BUT GOD

 

BUT GOD is the Judge;
He puts down one and
exalts another.
Psalm 75:7

Should anyone take a look inside my main study/teaching Bible, they would find two words I have usually tried to underline or circle...ALL and BUT. Both words, although only with three letters each have large meaning for me as I read. You see, when I come across that word ALL, I have come to realize when the Holy Spirit spoke of ALL, that's exactly what He meant. He wasn't even hinting at a piece or part of something...He meant just what the word indicates and that is something in it's entirety.

The word, BUT, is another word altogether. It is a word of exception, correction or addition of some sort, perhaps a combination of those three words. I love every time I come to the words “But God...” side by side. In many verses the two individual words can be found separately, but my personal blessing is seeing those two words side by side revealing God stepping into a situation to make Himself known and active in the lives of His people. (By the way, most of the time in this blog, I will capitalize those two words just for emphasis)

There were BUT GOD instances in many of the lives of Old Testament people, such as Noah (Gen. 3:3), Joseph (Gen. 50:20), Ruth (1:6) and David (I Sam. 23:14). There were others, of course, but too many to mention. Even in the book of Psalms, we find those two wonderful words proclaimed by an author:

My flesh and my heart may fail,
BUT GOD is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
(73:26)

What precious promises we have just in that verse of God's concern, love and power. He cares for us in our weakest moments. At the same time, He is the righteous Judge and there is never anything out of His control where you and I are concerned.

For me, personally, those two words (BUT GOD) came to land in my mind and on my heart when I got into an in-depth study of the book of Ephesians. When I came to chapter 2 of that dear book, I was stopped in my tracks for a time...couldn't move on to the next verses. The first three verses of chapter two speaks of who we were in our sin prior to our acceptance of Jesus in our lives. We are reminded in those verses of how we were dead in our sins and how we walked according to the course of this world, controlled by the prince of the power of the air. Paul speaks of how we all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and mind. Paul puts us all in the same basket of sinful behavior and indulgences. To be honest, after reading those three verses, I was ready to just put my Bible down for a rest. I knew that had been my pedigree and it didn't look very pretty.

Then I came to verses 4-7 of that chapter 2:

BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us.
Even when we were dead in our transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have
been saved),
and raised us up with Him, and seated us
with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.

I can't tell you how often I come to these verses when I go through a tough time of discouragement or when I don't feel well. We may wonder at times if God is really “there” in our various situations. The answer for us is to be in the Word of God and this is a wonderful place to be.

We are facing a holiday time when many folks tend to go into times of depression for any number of reasons. No matter the time of year, no matter our circumstances, God will always be rich in mercy along with His other loving attributes. No matter how low our circumstances or moods, BUT GOD is still a fact of our spiritual lives. He waits in the wings of our lives to step into those circumstances we face and in His time. I hasten to say though, that it is always His time for the lost to be found, for the sinner to repent, for the back-slidden Christian

to return to God's loving arms.

Along this same thought is Romans 5:8:

BUT GOD demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.

I Corinthians chapter 1 speaks of the foolish things of this world, and verse 27 speaks to that.

BUT GOD has chosen the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to shame the things
which are strong.

In Acts 13, Paul preached a lengthy sermon in Pisidian Antioch where he preached a very historical sermon. He began with Israel and Old Testament information on to the ministry and death of Jesus. He then made one of the most important statements that has to do with our faith. In verse 30, he said:

BUT GOD raised Him from the dead.

All Paul preached was for nothing without the fact of that statement regarding Jesus' victory over death. The fact of that statement is as real today as it was then. As Jesus was victorious over death, we who belong to Him share in that victory.

Can you recall some of those BUT GOD times in your life? Perhaps everything was in shambles around you, and then God miraculously stepped in. Those times are usually clear and memorable in our minds and should be kept for pondering in our hearts. Those times become a part of God's track record in our lives and contribute to the building our faith.

Thank You Father for those times You step into the muddled messes of our lives and bring beauty from ashes. Only you can interrupt our circumstances with such love and blessing. Thank you for not just those special moments but for every moment of Your consistent love for us. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

MANY THANKS

 

I will give thanks to the Lord, with
all my heart; I will tell of all Your
wonders.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name,
O Most High.
Psalm 9:1,2

Little children and often older ones at well, can remember over and over from their earliest years hearing their mother say, “Say 'Thank you.'” Mothers us many phrases in that same vein such as “What do you say?” or “Did you forget to say something?” Parents have always had a sincere desire to raise grateful children, grateful for any gift or kindness extended to their children. There's nothing wrong with that as teaching courtesies is a valuable part of child rearing.

Thank you is said in many languages. For instance:
Chinese – do jeh
French – merci
German – danke
Hebrew – toda
Italian – grazie
Japanese – arigato
Russian – spasibo
Swahili – asante

There are limitations to our understanding many of those languages but people understand within their own cultures those words of gratitude. Words of gratitude in America are often said in different ways....”Thanks”...”You shouldn't have”...”It was so kind of you”...”TYSM”... ”You always know what I like”...”WOW”...”Love it”.....BUT, nothing is better than “Thank you.” Those two English words are probably familiar to most people around the world.

As faithful as we parents may have been in teaching our children to not only make “Thank you” an almost natural part of their being, I'm afraid we've not always instilled in them a gratitude for God and His goodness. Such goodness has come in so many forms. I'm afraid many children would define gratitude to God as just saying grace before each meal. Many adult Christians could fall into that area as well. Thanksgiving cannot be true Thanksgiving if we leave God out of the process. We would have nothing good in our lives were it not for His goodness in our lives.

The sad thing is that we often confined our thanksgiving to just one day or week of the year. God is so faithful in His provision and care for us every day of the year with few “Thank you's”. I have noticed with some passing years that I tend to be remiss in my praise and worship of THE One who keeps me moving, supported, protected and loved beyond what anyone else in my life can provide.

I looked up some things, more spiritual in nature than cranberry sauce that we can thank God personally for. Give these things some thought:

Truth – as in God's Word
Holy Spirit leading in my life
Answers to prayer
Needs met
Kingdom of God that is unshakable
Strength from the Lord
Goodness and grace of the Lord
Identity in God
Victory over sin through Jesus
Inheritance yet to come
Name of the Lord
God Himself

That's quite a list to wrap ourselves around, but God is so worthy of our praise. For so long He has wrapped His loving arms around you and me so He deserves our worship not just at this time of year but every day of the year. So...

“Come, ye thankful people come.”

Thank You Father not just for all of Your goodness in my life but for being who You are beyond all You abundantly pour into my life with every breath. I love You, praise You and don't even want to think of where I would be without You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

Coming OR Here?

 

Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not anxiously look about you,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will
help you, surely I will uphold
you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

It's not been that long ago that three of our finest American young men stopped a terrorist attack on a French passenger train. I couldn't help but feel at the time that the incident could be the start of something much bigger. I didn't know if it would happen anywhere in France, but in recent hours, Paris, France has had to endured horrible attacks on their city. Our own country has just seen the beginning of 10,000 Syrians coming into our country. So far, we have only seen men arrive which to me isn't a good indicator.

Jesus spoke of end time days and things we can expect to see. Just in Matthew 24, Jesus gave a list with the caution in verse 4 to see to it that we allow no one to mislead us.

What are these things He spoke of and to watch for in this chapter?

Pretend Christs will mislead
Hearing of wars and rumors of wars
Nation will rise against nation
Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places
Christians will be delivered to tribulation and persecution
False prophets will arise (just turn on your TV)
Lawlessness will increase
People's love will grow cold

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing all of these things going on and have for awhile. But now we are seeing these things full-blown in our world and country.

As one of Jesus' disciples and a part of Jesus' inner circle, Peter heard most if not all of Jesus' teachings and this portion of Scripture would have been no exception. In Peter's two epistles later in the New Testament, he did all he could to minister to Christians who were having to flee to various countries to hopefully avoid persecution that was being stirred up against them. It has a familiar ring today, doesn't it? Peter's two small books were devoted primarily to one thing...preparation for suffering. Considering the subject, Peter made every effort to be an encouragement for those dear saints. He began in his first letter in 1:3:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His great
mercy has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In a brief period of time, Peter made one thing perfectly clear...there will be suffering for Christians no matter where they are or in what time they live. Let me remind you that Peter is now in Heaven as are those Christians he wrote to. Through his words given to him by the Holy Spirit, He who dwells in the heart of every Christian, now speaks to you and me and gives us counsel regarding suffering we will be called upon to endure. We're called to that because Jesus was called to that and if we are following in His steps, suffering will come knocking on our doors. Peter wants us to be prepared. Hiding our heads in the sand just isn't going to work. In chapter 2:13-15, he gives us suggestions for that preparation.

Prepare your minds for action (Know what's going on, be informed, be ready)
Keep sober in spirit (Sober means we are to be alert)
Keep your hope completely in the grace of Jesus Christ (Place hope in the right place and in the right Person)
Be obedient to the Lord (Obedience in that we don't just hear Him but we act)
Be holy in your behavior (Amid all of the mess, maintain purity of heart & action)

During difficult times, we may not feel like doing any of those things. However, the overriding fact in all of it is that we are to keep our focus on the Lord and not on everything that is going on around us. We must stay on top of things, but not to the point that we forget God's care and provision for each of us. Life will not always feel good, but with Jesus, it can.

Let's remember who our real enemy is. He may come disguised in black clothes, masks and perhaps carrying knives or guns. However, he can come in a three piece suit, as well, with smiles and words that are soon revealed to be lies. Peter went on to say that our real Adversary is the Devil. Peter cautions us to resist him with a firmness in our faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering we go through are being experienced by our brethren who are in the world. (5:9)

I can talk to people, cry on someone's shoulder but Peter tells us to:

Cast all your care on Him,
because He cares for you.
5:7

When horrible events occur whether in Paris, France or in any city of our own country, we must remember that in those times, God has not gone to sleep, He didn't turn His head nor is too busy to handle any situation. Nothing passes by Him...there is never an “oops” with God. Anything that touches our lives has to first filter through the fingers of God. His love for you and me reaches far deeper than we can ever imagine.

Whether negative world events are coming or are here, God is totally in control even if we can't see or comprehend it.

Father, we get nervous when we hear of bombs, victims, and persecution. Help us to be alert and cautious regarding things around us, but still put our trust in your care and protection. Empower us with your strength and courage for these days. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

The Years of One's Life

So teach us to number our days,
that we may present to You
a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

My friend, Joyce Parker, from Austin, TX had a cute saying on Face book today that says:

“I thought growing old would take longer.”

With being of the years I am at the present time, I got a chuckle out of that quote because without the humor, that quote is something I wish I had thought up first. As brief as it is, it is quite deep in profundity for those of us who have reached our senior years.

Not only are Brian and I retired, but we live in a small community that I would guess to be full of other retirees. There are also many folks in our area who have lived in these mountains for many years. I won't even mention all of the retirees who come here to spend months or who come for vacations often bringing grandchildren. We seem to be surrounded by age. Even the mountains seem to resound with great pride that they are much older than any of us and that is putting it mildly.

I'm just finishing teaching a ladies Bible study on Sunday evenings prior to the evening service. We've had a wonderful and convicting time looking at Peter's life and then on into the two epistles he wrote. Not being as young as I used to be, teaching is more wearying for me than in past years. As much as I love teaching, I must admit to looking forward to the end of this series even though I will miss our delightful group of ladies. The subject came up as to when WE are going to do this again. Upon checking with our assistant pastor that such a subject had come up, I made the comment, “Don't people know that I'm an old lady?” With his dry wit and rather sober look, he replied, “Hmmm, I wonder if God is aware of that.”

In our Bible study, I have encouraged the ladies in the group regarding our maturing process and how easy it is during “golden years” to forsake spiritual maturing. By now, me and many

of my ladies have been in more Bible study groups than we can count. We probably have notebooks from seminars and conferences on closet shelves and on bookcase shelves we have long ago forgotten about. Our heads are full of Bible facts that may have yet to dribble down to heart level. Spiritual maturity doesn't have a certain age attached to it. Knowing the Bible from cover to cover, book by book, fact by fact, doesn't necessarily change lives. The older we become, we can become spiritually lazy, forsaking the continuing growth in Christ that pleases Him.

I have known younger women in their 30's and 40's whose spiritual maturity has often put me to shame. I have seen their enthusiasm for the things of the Lord that results from their avid learning as much about His Word as possible. They then prayerfully apply those things in their every day lives. At the same time, I've also seen Christian women in their 60's and older who go through all of the spiritual routines they should, but have given up serving the Lord or putting the things of God into every day practice. They say, “Let the younger women do it now...I put in my time.” I have found nothing approving in Scripture of that attitude.

Through the years, I have had friends go on to Heaven at young ages. In many cases, I have to say that many of them seemed to cram more into their briefer years than many seem to live out in their golden years. I recently saw a quote from Abraham Lincoln:

“In the end, it's not the years in your life that count,
it's the life in your years.”

Despite our ages, are we living our years to the fullest? Some, while a young mom may not be able to be out and about doing what others do who don't have the ties of home. However, for now, God has a ministry for that young mom. Even women in the middle of a mid-life crisis doesn't have a pass from growing and serving. There are still things to be done for others and for the Lord. I know women who feel put on a shelf right now because of various health situations. Even on that shelf, God is there and still can bring others our way who need to see Jesus in their lives. God never wastes a thing...not a moment or crumb of our lives. No matter the age or situation, our years are to be full of life in Christ.

By the way, my friend Joyce I mentioned in the beginning is one of those ladies who retired after working as a nurse in an Austin hospital for years. If anyone deserved retiring to a rocking chair, she would be one of those people. For her, it was the beginning of serving the Lord as intently as anyone I know. She's been in the church choir for years, works with the International ladies program at her church, been involved in the ladies ministry and is one of those folks that can be called on when needs arise. Even though she's been in the hospital now for some time with a bone infection, Joyce still ministers with her sweet, Godly spirit as she reaches out from a hospital bed through her computer and people contacts where she is. As can be for any of us, God can use us no matter where we are or the conditions we face.

The key for any of us no matter the age is to find our strength in God and His Word. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us and direct us as well to live and learn as we should. Keep in mind that I'm not just talking about busy-ness. Lots of women are busy, but who aren't really living life that benefits themselves or others. The things that count are the things that we do as unto the Lord. For some, those activities may be in the home while for others, serving others in a multitude of other areas are their callings. The key is living to our fullest in relationship with the Lord, growing in Him while serving Him right where He puts us. He will make His plans clear. Meanwhile, we are to serve Him well and thus, live life year by year to its fullest.

One of my prayers from Psalm 71:18 is:

And even when I am old and gray,
O God, do not forsake me, until
I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.

AMEN and AMEN

STEADFAST LOVE

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 (ESV)

O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good,
for his mercy endureth forever.
Psalm 136:1 (KJV)

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 136:1 (NASB)

Praise ye the Lord, because He is good:
for his mercy endureth forever.
Psalm 136:1 (1599 Geneva Bible)

It was a big day in my life. I was a proud first grader. On that day though, I felt ten feet tall because my mother told me I could go to a wedding with her the next Saturday. For some reason, up to that point, I wasn't allowed to go to weddings. I went to friends in the neighborhood proudly proclaiming I was going to a wedding. They all had been to weddings. One very grown up third grade girl said I hadn't been allowed to go probably because the bride and groom kiss each other at the end of the wedding. She thought maybe my mother didn't want me to see that. I was shocked that two people would kiss each other in public but was warned by those girls that it would happen at the wedding. After that encounter, I wasn't even sure I wanted to go but did. Yep, they did it. I covered my eyes but peeked through my fingers to observe the event. To my knowledge, I hadn't seen grownups do that, not even my mom and dad. I thought that would be done in private and not in front of others.

Since that time, I've been to hundreds of weddings, even conducting some wedding rehearsals. I came to learn after a bit of time that the most important part of a wedding wasn't a man and woman kissing each other. That was must meant to seal the important vows a couple would make to each others. The vows may change somewhat through the years and depend on the person officiating the service. For the most part, unless a couple writes their own vows, they say the same thing:

“I take you to be my husband/wife,
To have and to hold from this day forward,
For better or worse
For richer or poorer
In sickness and in health
To love and to cherish
(and obey, for the bride)
Until death do we part.”

Rings are then exchanged with the promise: “With this ring I thee wed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

I don't think there is another day like it in the life of a young man and woman. It's a feeling we wish could be captured for eternity but that wouldn't be very realistic. The strength of promises are meant to last along with a loyalty and firmness of a family foundation.

In preparing for a ladies Bible study, I came across Psalm 136 in my ESV translation and was struck by that term “steadfast love.” Further research told me that “steadfast love” is found in this translation 127 times so that got my attention. I know the term steadfast means “unwavering, constant and firm.” In our society today, steadfast love doesn't seem realistic. Over half of the couples in our country who took those vows before God, family and friends have divorces. Many are on their second, third and even more marriages. Even engaged couples who have come to a parting of ways are often disillusioned by broken hearts. Love had seemed sure but no longer was.

In this fallen world of ours, love isn't going to be what God has intended it to be. Even with two people deeply in love after 50 years of marriage, have had to weather discouraging times with each other. The love between best friends can at times seem faulty and even fail.

Isn't it wonderful to know there is a place and person where pure and perfect love is found. It is unconditional, unfailing and ever constant. In fact, the love God has for us is everlasting and even eternal. Look at those wedding vows again and hear God speak through them to us. How can any human being resist that kind of love and watch care God provides for us. He is our constant in the ups and downs of life, times of illness, when debts come knocking at our door and even in death, we never part from Him. Scripture tells us that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

When we accept that love by accepting Jesus as Savior, our first step of obedience is baptism. In a sense that becomes my wedding ring, saying to the world that I am His and He is mine.

Love in this world may fail us. We will fail at times in our love for others and others for us. Try as we may, the love in this world will be faulty, but God's love will ever be steadfast, a love where we can find rest and security forever.

Thank You Jesus, for loving like no other ever could or would. You gave Your life for me and in that sacrifice You have given me so many blessed promises. You've kept every one while I have so often failed you. Please forgive the inconsistencies in my spiritual walk. In Your precious name...Amen.