Based on Psalm 69:19-28
Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
When faced with trouble and pain, when feeling unable to cope; think of Jesus. Think of how he was harshly criticised when he had never done anything wrong. Think of how he was humiliated on the cross, naked and dying the death of the lowest criminal. Think of what happened to his reputation when he was crucified; his reputation was crucified with him. Think of how his beloved creations were enemies to him.
Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
Jesus heart was broken by the words spoken by the Jewish leaders and those he was crucified with, and nobody was there to comfort him, nobody took pity on him. It was only later that there were a few sympathetic with him, at this point there was nobody. Jesus could have decided to give up on humanity, every person he could see was rejecting the salvation he offered. He did not get any comfort from a hope of resurrection, because he was bearing our sin, and with it our hopelessness. But he went through with it, and did not save himself from the cross, even though Satan was tempting him to do so. Next time you are struggling, think of how glad you are that Jesus overcame so much, and that he has promised you the ability to do the same.
They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Jesus needed to endure the pain of the cross, and refused the painkiller he was offered. People often offer Jesus things he does not want. Jesus said his meat was to do God's will, but often people offer him the gall of lip service. People say they love Jesus and will do anything for him, but refuse to obey his commandments and condemn those that do.
Such people are condemned in scripture, they must repent or they will be lost. It is this kind of person that crucified Jesus and will persecute his obedient followers. They may have been in the Lamb's book of life before, but God will blot them out again if they do not repent. People who claim to love Jesus but deny him in what they do are the greatest reproach to him. Maybe it's time you thought about whether your lifestyle is glorifying Jesus, or making his teachings seem unreasonable.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Mockery and Reproach
Based on Psalm 69:7-18
What is a reason we may feel overwhelmed, as described in the earlier verses?
The answer is in this section.
Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
Living as God wants us to brings criticism, and sometimes we are confused and feel ashamed because society is condemning us so much. Those who are glorifying God in their lifestyle will feel this way often.
I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
Following God's instructions can even lead to distancing from family, becoming strange and different to them.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
There is nothing more radical than being utterly consumed by the service of God. Try it some time, and you will find that most Christians quickly criticise you for fanaticism, legalism and a judgmental spirit. Make sure these are not true charges, if they are you are doing enormous damage to the church. But if you are truly serving God devotedly out of love and a changed heart then this psalm is for you.
When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Sincere sorrow for sin and self-discipline, mortifying the flesh, are essential; for the lack of these many will perish. Yet so often those who claim a relationship with Christ drag others back from the repentance they need because such churchgoers do not themselves share this conviction. A great mistake in the church, is the belief that every point on which another differs from me is a point on which that person is sinfully wrong. This is often perversely balanced with the belief that no teaching/doctrine of Jesus taught by the prophets is worth more than avoidance of conflict, so quietness is favoured over principle and the testimony of Jesus made of no effect. This profanity amounts to little more than paganism yet it is so easy for you and me to fall into.
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
What would you say about someone who was so miserable that he wore a hair shirt under his clothes? Wouldn't he be mentioned in many of your conversations as an example of an extremist? Yet God relates to such a man.
God also relates to the public figure who is mocked in media outlets and by people who are having a bit too much fun. Be careful who you mock, it may be that God can relate to that person. The person does not need to be a good person. I have sometimes been offended and angry when I heard people mocking a sinner who I relate to for some reason, or care about; even though I do not share that person's sin, mocking my friend is like mocking me and I don't like it. Next time you are about to mock that weird person or that politician remember this, it's a lesson that I need to learn.
But as for me, my prayer is unto thee O LORD, in an acceptable time
Your safety, your solution, is to turn to Jesus. Turn to Jesus when you are being mocked, turn to Jesus when you are tempted to mock another, turn to Jesus when you feel like you are sinking in mud or drowning in a stormy sea, when you feel like everything is against you turn to Jesus. Jesus gave everything for you, he is all for you.
What is a reason we may feel overwhelmed, as described in the earlier verses?
The answer is in this section.
Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
Living as God wants us to brings criticism, and sometimes we are confused and feel ashamed because society is condemning us so much. Those who are glorifying God in their lifestyle will feel this way often.
I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
Following God's instructions can even lead to distancing from family, becoming strange and different to them.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
There is nothing more radical than being utterly consumed by the service of God. Try it some time, and you will find that most Christians quickly criticise you for fanaticism, legalism and a judgmental spirit. Make sure these are not true charges, if they are you are doing enormous damage to the church. But if you are truly serving God devotedly out of love and a changed heart then this psalm is for you.
When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Sincere sorrow for sin and self-discipline, mortifying the flesh, are essential; for the lack of these many will perish. Yet so often those who claim a relationship with Christ drag others back from the repentance they need because such churchgoers do not themselves share this conviction. A great mistake in the church, is the belief that every point on which another differs from me is a point on which that person is sinfully wrong. This is often perversely balanced with the belief that no teaching/doctrine of Jesus taught by the prophets is worth more than avoidance of conflict, so quietness is favoured over principle and the testimony of Jesus made of no effect. This profanity amounts to little more than paganism yet it is so easy for you and me to fall into.
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
What would you say about someone who was so miserable that he wore a hair shirt under his clothes? Wouldn't he be mentioned in many of your conversations as an example of an extremist? Yet God relates to such a man.
God also relates to the public figure who is mocked in media outlets and by people who are having a bit too much fun. Be careful who you mock, it may be that God can relate to that person. The person does not need to be a good person. I have sometimes been offended and angry when I heard people mocking a sinner who I relate to for some reason, or care about; even though I do not share that person's sin, mocking my friend is like mocking me and I don't like it. Next time you are about to mock that weird person or that politician remember this, it's a lesson that I need to learn.
But as for me, my prayer is unto thee O LORD, in an acceptable time
Your safety, your solution, is to turn to Jesus. Turn to Jesus when you are being mocked, turn to Jesus when you are tempted to mock another, turn to Jesus when you feel like you are sinking in mud or drowning in a stormy sea, when you feel like everything is against you turn to Jesus. Jesus gave everything for you, he is all for you.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Was It Sacrifice If Jesus Knew...?
Based on Matthew 27:46
How was Jesus' sacrifice a big deal since he knew he would be resurrected?
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46
Here Jesus is fulfilling/quoting Psalm 22:1.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
The psalm speaks of the feeling of abandonment and despair. It was soon after speaking these words that Jesus died, though not immediately. Jesus felt forsaken by God before his death, this was the ultimate pain for the one who had been perfectly united with the Father in eternity.
In Matthew 26:38 Jesus says:
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death
Jesus is full of pain and sorrow all ready, and he has not even begun to be crucified. Jesus is already suffering intense pain not from crucifixion but because the process of sin bearing is already beginning to be attributed to him.
In the next verse Jesus prays:
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
This prayer is repeated later, demonstrating that to live a life of faith we must often commit our will and ways to the Father, not only once.
In verse 41 Jesus encourages his disciples to watch and pray so that they are not overcome by temptation. They do not watch and pray, and they are overcome by fear and confusion when Jesus refuses to resist arrest.
Be diligent and dependent on Jesus to overcome temptation and religious confusion, you can surrender your will to Jesus as often as you need to, this is the best place to start. Because Jesus went through the agony of losing his connection with the rest of the Godhead, but found it again by his divine power; he can reconnect you with God too. Jesus suffered temptation to doubt and compromise, he couldn't even be certain that he would rise from the dead. But he followed God's plan that the Holy Spirit impressed on him from the Bible, and he can give you everything you need to do the same.
How was Jesus' sacrifice a big deal since he knew he would be resurrected?
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46
Here Jesus is fulfilling/quoting Psalm 22:1.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
The psalm speaks of the feeling of abandonment and despair. It was soon after speaking these words that Jesus died, though not immediately. Jesus felt forsaken by God before his death, this was the ultimate pain for the one who had been perfectly united with the Father in eternity.
In Matthew 26:38 Jesus says:
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death
Jesus is full of pain and sorrow all ready, and he has not even begun to be crucified. Jesus is already suffering intense pain not from crucifixion but because the process of sin bearing is already beginning to be attributed to him.
In the next verse Jesus prays:
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
This prayer is repeated later, demonstrating that to live a life of faith we must often commit our will and ways to the Father, not only once.
In verse 41 Jesus encourages his disciples to watch and pray so that they are not overcome by temptation. They do not watch and pray, and they are overcome by fear and confusion when Jesus refuses to resist arrest.
Be diligent and dependent on Jesus to overcome temptation and religious confusion, you can surrender your will to Jesus as often as you need to, this is the best place to start. Because Jesus went through the agony of losing his connection with the rest of the Godhead, but found it again by his divine power; he can reconnect you with God too. Jesus suffered temptation to doubt and compromise, he couldn't even be certain that he would rise from the dead. But he followed God's plan that the Holy Spirit impressed on him from the Bible, and he can give you everything you need to do the same.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Final Stand
Based on Psalm 69:1-6
Save me O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
Have you ever come close to drowning? Losing strength and slipping under the water despite your frantic efforts. Swallowing water; the taste of a watery grave, desperate. Wishing for some way, any way to get out of the water and breathe freely again. Praying for the strength to reach land or the provision of a helping hand. The fear that there is nothing you can do to save yourself.
I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
Have you ever been stuck in mud? Your ruined shoes now lodged perpetually under the place where you thought firm ground was, striving to stay on your feet but unable to move them you fall and get covered in mud. You crawl back to where you left the solid ground, leaving your shoes and dignity behind. But can you imagine being stuck in quicksand? Not merely being harmlessly stuck in the mud but sinking subtly into the earth's smothering embrace. Wishing you were anywhere but here, being buried alive, going down alive into hell (the pit; see Prov 1:12), realising that you really will die, having the horrible thought that the more you struggle the faster you will go. Have you ever been swept away by waves or floodwaters? Seeing the violent wall of dirty water looming over you a moment before it takes control of your life. Trying in vain to stay on your feet, holding desperately to anything solid. Wallowing around trying to stand up only to be washed away by another wave, clutching for the solid rock and being cut all over by its sharp edges. Finding a smooth rock but unable to grip it anywhere and trying with intensity to just get that next breath.
I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Have you ever been tired of struggling? Your reflexes are still franticly trying to find anything to preserve your life, but right now some part of you just wants to give up. Something in you keeps desperately fighting, to the bitter end; but you consciously wonders "why bother?" if life is like this. Nobody is helping, not even God.
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Have you ever had the feeling that everybody in a place is working against you and willing to destroy you to get what they want? Have you ever wondered why people keep opposing you without any reason and then someone explains that their reason is essentially political? Have you ever been in an organisation where you had to make an apology to someone that you didn't wrong? Falsely accused and to your shock nobody believes you. What can you say to God in a situation like that?
Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
This is your last resort, your final stand when everything seems falling to pieces; and it is a solid place that you can always stand on. "I do not deserve a good reputation, or salvation from circumstances that threaten to destroy me. But there are many others who follow Jehovah God of the universe, and as a known Christian my disgrace and destruction is sure to be devastating to their faith. Please do not let anyone's faith be damaged because of me; destroy this life, but please don't let me destroy the lives of those I love." I can ask this because Jesus has given me the gift of prayer.
[To be continued]
Save me O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
Have you ever come close to drowning? Losing strength and slipping under the water despite your frantic efforts. Swallowing water; the taste of a watery grave, desperate. Wishing for some way, any way to get out of the water and breathe freely again. Praying for the strength to reach land or the provision of a helping hand. The fear that there is nothing you can do to save yourself.
I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
Have you ever been stuck in mud? Your ruined shoes now lodged perpetually under the place where you thought firm ground was, striving to stay on your feet but unable to move them you fall and get covered in mud. You crawl back to where you left the solid ground, leaving your shoes and dignity behind. But can you imagine being stuck in quicksand? Not merely being harmlessly stuck in the mud but sinking subtly into the earth's smothering embrace. Wishing you were anywhere but here, being buried alive, going down alive into hell (the pit; see Prov 1:12), realising that you really will die, having the horrible thought that the more you struggle the faster you will go. Have you ever been swept away by waves or floodwaters? Seeing the violent wall of dirty water looming over you a moment before it takes control of your life. Trying in vain to stay on your feet, holding desperately to anything solid. Wallowing around trying to stand up only to be washed away by another wave, clutching for the solid rock and being cut all over by its sharp edges. Finding a smooth rock but unable to grip it anywhere and trying with intensity to just get that next breath.
I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Have you ever been tired of struggling? Your reflexes are still franticly trying to find anything to preserve your life, but right now some part of you just wants to give up. Something in you keeps desperately fighting, to the bitter end; but you consciously wonders "why bother?" if life is like this. Nobody is helping, not even God.
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Have you ever had the feeling that everybody in a place is working against you and willing to destroy you to get what they want? Have you ever wondered why people keep opposing you without any reason and then someone explains that their reason is essentially political? Have you ever been in an organisation where you had to make an apology to someone that you didn't wrong? Falsely accused and to your shock nobody believes you. What can you say to God in a situation like that?
Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
This is your last resort, your final stand when everything seems falling to pieces; and it is a solid place that you can always stand on. "I do not deserve a good reputation, or salvation from circumstances that threaten to destroy me. But there are many others who follow Jehovah God of the universe, and as a known Christian my disgrace and destruction is sure to be devastating to their faith. Please do not let anyone's faith be damaged because of me; destroy this life, but please don't let me destroy the lives of those I love." I can ask this because Jesus has given me the gift of prayer.
[To be continued]
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Power
Based on Psalm 68
God is the only one who can hold each family together, and he has taken sin prisoner making us free to be obedient. God provides us with blessings and true success which bring real lasting joy; he wounds the head of the enemy. All over the world people are coming to know God, because of his power and his goodness; his love to all humanity.
Speak of God's power, that it will overcome your challenges, that is a part of faith.
God is the only one who can hold each family together, and he has taken sin prisoner making us free to be obedient. God provides us with blessings and true success which bring real lasting joy; he wounds the head of the enemy. All over the world people are coming to know God, because of his power and his goodness; his love to all humanity.
Speak of God's power, that it will overcome your challenges, that is a part of faith.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
The Rain Ripens the Harvest
Based on Psalm 67
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
We who desire mercy from God are called to show mercy. Most often mercy or lack of it is shown in my facial expression. People may not always deserve a bright smile, but have mercy on them and show one. Having a radiant face does not always happen by itself, for me it will take determined effort to cultivate a habit of a cheerful disposition. If that's what it takes, do it. If you want God to smile on you try smiling on his children. Luke 6:36; Mat 5:7; Prov 15:13
That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
We need God's mercy so that we can tell everyone about God's way - embodied by Jesus Christ - the way that can save all of humanity from sickness, sin and death. Curing real diseases, saving from real sins and giving real immortality; these are the things God will give us if we follow his way. John 14:6
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
All the people should praise God, not just an elite; this principle is contrary to popular "styles" that exclude the majority of people from joining in the praise of God. This can be because the songs are too hard to sing, the lyrics may be suspect, they may be too disorderly to follow along or simply too loud (or too off-key) for people to join in. Praise should be according to truth, reverential, inclusive and orderly. We can praise God without singing, and we should do that more often. Tell each other about specific things God helped you with during the week.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
There will come a time when every nation on earth will be governed by Jesus, that will be a great time. Think of it; no more injustice, no more incompetent or corrupt officials! That will happen on this earth, not elsewhere; here on this earth that will be restored to even greater than edenic beauty and perfection. It will happen for all nations of earth; not just Israel, not just Rome, not just the USA, not even just Australia. All nations will be ruled by Jesus on this earth for blissful eternity. Rev 21
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
That is what we want as Christians; I mean Christians who are missionaries regardless of our profession. We so want all the people to praise God for all the wonderful things he does all the time. We so want all the people to know the love of Jesus and to join us in fellowship with Jesus among us. It's not that we are so determined to make our own organisation the biggest, but that we want the kind of friendship with everyone that we can only have with those we share Jesus with. We long for the loud cry of Revelation 14:6-7, we long for the latter rain of Hosea 6:3, we long for everyone to have the knowledge of what Jehovah is really like as promised in Habakuk 2:14. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus declares that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world and then the end will come. These desires will be fulfilled, I don't know how, but I know they will.
Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
Is this merely describing crops of wheat and barley? In Matthew 13:39 Jesus describes the end of the age of sin as a harvest; when he will return to gather his people to be with him. When the gospel has been demonstrated in all the world, the people of earth will ripen, the righteous and the wicked will be set and determined, all will be ripe and mature in their chosen way. Then Jesus will come - not someone else's Jesus, our Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible - and will bless us, you and me, because we have been faithful. Praise the Lord, I look forward to that day, when I think of it like this.
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Yes, I long for that day now at last, when God will be giving us all the blessings sin has barred from us and everyone on earth, everyone in the universe will fear God alone, the rightful - and now once more the only - supreme ruler in the universe.
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
We who desire mercy from God are called to show mercy. Most often mercy or lack of it is shown in my facial expression. People may not always deserve a bright smile, but have mercy on them and show one. Having a radiant face does not always happen by itself, for me it will take determined effort to cultivate a habit of a cheerful disposition. If that's what it takes, do it. If you want God to smile on you try smiling on his children. Luke 6:36; Mat 5:7; Prov 15:13
That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
We need God's mercy so that we can tell everyone about God's way - embodied by Jesus Christ - the way that can save all of humanity from sickness, sin and death. Curing real diseases, saving from real sins and giving real immortality; these are the things God will give us if we follow his way. John 14:6
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
All the people should praise God, not just an elite; this principle is contrary to popular "styles" that exclude the majority of people from joining in the praise of God. This can be because the songs are too hard to sing, the lyrics may be suspect, they may be too disorderly to follow along or simply too loud (or too off-key) for people to join in. Praise should be according to truth, reverential, inclusive and orderly. We can praise God without singing, and we should do that more often. Tell each other about specific things God helped you with during the week.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
There will come a time when every nation on earth will be governed by Jesus, that will be a great time. Think of it; no more injustice, no more incompetent or corrupt officials! That will happen on this earth, not elsewhere; here on this earth that will be restored to even greater than edenic beauty and perfection. It will happen for all nations of earth; not just Israel, not just Rome, not just the USA, not even just Australia. All nations will be ruled by Jesus on this earth for blissful eternity. Rev 21
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
That is what we want as Christians; I mean Christians who are missionaries regardless of our profession. We so want all the people to praise God for all the wonderful things he does all the time. We so want all the people to know the love of Jesus and to join us in fellowship with Jesus among us. It's not that we are so determined to make our own organisation the biggest, but that we want the kind of friendship with everyone that we can only have with those we share Jesus with. We long for the loud cry of Revelation 14:6-7, we long for the latter rain of Hosea 6:3, we long for everyone to have the knowledge of what Jehovah is really like as promised in Habakuk 2:14. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus declares that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world and then the end will come. These desires will be fulfilled, I don't know how, but I know they will.
Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
Is this merely describing crops of wheat and barley? In Matthew 13:39 Jesus describes the end of the age of sin as a harvest; when he will return to gather his people to be with him. When the gospel has been demonstrated in all the world, the people of earth will ripen, the righteous and the wicked will be set and determined, all will be ripe and mature in their chosen way. Then Jesus will come - not someone else's Jesus, our Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible - and will bless us, you and me, because we have been faithful. Praise the Lord, I look forward to that day, when I think of it like this.
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Yes, I long for that day now at last, when God will be giving us all the blessings sin has barred from us and everyone on earth, everyone in the universe will fear God alone, the rightful - and now once more the only - supreme ruler in the universe.
Monday, 25 March 2013
Don't Hold Back
Based on Psalm 66
All the people of the world are called to worship God, to sing and praise him in a way that enhances his reputation. Eventually even God's enemies will submit to his power and everyone on earth will acknowledge the justice of God.
Think about the awe inspiring things that God has done, think about all those people walking through the sea on dry land. God has infinite and eternal power, you would have to be crazy to try to rebel against him.
God allows us to go through some terrible things so that we are confirmed as qualified for eternal life. Sacrifice is necessary for this, the sacrifice of Jesus. Now we can tell people about the things Jesus has done in our lives, and how he answered us when we called.
If I decide to hold on to sin, Jehovah will not listen to me. But God has listened to my prayers, and given me great mercy.
Are there any things you are holding onto that may be sin? If you want power in prayer then join me in giving everything up to Jesus.
All the people of the world are called to worship God, to sing and praise him in a way that enhances his reputation. Eventually even God's enemies will submit to his power and everyone on earth will acknowledge the justice of God.
Think about the awe inspiring things that God has done, think about all those people walking through the sea on dry land. God has infinite and eternal power, you would have to be crazy to try to rebel against him.
God allows us to go through some terrible things so that we are confirmed as qualified for eternal life. Sacrifice is necessary for this, the sacrifice of Jesus. Now we can tell people about the things Jesus has done in our lives, and how he answered us when we called.
If I decide to hold on to sin, Jehovah will not listen to me. But God has listened to my prayers, and given me great mercy.
Are there any things you are holding onto that may be sin? If you want power in prayer then join me in giving everything up to Jesus.
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