II Corinthians 1:9 warns us directly to not rely on ourselves but on God. But human pride and our selfish egos often pull us the opposite direction. Even though this Scripture tells us quite bluntly what will happen if we rely on any other type of security other than God..(we will be cursed)…we often times continue to resist Him. For anytime we depart from God’s Will in our life and put our confidence in ourselves, we’ll find obstacles at every turn, and the folly that’ll ensue will only show our true weakness, in contrast to the power of God.
Jesus had been truthful to His disciples from the beginning of His Ministry about Him returning to heaven. The disciples had heard what He was saying, but never fully grasped the meaning until the end. In this conversation with them here in John the disciples are very sorrowful…their anguish heightened at the thought of being abandoned as deprived and defenseless orphans. But Jesus reassures them with the promise of the coming Holy Spirit, “You will know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” In other words, the Holy Spirit will come as a Counselor who dwells in you not just with you. And Jesus went on to assure them, “And He will remind you of everything I have said to you.” …telling you nothing but stories of My love for you, turning your sorrow into joy.
It’s not if I’m going to stumble, but when will I trip up, blurt out a blundering comment, or fall short of what God desires of me. The sad truth is I stumble daily…all my good intentions going out the window as I come up short time and time again. So that’s why this Scripture gives me such hope today. For even though I may not be able to stand firm in myself, the Lord will keep my feet from slipping…He will guide and protect me with the certianity that He is directing my path, and He will strengthen and sustain me on the journey. For He is compassionate towards the weak…restoring the erring ways of those who wander. And every time I come back to the Lord again asking forgiveness, I can rest in His merciful kindness, knowing my ultimate recourse is to, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” (Psalm 55:22)
Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, was the first Christian to die for his belief. The opposition couldn’t stand up against or deny Stephen’s divine insight and knowledge, for his life was firmly residing in his Savior, Jesus Christ. So instead they stirred up the people with false witnesses that slandered, maligned, and defamed Stephen’s character. But in spite of a masterful, Holy Spirit inspired, presentation of his faith, (see Acts 7) Stephen was interrupted by a furious mob, charged with blasphemy, and stoned to death. Persecution for the faith comes in all shapes and sizes…from simple harassment, to actual suffering for one’s beliefs, but we can, like Stephen, take heart in the words of Jesus when He assured His disciples in Luke 21:15, ” I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”
At the beginning of Chapter 31 we see revival break out as the Israelites smashed and destroyed foreign idols in Judah. King Hezekiah then called for contributions to be brought in as written in the Law. It tells us in verse 5 that as soon as the order went out, the Israelites gave generously…so much that soon there were mounds of grain, vats of new wine, and buckets of honey in every nook and cranny of the Temple area…not to mention the multitude of herds and flocks. The people were giving out of grateful hearts, and God was blessing them more than they could manage. Malachi 3:10-12 illustrates this well, “Bring the whole tithe – Test Me in this says the Lord Almighty, and see if I won’t throw open the flood gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won’t have room enough for it.” Now typically, God tests man,,, but only in a few instances are we invited to test Him, and this is one of them. God was saying, “Test Me, and see if you can out give Me.” We shouldn’t need prompting or perks to give generously. Paul encouraged the Church in Corinth to “See that you excel in the grace of giving.”…that love should move us to great generosity rather than obligation or the Law…and that the Old Covenant requirement of tithing is the minimum we should be giving.
Jesus knew the hour had come for Him to depart from the world, but His mind wasn’t on Himself but those He was leaving behind. This loving them to the end was shown in a very striking way as He took up the very menial task of washing the disciples feet. With love and humility Jesus demonstrated His great concern, devotion, and affection as He moved slowly from man to man… taking the time to carefully wash and dry their feet as He spoke words of encouragement to each one. This washing of their feet symbolized not only Jesus’ servanthood as an example for us all to follow, but the ongoing and ever increasing work of God called Sanctification…a foot washing, so to speak, performed daily by God for the Believer. Whereas we see the Greek word for the bathing or washing of the whole body symbolized justification – a work by God done once for all. Jesus washed their feet, putting into action His love for them, that they might love one another in the same way.
When a person’s attitude and behavior is that of laziness…it can only produce poverty. Where as, diligence and industry are associated with prosperity. A great example of this is found in Proverbs 6:10, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Throughout Scriptures we see it never ending well for a lazy person if he allows himself to become weak, idle, and apathetic…in essence, bringing poverty and need onto himself.
Anytime we rush into something without proper planning or insight, we’re setting ourselves up to fail. For many, spontaneity is their way of life, and living by the seat of their pants is a common occurrence. But it tells us here, that misdirected eagerness more than often causes us to fall short of God’s best. In fact, the Hebrew word for “miss the way” in this verse means sin. When we allow ourselves to run ahead of God pell-mell, we’re setting ourselves up for failure…and anytime we rush into something without first seeking Godly insight and wisdom, we’re going to come up short.
Maybe you’ve felt this way…where your shame, reproach, and disgrace is so overwhelming that you can’t even lift your face to the Lord. You’re so loaded down with the burdens of your past failures, that you have no hope for the here and now. Some would say you need to forgive yourself, but you will never find a Scripture to support that idea…for only God can forgive. For if you have confessed and turned from your sin, you are forgiven and there is rest for you…or as Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus wants to take your heavy load today…all the feelings of guilt and shame from your past…and exchange it for His.
James 4:11-12 tells us not to slander one another or judge. Which if you think about it, slandering and judging go together quite seamlessly. Most of us have become piercingly critical individuals now a days with judging, discrimination, and condemnation a very common and ordinary pastime. For as we quickly judge someone, we often then slander them in the process…maliciously defaming them with our skewed and biting opinions. And if we allow these two things to continue in our life, a critical spirit starts to take over…causing us to become harsh and vindictive. This Scripture makes it quite plain…don’t judge, or you’ll be judged. But it also warns against the hypocrisy of those who are quick to judge and condemn others but slow to acknowledge their own sin and an absolute failure when it comes to showing mercy to others.
Safetypinlove 