The Safety of the Faithful

This past week I have been studying Psalm 4. It was written by David and it speaks of the reality of finding such peace in God’s presence that even when torn by physical and emotional pain, a person may still have restful sleep.

As I pondered this concept, I was reminded of a statement that Kay Arthur wrote in one of her books that dealt with the topic of why Christians suffer. She had said that Christians would do well to have the word “eternity” stamped on the inside of their eyelids in order to keep the proper perspective of life and all of its trials and tribulations. In reading Psalm 4, David sees past the temporal, past his enemies, past those that love only the good the world has to offer, and he rests in His God who makes him dwell in safety. What a marvelous spiritual truth to allow to captivate our lives and thoughts.

It is also worth pointing out that throughout the Psalm David repeatedly refers to the righteousness and holiness of God. In verse 3 he states, “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” Many people call out to God for help, especially during difficult trials but notice that God hears those that are righteousness. This calls to mind James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

God hears those that have made a decision to follow Him and forsake sin. And this really gets to the heart of the issue. God is first and foremost concerned with our sin not our circumstances. On the cross, Jesus defeated sin and its power to have dominion in our lives. God expects His people before they even call out to Him, to be leading lives separate from the world. This does not mean we are perfect by any means, but as John MacArthur likes to say, “It is the direction of our lives not the perfection.” If our lives show a pattern of worldliness in thought, deed, and action than how can God work His goodness and blessing into our lives?

David was able to pillow his head at night and say, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” because in his life he was “offering sacrifices of righteousness to the Lord.” In fact, it was David in Psalm 51 who said about God, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart - These, O God, You will not despise.”

I think often as Christians, we can come to God with our requests and expect Him to fulfill them based on our terms. I try to remind myself that every time when I begin to pray to first confess sin and asked to be cleansed because if we are not seeking to be holy first than all else really does not matter. We serve a holy and just God who tells us in Matthew 5:48 that He is perfect and His desire is for His people to be perfect.

God wants us saved, sanctified, and filled with His Spirit. The circumstances of life are a distant second to this objective. This is not to say that God is not interested in our day-to-day lives and struggles. On the contrary, He tells us to bring our requests to Him, but if we are not seeking to become like Him than why would we expect Him to hear us?

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)

God’s Litmus Test

I have been immersed in prophecy for quite some time and was recently studying Matthew 25:31-46. This passage speaks about Jesus’ second coming when he will divide the believers (sheep) from the unbelievers (goats). As I began to look at this text more closely, God’s barometer for faithfulness is not what most Christians would imagine.

Many of us, myself included, get caught up at times in the rituals of Christianity. We have organized our life to ensure we have time in the Word, time in prayer, time for church. But as we come to Matthew 25, Jesus tells His followers that the faith they placed in Him was demonstrated practically in their lives as they ministered to people’s needs. He never mentions what a devout Christian they were in terms of how often they attended church, Bible studies, or revival meetings, but instead focuses on how they loved and met the needs of others.

It is interesting to also notice that Jesus commends them for their service to the brethren or fellow believers. He tells them that when they ministered to the needs of other believers, they had ministered directly to Him. Given the Holy Spirit resides within each believer, Jesus Himself was affected every time one of these people helped their fellow brother or sister in Christ. This is a powerful thought, isn’t it? I Corinthians 6:17 states, “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." Galatians 2:20 says, “Nevertheless, I live yet Christ lives in me.” This theme of Christ residing within in us through the Holy Spirit is emphasized over and over again in the New Testament. Therefore, we can conclude that what is done to me as a Christian is done to Christ and what I do to another believer is also done to Him.

I also wanted to mention, lest anyone believe salvation is attained by good works, that the deeds these people performed did not impart righteousness to them. They already had God’s imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ which is made clear in the preceding verse (34), “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” They have already been blessed by the Father. They are heirs of the Kingdom because of Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf. The good deeds that are described in the following verses (35-36) are just a description of the kindness that flowed out of them during the daily routine of life. It is these very acts that reveal their genuine salvation.

And the acts that are commended are not earth shattering in nature, are they? Christ speaks of giving water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to a stranger, and visiting the sick, lonely or imprisoned. These are acts we all can do regularly in the normal course of life no matter our status, education, or geographical location. Christ did not say, “When you founded a church, surrendered to the missionary field, or built a school, you did these things to me.” He said a cup of water given to someone in need was given to Him. What an amazing thought - a cup of water, some food, a bag of clothes, shelter for a stranger, time spent with the sick or lonely. These are the demonstrable acts of a life that is completely lost in Christ.

So, this brings us to the most important question, what are we doing to minister to the brethren? Are we doing something? Anything? You know, I have had many Christians tell me over the years that they find it easier to minister to unbelievers because there is no expectation or judgment on their part. What a tragic statement in light of Jesus’ words in Matthew. The Lord never promised the walk would be easy which is why the Scriptures tell us to not forsake the gathering of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:24-25) and to encourage, exhort, and rebuke one another (Titus 2:15). It is precisely because the walk is not easy that we must minister one to another.

So often in the Bible we read how the disciples, especially Paul was discouraged by fellow believers that he himself had led to the Lord. But Paul never quit or lost hope because his focus was always on who he was ultimately serving – Christ. I believe that is the whole key to this passage. These people had the love of God in them that overflowed one to another. Now notice their humble response to Jesus as they ask, “Lord, when did we do these things to you?” They did not say, “Thanks Lord, we already know how great we are.” But that is the mark of true servanthood, isn’t it? It is a completely selfless love that never begs to be noticed or requited. Such is the love of Christ and it is the ultimate litmus test for everyone that claims His name.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

A Study of the Holy Spirit

The women’s Bible study that I have been attending for the past four years is embarking on a study of the Holy Spirit. We are using Kay Arthur’s inductive study book entitled, The Holy Spirit Unleashed in You as our guide. I am not sure if I have ever been more excited about a study than this one at this time in my life. Often the person of the Holy Spirit and His working in a believer’s life are neglected or misunderstood because His office seems mysterious to many believers and we tend to miss His functions when they are mentioned in Scripture.

In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is literally the Spirit of God. He is also the third person of the Trinity. As part of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and with God the Son. As such he is personal and also fully God.

The Holy Spirit performs specific divine functions that I will be learning over the coming weeks and plan to detail in this blog. His main charter though, is to point men and women to Jesus Christ. There are many movements today that claim to be "Spirit-focused” that unfortunately elevate the Holy Spirit above Jesus Christ. I would suggest that these movements are not truly Spirit-led as anything the Spirit does always points to Jesus Christ. He always points us to forgiveness, to the cross, to the blood of Chris, to no condemnation. Why? Because Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I hope you will continue to visit this blog in the weeks and months to come and share with me your thoughts on the person of the Holy Spirit and His working in your life.