God will not fail you, keep steady in His work
There is great confidence for a Christian who is doing the work of God, that is giving himself or herself to what God desires to be done in life. In 1Chronicles 28:20 David says to Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for hte Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” Yet, one may be lacking confidence today due to some obstacle or opponent or trouble or whatever. Beloved, remind your soul that
“…if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter, and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority” (2Pet. 2:4-10 NASB).
It also is of great use to be reminded to pray regularly. Paul speaks of praying day and night for people in his epistles. When he does that he is not saying he does not carry on other things in life, but that he is regularly praying. And it can be assumed that he is at least praying morning and evening. Having regular prayer times is a start to encouraging one’s soul in the presence of God. In addition, like Paul, one must be sure to pray for the right things. Paul prayed a lot for the churches, that certainly should be in one’s prayers. Church effects so many lives, make sure you pray for the churches. And as you read the Bible you will discover other things that Paul prayed for, and others prayed for that can help you learn to pray better. The point I am making however is if there is no regular prayer time there is no opportunity for that. Consider setting aside time in the morning and evening to pray. The Lord give all those who desire such the strength and ability to carry it out. Amen. Beloved, God will not fail you, keep steady in his work, and do not worry.
Read MoreFaith – something you do or get?
2Peter 1:1 says “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours…”
And throughout the Bible we see the commands to believe in God, and that belief not in God will result in terrible things. Some may therefore emphasize one over the other as they preach today. Some may emphasize that you cannot believe because God must choose you, which is true, but the emphasis is wrong. Some may emphasize you must believe, and you have the ability to believe, which is right and wrong in the same sentence. We must be careful to remember salvation comes by grace through faith and both are gifts, but we must also remember that God has given accessible means to bring about regeneration. We will not mention all of them here, but the primary one that we should be reminded of this Lord’s Day, is the preaching of the Word, faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ!
So, faith is something you do, yes, you must come out of the tomb like Lazarus, but faith is something you get, because you must also be called by Jesus through His Word. Today many people will make a choice, to stay at home or go to church and sit under God’s Word, blessed are those who choose the later and are in the suitable atmosphere for faith to be given and expressed.
It is a mystery in a sense, which comes first, faith or regeneration. The answer is they are simultaneous, just as a candle is lit, there is light and heat at the same time. We give thanks to God for is indescribable gift that is expressed by those who believe. The difficulty of preaching today and always will be to preach in a way that gives all the glory to God, and that encourages people without making them feel like they must pat themselves on their backs; this is not easy. But we may use words like, I thank God for the faith I see Him working in our life, what wonderful courage you have expressed in God your Savior this year! I do not think that is perfect, but it is a start. Let’s try to think and talk biblically and see the amazing results God might bring this Advent. Amen.
Read MoreA Passionate Affection That Seeks The Good Of Others
Oftentimes we enjoy going “home” because of something lacking, loneliness or lack of fulfillment in the place where we may reside. This is a natural thing, according to D.A. Carson in his book A Call To Spiritual Reformation, where he explains Paul’s prayer in 2Thessalonians. He states that “Paul’s prayer arises out of passionate affection that seeks the good of others–not their praise, gratitude, acceptance, and still less some sense of professional fulfilment.”
The issue is that our motivation is often to go to some people whether it be home or elsewhere, or some job, so that we would be more fulfilled and happy. I remember receiving some Wisdom in my study of Proverbs this past year along these lines:
- There are many things you can do.
- There are some things you want to do.
- And there is some thing you should do.
- And most often the thing you should do is not exactly what you want to do.
It is advice for life, that you simply do not set out as a young person or older person seeking to land that job of your dreams exactly how you see it. You may well end up in the profession you so desire, but you may not, and that is ok. You may have a family to support, responsibilities that have come that require you to forgo your great desires. So, you go and do something that you can and that you should for the sake of service.
That is what Carson gets at in his book that I read this morning in different terms. The lesson is that we should really be making the sentimental secondary; that is the home-bound desire, to go if you will to the place where everyone knows your name, for the sake of going somewhere that you learn everyone elses name. Service and love are lacking in life and deep in the heart. Should we not think it God glorifying to serve people out of a desire to meet their greatest needs? Whether this be at home or away from what we consider home; whether this be in the profession we most desire or something otherwise–learn the lesson from Paul. The lesson that it is blessed to have a passionate affection that seeks the good of others.
You will find in your own life and in others that if self-fulfillment is the goal, you or they will often never stop moving homes and jobs until you or they come to the realization that life is not about self-fulfillment, but about something entirely outside of your self–God. To say God is very abstract, or even to say the Glory of God can be the same. It is more specifically living for One who never changes and is not as concerned with where you are, or what you are doing necessarily, but what motivates you to do it.
Read MoreOur natural tendency is to live in the sentimental theatre of happiness and fulfillment, a life about “me.” But it is vitally important that our happiness and joy come from serving others from a new heart. Indeed, you will not see the kingdom of God unless you are born again; and then you may work to realize again and again, this world is not the kingdom you need. Yes, perspectives change when you give your heart to God, as stony as it is, seeking self-interest only, and so forth; and you receive the heart of God, the same heart that rested in the Apostle Paul when he wrote the Thessalonians out of a passionate affection that seeks the good of others. God–here is my heart; may I then have yours?
Things that Hinder and Things that Help the Prayer Life
Things that can hinder your prayers:
- Unconfessed sin
- Bitterness
- Lack of Bible reading (so you don’t know how to pray for the things people really need)
- Self-centeredness (most of Paul’s prayers in the Bible were for others, not that he did not pray for himself, he did, but many do not pray for others, and that is a problem)
- Self-reliance (simply not praying)
Things that will help your prayer life:
- Confessing your sins to God
- Forgiving people
- Reading your Bible so you see how and what others prayed
- Thinking about others in prayer
- Praying (sometimes you just need to stop and pray, or you never will)
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