God is so awesome!
This morning, I wrote about our worth to God. I had read the Luke scripture about the sparrows and how much God loves each one, had a wonderful prayer time, and then wrote down my thoughts.
I volunteer at our church on Thursdays, and when I noticed “His Eye is on the Sparrow” will be one of our songs this Sunday, I was amused. Then, a young woman came in and with tears in her eyes said she did not know where to turn. Her story of abuse was almost more than I could bear, and I saw her as a wounded sparrow that needed a special touch from God.
Because I spent time with God this morning, He had filled me to overflowing with His love and His joy, and praise God I was able to share that love and joy with this young woman. I told her how much God loves her. She said she felt worthless. I assured her that God placed such a high worth upon her that He sent His only son to die in her place. She said she felt her sins were too great. I told her I had never seen anything in the Bible that said Jesus died for all of our sins except the ones we thought were too great.
We cried together and prayed together. I hope she accepts my invitation to come to church on Sunday. I hope she seeks help to escape her situation. I hope she reads the Bible we gave her. I hope she can hang on in spite of her circumstances and give God a chance to work a miracle in her life. I hope, I pray, and I believe that God is wrapping His arms around this young woman, and that He will place people in her path who will love her and encourage her.
How much are we worth to God?
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Bible Gateway, NIV)
Years ago when t-shirts with Christian messages first appeared, I wanted to buy one for my oldest stepson. He balked, saying he would wear one when he could live up to the message. I said how about wearing the message and then asking God to give you the grace to live it, at least for the day.
Today’s verse may seem an odd selection for a blog about holiness, but it occurred to me as I read it that sometimes people are hindered from seeking holiness because they don’t understand their worth to God. Not only are Christians sometimes deterred from seeking holiness, but the un-churched will sometimes say, “God could never forgive what I have done,” to explain their unwillingness to turn to God.
When God gave His only son to die for our sins, there was no caveat that precluded certain sins from redemption. When God said, “I am holy, be thou holy likewise,” it was not a suggestion, it was an imperative. And when God says if He does not forget the sparrow He will not forget us, He means it!
God loves us so much, how can we choose the “happiness” the world offers over the joy, the deep down joy that comes from loving and serving God?
PRAYER: Father God, you are a wonderful and awesome God. I scarce can take in the depth of your love for me, and I am overwhelmed by your mercy and your grace. May today we know, really know, how much we are worth to you, and may we completely dedicate ourselves to you and your service. Amen.
Walking God’s Path
The Birth of Samson
13 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. 3 The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death. ’”
When I hear the phrase, “again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord,” for some reason I think of Elmer P. Fudd saying, “that cwazy wabbit!” Those cwazy Iswaelites! Albert Einstein is attributed as saying the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.
It is insane to continue to do anything so reckless as to go against God’s laws and His precepts. Yet, this theme continues throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites had been under the rule of the Philistines for 40 years, which is generally the time period for correction in the Old Testament.
Our lesson begins with a childless couple receiving God’s blessing upon them. Childlessness was considered a curse, but the curse was reversed when a child named Samson was born. Anytime God blesses a childless couple in the Bible, something big is about to happen, for the curse has been lifted and salvation is on the way.
What do we know about Samson’s mother from reading the scripture?
1. Not named
2. Childless
3. Somewhat of an outcast because society deemed childlessness as a curse
4. Transformed
During my studies over the last months, it has occurred to me repeatedly that the first result of salvation is transformation, and the second is restoration of relationships. This woman was transformed from a pariah into a member of society. Her relationships began to change. Certainly her relationship to God grew stronger as she committed to live her life in a certain way and to raise Samson according to what God required. Her relationship to her husband changed as she delivered the message the angel had given her, and her relationship with the other women changed as she was no longer scorned for being childless.
Have you found yourself transformed by the call God has placed upon your life? You haven’t been called? If you have no calling, why did God endow you with certain gifts to help build up the body? If you haven’t been called, who will go and tell others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ as only you can? If you haven’t been called, who will care for the sick and the underprivileged as only you can.
We are each called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. The calling is clear, the answer is clear: Here am I Lord, send me.
PRAYER: May we each understand that discipleship carries with it the responsibility to share the grace we have been given with others. Amen
Give us teachable hearts
Psalm 119:33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
Do you realize how crucial it is for a disciple to have a teachable heart? We can only seek after holiness if we allow ourselves to continue to learn and be transformed by His Word.
Following God’s statutes is not about legalism, it is about learning His heart. What matters to God should matter to us and what and whom God loves we should love. However, if we steel our hearts against God’s Word, choosing instead to proof text the scriptures, we will not only fail to learn, we will fail to turn our hearts to Him.
Are you willing to alter your perception of long-held beliefs in order to be molded into who God wants you to be? Are you able to grab hold of truth even if it means you have to relinquish “being right?”
Jesus said repeatedly that what He was telling His followers was something they had not heard before. His statement still holds true today. The gospel is too often watered down because it is not comfortable. May we be willing to risk being made uncomfortable in order to follow Christ in spirit and in truth.
PRAYER: Father, keep us close to your Word, close to your heart, and may we have kingdom understanding in all we do. Amen.
Meditating on the Word
Psalms 119:9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
In the 1980’s I completed a series of courses in order to receive the designation of FLMI, or Fellow Life Management Institute. These courses dealt with varying topics as regards life insurance. Some of the courses dealt with accounting, mathematics, claims, underwriting and of course law.
Most law is dry as a bone, and although I was diligent to study and learn, it was not a joy. I did not meditate on any of these courses, and I hid very little in my heart. But David gives us a different picture, one of a man who understands clearly what it takes to stay on the pathway of holiness.
Have you tried hiding the word in your heart lately? It is hard! Memorization does not come easily at my age, but what happens if we find ourselves in the predicament of Christians in Third World countries who do not have a dozen Bibles in their homes? In fact, many have to share not just complete Bibles but portions of Bibles. How much of the word can you rely upon if your Bible is no longer available?
We need to become single-minded enough that we can find joy in the things of God, we can spend time in His word, not scanning over it so that we can say we read the Bible today, but really soaking it in. We need to remember we are seeking holiness, and if we seek it, we will find it. But it all begins with seeking.
PRAYER: Father, as we follow the disciplines of reading our Bibles and praying, may we become diligent in really reading your word. May it remain light and truth for each person who reads it, and may we keep it ever before us, and your word ever in our hearts. Amen
Seeking Holiness 