Writing On Eagles Wings

“And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.” – Joshua 10:19

The children of Israel faced many enemies as they entered the Promised Land. Often those enemies were quite formidable, but God provided courage, strength, and victory again and again for Israel when they followed and obeyed Him.

Here are three examples of God providing the victory against all odds.

• David – In 1 Samuel 17, there is the account of this young shepherd boy facing off with Goliath, the mighty Philistine warrior. David couldn’t even bear the weight of protective armor to fight the imposing enemy, so he went up against the giant soldier with only 5 smooth stones and a sling. However, combining those stones with an unwavering faith in God gave David an impossible victory… one that only God could have provided!
• Gideon – In Judges 6-8, the Bible tells us that with God’s help, Gideon and only 300 men defeated the mighty army of the Midianites.
• Esther – In this book, Esther, a young Jewish girl, demonstrated faith and trust in God, which enabled her to intervene and save the entire Jewish population in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

I also have enemies that I face in life. Some are external, but most are internal. It seems those within me are the most persistent, strong, and determined to overcome me. I find that I often forget to call upon the One who is ready and willing to fight the battle for me! However, if I want victory, I must remember to call upon the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:15 reminds me, “…Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Here are three of my worst enemies. God has given me the battle plan for each one and has assured me that through Him, I will have the victory!

• My heart – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
  • This is the biggest enemy I face. It is so subtle at times, yet so destructive. Many times my heart tries to make me believe lies, such as “God doesn’t really care about you.” “You are such a hopeless case.” “You don’t need to change… you’re fine just the way you are.” “You’ve got it handled.” These are all damaging messages that my heart (my emotions) uses to weaken my walk with the Lord.
  • Battle Plan: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” – Ezekiel 11:19-20
    • The only offensive weapon listed in Ephesians 6 is the “…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”. I must be in the Scriptures daily. Once I let my guard down, I become vulnerable to attack! The Bible is what I must use to equip myself to slay the lies of a deceitful and deceptive heart. God will uses His Word to strengthen my heart to be more aligned with His truth. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” – Psalm 31:24. It is through Him that I will have victory!

• My tongue – “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell… But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:6,8
  • The Bible reminds me that the tongue is a two-edged sword. It can be used for good when it is an ally, but as my enemy, it can also be used to hurt. How? Gossip, slander, inappropriate language, angry words… these are all enemies and must be pursued and slain.
  • Battle Plan: “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” – Psalm 141:3
    • Controlling what words come out of my mouth is not easy as much of speech is spontaneous. Therefore, I must ask God to help me, to empower me to have control over what I say, to whom I say it, and where I say it. Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Seeking God’s wisdom and power in this area of my life will give me victory over my small but mighty tongue!

• My eyes – “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” – 1 John 2:16
  • My eyes are constantly bombarded with the evil and wicked images of the world. There are a plethora of avenues that expose my eyes to sinful behaviors, and when I allow my eyes to linger over things that are tempting, they become my enemies! Social media, television, possessions of others, etc. can be the avenue upon which the “eye enemy” attacks. In and of themselves, these things are not sinful, but when my eyes allow visions that are not godly to enter my mind, they become a powerful enemy.
  • Battle Plan: “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” – Psalm 101:3
    • Be proactive! I must purpose within myself to avoid media that dishonors God. Satan makes sin very attractive to my carnal nature. It isn’t an easy thing to fight against Satan or myself, therefore, I must seek God’s help. How? Prayer and Scripture. Seeking God’s help to resist the devil is vital because it is then that Satan will flee! (James 4:7) I must also focus on verses that help me make godly choices. Philippians 4:8 is a good strategic verse: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Choosing wisely is the path to victory!

I have many more enemies, but the battle plans have a commonality… the Scriptures. Every adversary I face cannot stand against the Word of God. My duty is to remain in the Scriptures daily, be prepared for battle at any time, and follow the orders of my Commander, the Lord Jesus Christ. When I do these things, I am assured of victory!

Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever

He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood

He loved me ‘ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood!

(from “Victory in Jesus” by E. M. Bartlett)

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” – Romans 8:37

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What enemies do you face? What are your battle plans for victory?

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” – James 1:22

One of the most amazing things to me is when God illuminates a verse and gives understanding and application to me personally.

James 1:22 is a verse I’ve heard so often throughout my Christian life. In fact, I was fairly confident that I knew the meaning of this verse, and I also thought I was a fairly decent “doer”. I serve in a couple of my church’s ministries; I read my Bible often; I pray a lot, and I try to share the love of Jesus to others… isn’t that what a “doer” does? Well, that’s what I thought… until the Lord opened my eyes to the “doer” in me. Don’t get me wrong… serving the Lord is very important, and I love the opportunities He gives me to do so, but the Lord really spoke to my heart today about a specific area in my life where I was a pretty poor “doer”.

I was praying about another issue that had been frustrating me in my attempts to “manage” it (aka “control”), when the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the first part of Proverbs 3:5, which states, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart…” I thought to myself, “Yes, I trust you, Lord.”  He replied, “No, not really.” (Of course, I don’t mean He spoke to me in an audible voice, but He spoke to my heart as only He can do.) The Lord revealed to me that I was a “hearer” of Proverbs 3:5, but not a “doer”. He was pointing out that I trusted Him in my head, but not in my heart; I depended on my abilities before His. That’s not the way a “doer” behaves when it comes to trusting God.

If you’re like me, having these kinds of moments of illumination from the Lord are not the ones I enjoy the most, but they are often the most necessary to deepen my faith and my relationship with Him. So as I thought about this particular concept, I realized that when I turn to God, trusting Him to help me, it’s usually when I’ve failed to handle a situation to my satisfaction or something is totally out of my control to begin with. In fact, in retrospect, I find that when I try to control those things and can’t, I get frustrating, fearful, despondent, etc. That’s when I finally turn to God and trust Him. Ouch! The awareness that I was merely a “hearer” of the Word when it came to trusting the Lord shamed me.

I don’t want to deceive myself by believing I am something I am not, so now that the Spirit has opened my eyes to me being a “trust-in-God hearer” most of the time, I am working to become a “doer” all of the time, and will strive to place my trust where it first should be… in the Lord! It’s going to take some time, I’m sure, because I am one who wants to be in control of my life and the situations I face, but I know that God has revealed this to me to help me learn to put my trust in Him above all others, especially myself. (I take a deep breath here because I know that often means a time of testing may be around the corner for me, but I am also praying for His strength, and that like Job said in chapter 23 of the book that bears his name, when I am tried and tested, I hope I will come forth as gold.)

When I really think about it, it is quite ridiculous to think that I can actually handle all that life throws my way myself. My past clearly shouts, “Who are you kidding? Go to God first!!!” So now, that is what I intend to do!

Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small, trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly, trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall, trusting Jesus, that is all.

(from “Trusting Jesus” by Edgar Page)

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” – Psalm 118:8

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It is so humbling to know that the Creator of the universe loves and cares about me so much, that He takes the time to open my eyes to His Word, teaching me to know Him and trust Him better! Oh, what a Saviour!

(photo courtesy of Kay Deel)

I was encouraged today to reflect on what I thought was wonderful about God. At first, it was easy to think about the things God had done that were “wonderful” to me. But then I realized that being wonderful was more than about what God had done; it’s about who He is. My list began to grow and grow. Here are just a few of the reasons God is so wonderful!

1. God is wonderful because He loves me!

• “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” – I Samuel 2:2
• This is not to mean that I think God is wonderful as a result of the love He has for me; it means that He is wonderful because He loves me knowing me the way that only He and I know me. Not only that, but God loves me unconditionally and forever! Despite the fact that I am a sinner and can do nothing myself to rectify that status, God loves me! I disappoint Him, I grieve Him, and sometimes I choose myself over Him, but He still loves me and will continue to love me forever and ever! I am Him and He is mine!
  • “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
  • “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10

2. God is wonderful because He redeemed me.

• “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” – Ephesians 1:7
• When sin entered the world, all humanity was cursed and in danger of never being with God again. In His great mercy and love for all of us, He sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our redemption. That price was to suffer horrific cruelty and death upon a Roman cross, taking the punishment for the sins of the world, past, present, and future, upon Himself. The sinless sacrifice that Jesus made satisfied God’s requirement for our sin-debt and made the way for us to be reconciled to our heavenly Father.
• The fact that all we have to do is repent, ask for His forgiveness, and accept Him as Lord and Saviour is another incomprehensible facet of God. But that is the wonderful love of God. He wants us to be saved from the judgment of our sins and to spend eternity with Him. If that isn’t wonderful, I don’t know what is.

3. God is wonderful because He knows me personally!

• “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee…” – Jeremiah 1:5a
• This really overwhelms me to think that the Creator of EVERYTHING knows me intimately, and He knew me before I was even conceived! I was a thought in God’s mind first, , and although He knew how I would fail and disappoint Him throughout my life, He still chose to give me life!
  • “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” – Psalm 139:14
• God thinks about me! He has the whole universe under His control, yet He thinks about me so much that I cannot even count those thoughts!
  • “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” – Psalm 139:17-18

4. God is wonderful because He listens to my prayers.

• “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” – 1 Peter 3:12
• When I pray, my words do not float into space. They are directed to my heavenly Father. And when I pray, the Lord Jesus Christ talks to His Father about me! He is there interceding for me!! When I think that there are millions of Christians in this world praying to the Lord at any given time, it boggles my mind to think that God can and desires to focus His attention on my petitions! And He does that for each one of His children!
• Remember, He is the Creator of all things. He made every plant, every animal, every insect, every human being… He sustains all of creation, but He listens to ME when I call upon Him! To say He is wonderful is not even close to how truly wonderful He is.
  • “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” – Colossians 1:17
  • “But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.” – Psalm 4:3

5. God is wonderful because He is merciful.

• “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” – Ephesians 2:4-5
• To be merciful means to withhold a deserved punishment. The fact that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) means that we should be spending eternity without the Lord, but in His mercy, God saved us!
  • “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” – Titus 3:5-7

6. God is wonderful because He is gracious.

• “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” – Ephesians 2:8
• The truth is that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to merit God’s grace. No matter who “good” we try to be, or how many “good” works we do, it will never be enough to earn our way to heaven.
  • “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” -Isaiah 64:6
• It is through Christ alone that we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved from the eternal punishment of them. Grace is defined as giving something that is not deserved. That is what happened at the cross. When Jesus died, He paid the price we should have paid, and when He rose from the grave 3 days later, He proved He was truly God and had the power to forgive sins. It’s available to every single person on this planet simply by believing in Him and asking for His undeserved gift of salvation.
  • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

7. God is wonderful because He is God.

• “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” – I Samuel 2:2
• There is on other entity that can claim to be God; there is only One. He alone deserves our worship and praise. He is the Creator of ALL things… from the stars and planets to the earth and all that of which it consists to the intricacies and individuality of each person who has ever lived or will ever live. Who can do these things, but a wonderfully amazing God?
• If there was no other reason to proclaim how wonderful God is, this would be that reason. He is wonderful because He is GOD!

Wonderful, merciful Savior, Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men
Oh, You rescue the souls of men!

(from “Wonderful, Merciful Saviour” by Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

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There are so many other reasons that God is wonderful! I’d love to read your thoughts on what you feel is wonderful about our Lord.

I love cats. It seemed we always had cats in our home, and I fondly remember cuddling up with them after school, in the evenings, and in the lazy mornings of weekends. Their soft purrings were so comforting to me. Plus, as an only child, I never lacked for a “companion” if my neighborhood friends weren’t available to play.

Today, as I was sitting on the sofa, my latest kitty, Meichan, jumped up and sat on my lap. This was an epic moment for the two of us. Why? Meichan was a rescue cat and while she tolerated a gentle pet, she didn’t seem to enjoy the physical contact from being held. We didn’t know much about her except that her previous owner had moved out of the country and dropped her off at an animal shelter. Fortunately, I was in search of a new addition for our family since we had just recently lost our beloved Mochi, another rescue kitty that died suddenly. Although we only had Mochi for a little over a year, she left a few broken hearts behind when she passed.

Meichan was a 3-year-old orange tabby, who loved being with people, but as with most cats, being social was completely on her terms. As she warmed to us, she would rub against our legs or sleep across the sofa from us, but cuddling was not in her character. She loved our company, but always kept herself a wee bit distant, which explains why today, her behavior delightfully surprised me.

After the initial shock of having her plop herself on to my lap, I took full advantage of the moment, hugging and cuddling her, while whispering lots of “I love you’s” into her ears. Amazingly, she simply sat there, allowing me to indulge myself in pouring out my affections upon her. Even after I was stopped, thinking she was getting impatient with me, she stayed perched on my lap, content as could be.

As I gazed at her sitting there, I was struck by how much I loved her. Despite her times of zooming around the house in pre-dawn hours, making “biscuits” on my head in the middle of the night, shedding her fur everywhere, and being a very picky eater demanding her treats continuously, I loved her tremendously. Meichan doesn’t really “do” anything for me or my family, but I truly love her. It was then that I realized I had an unconditional love for her… it was unearned and nothing would change it.

Then it hit me! This was a perfect picture of God’s love for me. There is absolutely nothing I can “do” for God that He cannot do for Himself. I often come to Him on my terms. I ask a lot from Him. I forget to talk with Him every day, and I disappoint Him in my actions, but He still loves me. In fact, in Jeremiah 31:3, God states, “…Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love…”  That means God will love me FOREVER!

The realization that God’s love for me is eternal gives me the greatest peace I could ever have. To understand that no matter what happens in this world, no matter what I do or say, no matter what difficulties I face in life, no matter if I fail Him repeatedly, He will never cease to love me. To be able to trust God at His Word gives me the perfect peace He has promised in Isaiah 26:3. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Best lesson I ever learned from my cat.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure—

the saints’ and angels’ song.

(from “The Love of God” by Frederick M. Lehman)

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:9-10

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Find it hard to believe God could love you unconditionally? He proved it at the cross.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

I am very familiar with this verse, and if you’re like me, it’s not one that I frequently think of correctly. Instead of fleeing from temptations, I often have a tendency to rationalize or make excuses for choosing to sin. (Yes, sin is a choice!) During my personal Bible time this morning, the Lord opened my eyes to the truth of this verse and what the implications are for me when I do not choose to avail myself of His protection. (Isn’t that wonderful how the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word of God each time we open it?)

When I choose to sin, to willfully embrace the temptations that come my way, I am, in essence, rejecting God. I am choosing to put something before Him, and that is idolatry. If it is a “fleshly” sin… a choice to do something that satisfies my carnal nature, but is wrong in the sight of God, the idol that I have chosen to worship is ME. Whether it is overeating, spending time on social media to the neglect of time with the Lord, participating in gossip, or using bad language… anything I wouldn’t do with Jesus right beside me… I am then choosing myself and my desires over God and His ways, and this is idolatry.

I have always thought of an idol as being the item with which the sin is committed, but in reality, the food, the computer, the conversations, these are not the idols. The idol is ME. When I choose the temptation, I am no longer “… a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1b). I have chosen to put myself and my wants before God’s, thus making myself the focus of my servitude. I am allowing myself to be in bondage to the sin to satisfy my own desires.

I Corinthians 10:31 states, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This is one of those times when the irony of a verse speaks so loudly to me that I would chuckle if it wasn’t so on target with one of my biggest struggles. For me, overeating is a type of idol worship because I choose to defile the temple of God with unhealthy habits. 1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds me, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Don’t get me wrong, having ice cream or cookies, or bread and butter, etc., is not a sin, but when I choose to eat a dozen cookies instead of one or two or a family-sized bag of popcorn in one sitting… anything in incredible excess of what my body needs or indulge in the foods that do not promote health… for me, that is sin. I am intentionally choosing my physical, fleshly wants before those of God’s desires for me.

The recent realization that I have been putting myself before Him in so many ways, so many times, and making myself an idol of worship, is heartbreaking, but I know I can have victory! I understand that I must ask myself if what I plan to do is to the glory of God, and if the answer is “no”, I need to seek that way of escape that God has promised to provide for me. It won’t be hard to find because God always makes it easy to locate. I only need to listen to His Spirit’s leading. The hard part with facing temptation is deciding whether or not to take the way of escape that God provides.

Additionally, I know that choosing to follow through on the temptations that come in my life is not unforgivable. I know God is faithful and just to forgive me every time I confess my sins to Him, and He will cleanse me from all unrighteousness even if I have to come before Him again and again. He loves me and promises that He is ready, willing, and able to forgive every sin in my life… past, present, and future! What a wonderful Saviour, I have! What incredible love He has for me despite all the times I’ve disappointed and sinned against Him. He has told me in Jeremiah 31:3 that His love for me is everlasting!

Lastly, I also have the assurance that as I grow in my faith (which is slow, but ongoing), the Holy Spirit promises to continue to teach me until I see my Saviour’s face. At that time, I know the work be complete. Philippians 1:6 reminds me of that. My prayer is that, while I walk this earth, the times of putting myself before the Lord will become less and less, and He will be exalted and honored in my heart and actions more and more.

I need Thee ev’ry hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee ev’ry hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou are nigh.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

(from “I Need Thee” by Robert Lowry and Annie S. Hawks)

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16

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Struggling with self-worship? Take it to the Lord in prayer. He alone is faithful to forgive, help, and deliver you!

Hebrews 13:8 shares an extremely important characteristic of our Lord Jesus Christ. He never changes! He is that same today as He was in the days of Moses and the times of earthly ministry. Jesus is  the same yesterday, today, and forever!

What a blessed thought! Jesus doesn’t change on a whim; He was, and is the same, as He always will be. There is no need to wonder how Jesus would deal with us today or tomorrow or ever. He has said in His Word that He never changes, and therefore if the Bible states that Jesus is a certain way, you can depend on that forever!

One of the most important benefits of His immutability is that I know that Jesus will always forgive my sins if I ask Him because He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever”. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If He promised to forgive sin in New Testament times, then He’ll continue to forgive me today and throughout the rest of my life whenever I ask Him! His faithfulness never changes.

Furthermore, another important consideration is that there is no need to wonder if something that was considered sin in the Old Testament is still sin in the New Testament or in current times. The Lord doesn’t change His mind anything in His Word, including sin. About Himself, God states in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not…” There is not greater comfort than to know that God never changes; He truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

There is no other person in this world to whom can be attributed this comforting characteristic. It is unique to Jesus. People may be kind to others one day, and on another day, they may alienate those same individuals. Even dear friends or family members can suddenly become distant and aloof over a simple squabble. But not Jesus. He never changes, and He said in Jeremiah 31:3, “…Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love…” His love for you and me will NEVER change!!

There is no greater comfort than knowing that in this world of perpetual change, Jesus Christ is the One and only constant, and in that we find our blessed hope for today and forever!

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father; there is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

(from “Great is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas O. Chisholm)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” – James 1:17

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Once again, I have expounded on some thoughts shared with me by my dear friend, Barb Depew. If this keeps up, I’ll be calling her “my muse”!  Seriously, I am so grateful for her spiritual insight and her willingness to share those thoughts with me. Love you, Barb!

(photo courtesy of Brittany Spear)

1 Thessalonians 5:16 states that we are to “Rejoice evermore”.

Rejoice evermore? What does that exactly mean? The dictionary defines “rejoice” as to feel joy or great delight, and “evermore” means always or forever. So this verse is stating that we are to feel joy or great delight always and forever!

But in what should we rejoice?

Some people rejoice over circumstances. Bringing a child into the world, getting a clean bill of health from the doctor, or having enough money to pay your bills on time are examples of wonderful circumstances, but those are not the things for which we should “rejoice evermore”.

Some people rejoice over certain situations. Getting a good grade on a test, losing pounds on a diet, or celebrating a birthday are certainly specific situations in which we can find happiness, but those also are not the things for which we should “rejoice evermore”.

Maybe rejoicing evermore should be directed toward non-material things such as the love of family and friends, and while we definitely find joy in such things, it’s not what the Bible tells us that is for what we should be rejoicing.

According to Philippians 4:4, we should “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Why the Lord? Let’s take a look at what the Scriptures tell us.

1. Rejoice in the Lord because He’s protective.
   1. “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” – Psalm 5:11
      1. God protects us from our own foolishness. He keeps us safe from even the things we do carelessly that can be detrimental or harmful to our well-being. He protects us from the spiritual forces of evil that we cannot see around us. So, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, God protects.
   2. Rejoice in the Lord because He is wise.
      1. “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” – Psalm 104:24
      2. God’s wisdom comes from His Word. Whenever we need guidance, understanding, even conviction… anything we need… it can be found in the Word of God. The Bible is our manual for living a godly life, and it was written by the One who is wisdom.
   3. Rejoice in the Lord because He is unconditionally loving to us.
      1. “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” – Jeremiah 31:3
      2. Unconditional love! Can you even fathom that? No matter what we’ve done… the sins we’ve committed, both intentionally and unintentionally, no matter where we’ve been in our lives, God remains faithful as our loving heavenly Father. He will never leave us nor forsake us… He’s promised that. Why? Because He loves us unconditionally. Wow!
   4. Rejoice in the Lord because He is also our teacher.
      1. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” – John 16:13
      2. There is no better teacher that the omniscient God! There is no doubt that there are many awesome teachers in this world, and perhaps like me, you can even recall those special teachers who made such positive differences in your life. However, the best teacher for all humanity has always been and will always be the Holy Spirit because He uses His Word to teach us. There is no limit to His knowledge; there is no error in His teaching; there is nothing He withholds for us when we seek His truth. He is the perfect teacher.
   5. Rejoice in the Lord because He is merciful.
      1. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” – Psalm 103:8
      2. Mercy is defined as “withholding deserved punishment”. Because of God’s mercy, I will no longer be judged for my sins. When I prayed and asked Jesus to forgive me and become my Saviour, I became a recipient of the mercy of God. I will no longer face eternal punishment for my sins because Jesus, God’s beloved Son, took the punishment I deserved for my sins upon Himself when He was crucified on the cross. Salvation and eternal forgiveness for me through Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary is given because of God’s mercy.
   6. Rejoice in the Lord because He is gracious.
      1. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” – Ephesians 2:8
      2. Grace is said to be “giving that which is undeserved”. I don’t deserve to have my sins forgiven. I don’t deserve eternal life in heaven. I don’t deserve to be loved by a holy and perfect God. It is only because of God’s grace that I have all of these and more! It is only through His grace that I will one day see Him face-to-face in heaven! It is only through His grace that I can be His child. Hallelujah! I am redeemed by the grace of God!
   7. Rejoice in the Lord because He is God.
      1. “Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.” – Deuteronomy 4:39
      2. Perhaps the greatest reason to rejoice in the Lord is simply because of who He is. The Creator of all things, the Sustainer of all things; the Saviour of the world! He alone deserves to be worshipped and praised because He alone is God, and He has chosen us to be His own! Now that is worth rejoicing evermore!

Rejoice, the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

(from “Rejoice, the Lord is King” by Charles Wesley)

“And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.” – Psalm 35:9

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Many thanks to my sweet friend, Barb Depew, who shared her thoughts with me on “Rejoicing in the Lord alway” and allowed me to expound on them in this writing.

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” -Psalm 56:8

I have shed many tears in my life. There have been tears of disappointment, tears of frustrations, and tears of personal failures. I have shed the most sorrowful of tears when I  lost someone whom I loved deeply. I remember crying long and hard for my mother when she passed. Another time of heartbreaking weeping came when my daughter left home for college. I watched her and her dad drive off down the street with her things as they began the long journey to her college on the other side of the country, and my heart felt as though it had been torn from my chest. It was the beginning of a new life for her, and while part of me was so proud and rejoiced, there was another part of me that grieved so deeply for this new chapter in our lives that I sobbed and sobbed in this moment of perceived loss.

Like many of you, there have been several times when my sorrow was so great, and I felt so alone in my grief, that I felt God was very distant and indifferent to my pain. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth, but my heart hurt so badly I couldn’t imagine Him allowing such internal suffering. It was during those times that God used a small bottle to remind me how much He truly does care for me.

A tear bottle is a small vial that has been used for thousands of years in ancient cultures. Upon research, I discovered that collecting tears was a very significant practice in the Jewish faith. When people would mourn the passing of a loved one, their tears were collected in small vials and placed in the tomb with the deceased. This was a demonstration of the love and respect for the individual who died. The Bible states that God collects our tears in bottles such as these as well.

The Lord cares so much about us that when we are hurting and our tears spill over onto our cheeks, God collects them in a heavenly lachrymatory, or tear bottle. Why? God demonstrates His great love for us through this collection of our tears. Not one goes unnoticed; each one is stored by Him in His own tear bottle for us. He knows every sorrow for which we weep, and as He collects our tears, He uses those times of hurting to draw us closer to Him, to remind us of His faithfulness, and to comfort our grieving hearts through His Word.

One day, I will shed no more tears for God to collect. Revelation 21:4 states, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”  Because I have been forgiven of my sins by the Lord Jesus Christ, I have a promised future with Him that will be full of unspeakable joy, and no tears will be ever shed again! Psalm 126:5 tells me, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” What a glorious day that will be!

It is amazing to think the Creator of the universe, the Saviour of the world, the very Son of God, cares enough about me that He saves each tear I shed. What amazing love!

No tears in heaven, no sorrows given, all will be glory in that land;
There’ll be no sadness, all will be gladness, when we shall join that happy band.

No tears in heaven fair, no tears, no tears up there, sorrow and pain will have have flown;
No tear, in heaven fair, no tears, no tears up there, no tears in heaven will be known.

(from No Tears in Heaven by Robert S. Arnold)

“Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” Psalm 116:7-8

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If you don’t know my Jesus, I’d be honored to introduce you to Him.

I was cleaning out my medicine cabinet the other day, and I found a few medicines that had expired. They were no longer effective in doing what they were designed to do, so I had to get rid of them.

Then I moved into my kitchen. I found several food items in my pantry that also had expired, and I had to discard them because they most likely lost their nutrients or flavor by being on my shelf for such a long time. Many other things become useless after a certain amount of time, and they need to be tossed out or replaced as well.

For example. we recently had to replace an old roof because many of the shingles had become old, and subsequently, they blew off. I’ve also had shoes that had worn out and needed to be replaced. Lastly, we’re thinking about replacing our sofa because it has many areas that have lost the padding, and it’s not as comfortable as it used to be

As I was thinking about things that expired, I realized that there was something very special that never expires, and that is my life with the Lord! I am an older person, that is true (70 years old this year!), and I may be retired, but I’m not expired!

My life with God began in March 1968, when I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and become my Saviour. From that moment, I chose to follow Jesus and serve Him. As a young girl, I didn’t do a lot for the Lord aside from attending church and praying, but as I matured both physically and spiritually, my service for God developed as well.

The writer of Hebrews certainly understood this, and under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, wrote about it in terms we could understand. He compared our service for God to a race. Hebrews 12:1 states, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”.

When an athlete decides to complete, he doesn’t just show up on the day of the game or race; he puts in hours, days, and even years of training. That was like my life as a newly saved Christian. In order to serve God, I had to learn about Him and know what it was that I was supposed to do for Him. This was my initial training. It actually is still continuing today! I’ve learned a lot over the years of my life, but in Philippians, Paul reminds us that our training continues until God calls us home, either by death or the rapture. Philippians 1:6 states, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

The apostle Paul was a great example of an athlete who kept running his race. He served the Lord regardless of what circumstances surrounded his life until his death, and he served Him well. However, Paul did experience some kind of physical ailment that bothered him, and on at least three separate occasions he asked God to remove it from his life. Maybe he felt he could better serve God without this problem, but the Lord taught Paul an important lesson by not removing this “thorn in his flesh”. Paul learned that God would always be with him always, giving him the ability to serve regardless of circumstances.  2 Corinthians 12:7-9 states, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Paul was able to continue serving the Lord, knowing this “thorn in the flesh” had a divine purpose, and he could be confident that God’s grace would carry him through any situation or circumstance in his life. With this knowledge, Paul was able to serve God by sharing the gospel with others when imprisoned, when shipwrecked, when stoned and left for dead… the list goes on, but through it all, he didn’t quit.

Paul served the Lord until the day he was executed for his faith in Christ. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 recounts Paul’s devotion to serving God. “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  These are the words of a follower of Christ who finished well! So what does this mean for me and you.

We can have that same confidence that Paul had in his life. Regardless of our age, our environment, our physical health, our financial situation, we can still serve God. There is no expiration date on our service for Him.

It doesn’t matter if your health is not as great as it used to be; it doesn’t matter that live on a fixed income; it doesn’t matter if your home situation isn’t ideal. I’m not minimizing any of these things. I know life is rarely easy. Living in situations you cannot control is difficult, but none of that means your time of service to God has expired. In fact, the Bible tells us we should “redeem the time” in Ephesians 5:15-16. This means we need to intentionally live our lives walking in spiritual wisdom and submission to God, seeking His will and doing it. James 1:22 tells us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

I wanted a life lived well for the Lord, but it didn’t end when my kids grew up and moved away. It didn’t end when I retired from my job. It didn’t end when I home-schooled my granddaughters for the last time. It is important that we don’t focus on what we can’t do; focus on what we can do. We must ask ourselves, “What can I do with this body, this mind, and the capabilities God has given me at this point in my life?”

The apostle’s words express what I desire to accomplish for the Lord, for my family, and for the church of Jesus Christ in my “golden” years. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” That’s what I want – to finish my race well! I hope that is the same for you.

So, I’ll be tossing out those expired medicines and foods, remembering that God will never toss me or you out! His plan for us to serve Him and tell others about Jesus will continue until He calls us home.

Remember, there is no expiration date for Christians, and Jesus doesn’t put any age limit on His command to share the Gospel and lead others to Him. Matthew 28:19 tells us what the Lord desires of us. Jesus said, “… Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”

Make the decision today to redeem the time and run your race well… You’ll be surprised at how far you can go with Jesus!