Been Waiting Long?
To be honest, I never gave Caleb much thought after he and Joshua returned with their report of the Promise Land. See, God had said to Israel, “Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give you.” (Deut 1:8) Twelve scouts were sent to check out this new land, but Caleb and Joshua were the only two who believed God would deliver it. Caleb never doubted God would give Canaan over to Israel. His attitude was, “Forget about the giants…we got this!” Sadly though, he had to endure the wilderness with those who did doubt.
Caleb was forty when he was promised his portion of the land. Some forty-five years later, that’s…4…T…5 years later…the promise was still unfulfilled. This guy never lost his faith in the power of God nor did he lose his zeal to see God’s promise fulfilled. Whether Caleb was scouting out the Promised Land or waiting it out in the wilderness, he remained steadfast. “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.” (Joshua 14:8)
Full of resolve, Caleb went before Joshua, “Today, I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.” (Joshua14:10-11) This man was unshakeable. I can imagine him saying, “Joshua, remember when you and I saw giants over there? Give me that hill country that the Lord promised me; if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out just as the Lord said.” He believed in his heart and was confessing with his mouth, just as he did four decades earlier, “Forget the giants…we got this! The Word of God will prevail!”
Have you been waiting long to see the promises of God fulfilled? God would have you know you are not forgotten. Do not lose faith and do not lose your zeal to see the promises fulfilled. Simply stay rooted in the Word of God daily. Faith will increase by way of the Word. As you remain faithful in following the Lord, you will see that the Word of God always prevails.
Caleb did see his promise fulfilled. Not only did he drive out the existing giants in his old age, but he also drove out the memory of them by renaming the land. Complete victory. Complete fulfillment. Faithful God.
A Need To Know
As a follower of Jesus, have you ever stopped serving Him long enough to ask yourself, “Who is this man?” Before you roll your eyes, keep in mind even the twelve disciples questioned. They saw with their own eyes everything He did and heard firsthand what He taught. Yet, they still asked that question…often.
Although the following passages may be familiar, stay with me. My hope is that the truth at the end will (at least in part) provide a fresh understanding as to who Jesus is, based on what He did.
In Luke 7:12-15, Jesus approached a village gate as large funeral procession was coming out. In the procession was a widow who was about to bury her only son. With His heart overflowing with compassion, Jesus said to her, “Don’t cry!” He then walked over and touched the coffin, stopping the pallbearers in their tracks. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up.” To the amazement of everyone there, the widow’s son sat up in his coffin and began to talk! Jesus turned back toward the widow and gave him back to her.
In Luke 8:43-48, there was a woman in a crowd who had suffered for years with constant bleeding. Her only success in looking for a cure was that she exhausted all of her earthly resources. One day she heard that Jesus would be passing by. She resolved that if she could push through the crowd and just touch the fringe of his robe, her healing would come. The Bible records that as Jesus passed by; the woman did push through and did touch His hem. It goes on the say, “Immediately, her bleeding stopped.”
Both in Luke 8:53-55 and Matthew 9:23-25, Jesus is on His way to the house of a religious leader who had a very sick daughter. By the time Jesus arrived though, the girl had already died. He could hear the noise of the mourners and funeral music that had already begun even before entering the house. Eventually, Jesus dismissed the crowd, because they were all convinced it was too late. Once they were put out, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!
There may be times when we may face seemingly hopeless situations.
Be encouraged and hold fast to the Word of God. It reveals Jesus as the one who can stop the “funeral procession” and raise us to new life (while others still have us in a coffin). He is the one who has, even in the hem of His garment, the power to stop years of constant “bleeding” ( sorrow, depression and pain). He is the one who dismisses the crowd that would have us dismiss any hope of healing, restoration and life.
“Who is this Man?” He is Jesus, Son of the Living God; the one who takes us by the hand and says, “My child, get up,” and returns us to life again.
Got Fruit?
Most of us hate the thought of being judged by others. The truth is…it happens all the time. Right or wrong, whether by our neighbors, our co-workers, or our family members, we can rest assured judgment is being passed. Similar to a defendant in an unwanted court case, we can do nothing to keep that judgment from being rendered. However, we can examine the fruit we are producing which affects that judge’s decision.
In Luke 6, Jesus taught that a person produces out of the treasury of their heart, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” In Matthew 3, John the Baptist challenged those who were following him to, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God!” So, the fruit seen outwardly is produced out of an abundance of what we have sown and cultivated inwardly.
In Ephesians 5, Paul said, “Be careful how you live.” In other words be careful to produce godly fruit; “Take no part in worthless deeds of darkness and evil.” Cut away any rotten thoughts, feelings, and/or desires by exposing them to the Lord in prayer. Remove them because they will lead to action. Begin to sow the seed of scripture. Speak it over your life! When Jesus was tempted to bear bad fruit, He countered temptation out of the abundance of what He had in His heart, “No! The scriptures say…”
What we secretly sow, we will visibly show! What we privately entertain (or allow), will eventually be on display. Keep in mind God sees our secret sowing. His judgment is also coming. Once again we will be defendants unable to avoid judgment. BUT He has made provision for us in advance by offering the fruit of the cross: His love, His grace and His mercy. He has also given us the Word of God. Secretly sow it and cultivate it. It instructs us as to how we are to live so we need not fear God’s judgment, but await it with hope!
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Filters
Freedom Is Waiting!
This is a picture of the cross we have in our church. I had snapped it weeks ago, but only recently ran it through a few image editors, or filters, to get it the way I wanted it. Hmmm. “To get it the way I wanted it.”
Wait!
Isn’t that what we do figuratively as well? We get an image of the cross in our mind, and before we realize it, we’ve run it through a filtering process to get it to look the way we want! “You know, the contrast is too much for my liking, let me back it off a little;” “I think I’ll adjust the brightness and even soften its edges a bit;” or “Still, I don’t want it over exposed.”
The truth is, we alter our image of the cross of Christ based on the filters of our life experiences. Our perception of the cross is a reflection of how we have chosen to interpret what was accomplished there. As an example, if all we’ve known is harshness and pain in life, we may choose to focus on the brutality of the cross; or we may choose to focus on the grace and mercy extended to us from it. I know for me, up until recently, I would filter it through my failures and an apparent inability to overcome certain sin. So, I would secretly view the cross as a reminder of my unwinnable struggle with sin. Now, I choose to filter it through the blood of Christ; that blood which set me free, and the blood that continues to make me free (as it is written in Romans 6)!
It takes time and deliberate action to develop a picture beyond the “negative.” So, when YOU see the cross…HOW do you see it? How do you interpret the image? Ask yourself these questions, then wait. Don’t be so quick to answer. Allow the Lord to intervene. Allow Him to help you develop the image as He needs you to see it.
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation…For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 5:19,21
Get Them Right-side Up
On August 6, 2009 a father sat quietly by a hotel pool in Orlando, FL watching his children play. After several minutes he noticed a 3-4 year old girl had climbed out of the pool and began playing along its edge. She smiled and laughed as she made her way toward the deep end. Unfortunately, her parents were distracted over in the shallower water.
Becoming increasingly nervous, the man panned to his right, then to his left. He saw people talking quietly among themselves as they sat in the warm sun, while others just enjoyed themselves in the water. He looked back to the little girl in time to see her slip off the edge and fall head first back into the water. As she was falling, everything seemed to go into slow motion. So much so, that the man was able to see the terrified look on her face before she hit the water. There was even time to ask the question, “Is this really happening?!”
When the man jumped in to help, he could see the girl’s arms thrashing under the water just as wildly as her legs were kicking above it. You see, she had been wearing a small tube around her waist to keep her floating upright as she played. Instead, the tube was now holding her upside-down under the water! She was doing all she could to save herself, but simply did not have the knowledge or power to do so. Once the man was able to get her upright she gasped and began to cry. Thankfully, she had breathed deep enough before going in that she kept from taking in any water.
After passing the girl safely to her parents, the man swam down to where his own kids were still playing. With them having no idea what had just happened, he just grabbed each them and held them tightly. Truthfully, he was at a loss as to what to do with himself. It was all so surreal. “Did that really just happen?!” he thought. He even said a prayer, “Lord thank you for saving that little girl! Please touch her so she is not traumatized by what she just went through!”
That is when the Lord began to speak to his heart, “There are so many people who are in trouble just as that little girl had been. They too felt safe as they played on the edge of disaster. Now, they are caught upside-down without the knowledge or power to save themselves. Do not look to the right or the left. YOU get them right-side up! Remember how all seemed lost for you just a short while ago? This is why you are here now. You needed to see this. Get them right-side up!”
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. – Psalm 107:19-21 (NLT)
Wisdom says…
How powerful it is to see how scripture is tied to scripture. You can have a Pastor or Teacher explain it or even demonstrate it by cross referencing the Old and New Testaments. However, it is far more impacting when you see it happening during your own readings. Here is what I mean.
I try to read the respective proverb for the corresponding day of the month. In addition, I happened to be reading through Hebrews also. So, my reading for July 9th was Proverbs 9 and Hebrews 10.
In reading Proverbs 9, the following really stood out to me:
- Wisdom says, “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live..” (v6)
- “Fear (severe reverence) of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.” (v10)
- “Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement.” (v10)
- “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.” (v11)
- Walk in wisdom, and “you will be one to benefit.” (v12)
As I read Hebrews 10, I found the Lord used Proverbs 9 to prepare my mind and heart for the following realities:
- Old Testament sacrifices, “actually reminded (the offer-er) of their sins…” (v3)
- The enemy will have you repenting of past sins that the Father has long forgiven.
- Instead of moving forward in freedom, we hear, “You failed and you’ll always fail.”
God “does not want…nor is He pleased with” our being held captive to (or identified by) our past failures.
Verse 10 states the Christ’s sacrifice was, “Once for all time.” He came to set us free! Go the the cross. Leave your simple ways there and live the life he has always wanted you to live.
- “He forever made perfect those who are BEING made holy.” (v14)
- “I will never…remember…sins and lawless deeds.” (v17)
According to verse 20, Christ Jesus opened a NEW and LIFE-GIVING WAY! A way into the presence of the Sovereign King and Most High God! He is sovereign enough to chose you despite your failures. Sovereign enough grant you all the rights and privileges of being a child of the king. Seek greater knowledge and understanding of the Holy One. Reap all His benefits as you embrace the cross of Christ Jesus.
Ongoing repentance (continual sacrifices) for our past sins are no longer needed. The grace of God through Christ Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice covers it all. Wisdom is found in our walking in the freedom afforded to us by the cross. Have faith that God is actually big enough and powerful enough to forgive your worst sins.
Again, wisdom says, “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live..”
