Forgive me for not blogging yesterday. We have been enjoying our newest granddaughter, so I ask for your grace
Paul’s idea of the grace of God in his life was correct. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Notice that Paul does not refer to any of his education or status which he calls “loss, rubbish and dung” in Philippians 3:3-8. Even in being straightforward about what he had done with the Corinthians, his “hard work” was because of the grace of God. I find myself constantly fighting against taking credit for what I do. If we allow our natural tendencies to control our thinking, we will descend into ‘ego boasting’ and fail to realize that “all good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Let us be careful in our thinking and the motives of our hearts to ALWAYS divert all credit to the grace of God. The ultimate purpose of this is that He receives glory and praise.
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As Christians, we all assent to the idea of God being sovereign. But, is this assent merely with our heads and not with our hearts. What are the indicators that this is so?
§ We easily complain when difficulties hit our path. § We fret when problems are not quickly resolved. § We expect others to step in and lift our discomforts off our shoulders and they don’t. § We become very critical of others who may contribute to the problem and even misplace blame on others. What is hard for us to do is stop our complaining and ask God to show us His purpose in the circumstances through which we pass. I do not say this because I have arrived at any degree of perfection in this, but because God is teaching me many things that I need to learn. This brings up another problem in our hearts. We usually have a problem being quiet before the Lord so we are able to listen to His voice. After several surgeries, it became obvious that long flights would no longer be on my agenda. I well remember ‘telling the Lord’ that my days of ministry were over. Oh, His tender grace! I felt Him touch my heart with a reminder that I had no idea what His plans for me were. It took time for me to realize this, but as time passed, I began to see that He had more work for me to do than I could handle. I have learned to delight in His purpose and plan for me. “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (Psalm 51:6). “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Are you near enough to the Lord to know how His sovereignty works? While many are caught up in current issues and debates, some are wondering why the Church has lost its spiritual power to address issues in a way that will stabilize and strengthen believers, so we stand strong in the faith. Critical times need persons who know God’s wisdom for the moment.
There are several reasons for our weakness, but I agree with A. W. Tozer in his analysis. “The decline of the knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.” Of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, five of them are told to “repent.” Each of the seven are addressed by Christ with a unique characteristic. That should tell us and these churches they were missing a clear understanding and appreciation of the Church’s Head. If they properly valued Christ for who He is, He would not have required them to repent. I am convinced the Lord wants to revive a high view of Christ our Head. Through that, He will give us wisdom and understanding to equip the Church for these days (Knowledge of the Holy, Harper & Row, 1961, page viii). You might answer that question by saying, ‘of course He does,’ and that would be the response of every genuine Christian. But our answer should be much more than a surface response. Here are a few verses that show the intent of God’s heart and desire toward us and all mankind.
““Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”(Psalm 46:10). It is important to note that being “still” is a prerequisite to “knowing” God and how He will be exalted among the nations and the whole earth. We must leave behind our human ways of ‘knowing’ and allow Him to give us His knowledge and understanding. “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Knowing God as He wants us to know Him through His Son is in itself eternal life! In fact, there is no greater thing we could know in this life! When did this invitation first come to mankind? It came by God Himself coming into His creation; the garden He made just for Adam and Eve. God walked in that place so they could know Him in a personal way (Genesis 3:8). Sadly, disobedience caused them to hide from God. God’s desire to be known by us has not changed. It is we who have been hiding in our busy schedules and a thousand excuses. Take time today, and every day, just to know God and His Son better and His purpose for you and the whole earth. There are times in our lives and ministries when we pause to consider where we are. Looking back, there is no question about the faithfulness of God. Books could be written detailing all the ways He has protected, provided and directed our lives. As His children, that is what our Father does!
What may be more difficult is trusting God for the future, especially with today’s troubles. I have taken comfort and learned much from Paul. As he sat down with the elders from Ephesus in Miletus, he reminded them of the work he had done when he was with them and in Asia Minor. “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20–21). The gospel consumed Paul’s attention, even with trials. Paul knew God was moving him on and that meant more trials. “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifiesto me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me” (22–23). He was OK with the future, even with the challenges that lay ahead. This confidence was not in himself but in the Holy Spirit, knowing that the Spirit would not lead Paul where the Spirit could not sustain Him. Do you have that kind of confidence and relationship with the Spirit? There is something wonderful happening in Bangladesh. Through various contacts, we found someone who is very interested in getting our book, God’s Plan for His Disciples, (GPHD) translated into Bengali so it can be used for evangelism and discipling. This led Tim to arranging a trip to Bangladesh with a medical team to visit the Kutupalong Refugee Camp. Many details still need to be worked out, especially with current travel restrictions. Consider this data about Bangladesh: Total Population = 163,945,000 Population of Unreached = 162,028,000 Number of People Groups = 331 People Groups Unreached = 299 The translation of GPHD is finished, thanks to a very good translator. The translation has been adjusted into the proper format and is ready for printing. We are just waiting for God to open the door for printing and travel arrangements. Please be in prayer for this great opportunity. It is more common for us to think of mankind being reconciled with God because of our fallen, sinful condition. There are many Scriptures that point to this need; the most familiar is “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Then 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 where Paul reminds us that “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). As we have been reconciled to God, we then have the means and responsibility to give others this message. This is also confirmed by the section in Colossians 1:21-22. There is more. Have you thought about the whole universe being reconciled to God through His Son? “Through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross” (1:20). How will this happen? Peter helps us with this question; “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). You can be sure that in this new condition, nothing will exist that is not in complete agreement with God’s will. If this world troubles you as it does me, we have something special to look forward to. Not one thing will be out of agreement with our Lord and King! As we continue to look at the beauty of Jesus Christ our Savior in Colossians 1:15-20, we notice that Paul points to the relationship Christ has with His Church in verse 18.
“And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). This same title is given to Him in Ephesians 1:22-23; “And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22–23). As we know from other Scriptures, and particularly 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, every believer sealed with the Holy Spirit is “baptized into one body” so that through the Spirit the Church is formed. This body must have a head, and Christ as Head of the Church holds a place of pre-eminent status, or as Peter refers to Him, “the cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:7). This truth is not just a building idea, but every part of the body must receive guidance from Christ and allow Him to control ALL of its purpose and function. In rising from the dead, His resurrection becomes the first of all who are in the body, the Church (see Romans 6:8; 2 Timothy 2:11). Our challenge is always to “hold fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together…grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19). If this is not happening in you and your church, somehow you have lost our grip on Christ as the Head. We could search the records of every human being throughout time, read the works of all scientists, and scan the resumes of the entire world and never find anyone with these accomplishments!
“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). The scope of that statement is far beyond our human comprehension. This is only a fragment of Jesus’ resume. We have seen in previous blogs that He existed before anything was created and then when we come to the vastness of creation, it is not just what we can perceive with our eyes, even using a microscope or telescope, but also the invisible things of all creation. It was not just His divine infinite ability to bring all creation into being, but also the perfect design that is manifest in every created thing. WHAT AN ARCHITECT! There is one additional point that Paul makes which we must not miss in this verse. “all things were created…for Him”! That means as stewards of what God has placed in our responsibility, we must care for everything as belonging to Him, and that it all must be managed so all benefits must be for His glory. This consideration should change and regulate what we do with HIS creation. |
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