Safetypinlove

Oswald Chambers once wrote, “When I am insulted, not only must I not resent it, but I must use it as an opportunity for exhibiting the disposition of the Son of God.” Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes that’s a bitter pill to swallow. I tend to take offense and want to defend myself, but this Proverb tells me that a prudent man forgives insults…and that self-control is not only a characteristic of the wise, but it shows inner strength and spiritual maturity. So as Believers we should expect ridicule and persecution as a sign of alignment with the purposes of God, (Matthew 5:11-12) and always do what is right, just, and fair.(Proverbs 1:3)…We therefore should never demand justice for ourselves, but never cease to afford it to others.

King David’s deep desire in this Scripture was to escape from overwhelming turmoil and find refuge from life’s storms in the Lord. He readily sought God as a safe place of peace and protection. Throughout the Scriptures, storms were used as a metaphor for trials, dangers, challenges, and circumstances that seem out of our control. In Isaiah 25:4 he writes that God is a shelter from the storm and a refuge from not only external threats, but inner turmoil alike. For God sometimes calms the storm…but sometimes He just calms the storm within us.

Discouragement like fog can unobtrusively & silently take over the landscape and our lives. Or as the poet Carl Sandburg wrote, “The fog comes in on little cat feet.” Many times, there is nothing we can definitely point to that make us feel so disheartened, dismayed, or discouraged…but we need to be very careful, for discouragement wants us to hide within ourselves. Rather, we need to run to the Lord and His Word. The prophet Isaiah in this Scripture shows us that God’s Presence is always with us in a covenantal relationship of love, strength, help, and protection. So the next time the fog of discouragement sneaks in, look to Him with faith over fear, devotion over discouragement, and dedication over dismay.

God’s calling on our life and its success is totally up to Him. Our part then is very simple…obedience. This became very evident in I Samuel 15:22 when the old prophet replied to the people, “To obey is greater than sacrifice.”…showing that God values obedience and a surrendered heart over any religious acts. So when God opens a door to His calling in your life, you have two choices…walk through the door or balk. What He’s asking of you at that moment is for unconditional obedience, whole hearted allegiance, and covenant faithfulness…whether you understand everything or not.

Think about this for a moment. Everyone you will meet today is deeply loved by God…regardless of how you feel about them. They may be rude, indifferent to your plight, or even outright mean to you, but we’re to love them anyway. For to become more like Jesus, our perspective needs to be transformed to see them through God’s eyes. Many people hated Jesus, disrespected Him, and even mocked Him…but He loved them anyway. That’s because the love of God is unconditional, everlasting. and transformational…His love not based on our actions or worthiness, but is a fundamental aspect of His very nature. So today, remember to love one another just as He loves you.

A lighthouse doesn’t fire off cannons to call attention to it’s shining…it just shines. Back in Genesis, God spoke light into the darkness…His glory being the bright light that surrounded His Presence. This glory returned in the form of Jesus Christ, “We’ve seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (John 1:14) This light of God’s glory forever shing in the face of Jesus. And so as Believers, we are to let our light shine forth…standing out as brightness in a morally perverse and dark world. So how do we go about letting our light shine? We strive for a righteous life daily…showing a Jesus-like compassion to all with humility and a generous heart. For it’s how we live, not in what we say that makes the biggest impart in the people around us.

Judah had been overrun by locusts…this plague of a type of grasshopper descended and swarmed on the land…without parallel in the country’s history. The agricultural economy was ruined as the devastation grew. The Writer, Joel, believed it was God’s judgment of the people due to their unrepented and stiff-necked arrogance. (Remember Pharoah and the plague of locust? Exodus 10:14) But within the verses there is also God’s promises of restoration, mercy, and abundant provision to His people… following their sincere repentance. For He promises not only physical renewal of the land, but hope and spiritual renewal of the people. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

When God wanted to make a King out of David, He didn’t give him a crown…He gave him Goliath. During our lifetime we too will face unsurmountable odds, impossible situations, and hopeless circumstances. But if we look at these challenges as preparations for God’s calling, we can then view them as the process of readiness in order to fulfill His ultimate plan for our life..

Godly character isn’t built by avoiding the hard seasons in our life at all cost. It’s built by trusting God through them. It’s called integrity through the bad times as well as the good…the difficult seasons as well as the easy ones. It’s doing the right thing when no one is looking…and trusting in God’s grace and mercy when those grueling and rough times hit us out of nowhere. Psalm 26:1 reminds us, “I have walked in my integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” And it’s that type of confidence in God that will guide us by the ethical framework and right relationship with God… leading us on the righteous course of life… no matter what the season is.

In his letters to the Church in Corinth, the apostle Paul, warned them about false teachers and their twisted feel good message that preached another Jesus. In I Corinthians 15:1-4, he pointed out that the Gospel Message wasn’t wishy-washy, but was the profound concept that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. But in many Churches today from both the music and the pulpit, there is little to no mention of sin, repentance, the blood of Jesus, or the Cross. Instead, it’s all entertainment and an emotional experience…dressed up in spiritual language but without any power. There’s stirring words of grace, but no call for holiness…there’s a cry for intimacy, but without any personal accountability…and there’s only a rare reference to Jesus Christ, and none to His work on the Cross. As the early Church was warned by Paul, so is the Church today – do not turn the grace of God into lewdness.