier in the same chapter of Galatians, Paul said that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6) This fits into Christ’s words spoken to his followers just before his crucifixion.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (ESV)

Now we can add to our definition of what it means to be a disciple.

A disciple is a perpetual learner who is happy to follow Christ and his words and is empowered by the Holy Spirit and motivated by faith and love, who seeks to bring others into God’s family and show them how to follow our Lord, too.

Shielding Ourselves from Legalism

When love prompts acts of faith and obedience, we know that we are on the right track. All of this requires a constant application of God’s grace through the operation of the Spirit of God. Once we are firmly established in our need to rely on grace, it is safe for us to move into doing works of faith without becoming legalistic.

Legalism lurks just around the corner in all of our hearts. The tendency to compare ourselves with others is almost irresistible.

Rather than rely completely on what God says about us, we tend to rate ourselves against some standard or other people. We may end up thinking we are better than someone else, leading to pride, or worse, resulting in discouragement. Those of us who think we are doing better than others tend to demand that they step up their game. Those of us who think we are not doing so well may be tempted to give up. God never intended for us to rate ourselves against anyone. We are to focus on him alone and leave others to do the same. Paul told the Corinthian church –

As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 1 Corinthians 4:3 (NLT)

Legalism springs from an internal desire to somehow prove that we measure up.

Some forms of legalism are easy to spot. When a group mandates that its followers must avoid makeup, jewelry, certain hair styles, dancing, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes as a way to prove their dedication to the Lord, we realize that it has resorted to using outward measurements instead looking at the inner condition of the heart. Other forms of legalism can more difficult to discern.

When we insist that other people adhere to the same level of righteous living that we believe that we have attained, it is legalism because we have set ourselves up as the standard for someone else.

We often feel comfortable doing this to others, but we usually resist when someone “more committed” than we tries to force us to step up to their standard of righteous behavior. Some humorously define a religious “fanatic” as someone who is more committed to Jesus than are we.

We can generally agree that certain behaviors are part of what it means to be a follower of Christ, such as prayer, Bible study, worship, fasting, giving, attending church gatherings, and sharing our faith. The problem comes when we feel that we can judge another person regarding how well or poorly he or she is doing in any of these areas.

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8  If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9  Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. 10  So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Romans 14:7-10 (NLT)

God has given us great freedom. We can use that freedom to serve him or go our own way. No one has the right to usurp that freedom and try to force us into compliance.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14  For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14 (NLT)

God draws us to do what is right and good because it is good for us, will make us happy, and because we love him and others. Otherwise our compliance will eventually breed resentment, just as happened with the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son.

God wants us to focus on our own “walk” of faith and obedience out of love for God and others, and hopefully, by so doing, we will become an encouragement to others.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5  For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:4-5 (NLT)

Ultimately we all are accountable to one Person, the Lord Jesus, when it comes to judgment, but we are responsible to one another to love and encourage each other to faith and good works.

Becoming a Happy Follower of Christ

Elders, the leaders of the church, are to encourage and model the kind of godly attitudes and living that we pray God will develop in the rest of the church.

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NLT)

Another way to put it is that we are all to encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord to love God, love one another, and love the lost and be happy in so doing.

Love is the greatest motivational force in the universe.

It inspired our heavenly Father to give his only Son to die for us, his enemies at the time. Likewise, love for God and our neighbor is the purest motivation for engaging in the Great Commission. Love overcomes the inertia of laziness. It pulls us into relationship with others. It energizes us to engage in leading others to know the source and goal of love, our heavenly Father, and it makes us happy.

Love enables us to make the choice to joyfully leave the confines of our comfortable homes and church cultures to engage lost and hurting people who live around us.

It will encourage us to open our homes to show hospitality in the hope of deepening friendships and gaining opportunities to talk about the One who loved us enough to die for us. In addition, love motivates us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the ongoing process of character transformation so that more and more we live, think, speak, and act like Jesus. Love motivates us to get to know our amazing God better by studying and meditating on his love letter called the Bible. People who love are happy.

If we want to be happy followers of Christ, the best way forward is to fall more deeply in love with him, ask him to give us his love for the lost, and rely on the Holy Spirit to develop us into proper advertisements for the gospel.

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Knowing God Better, Life’s Greatest Blessing!

In the Old Testament on several occasions God revealed something about his character and nature by using a compound name for himself. What the Lord allows us to go through in life are opportunities for us to know him better. No matter what comes our way, God will work everything for good (Romans 8:28). If we seek him, every test and trial we face will be an opportunity for us to get to know him in a deeper way.

Knowing God better is the greatest blessing in life.

Jesus said:

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 (NKJV)

If we approach life with this mindset, we will be overcomers by faith.

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 (NKJV)

We sometimes think that going through life without encountering difficulties is the best possible thing, but having no troubles may cause us to miss a chance to know God better.

God wants us to embrace difficulties as  opportunities to grow in faith.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2–4 (NLT)

Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful and most quoted passages in the Bible and reveals a lot about God and the gospel. It was inspired by the Spirit of God and written and sung by King David, who was an accomplished musician and poet. It has endured for three millennia and will continue forever because it is the unchangeable word of God. This short psalm is packed with revelation about God’s heart and nature. In it we find the first compound name of God that I will cover

The Lord Is My Shepherd
The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1 (NLT) —

Here the Spirit revealed through David that God the Lord is our shepherd, who provides, guides, and protects. David called him Yahweh-rah, the Lord my shepherd.

If we know and rely upon him to be our shepherd, we always have everything we need.

Jesus is the ultimate Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. (John 10:11) He did this to bring us back to the Father by providing forgiveness for our sins, setting us free from all that enslaves us, giving us life eternal through the Holy Spirit, and making us children of God through the new birth. Ultimately we will co-rule with Christ over his creation. This is what Jesus called “abundant life.” Once we come to know Jesus as our Shepherd, life will never be the same.

Another aspect of the shepherd ministry is reflected in another name of God, Yahweh-shamar, the Lord our Keeper.

The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121:5–8 (NKJV)

Gospel Hint: If we encounter a person who feels lost, abandoned, fearful or who generally needs a “shepherd,” we should present Christ as the one they seek. He proved his love for us at the cross and his ability to take care of us at the resurrection.

The Lord Who Provides

Another Old Testament compound name for God was revealed to Abraham when God tested him regarding his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. At the last moment, when the angel restrained his hand from carrying out the deed, Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket that he could sacrifice in Isaac’s stead. He named that place Yahweh-Jireh – the Lord who Provides. 

Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14 (NASB95) —

In the hour of Abraham’s testing and obedience, God’s provision became apparent. When we truly get to know God, we discover that providing for his people is part of his nature. It is who he is. We should never doubt his kind intention to provide for our every need, especially when we step out in faith to obey him.

Gospel Hint: Is we find someone who is afraid that they will not have what they need, we should introduce Jesus the Good Shepherd and provider. He is our shepherd. We shall not lack. We can always count on God to provide. If we surrender our lives to him, he graciously extends his care to us.

The Lord Our Peace
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. Psalm 23:2 (NLT) —

Green meadows and peaceful streams are part of God’s provision for his sheep – peace and rest. Jesus promised that he will give his disciples peace that passes natural understanding. God revealed himself to Gideon as Yahweh-shalom, the Lord who is our peace, on the day he commissioned him to fight for Israel against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.” 23 Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace... Judges 6:22–24 (NKJV)

Peace does not depend on our circumstances, but on God’s promises and his presence in our lives. 

Jesus said that he will give us peace in the midst of the storms we encounter in life.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27 (NASB95) —

Peace is one of the defining characteristics of those who know God.

It is a fruit or result of God’s Spirit inhabiting and transforming us on the inside. The more we trust and rely on our Good Shepherd, the greater our peace.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7 (NASB95) —

Gospel Hint: When we encounter someone who is afraid, we should tell them about the Good Shepherd who relieves us of our fears and imparts peace that passes understanding. His perfect loves displaces or casts out fear.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (NASB95)
The Lord Our Healer
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 (NASB95) —

One important ministry of the Good Shepherd is that he restores and heals our bodies and souls. When we are born again, God makes our spirits brand new, but our souls still need a lot of work.

The new birth is once for all, but the restoration of the soul takes a lifetime. This is part of Jesus’ ministry as healer.

Everywhere Jesus went he healed and restored people. He still does today, but now he uses his Spirit-filled people to accomplish the work.

Before we can help others, we need to experience his healing and restorative work in our own lives.

One of the compound names of God in the Old Testament is Yahweh-raphah, the Lord who heals.

and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 (NKJV)

Healing is part of God’s nature or character.

Under the Old Covenant, healing was promised to those who kept the law. Under the New Covenant, it is a benefit for those who put their faith and allegiance in Jesus, who perfectly kept the Law on our behalf. It is not something we have to wrestle from him.

It flows from his kind heart to hurting people.

Healing and deliverance from demonic oppression accompanied the preaching of the gospel in Jesus’ and the apostles’ day. Nothing has changed in God’s plan. God wants his people to experience his healing and restorative touch today, too. 

Gospel Hint: If we encounter someone who has physical, emotional, or spiritual pain or disease, we should offer to pray for them as we tell them that Jesus still heals. We never know what God may do.

The Lord Our Righteousness

Right paths and paths of righteousness are different phrases for essentially the same thing. God revealed himself as our righteousness in the Old Testament, the Lord our righteousness, Yahweh-tsidqenu.

In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’ Jeremiah 23:6 (NASB95) —

When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he provided a right relationship with God or “justification” for those who put their faith and allegiance in him. By taking our sins upon himself and exchanging our sin with his right standing with God, we became righteous before God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) We are not self-righteous, but righteous in Christ. Apart from him we have nothing.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

This imputation of right standing with God paved the way for our heavenly Father to reconcile us with him completely and adopt into his family through the new birth.

Now that we have right standing with God, he is working his righteousness into us on a daily basis. In other words, the Holy Spirit is transforming us on the inside so that we more and more think, speak, and act like Jesus. This allows us to “walk” as Jesus did in “paths of righteousness.” When we live like this it brings honor to God and blessings to us.

Gospel Hint: Sometimes we encounter people whose lives are a mess because of their sins and failures. We can introduce the Good Shepherd to them as the one who can restore them and set them on a path to blessings and success. It starts with their surrendering everything to Jesus the Lord and receiving all he has to offer, which is mainly himself and his right standing with the Father.

The Lord Who Is Always With Us
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NLT) —

We all go through a dark places. This can be very scary, especially when we feel alone. One of the most repeated promises in the Bible is “Do not fear. I am with you.” (Genesis 26:24, Deuteronomy 31:8, 2 Chronicles 20:17, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 14:27, and John 6:20) God revealed himself in the Old Testament as the ever-present One, Yahweh-shammah.

All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE. Ezekiel 48:35 (NKJV)

Psalm 139 is another place where King David expressed his faith in the ever present one.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:7–12 (NKJV)

Jesus also is known as the One who is present in his name Emmanuel, God with us.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

Our Lord also promised that the Holy Spirit, his executor here on earth and our helper, will always be with us.

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; John 14:16 (NASB95)

The Spirit’s presence in our lives is a most precious gift.

Nothing compares. Because Jesus died and rose again, when we put our faith and allegiance in him, God comes to live inside us forever! We will never be alone again.

Gospel Hint: Abandonment is one of our greatest fears. Many people feel rejected and alone. Ultimately this is because our sin separated us from God. Jesus fixed this problem. All who put their faith and allegiance in him never need to be alone again.

The Lord Who Transforms Us
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

The rod and staff represent the shepherd’s commitment to protect and guide his sheep.

One of God’s compound names in the Old Testament is Yahweh-Mekoddishkem – The Lord who sanctifies you.

Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Exodus 31:13 (NKJV)

God is committed to transforming us into Christ’s image as we navigate this life with his help.

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. 29 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 8:28–29 (NKJV)

God’s protection from savage wolves and his loving discipline are represented by the rod. His discipline protects us from continuing on sinful paths to our own destruction. God disciplines all his children because he loves them.

For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6 (NKJV)

Gospel Hint: God accepts us just as we are, but he doesn’t leave us in that condition. Most of us would like to be better than we are. Only God can get us there, as we learn to cooperate with the Spirit of God as he transforms us on the inside without condemning us for our many failures along the way. (John 5:24, Romans 8:1)

The Lord Our Banner
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Psalm 23:5 (NLT)

God revealed himself in the Old Testament as Yahweh-nissi, the Lord our banner in battle.

And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner; Exodus 17:15 (NKJV)

Sometimes we think that peace means that we have been delivered from the threat or presence of our enemies.

God, however, prepares a feast for us right in front of our enemies. He wants us to ignore the enemy and focus on him.

The Bible teaches us the the battle is the Lord’s.

And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NKJV)

God has already defeated Satan and his evil allies. All authority in heaven and earth has already been given to our Lord Jesus. Nothing can happen to us without the permission of our Lord, and he promises to work out everything, even the bad things, for our good. (Romans 8:28)

God wants us to learn how to stand against evil. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV)

We do this by understanding that we are protected by God. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)

Our enemies must go through God to get to us.

This does not mean that we will never encounter tests, trials, or danger, but God is always with us as we go through these things. He is our victory. Our faith makes us overcomers in everything.

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 (NKJV)

Gospel Hint: When we talk to people who are in the midst of some kind of spiritual battle, we can show them that God promises to be with us in the struggle and has already overcome the enemy. If we trust in him, he will give us peace in the midst of our warfare.

Conclusion

One of the most exciting things about being a follower of Christ is participating with him in helping others find freedom through our Lord and Savior! When Jesus launched his earthly ministry, he quoted Isaiah 61:1 and said that God’s Spirit rested upon him, anointing him for ministry.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT)

The anointing, which represents the Spirit’s power and presence operating in and through us, is what we need to effectively minister to others.

God honors us by allowing us to participate with him in this ministry.

God is not stingy. He overflows with blessings and has more than enough for all those who trust in him. This ties into God’s being our Shepherd and provider. As we are blessed by God, we can pass these on to others.

Gospel Hint: Many people live outside of God’s blessings because they have never surrendered their lives to Jesus. The gospel promises God’s richest blessings upon all who trust and follow Jesus.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 (NLT)

Instead of being hounded by the curse associated with sin, Jesus opened the door for us to be pursued relentlessly by God’s goodness and mercy as long as we live.

When we die, we have the promise of being with God forever.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1–3 (NLT)

Gospel Hint: Jesus provides his followers with blessings here on earth and eternal life with him in heaven. Who would not want this?

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How to Measure Our Spiritual Status

We all like to be able to measure how we are doing. That is why most companies set goals and then measure their progress against their ambitions. In relationships, we want to have clear signals regarding how we are perceived or regarded by individuals or groups to which we relate or belong. The same is true when it comes to God and our relationship and standing with him. What is the best way to measure our status with God?

The Law of Moses gave clear standards by which individuals and the nation could judge. It the people kept God’s laws, they were blessed. If they disobeyed them, they came under judgment. How unnerving it must have been when Moses told the nation that they would utterly abandon God in the days ahead. (Deuteronomy 31:29)

God made it clear that it is not in us to be able to keep his righteous requirements. We will never be able to measure up! That is why the old covenant, the Law of Moses, had to be replaced by a new one, which is not based on our performance at all.

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” Galatians 2:16 (NLT)

Nevertheless, there is something in us that desperately wants to be good enough on our own, even after being justified in God’s sight by faith in Christ’s completed work. We fight against any notion that this is an impossible dream. Nevertheless, as long as we hold on to the illusion of being able to be good enough to please God, we will never discover the really good news that we don’t have to be.

Because Jesus was good enough, we do not have to be. Because he met every standard of measured righteousness, we are not subject to being measured. When we put our faith in Christ, we were given Christ’s perfect right standing with God, which is called justification. We don’t always appear righteous or act as we should, but who is measuring? Not God. Nor should we.

Once we stop worrying about measuring up, we are able to simply live a life of joyful service to the Lord and others.

What a relief when we stop trying to measure our standing with God and fully accept what Christ has done for us!

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)
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An Unexpected Key to Joy

 

God is full of joy which he shares with us. He designed creation to maximize his and our joy while simultaneously bringing honor to him.

Our experience of God’s joy depends to a great extent on how well we participate in a process the Bible calls transformation through the renewing of the mind.

Paul encourages us to allow the Spirit to transform our thinking by renewing our minds, instead of allowing the world system to conform us to its deadly pattern.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NASB95) —

The New Living Translation says that transformation comes when we change how we think.

The etymological definition of repentance (Greek: metanoeo) is to change our minds or how we think about things.

The devil’s chief weapon against us is deception. When Adam and Eve bought his lie in the garden, their disloyalty to God plunged humanity into darkness and death that comes from separation from God. The first lie they believed was that God is not good or trustworthy and we are better off going it alone. Every deception since then is built on this foundation. Everyone is born into this world with a default proclivity to think sinfully and want to live independently from God. The part of us derived from Adam is called the “flesh” and habitually takes us down thought roads that lead to sin and death.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6–8 (NASB95) —

Satan promises great things, but it all a lie. All he has to give are the temporary pleasures that sometimes accompany our selfish pursuits, but which always end in death

There is only one way to escape the deception death trap. It’s called the new birth. The corrupted part of us called the “old man” has to die so that the “new man” can be resurrected in Christ. (Romans 6:5-9)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21–24 (NLT) —

The decision Adam and Eve made to believe Satan’s lie and suppress God’s truth impacted everything, including our thinking ability. Since then, apart from the intervention of God’s Spirit, we are unable to think correctly and adequately discern truth.

It takes a supernatural breakthrough of revelation of the truth about God and his Word to create faith in the human heart.

And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” John 6:65 (NASB95) —

When we first begin to grasp who Jesus is and what he did for us, we are able to trust in him and are born again. This new birth causes the spirit to come alive again as we are united with God’s Spirit. His life invades us giving us the ability to think again according to truth.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (NASB95) —

This is when our participation in the process of transformation begins. We have been given the responsibility to renew our minds according to God’s truth.

The Bible says we are spiritual beings who have bodies. God breathed his spirit into the body he formed from the dust of the earth and Adam came alive. The combination of spirit and body gave rise to the soul, our mind, will, and emotions.(Genesis 2:7) The mind can exist outside the body, which is what happens after death before the resurrection.

Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. 2 Corinthians 12:3–4 (NLT) —

The mind has a spiritual component and is not limited to the physical brain; although there is a connection. The brain, therefore, is servant to the mind.

God made the human brain with an amazing capacity to renew itself. As we think, our neurons weave themselves together in new pathways. If we habitually think a certain way, those thoughts become physically ingrained in our neurons. How we think will impact our lives going forward. We can think upon that which is from God and renew our minds for good, or we can give ourselves over to thinking on what is sinful and end up with what the Bible calls a reprobate mind, a very dangerous condition.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:28–32 (NLT) —

As believers, we can choose to take advantage of our God-given ability to renew our minds and increase our joy by engaging in simple life-giving spiritual habits: worship, prayer (especially in tongues), and reading and meditating on God’s Word.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6–9 (NASB95) —

As we regularly set aside time to engage in these godly pursuits, we actively renew our minds by training our brains to think in godly patterns.This is not the power of positive thinking, as if we changed ourselves. As we obey the Lord in worship, prayer, and meditation on the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit works with us in the process. We are never left to our own devices. Otherwise, it would be just one more religious activity. If it were ever to become a mere religious exercise, we have missed the point entirely.

We should sense God’s pleasure and joy as we learn to spend more and more time in his presence where there is fullness of joy.

King David wrote these amazing words.

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11 (NASB95) —

According to Dr. Caroline Leaf’s research, it takes three sets of 21 days (63 days in a row) to thoroughly ingrain a new habit and renew the mind. After that, it is a daily exercise in keeping our focus on God.

Satan set up a mammoth operation to saturate our minds with his lies using all sorts of media and government financed schools. Children especially are bombarded with everything from pornography to evolution, inculcating in them a godless and perverted worldview. The power of brainwashing is real. Those who have submitted to the world’s conforming process often cannot recognize truth when they stare it in the face. We cannot afford to be passive any longer.

Those who cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process will experience amazing freedom. They will begin to think more in line with God’s truth. The Spirit will reveal more and more truth about our amazing God, his love, and his faithfulness. As our minds and hearts gain greater understanding of how amazing God’s love is, our faith in him will enlarge and our joy will overflow.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:14–19 (NLT) —

The renewing of the mind is a huge and perhaps unexpected key to experiencing ever increasing joy. Try it. You will like it.

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An Unexpected Key to Happiness

 

There was a king who had a trusted counselor whom he took with him on many occasions. This counselor had the habit of always saying, “It’s good,” no matter what would take place. Once on a hunting trip, the king fired his rifle, but because of a defective bolt mechanism, his thumb was blown off. Right on cue the counselor said, “It’s good.” The king was not amused and threw his counselor in prison. Much later the king went on a safari in Africa and was captured by a tribe of cannibals. As they prepared to roast him, they noticed that his thumb was missing. Not wanting to dine on a less than perfect specimen, they released the king. When he returned home, he immediately released his counselor from prison and brought him to the palace. The king admitted that the accident which removed his thumb had indeed been a good thing because it saved his life. He asked his counselor to forgive him, but the counselor said, “Don’t worry, king. It was a good thing that you threw me in prison; otherwise, I would have accompanied you on the safari and would have been eaten.”

This servant understood one of life’s most important truths.

God sovereignly works all things out for our good and his glory.

In other words, God superintends all things, making sure his ends are achieved, no matter what. It is impossible to foil God’s plans. I often remind myself and others of the following Bible verse.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Acknowledging God’s loving sovereignty is a key that unlocks happiness and faith.

If we love God and follow Christ, this verse is for us. God is continually working everything out for our good, even what seems bad, confusing, and evil. If we believe the Bible, we should believe this promise.

If you want people to think you are crazy, try sharing this truth with someone who is going through a very difficult time and does not yet understand the concept. Acknowledging God in all things and believing that he is working out even the most difficult circumstances for our good seems like foolishness to the one who is in the middle of pain, confusion, or loss. It sounds like one more irritating pious platitude that has no connection to the “real world.” Ironically, it is grounded in the greatest reality there is: God loves us and is faithful to his promises.

We thank God for even the most difficult things in life, not because they are good in themselves, but because God is working or will work them for our good.

Joseph learned this most important truth during his extended trial of faith. He was betrayed by jealous brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused, thrown into prison, and seemingly forgotten by God and men for years on end. However Joseph never gave up his faith in God. He hung on to the promises God had given to him that one day he would be elevated to a position of prominence and authority. The psalms say this about his situation.

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105:19 (NLT) —

Clinging to our faith in God’s character during a severe test, rather than succumb to the temptation to malign or mistrust him, is a test of our character.

After God elevated Joseph to Pharaoh’s second in command over all of Egypt, he was able to declare to the brothers who committed treachery against him.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 (NLT) —

The practice of giving praise and acknowledging God’s sovereignty in all things also brings glory to the Lord.

If we choose to declare that God is great and lovingly working on our behalf, even when things look just the opposite, it is what the Bible calls a “sacrifice of praise.” (Hebrews 13:15) One of our greatest tests comes when God seems to have forsaken us or does not seem to care what is happening to us. Will we panic, become depressed or angry, or will we make the decision to believe God’s promise to always be there and care for us? If God is true to his word, and he is, we can always trust and give him praise. Doing so when things go “south” can be our greatest moment.

Can we see God’s loving smile behind the obscuring clouds of whatever has happened or is happening to us?

According to Solomon, the wisest of kings, the essence of wisdom is the ability to trust in God even when we do not understand the reason behind things.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. 6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NET1)

We cannot foresee the future or always know how God is working out our present circumstances for our good and his glory — but he is. Either he is sovereign or he is not.

We must decide what we will believe – our perceptions or God’s promises.

If we routinely complain, get depressed, or become angry, we probably have chosen to go by our own view of things, rather than live by faith. Faith not only “believes,” it acts. Faith-filled (faithful) people will choose to praise God when things are difficult. This choice will produce the fruit of peace and joy in the midst of adversity.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT) —

The choice to praise God by faith is part of what it means to be an “overcomer,” someone who experiences God’s victory no matter what.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4 (ESV)

The choice is ours, and which side we come down on will greatly determine our present and future happiness.

When Caesar decreed that the Israelites must return to their home cities to enroll in his census, it must have seemed to Mary and Joseph that this was terrible timing. Mary was due to give birth any day and the trip was very hard on her. It was not as simple as getting in a car and driving. Mary may have ridden on a donkey. Joseph probably walked. In addition to this, it totally interrupted their lives, and all because a despised Roman government wanted it so. But – and God works in the “buts” of life – God used this difficulty to make sure his Son was born in Bethlehem to fulfill Micah’s prophecy! (Micah 5:2) It was not until much later that the significance of this trip came to light. That is how it often is: we do not understand what God is doing in our circumstances until much later. By then it may be too late to glorify God by faith.

We can always praise God in hindsight, and we should, but how much better it is when we praise him without yet seeing how he is going to work things out!

Faith believes and receives now what God has promised, even before it is seen or understood. Paul wrote the following important exhortation.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Acknowledging and praising God in all things – the good, the bad, and the ugly – is a very important key to happiness and brings great glory to God.

It’s an easy concept to grasp, but more difficult to practice. When we are in the midst of great difficulties and pressures, usually it is not our first inclination to praise the Lord and declare his sovereignty over the situation. But this is when we must reign in our fears and doubts and choose to glorify God, regardless of how we feel.

When we choose to praise God by faith when we don’t feel like it, our souls usually get in line and begin to feel much better. It’s a wonderful process. Praising God by faith leads to peace and joy.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your promise to work everything out for my good. I ask you to glorify yourself in my current situation. (Now is a good time to name that difficult situation you face.) Father, I trust you to work this for my good. I choose, with your help, to maintain an attitude of trust and praise. Open my eyes to see things from your perspective.  Work all of this out for your glory. Amen.

 

 

If you want to read more about how to see God’s smile in the midst of adversity, consider purchasing my book entitled, Seeing God’s Smile (when life is difficult). You can order it in paperback or Kindle versions from Amazon by clicking here.
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Escape from Religion

 

 

 

 

Since almost everyone is religious, why would we want to escape from religion? The English word religion derives from Latin religare, which means to bind. Perhaps the reason why we might wish to escape religion is because we want to be free from its fetters. On the other hand, many people want to be religious. It is the only way they know how to navigate this mystery called life. So much of life cannot be proved. It has to be taken by faith. Even those people who deny God’s existence do so by faith, since they cannot prove their basic presupposition that God does not exist. Whether we are part of one of the major worldwide religions or a devotee of materialistic Darwinism, we are religious and accept things as being true without being able to prove them. If you believe in heaven and hell or that we cease to exist when we take our last breath, you are presupposing what you cannot prove.

God created us to relate to him by faith. We are not supposed to know everything, just Him. We are not supposed to trust in anything except Him.

If you ask the average person how to get into heaven, he or she will likely say that we need to live a good life and try not to hurt anybody. This is a simple form or religion. It accepts by faith that God exists and that he accepts us based on our adhering to a certain set of requirements. In this case, the bar is set pretty low, low enough for most of us to easily get over it.

Religion is man’s attempt to measure and feel good about our relationship with God. It is our way to gain and maintain acceptance with Him and his blessing on our lives.

The trouble is that it’s really difficult to be good enough to earn a right standing with God. That is why so many religions provide some way to address our many failures. In the various forms of the Christian religion, which is derived from Judaism, those who make a real try at living a holy life by keeping the Law and all the rules, find that it is unattainable. Sometimes we just want to take a break, relax, let our guard down, and have some fun.

By its very nature, the Christian religion is an attempt to gain and maintain a right relationship with God by living according to rules and regulations and keeping prescribed rituals. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church, which takes this to an art form. Religion can be formal, liturgical, beautiful, and reverent or it can be informal, iconoclastic, plain, and irreverent.

Regardless of what form it takes, at its heart, religion is always the same – rules, procedures, regulations, evaluations, and judgments.

Every religious system has its own way of measuring success and failure, which all goes back to the first sin. Adam and Eve were not content simply doing what God told them: they had to know good and evil for themselves. This was the beginning of religion, in which man makes the rules instead of God. We have suffered from an incurable disease called religiosis ever since. We think that if we keep our own or our group’s rules, we can feel pretty good about ourselves vis a vis God. If we fall short of the prescribed norm, we may feel condemned or we might try the opposite tactic and dismiss the rule as unimportant. One way or another we must deal with the tension of our failure to keep our adopted religious rules.

What Religion Promises to Do for Us

It takes something extremely powerful to break the average person free from the pull of their chosen religion. So, what is it about religion that makes it so attractive?

  • Religion offers to provide a way for us to be “right” with God. Religion supposedly offers a way to make that happen, which seems to be within the grasp of the ordinary person. The older the religious tradition, the greater the authority it may claim to have.
  • Religion offers a way to measure where we stand with God and how we are progressing spiritually.  Religion provides a system of rules and regulations, which give us some feedback. If we keep the rules, we receive positive feedback. We also know where we stand when we break the rules.
  • Religion offers an effective way to connect with God. Churches that are more liturgical offer an ambience, sacraments, and ritual to produce a “holy” atmosphere. Often the more liturgical the setting, the greater the desire of the attendee to have someone else, a priest perhaps, draw near to God for them. Hence, the clergy has a more noticeable and sometimes exalted role as a mediator between the average person and God.

Interestingly, some people use “going to church” as a way to shield themselves from the need to have a personal connection with God.

If they are asked about their faith, they may say, “I go to church,” as a way to deflect. In fact, they have no personal connection with God. It is all done for them by the clergy. Non-liturgical religions have their own versions of what it means to “experience” God, which is usually more subjective and personal. Personal religious experience can also fall under all kinds of rules. Many feel that being quiet in “God’s house” is a rule that must not be broken. Others have certain ways of preaching and acting out what it means when God’s Spirit “falls” on them. For others, dressing in one’s best clothes for meetings is a necessary way to show reverence and holiness. For a great many, the stage must be properly set by a time of praise and worship, in which the “anointing” is felt. Many depend on the feeling they have when “the presence of God” is there. The list goes on. All this is done to try to reach God or to measure how well we have connected with God.

  • Religion offers to be an “authority,” to tell us if we are on the right track or not. The more liturgical churches have all sorts of traditions and hierarchy that provide this service. When the “powers that be” say we are “okay,” it is supposed to give us some confidence. Even non-liturgical churches often embrace strong authority figures, who tell them what to do and not do. For evangelicals, the Bible is the highest authority,  but we often depend on other authorities to tell us how to properly interpret and apply Scripture. Many people like this sort of “fence” around their lives to keep evil out and to keep them from straying outside accepted boundaries.
  • Religion offers stability and structure to give us peace in a very precarious and confusing world. Religion offers some version of this. Old line churches, brimming with history and tradition, offer something historically stable in a world where religious fashions come and go. More recent forms, traditions, denominations, or non-denominations of church offer their own versions of stability and structure, perhaps in the form of size, popularity, old hymns, old translations of the Bible, and that “old time religion.” Some fashionable churches today provide stability to modernists by being relevant and up to date with methodology, technology, fashions, music, and phrasing. Everyone gravitates to his or her own personal “comfort zone.”

Why Religion Fails

Those of us who have seriously pursued a religious way of trying to be right with God have found that it is extremely frustrating and discouraging. The one thing we learn is that we are far more seriously affected by sin than people who are not religious know.

We have to try to be good to find out how bad we are at a very deep level.

It is important for us to understand the reasons why religion can never give us a right relationship with God.

  • Since we are flawed at the core of our being, any system that relies on our performance will fail.
I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:21 (NLT)

According to the Bible, there is only one way to be in right standing with God – by fully trusting in Jesus the Messiah and what he accomplished for us on the cross and by his resurrection. Jesus had to die for us because no one is able to keep the requirements of religion, in this case the Law of Moses and all its derivatives.

Rules and regulations only point out to us how unable we are to be good enough.

...For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:21-22 (ESV)
  • Religion only gives us false readings when it offers to measure how we are progressing in our relationship with God.

If a religion makes its rules too difficult, people will give up, which, by the way, is what we are supposed to do. (Galatians 3:23-24) It is only when we give up on trying to be right with God in our own strength that we can come to Jesus as spiritual paupers (Matthew 5:3) and receive what he offers freely. On the other hand, if religion makes its rules easy enough for most of us to keep them, it gives us a false sense of security. God’s Law is impossible to keep because we are so sinful at the core of our beings.

I think it is important for us to define sin in a very general way at this point, since many might object my previous statement. The Bible indicates that sin, at its root, is a defiance and betrayal of God, our Creator, coupled with a determination to live on our own terms, without reference to God or his commandments.

Simply put, sin is living independently from God.

Using this definition, even the most high minded and noble among us will be classified as sinners, which is the actual way God views us. As the prophet and apostle said, “There is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)

Religion is our attempt to recreate Adam’s sin in the garden, when he decided he had to know for himself all about good and evil. Religion tries to create a framework in which we can know if we are good or bad, right with God or not, going to heaven or destined to hell. True Christianity, not the man-made religious variant, is God’s way to restore us to his original intent. He wants us to trust in him alone. That is why Jesus had to die.

When we relate to God by faith in Christ, there are no outward measurements by which we can confirm our right standing with God. The only anchor to which we can hold is the promise of God, and that is enough.

God wants us to be satisfied in Christ’s offering, the eternal Word of God, and in the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. That is all we need.

The apostle Paul firmly resisted any and every effort to introduce an outward measurement of righteousness. He knew this door leads down to a deadly legalistic path away from relying upon and experiencing the true grace of God.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2  Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3  I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4  You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5  For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6 (ESV)
  • Instead of giving us access to God’s presence, religion actually blocks the way.

The New Covenant gives us only one way to connect with God by faith, through his Son, Jesus the Messiah. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father, except through him. (John 14:6) The vehicle (actually, the Person) through whom this connection is made is the Holy Spirit. The door is wide open to those who thus approach him.

Jesus said:

Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” Luke 11:52 (ESV)

The reason many people resort to religion as a means to experience God’s presence is because they have never experienced the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Once we experience God in this way, it becomes crystal clear that religion has nothing to do with it.

  • Religious authorities almost always will let us down. 

By nature, all man-centered authority, religious or otherwise, tends toward establishing and maintaining power for itself. The religious authorities of Jesus’ day were the chief architects of his crucifixion. Despite their knowledge of the scriptures, their desire to preserve their own position and privilege pushed them to deny Jesus’ claim that he was and is God’s promised Messiah. Because they prioritized maintaining their own authority, they refused to submit to God’s. This leads us to the inescapable conclusion, which was confirmed by Christ himself, that any religious leader that accrues power and prestige to himself or herself should be avoided.

Religious authorities which do not bow the knee to Christ become architects of legalism and propagators of death.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25  And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26  But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Luke 22:24-26 (ESV)
  • Religion cannot provide the peace and security that only comes directly from God.

Religion will always fail in this regard because religious rules and laws work exactly opposite to their desired intent. Instead of helping us, they excite rebellion in us.

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8  But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9  At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10  and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11  Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12  But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. 13  But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. Romans 7:7-13 (NLT)

Self-effort is always a frustrating exercise in futility. Those with the strongest wills are the last to be convinced. They may rise to the top of the religious establishment and end up being harsh taskmasters, venting their frustration on others who fail to measure up to the level they have attained.

Faith alone connects us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the only One who was able to live in perfect obedience to God. Unless we come to him, we will never know the meaning of true security, peace, and rest. Jesus told his listeners that he would give them rest, if they would come to him. The offer still stands. The rest he spoke of comes from faith in his what he accomplished on the cross. We rest because Jesus already won our salvation. He lived the perfect life, so that we do not have to try and fail.

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10  For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)

Escape from Religion

Jesus came to offer something very different. One day he invited his listeners to make their escape from the tyranny of religion by coming to him.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

How does a person leave religion and “come” to Christ in order to find rest? What does it mean to rest in the way Jesus meant it?

Religion is a man-made system, but true faith opens the door into a divinely orchestrated relationship with God. Religion kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Cor. 3:6) Religion puts people in bondage, but following Christ sets people free. (Gal.5:1) Being a follower of Christ means we are experiencing a relationship with a real, living person. His indwelling Spirit transforms us internally and helps us to live according to our Lord’s teachings. Jesus invites people to run from religion into the glorious freedom and responsibility of being his followers. (Romans 8:1-2)

Following Christ allows a person to pass through the portal of faith into an amazing new world of freedom in the Spirit.

This happens when we are “born again” or “born from above.” Until the Spirit does this in us, we will be merely religious people, who are on the outside looking in, having little or no understanding of the spiritual dynamic of true Christianity.

In this new experience called following Christ, we learn to accept that Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

He paid off our enormous debt to God (because of sin), and gave us a free gift of being in a right relationship with his heavenly Father. We don’t have to earn it or be good enough to maintain it. All Jesus expects us to do is believe in his promises and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, who internally motivates and empowers us, something totally foreign to religious people.

When we fail, and we surely will, we will not be condemned. (John 5:24 and Romans 8:1) Instead the Spirit helps us to our feet again and encourages us to keep going.

In this brave new world of faith, we have no external measurements of our religious performance because they are no longer needed.

We do not measure ourselves or our progress, since Christ totally fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law of God for us. (Romans 10:4) Instead we fix our gaze upon the Perfect One and trust him to transform us more and more into his glorious image. Trying to “be good” drops off our radar screen.

Focusing on Jesus changes us from the inside out, often without our even being aware. Relationship replaces religion. We make our escape.

Accepting Responsibility

For those of us who have grown weary of the religious treadmill, it’s time to make a break. If we are tired of feeling frustrated, it’s time to jettison false religious hopes and come to the Author of hope, the Messiah, Jesus the Lord. If we want security and peace, we must approach the One who promises that he will give us rest. If we need a permanent break from unforgiving rules and harsh rulers, we are invited to come to the Shepherd who is gentle and lowly of heart and gave his life for us. If we want to be able to enjoy God’s life-giving presence, we can receive the One called “the Resurrection and the Life.” We have the opportunity to invite God’s life-giving Spirit to take charge of our lives. If we do these things, we will end up being happy, fulfilled, and passionate for God, something religion can never give us.

But Christ’s victory on the cross does not end with our escape. Rather, Jesus sets us free so we can fulfill our destiny. Our greatest privilege as born again followers of Christ is to partner with God in the great adventure of being Great Co-Missionaries.

God wants his mission to become our overwhelming purpose in life. Freedom is not for its own sake. It is so we can join God in his glorious enterprise.

Jesus was the Sent One. He sends us as his representatives to a frustrated religious world. We have the message of freedom, the gospel.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21 (ESV)

Prayer

Jesus, I am weary of religion and I want You. I turn myself over to you. I repent for attempting to earn my way to God, instead of relying on what you did for me. I accept that you died and rose again so that I don’t have to struggle with trying to be “good enough.” Holy Spirit, I ask you to come into my life. Empower me to live for Jesus. Teach me your truth. Make me a loving servant to others and a passionate witness for Jesus. Give me peace and joy. Father God, thank you for accepting me as your child and loving me past comprehension. Amen.

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The Effect of God’s Kindness Is Peace

 

 

 

 

One of the most important effects or fruit of the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives is peace. Peace is the direct result of God’s showing loving kindness to us through Christ.

Peace with God is the root of all other forms of real peace. It is a treasure freely given to all of God’s born again children that came at an incalculable cost to God.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, suffered and died on the cross and rose again to make our peace with God a reality. Our Lord’s peace was ripped from him during those horrible hours so that the peace God gives to us can never be snatched away.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT)

Paul wrote:

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 (NLT)

The technical term for being made right with God is justification, through which we were given Christ’s very own righteousness. When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says that he actually “became sin.” He was completely identified with our sin so that we might be likewise one with his righteousness. Not surprisingly, theologians call this identification.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

Some Bible readers imagine this is merely a poetic way of saying that Christ substituted for us by dying in our place. Substitution is another tremendous truth connected with our salvation, but that is not what Paul is writing about here. This verse refers to something much deeper, something C.S. Lewis called “deep magic” in his Chronicles of Narnia. It is the secret wisdom God used to rescue us from the Prince of Darkness.

No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8  But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NLT)

Abba Father caused all our sins to fall upon his Son (Isaiah 53:6) so that we will never have to carry them again or suffer their consequences – the terror of separation from God forever. There is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22), but the effect of righteousness is peace.

And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Isaiah 32:17 (ESV)

Because God unleashed the fullness of his wrath against sin upon his Son, we will never have to face it. He was appointed to wrath so that we are forever released from that appointment. (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

Isaiah beautifully wrote about this wonderful truth of the New Covenant.

Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. 10  For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:9-10 (NLT)

Paul said it another way in his letter to the church in Rome.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33  Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34  Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35  Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 (NLT)

What an amazing peace producing promise! God’s kindness toward us is eternal, which sparks the desire in us to love him back and willingly serve him with all our hearts. Generosity elicits gratefulness in the heart of the recipient.

Here is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible.

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)

Jesus endured death for us. When he died, we died. When he rose again, we rose with him to life eternal. This is essentially the message of Romans Chapter Six. This is why Paul could write.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

The reason we can experience victory over sin is because it no longer has the power to condemn us or rule us. Paul wrote in another place that the strength behind sin is the Law. (1 Corinthians 15:56) As long as we are subject to condemnation, sin has power over us. Because Jesus took our condemnation, sin lost its power to rule over us.

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:14 (NLT)

So, not only did Jesus provide us with everlasting peace, he also delivered us from the power of sin by taking our condemnation upon himself. How glorious!

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Encounters with God’s Kindness

 

Our sin produces inside us an expectation of an encounter with God’s judgment. The Bible tells us that…

...the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)

Our sin “earns” death; so, anything less than that is an encounter with God’s kindness.

Every time we come face to face with God’s kindness instead of his judgment, it reminds us that Jesus absorbed God’s wrath for our sake to make this possible.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, Romans 3:23-25 (NLT)

Since God is not bound by time but exists outside of it, he sees the entire panorama of history – past present, and future – all at once. It is all the same to him.

What Christ accomplished on the cross happened at a certain point in history but its effect is eternal.

The benefits go backward in time to cover those who lived and trusted God before Christ and forward to cover all those who would be born and believe the gospel after him. His sacrifice was accomplished once for all time.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28  so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT)

This means that even though we deserve to face an awful encounter with God’s wrath, we now can expect a meeting with the kindest Person we will ever know who delights to show us mercy.

Here are a few biblical examples of those who encountered God’s kindness instead of his wrath.

  1. Adam and Eve betrayed their Creator in spite of being warned that their disobedience would result in death. In the midst of being judged for their sin, God made Eve a most wonderful promise that one of her descendants would defeat Satan, which was fulfilled by Jesus on the cross. (Genesis 3:15)
  2. Jacob deceived his father Isaac and brother Esau to obtain the blessing normally intended for the elder son. Afterward Esau determined to kill Jacob, prompting him to flee to Haran where he married his cousins Leah and Rachel with whom he had twelve sons. Eventually God told Jacob to return to Canaan, the land of blessing, which required him to finally face up to Esau. After wrestling with his fears, he met his long estranged brother who had come with 400 armed men to do who knew what. Instead of encountering his brother’s anger, he was warmly embraced. Jacob said: “…what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!” (Genesis 33:10 (NLT))
  3. Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons, which made them jealous and full of hatred. They eventually sold him into slavery into Egypt. Later, after Joseph had been elevated to the second most powerful position in that land, Joseph’s brothers came to him to buy food. In dramatic fashion he revealed to them his true identity, which caused them to fear for their lives. Those brothers expected to encounter judgment but instead came face to face with forgiveness. The kindness Joseph extended was so unbelievable to them that after Jacob died they begged him not to punish them for their past behavior, prompting this response from Joseph. ” …Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21  No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children…”  Genesis 50:19-21 (NLT)
  4. David committed adultery with his good friend Uriah’s wife and had Uriah killed in battle after she became pregnant, both offenses being punishable by death. When Nathan the prophet confronted him about these sins, David repented, not knowing what might lie ahead in terms of judgment. Nathan announced that David would reap many negative consequences for his sin but that God chose to show mercy, saying: “…the LORD has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.” 2 Samuel 12:13 (NLT) 
  5. In John chapter 8, the woman caught in the act of adultery was hauled before our Lord expecting to be stoned to death as required in the Law of Moses. Drawing an advance upon what he would soon accomplish on the cross, he extended mercy to this woman and set her free. When all her accusers had departed, Jesus’ words have gone down in history. “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11  “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 (NLT) This woman expected to encounter God’s wrath at the hands of men but met face to face with his kindness and mercy.

Every single one of us is just like that woman. We have all sinned and deserve to experience God’s wrath. No one is righteous before God. (Romans 3:10) We all have a “fearful expectation of judgment.” (Hebrews 10:27)

Instead God sent his Son to encounter that wrath on our behalf so that we might come face to face with God’s smile.

The only way for us to avoid our appointment with judgment and death is to accept God’s generous offer to be reconciled to him through faith in Christ and what he did on our behalf. It seems like a “no brainer” to me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Creator of the universe, I stand before you now well aware that I deserve to encounter your judgment and wrath against my sin. Thank you for sending your Son to die in my place so that I might be forgiven and reconciled to you. I receive that amazing gift right now and give my heart and life to you. Holy Spirit transform me on the inside and help me to live the rest of my life for Jesus. Thank you for being so kind. Amen.

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The Inexhaustible Kindness of God

 

What we believe about God’s kindness will greatly influence how we experience him.

If we think he is hard to please, judgmental, and angry, we will relate to him based on that lens or filter. (Luke 19:20-23) Conversely, if we understand just how much he loves us and the inexhaustiblity of his kindness, it will transform our lives. (Psalm 18:25-27)

Paul wrote about God’s kindness in the first chapter of his letter to the church located in Ephesus in what is now Turkey.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 (NLT)

One of the ways to understand the depths of God’s kindness is to contrast it with his wrath. Kindness toward us is only possible because Jesus absorbed God’s wrath against our sin on the cross.

Paul explained it like this.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)

But what about when life is difficult and if we get wobbly in our devotion to God? Paul wrote in another place.

Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. Romans 11:22 (NASB)

Depending on our theological perspective, we may understand this verse as a threat that God’s child can be separated from God’s goodness and kindness by falling from grace. It is certainly a stern warning to us all, but there is another way to view what it means. Paul said that nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39) Even when we are running from God, we can never get away from him. David, who spent at least nine months rebelling against God, wrote the following:

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9  If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10  even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11  I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12  but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. Psalm 139:7-12 (NLT)

We may encounter God’s stern discipline, if we continue in rebellion, but we will never exhaust his mercy and kindness.

What is called the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints teaches us that God’s grace and Spirit will work in us so that our faith will not fail when we are tested.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. Jude 1:24 (NLT)

The apostle Peter verbally denied even knowing our Lord when he was put to the test during Jesus’ passion. He even spoke a curse over himself on the third time. But Jesus had foreseen Peter’s failure, warned him that it would happen, and promised him that he would eventually come around and be restored.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32  But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 (NLT)

After Jesus’ words came true, Peter was devastated by the revelation of his own weakness and faithlessness. He could have despaired and given up on God, but he did not because Jesus had given him a reason to hope. Peter never ceased to continue in faith in God’s kindness toward him, and when the opportunity came, he ran to the Lord to get things right with him again.

Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, had no such hope. After betraying the Lord for money, upon realizing the gravity of his sin, went out and committed suicide. I am convinced that, in spite of being with Jesus for three years, he never really understood who Jesus is or believed in him. Therefore he had no anchor, nothing to fall back on, no revelation of the inexhaustible kindness of God. In his hopelessness, he took his own life.

Another great example of the inexhaustibility of God’s loving kindness is the parable of the prodigal son. This young man cared little for his father or brother. He only wanted to have a good time without regard for God or family. In other words, he turned his back on his father. Nevertheless, he was a son; so, the father never turned his back on him.

Nothing can break the relationship between father and son, even though we may go through times of difficulty and separation.

Ultimately, sons will come back to the loving embrace of the father and be fully restored. Those who are not sons, such as Judas, have no anchor, no confidence in being restored, because they do not know the loving kindness of God.

If we wander away from God, we will find out that we are on a hard path of our own making. (Proverbs 13:15)

If we backslide, we will eat the fruit of our rebellious ways (Proverbs 14:14), but even this is a kindness from God. Our pain wakes us up and reminds us that walking close to God is much better.

The prodigal son finally had enough of the suffering he brought upon himself and returned to his father’s house. Little did he expect the warm welcome he received. His father’s kindness exceeded anything he had imagined.

The elder brother was put off by his father’s extravagant show of love because he had not yet come to grips with his own need for mercy.

God is so great that he can take even the worst things that happen to us and work them for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28) The prodigal son could have beat himself up for wasting his father’s money and treading upon his love, but that would have been counterproductive.

The only way the prodigal could receive the revelation of what his father was like was through his own failure. On the other side of his sinful wandering, he had a better understanding of his father’s love than the ever faithful elder brother.

This is not to say that we have to sin extravagantly to know God’s mercy. Far from it. But we do have to come to grips with our need for God’s kindness on a day to day basis.

How do we see God? Is he an austere demanding judge who always finds fault with us, or is he a loving and kind father who delights in us and encourages us to trust in his unchanging love and faithfulness? If you wish to know him better as the latter, Jesus will show you.

No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, the one who is closest to the Father's heart, has made him known. John 1:18 (GW)

Nothing makes Jesus happier than to tell us all about his Father’s amazing love and the inexhaustible riches of his kindness.

Prayer

Father in heaven, I want to experience your love and kindness. Jesus,  you are the One who knows Abba perfectly. Please reveal him to me so that I can trust him completely. Teach me always to rely on God’s loving kindness. Amen.

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