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
Colossians 3:3 ” For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Paul illustrates this in both II Corinthians 5:14 and Romans 6:2 to show that Jesus died to secure redemption & eternal life for all of His sheep…Thus as once a condemned sinner, it’s by His blood and work on the Cross that we have died to sin…united with Him in both His death & resurrection. And as we look a little further in Colossians Chapter 3, Paul explicitly calls us to a rigorous & radial departure from our “old self” (Colossians 3:5) and the “putting on of the new self. (Colossians 3:12-14) … that being the very character of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. For we’re either dead in sin or dead to sin…it’s as simple as that.
Matthew 11:28 ” Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
We see this willingness of God to support and comfort His people in Exodus 33:14, when He replied to a hesitant & very reluctant Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” But the key to the Words of Jesus in this Passage in Matthew are His first Words, “Come to Me.” Jesus invites those who are loaded down with cares, worn out, and exhausted both mind, body, and soul to come to Him to find rest & refreshment. Sure, the nature of our oppression may not end, but in Jesus we will find calm, peace, and quietness for our soul.
Ezekiel 34:26 “There will be showers of blessing…”
The Lord surprises me with little blessings everyday. Small things, that only I know about, that cause me to smile. They’re like a wink, or a touch on the cheek, or a squeeze of my hand, from someone that loves me very much and just wants me to know how truly special I am to them. These little blessings come from out of nowhere, only last a second or two, but leave me with the overwhelming feeling of being loved by the Most High God. For the Lord knows me very well…well enough to know exactly what type of tiny gift would mean everything to me at that moment. And so when they happen, I know immediately it’s from the Lord…and I smile.
I Thessalonians 3:12-13 ” May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the Presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”
In this letter to the Thessalonians, Paul prayed for their faith to be expressed in holy living. That the Lord would take their Agape love, their unconditional love, and cause it to grow as their holiness abound for each other. This journey of holiness for the Christian Believer being called Sanctification. And as we travel this road of Sanctification & holiness unto the Lord, we can look forward to that glorious day when our Sanctification will be complete at the Second Coming of Christ.
Titus 3:4-5 ” But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.”
It’s only because of the good grace & benevolence of God that we are made right before Him. It’s only His tender regard for our misery & the consequences of sin that God made a way possible to alleviate our plight and enable us to receive new birth. This new birth shining forth … exhibited in the person of Christ, Who is the very embodiment of God’s lovingkindness towards us and the foundation of our salvation. (Ephesians 2:7) And the Good News is, this unmerited favor & compassion of God’s has appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11) But this gracious gift must be understood as a gift & has nothing to do with our own works…for we are totally dependent on it, and not the other way around.
Proverbs 13:7 ” One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”
Why is it so easy to misrepresent the facts about ourselves? A lot of it I think has to do with pride, vanity, and our egos getting in the way of the truth. In Revelation 3:17 John chastised the Church in Laodicea for their distortion, “You say, ‘I’m rich; I have acquired wealth and don’t need a thing.’ But you don’t realize that you’re wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Anytime we pretend to be something we’re not, we can get caught up the the tangled web of deceit & lies, no matter how small they seem. For there’s really no need to pretend…and come on, it’s silly… God already knows the truth!
Safetypinlove 