Jesus is teaching us here that self-sacrifice, self-surrender, wholehearted service, and total obedience to the Lord is not a burden but rather a joyful expression of submission. Jesus endured the Cross in anticipation of the joy of becoming our Lord & Savior…His total obedience was His joy…the joy of doing that which His Father had sent Him to earth to do…and fulfilling it to the last letter. (Hebrews 12:2) So in this Scripture we see Jesus praying that our joy might continue to fulfill itself until it becomes the same joy as His. And how does this happen? It happens within a right relationship with God, for this is where we will find our personal joy. And as we find our joy & delight in Him, we are blessed…and able to be a blessing to others.
Month: August 2023
Psalm 70:9 ” Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
On a large part, Americans don’t honor the elderly among them as other cultures do. Many times we just push them aside…because they walk so much slower than us, are sometimes forgetful, and aren’t as useful as they once were. But thankfully God doesn’t look at the aged in the same way. Their bodies may be withered and their strength spent, but God says they can still bear fruit in old age, (Psalm 92:14) and He reassures them in Isaiah 46:4 that He will sustain them no matter how elderly. That’s because, God will never leave nor forsake us…however old we may become. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Luke 12: 11-12 ” When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Jesus was encouraging His disciples for the rough road ahead, knowing that they would be persecuted by both Jew & Gentile. He repeated these words in both Mark 13:11 and Matthew 10:19-20 when He said, “But when they arrest you, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you’ll be given what to say, for it’ll not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” In other words, the Holy Spirit would provide their defense. So as we look at Church persecution increasing around the world and fellow Christians tormented & harassed for the sake of the Gospel, we can’t help but think of Luke 21:12-15 that speaks of this being a sign of the End of the Age. But we all can be confident of this…that no matter where we may find ourselves, at that specific time, the Holy Spirit will instruct us in what to say…for we have been given the unique opportunity to bear witness to and boldly proclaim the Gospel Message.
Luke 11:1 ” Lord, teach us to pray…”
Charles Hodge once wrote, “Prayer is the converse of the soul with God.” Within our prayers we express adoration, bare our souls, pour out thanksgiving, and offer up petitions to a God that is not only willing to listen, but move powerfully in our favor. Prayer is the way that the life of God within us is nourished & cared for. Now we may only look upon prayer as simply a means of getting things for ourselves…but the Biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. The old saying goes, “Prayer Changes Things”…which is kind of right. Prayer changes me & the way I look at things…giving me God’s perspective, in order that I can change things from the inside out.
John 3:30 ” He must become greater; I must become less.”
These words of John the Baptist’s were spoken as his Ministry was winding down & the Ministry of Jesus was amping up…but they’re also very important words for us today. Charles Spurgeon once penned, “The more self sinks: like the two scales of a balance, one must go down that the other may go up: self must sink in repentance that Christ may rise in faith.” This has a lot to do with our old self vs our new self. Or as II Corinthians 5:17 says, ” If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” As more and more of my old self dies, I am being filled with Jesus and His attributes. And as humility, repentance, and godlikeness grow within me…I’m becoming more like Jesus, and less like my old self…and in the process, glorifying & raising Him up high.
Nehemiah 2:17 ” Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Jerusalem had been destroyed & left desolate by the Babylonian’s. Nehemiah had approached King Artaxerxes, requesting to rebuild the city…and the King granted him all he asked for, “for the good hand of my God was upon me.” So after surveying the damage, Nehemiah called his fellow exiles together and encouraged them in the Lord’s ability to make it happen. And the people agreed, and so if you read the entire third Chapter of Nehemiah you’ll find an official report naming all of God’s people coming together for the greater good. We see clergy, laity, craftsmen, tradesmen, and common people (including women 3:12) working together. Town by town, family by family, each contributing to the completion of the wall, section by section. Starting at the Sheep Gate, going full circle around Jerusalem, and ending at the other side of the Sheep Gate, God used His people, working in co-operation & unity to accomplish His Plan & Purpose.
Proverbs 31:8-9 ” Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
God has a deep care and concern for the least in human society…those most likely to be preyed upon, oppressed, forgotten, and taken advantage of. Old Testament Law defended the oppressed…those crushed by the abuse of power & authority…especially the poor, widows, orphans, & foreigners. Deuteronomy 10:18 tells us to uphold with righteousness and wisdom their rights. With Proverbs 29:7 taking it a step farther, “The righteous care about justice for the poor.” or as another translation words it, “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor.” Social justice is not new…it’s always been here. For anytime we have dishonest and unethical people dealing with those oppressed – without someone of integrity willing to speak up for them – justice will not be served.
II Corinthians 4:7 ” But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
As Job 4:19 reminds us, “We live in houses of clay.” Our bodies are frail & easily prone to infirmity, weakness, and debility. And so just like a clay jar, we’re easily broken…by physical aliments, mental anguish, and spiritual discouragement. But within our feeble exterior we have a treasure of unspeakable power…for it’s the Gospel Message and the Holy Spirit living inside that shows us where our true power comes from. This power of God within enables us to place our faith in Him and not in our own wisdom, (I Corinthians 2:5) and His Word living within gives us Spiritual life and understanding as He uses our weaknesses for His glory & our good.
Matthew 6:6 ” But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, Who is unseen. Then your Father, Who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Prayer is a conscious act of our will and can be very difficult to accomplish. So these instructions from Jesus make all the more sense to follow for a more effective prayer life. We must first get away from the worldly chaos to a quiet place. Jesus repeatedly did this…retreating to a lonely place to commune with His Heavenly Father. Secondly, we must shut the door on all confusion, disorder, emotions, and loud distractions…or as II Corinthians 10:5 tells us, “And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” That’s because prayer is a battle of our idle & wandering thoughts running amuck as we learn to discipline our minds and concentrate deliberately on prayer. And when we have unquestioning obedience to Christ in taking captive every idea, motive, desire, and decision, there is protection behind those closed doors. (Isaiah 26:20) In II Kings 4:33 we see Elisha apply this as he prays for the Shunammite woman’s dead son. “He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed.” And it says the young boy was miraculously restored back to life. The Lord beckons you to join Him in your Secret Place today…for He’s there right there in the middle of all your everyday circumstances.
Numbers 20:7-8 ” The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.’ “
By now, Moses’s irritation & aggravation at the Israelites was at a all time high. He had spent hours listening to them clamor & quarrel over the lack of water for them & their livestock. Which makes you wonder if he even heard God distinctly tell him to “speak to the rock” before the assembly, thus showing them the total power & authority of God? (Or maybe Moses was just remembering how God had instructed him several times before to “strike his rod”…on the Nile, on the dust, or on a previous rock.) But this time was different…God wanted Moses to speak the miracle into fruition. But we can see only few verses later that the frustration & anger inside Moses got the better of him. Instead of simply obeying God’s instructions, Moses spoke in anger…usurped God’s authority…and acted violently without cause as he struck the rock not just once, but twice…misusing the rod of God. But despite this blatant disobedience, God still graciously allowed the water to flow for the people. For He is the Rock of our Salvation. Psalm 95:1
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