Author: kezha1

When we have come to the end of ourselves…when we have done everything we know to do… the most humbling prayer we can say is -“I am nothing without You, God.” In Genesis 18:27, Abraham used the proverbial phrase “dust & ashes” in expressing the lowliness & fragility of mankind. And this is so true, for we are nothing before God but dust. (Psalm 103:14) But on the other hand, the most powerful prayer we can ever pray is – “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) That’s because God’s unlimited & almighty power is made perfect in our weakness. (II Corinthians 12:9)

The King of Syria was warring against Israel when the prophet Elisha was sent by God to intervene for His people. When Elisha’s servant rose early in the morning, the small town where they were staying was completely surrounded by enemy horses & chariots. When he anxiously told Elisha about this, Elisha’s response was, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (II Kings 6:16) He then asked the Lord to open his servant’s spiritual eyes that he might see something that didn’t appear to the naked eye…it was God’s heavenly armies with chariots of fire waiting to do battle with the Syrians. Sometimes we need to employe that same prayer when life has blinded us by grief, depression, and anxiety. Psalm 119:18 asks God to, “Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful things in Your Law.” While Jesus taught the disciples in John 4:35 that they should, “Open your eyes and look at the fields.”…comparing evangelism with the harvest of crops. For when God unveils & opens our eyes, we will understand & be able to perceive His plan, purpose, and Divine Will for our life so much easier.

If you really think about it, God’s list of things He requires of us is simple & short. He wants an undivided heart, mind, and soul. He wants our praise and thanksgiving, and to give Him glory in all situations. Finally, He wants our burdens, our sins, and our transgressions. But what do we usually give Him? We give God our opinions & preconceived notions of how we see things should go…especially if we’ve already determined in our minds what we’re going to do…and just want Him to bless it. We give God lip service and feign devotion when it well serves our purposes. Lastly, we give God help when we think it’s taking Him too long to answer our prayers…plunging ahead instead with what we think should happen. But God isn’t asking for nor needing any of this from us…He just wants a relationship.

In Mark 7:6-8, Jesus is quoting Isaiah’s prophecy in order to condemn the Church Leaders on their practices contrary to God’s Word. What God desires from all of us is a sincere expression from an undivided heart. For He abhors empty words and insincere rituals that are more for show than substance. And the more disconnect there is between our hollow words and real worship of our Lord & Savior…the more likelihood of hypocrisy. In verse eight, Jesus was very candid when He said, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” In other words, you have neglected & abandoned God’s Word in favor of man-made traditions & rituals that God had no part in.

In the beginning, Solomon had walked closely with the Lord as had his father, David. But Solomon’s pagan wives & concubines (a total of 1000) had turned Solomon’s once faithful heart away from serving God. (I Kings 11:1-8) So here, he is encouraging young people to establish a strong relationship with the Lord while they are still in their youth…before the temptations of the world overwhelm them. And this is still fitting for today. Foundational faith in the Lord early on in a person’s life can spare them from much heartache. And besides, they will discover down the road that the temporary pleasures of this life cannot compare to the joy that comes from living for the Lord.

Mercy is a characteristic of God’s treatment of His people – and is therefore commended to us as a social ethic for us to follow. We are to be like God -full of mercy as He is. For it is only by God’s heart transforming grace that can make us even willing to have such counterintuitive kindness to others…especially our enemies. (Ephesians 5:1-2) In James 2:12-13, we see that even though God is never obligated to show us mercy – He freely chooses to do so in abundance. But He also warns us here in James that if we refuse to show mercy, we won’t receive it from Him.

Any sacrifice we make for the Lord is a mere pittance in the face of His gifts to us. For His benevolence surpasses anything we can ever give up for Him. And if we admit it, any sacrificing we do in the Name of the Lord can’t even start to measure up to the ultimate sacrifice He made on our behalf at the Cross. Yes, following Jesus means the giving up of self, picking up our cross and following Him daily…but the benefits far outweigh the cost…both now and eternally.

Just as Psalm 72:5 used the images of the sun & the moon as symbols of longevity…so here the Lord is comparing the security of His promises to restore Israel and His Kingdom with the constancy of day following night. It shows His commitment as unchanging as the course of the day…from His Davidic Covenant in II Samuel 7:12-16 to His covenant with the Tribe of Levi in Numbers 1:47-54…God assures them and us that nothing will ever make null & void His everlasting promises for His people.

Following Jesus demands a choice on our part, a surrendering of self. But as I look back on my life, I “gave up” nothing meaningful when I chose to follow Jesus. Oh sure, I relinquished and left a lot of things…things that weren’t healthy for me and caused me to make unwise decisions. But what I gained from following Jesus cannot be measured in the significance of what I gained eternally. In Philippians 3:7-8, the Apostle Paul writes that he freely discarded all sources of things that brought self-confidence and personal profit…flinging away whatever interfered with the all surpassing worth of knowing & following Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was constantly asking God for direction in his life, not the other way around. He knew that total submission to the Will of God…in every area of his life was necessary for God to work. Besides, if you think about it, only God knows what tomorrow may bring, and boasting about what we’re going to be doing is very short-sighted…let alone it’s self-centered ambition & pridefulness. (James 4:13-17) We should want to be in the center of God’s good pleasure and divine purpose…for it’s the perfect place to be. So, by prefacing our words with “If it’s God Will”, we fully allow God to work & to will in our life.