We are not our own

Let's refresh our memory of our focus verses:

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—  in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4)

Paul does not speak about himself in lofty terms. I don't think he did, in any of his letters. He doesn't say, I'm the reverend Paul, or the right-reverend Paul of Tarsus. I'm the honorable apostle. I'm a prolific author, have penned many books and letters, and I'm a much-sought after conference speaker. (Grin)

Instead, he says that he is "Paul, a slave of God." That is what the term "bond servant" meant. The Greek word is "doulos," and it means a person who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of his master, a slave. Many men of the Old Testament were referred to as God's servants. 

That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” (Genesis 26:24)

After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. (Joshua 24:29)

 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? (II Samuel 7:5)

In the New Testament, the term bond servant is applied to someone who is absolutely devoted to Jesus. We can find verses where Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude are all described as "bondservants of Christ."

As believers, we are children of God through the new birth. We are not our own, and have been bought with a price - an incredible price. As children of God, we are under orders to obey and serve Him.

 You are not your own; you were bought at a price. (I Corinthians 6:19b-20a)

He is our Lord and our allegiance is to Him alone. But being a bondservant of Christ is not drudgery. As we see in Matthew 11, His "burden is light." And we have this precious promise:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

Everyone needs to hear

In medieval times, a king or other ruler would let everyone know what was going on in the kingdom by making a proclamation. There might be a couple of uniformed trumpeters who would walk before, and the king's herald would read from the proclamation for all to hear. 

Or they might post the proclamation, complete with the king's seal for authenticity, on a building or a tree for people to see. Either way, the message wasn't something that was fabricated by the person who was spreading the word. Instead, the heralds were faithfully proclaiming the king's message. That is our job when we give out the gospel.

Salvation comes to sinners by the proclamation of God's Word.

That doesn't mean that we need heralds or trumpets or a fancy document! All of us can be a part of proclaiming the news of the gospel to others. Just as Paul was instructed to "speak out and don't be silent!" (Acts 18:9) it is our responsibility to share the good news of salvation with others. He has promised to receive those who come to Him for salvation:

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:37)

We have a charter, a task before us:

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16)

Paul says he is a "bond servant" of the Lord in the first verses of Titus 1. We are servants of the Lord, too. We are compelled to share the gospel, just as he was (I Corinthians 9:16-17).

Now, what's this about Titus being called Paul's child in verse 4? I never even saw a mention of Paul being married, did you? (Grin)

His calling Titus his "true child in a common faith" probably means that Paul led Titus to faith in Jesus Christ. He uses similar language in his letter to Timothy; he calls Timothy his "son in the faith." It's interesting to see Paul use words he has used before. Like when he greets people in "grace and peace." That was his routine greeting to other believers, but it's so much more than a greeting!

Grace sums up the gospel of Jesus Christ! Every other religion is based on human merit and works. Are you good enough? Have you done enough good deeds? Only the gospel rests on God's unmerited favor to sinners who deserve His wrath. And only the gospel results in peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)

What a blessing! What a gift!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (II Corinthians 9:15)

So here is what we have learned so far: if we want to be God's people in this pagan world, we must first make sure that we have been saved by His grace. Then, we must live up to our responsibility (and the great joy) of sharing the gospel with others. They need to hear of His grace, and receive that peace. But does that grace and peace mean that it's ok to sin? Are we free to live with sin in our lives? Nope! We'll start there next time!

Prayer requests

This time of year, many of us have vacation on our minds. (It is on my mind, to be honest, but hubby and I have not actually had a vacation in many years!)

Folks day-dream about the peace and quiet (especially if you leave the mobile phone turned off most of the time), about seeing new and different things, about visiting with family or friends they've not seen in a while.

Vacations are many things to many people. 

But too often, they are times that we neglect our quiet times with God.

If we want to stay connected with Him as we travel, we need to be intentional about it.

First, we need to keep our daily appointment with God. We might have a morning quiet time that we are really good at keeping when we're at home. It may be that we need to adjust a bit, when we are away. It may be that we tell our traveling companions that we'll have our devotions in the evening, or in the morning, and then stick to it! We might also need to be creative in our location - are we sharing an RV with spouse or family? Are we in a hotel room? We can take our Bibles and a snack or our cup of joe, and head out to the pool (before it's busy) or to a shady picnic table, or somewhere else that we've chosen. We can even take a walk and listen to an audio Bible. Maybe even involve the whole crew in a devotion time! The possibilities are endless.

When we are away, we'll need to remember to pray for the concerns that we lifted up at home. But we also can pray for the people and the situations that we encounter on our travels. The Uber driver who helped us, the clerk at the counter, the park ranger, and even the political and cultural issues of the local area we are visiting. Make all of these matters of prayer.

Lastly, we can look for God in the places we go. Sometimes it is easy to forget that He is with us wherever we travel! There are always opportunities to worship and thank Him, and spur of the moment prayers are just as fervent as those in our devotion times. Have we seen mountains or waterfalls that drew our mind to His awesome power? Have we admired other natural handiwork of our Creator? Have we thanked Him as we hug a family member or friend that we haven't seen in "ages"?

We must not forget to thank Him for these things. We need Him whether we are at home or away, and He wants to hear from us!

Let's pray.

Salvation is from the Lord

Welcome back! I'll post our focus passage here again:

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4)

Our discussions have been focused on how we Christians can live holy lives in the midst of a pagan world.

We've already discovered in these verses that step one is to be saved! Well, that makes sense, right? And Paul is very interested in his readers understanding that salvation is from the Lord - it's not due to anything good that we have done, nor anything good within us. It's a gift from our Creator.

Now, Paul states that our faith and the knowledge of truth (from our study of His Word) rest upon the hope of eternal life. Hmmmmm, hope could be understood in one of two ways . . . it may refer to our hope in God's promise of eternal life. Or, it may refer to the "hope which is eternal life." By that, the scholars say, we mean that God's promise of eternal life is in itself a hope-filled promise. Only God can promise and fulfill that gift of eternal life.

Eternal life is our hope.

But this hope is not uncertain. It's not like when we say, "I sure hope the team wins tonight."   It's not like when we tell someone, "I certainly hope I get that job I applied for." 

Biblical hope is absolutely certain -- but not yet realized. That absolute certainty rests on God's character. It is He Who promises; He is the God Who cannot lie. We have many verses in both the Old and the New Testaments which tell us:

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. (Hebrews 6:18)

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” (I Samuel 15:29)

if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (II Timothy 2:13)

 He is incapable of lying. He ALWAYS speaks the truth. 

Think what a startling concept that would be for the Cretans, to whom Titus was ministering as pastor. The people of the island of Crete were notorious liars! 

Jesus is the Truth, and He always speaks the truth. Jesus called Satan the "father of lies" in the gospel of John (John 8:44). Way back in the weeds and in the mists of the early earth, Satan duped Eve with the lie that God's Word was not true. He told her (and she fell for it) that if she ate of the forbidden fruit, she would actually be like God. Not gonna die, he said. And it's Adam and Eve who fell for the lie and the human race was plunged into sin. And alienation from God.

Ever since that time, people have fallen for the lie that they can find happiness and eternal life apart from the true, living God. Paul says that God gave this promise "long ages ago." In other words, He planned our salvation even before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1)

The promise was there even before there were people who needed it. Our hope of eternal life is secure, because it is rooted in God's eternal promise! God alone is the author of life: when He created the world, He breathed life into every living creature, and then created man and woman as living beings, created in His image.

When Adam and Eve fell, they died spiritually. Spiritual death means separation from the life of God. Spiritually dead people cannot will themselves into spiritual life. They can't force it to happen. No matter how hard they try, or how creatively they try to make it happen. Salvation in Jesus is nothing less than God's hand, reaching down to us and raising us from death to life.

So, Paul is telling his readers that salvation comes from God. Man has nothing to do with it. So then, how does God's salvation come to lost sinners?

I'm glad you asked . . . . we will start there next time. 

Friday

This old hymn by Clara Scott in 1895 has truths for us today. We must open our eyes, our ears, and then our mouths in service of God.

With our eyes and ears, we may take in truth. With our mind we can understand, and with our mouths we can tell others. 
Listen prayerfully to this singing of the hymn.

 

Open my eyes, that I may see

1. Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
   Place in my hands the wonderful key
   That shall unclasp and set me free.
   
   • Refrain 1:
     Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my eyes, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!
2. Open my ears, that I may hear
   Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
   And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
   Everything false will disappear.
   
   • Refrain 2:
     Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my ears, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!
3. Open my mind, that I may read
   More of Thy love in word and deed;
   What shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead?
   Only for light from Thee I plead.
   
   • Refrain 3:
     Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my mind, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!
4. Open my mouth, and let me bear,
   Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
   Open my heart and let me prepare
   Love with Thy children thus to share.
   
   • Refrain 4:
     Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my heart, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!

In the middle of a pagan world

The letter from Paul to Titus is one of Paul's shorter letters, but he sure packed a lot into it! First, let's look at the first point he makes about holy living in a pagan world: we can't live holy lives unless we are saved. We Christians are saved by grace. 

but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, (Romans 5:20b)

The wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation! I guess when we think about it, salvation is a pretty radical concept. "Saving" someone is not helping a person who's in pretty good shape. It's not reaching out to someone who just needs a bit of assistance. We are saved because we are helplessly, hopelessly lost without God's help! We humans are dead in sin and only He has the power to raise us. 

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  (Ephesians 2:4-6, NIV)

After identifying himself in the first two verses, Paul then talks about how God is our Savior, and how Jesus Christ is on the same level as God. Also, over in the third chapter, Paul writes that we are renewed by the Holy Spirit. In Paul's mind, Jesus is fully God, and the triune God is our only Savior. He is laying out a case for the readers of the Trinity - three in One - that is so hard for us to get our human minds wrapped around! 

Paul seems to be helping Titus, a newer pastor, with truths that his congregation might need explanations for. Not only does he write about the Trinity, but he also discusses something that our churches today often reject: salvation is not rooted in us, but in God. Dead sinners come to life because of God's grace - He offers them salvation that is not based on how good or bad they are, but based instead on His mercy.

Paul says in verse one that saving faith must rest on the truths revealed in God's Word. We must understand what Scripture teaches about God as absolutely holy and about us as absolutely sinful. We must understand that Jesus took the penalty that we deserved; He died on the cross. We must understand that God grants salvation as a free gift to us, not because of any goodness in us. And that only Christ can save us.

This is foolishness to natural men and women. Those who are not in tune with spiritual things and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:14) 

You and I can only understand God's truth in His Word when the Spirit guides us:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 4:4-6)

Lord, open our eyes to your truth so that we may understand more of your Word and your ways. 

Christian living in a pagan world

When we started out on Monday, we were pretty hard-nosed and intolerant, according to this world's standards. We were being realistic about the culture that we live in today. We truly live in a pagan world. So that "begs" the question, as they say: how can we believers ensure that we are living as God's holy people in this world?

Sometime after his first imprisonment in Rome, and before his final jail time, Paul visited Crete with Titus. Paul left him there in Crete to help resolve some problems in the newly established churches and to assist them in getting started in the pagan culture there.

Oh, wait a minute. Let's back up a bit. 

Crete is an island off the southern tip of Greece, in the Mediterranean Sea. It's about one hundred and sixty miles long, and it varies from seven to thirty-five miles across. There are mountains and gorges among its scenic attractions, and the climate is known for being pretty mild. Many different civilizations have claimed it, from the Minoans to the Greeks. 
Among the Romans, the people of Crete had a particularly bad reputation! The people, known as Cretans, were notorious for lying! Paul actually quotes one of their poets in the first chapter: the poet said Cretans are "always liars....evil...lazy." 

Somehow, the seed of the good news of Jesus Christ had taken root and sprouted in the pagan culture of Crete. There may have been Cretans present in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost - they would have heard the disciples speak in their own Cretan language, telling of the mighty deeds of God. There also were "Hellenistic" Jews (these were people who believed in and practiced the Jewish faith but were not of Hebrew lineage.) scattered in the countries surrounding Palestine. They spoke Greek (hence the name "Hellenistic") and may have been converted when Peter preached. They went home, then, and some even started up fledgling churches. But as Gentiles, they brought with them a lot of baggage. Of course, they didn't have a corner on that market: the Jews who were converted and believed on Jesus had a lot of baggage, too, just different suitcases. (Grin)

Paul's buddy, Titus, had a good record of dealing with problems. He had helped out in Corinth. So, Paul left him in Crete and went on his way, telling Titus to get the church on solid footing. He wrote the letter we will study both to encourage and to instruct the younger minister and his flock. He knew that he was leaving Titus with a tough assignment: to help those new believers be people of God in a pagan culture.

Here is how Paul begins his letter:

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, 3but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,

4To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4)

Three themes are going to be woven together in the letter to Titus and the church in Crete. The first will be salvation (by God's grace); the second will be good deeds (as a result of our salvation); and the last will be the authority of the local churches. This is going to be a letter full of awesome theology and down-to-earth, practical teaching, too.

Please make it a commitment to read the first chapter of the short book of Titus this week in your quiet time. Re-read it each day that you are able. Let's study and learn from the old minister, as he talks to the younger pastor!

Verses that inspire

One of our friends keeps bees.

Yep, he puts on that crazy-looking suit once or twice a year and goes out there and risks life and limb to get the honey from the hives. (Grin)

Did you know that a hobbyist beekeeper might harvest anywhere from fifty to one hundred pounds of honey from a single hive? Mmmmmm...... no wonder he goes out with his smoker and his suit and carefully works with his little friends!

No wonder, too, that he plants some flowers among his vegetables particularly for his bees to enjoy!

Those bees are diligent to bring in nectar from the flowers and trees, and the end result is the wonderful honey that has so many benefits and uses. 

How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
    sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

The psalmist is telling us that God's Word, the Bible, is sweeter and of greater benefit than the honey those busy little bees produce!

Let's take time each day to stop, read, "taste" and savor the Word of God. That just might be the sweetest part of our day!!

A new study - groundwork

Well, now the secret is out. (Grin)

I really feel like the Holy Spirit is guiding us to take a short break from the Psalms. We've learned a great deal from our studies there, but we are being drawn to a (very) small book in the New Testament. There must be a reason for this - the Spirit doesn't do things haphazardly. He always has a plan.

Let's dig in and see what He has for us!

In the past, the country that I (and some of you dear readers) live in was referred to as a "Christian" nation. I suppose in the language of today, people would be "triggered" if they heard us say that. 

However.

It's true.

The first Christian pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 (post dating the settlement of Jamestown in 1607) and a small band of (Dutch) Jewish immigrants landed in America in 1654. All of these people were seeking refuge, liberty, and RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Later, our "Founding Fathers" established a grand experiment: a nation founded on God's gifts of freedom and a moral people to utilize them. Judaic symbols were used in the imagery of the states as each one was established. America remained Judeo-Christian by a general consensus up to the late 1960's, when the ruling elites of the West started their Marxist plans in motion. 

But I digress. You say you don't think I'm correct? Check out the founders' own words:

"...reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle...."   George Washington

''The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."  John Adams

"God, Who gave us life, gave us liberty." Thomas Jefferson

"It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." Patrick Henry

Thankfully, we still have a few vestiges of our Christian heritage in our Constitution and our laws, but in practice? We have become a thoroughly pagan nation.

In the past fifty years, and especially in the last ten or so, a major moral shift has occurred in our country. For those of you outside the United States, you likely have observed this, too, in your own nation. Traditional families of dad, mom, and kids are observed as quaint relics, out of step with the times. Such families are in the minority now.

Sexual immorality has gone from being something hidden to being something flaunted in the media. Movies assume sex outside of marriage is perfectly acceptable; homosexuality is celebrated as "pride," and "drag queen story hours" are considered suitable entertainment for children. Speaking of children, our culture presses them to accept the contagion of transgenderism as normative, and it's becoming difficult to shield our children and grandchildren -- it's becoming a hate crime to speak negatively about any of these behaviors. Even many churches are frightened and won't speak up.  

Yes, this is the culture we live in. And we face a serious question: how can we live as God's holy people in this pagan world? 

Paul's short (only three chapters) letter to Titus addresses just this problem. I hope you will join us as we study this week and in the weeks following.

Day V, week of prayer

 

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (Matthew 6:7)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 17:6)

Day IV, week of prayer

 

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:12, NIV)

 

You will pray to him, and he will hear you,

    and you will fulfill your vows. (Job 22:27)

 

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24) 

Day III, week of prayer

 

Let's continue to seek the Lord in our quiet time and pray for His will.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, (Ephesians 1:18)

When we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit will assist us.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)

Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (Romans 8:26, NASB))

Let's pray.

Day II, a week of prayer

 

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

A week of prayer

I'm asking everyone who pauses here to join me in a week devoted to prayer. We have talked about praying for others; we've talked about praying for our leaders and our countries. 

It's time to put boots on the ground, er, knees on the floor. Or if we can't do that, it's time to sit quietly in a comfortable, silent spot where we can talk to our Father God and listen for His answers. Where we can pray and then look in our Bibles to see what the Spirit has for us, to guide us in these turbulent times.

Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom for the sake of his nephew, Lot. He asked God to spare the city and his family if certain (small) numbers of righteous people, amongst the thousands that lived in the wicked city. He kept reducing the number...even though God could not find ten righteous in the city, He honored Abraham's intent by sparing Lot and his family.

Moses pleaded for God's mercy for the sinning people of the nation. Daniel begged God to hear and forgive his people. We have multiple examples in the New Testament of the apostles and others who prayed faithfully and saw God work in mighty ways.

We must be prayer warriors, too. I humbly ask for you to join me each day this week as we pray. I also ask that you bear me up in prayer as I begin a new study for us; I pray that I will post according to the leading of the Spirit, and that someone will receive a word that helps them along their way.

Let's pray.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (I John 5:14-15)

Friday slowdown

Glorious things of thee are spoken . . . this hymn was mentioned in one of our posts this week. 

What a beautiful hymn! What hope and anticipation of our home in heaven!

Enjoy this lovely rendition of this sweet hymn:

Psalm 73 conclusion - tell of His works

Just as Asaph says in verse twenty-eight, if we treasure God we will tell others of all His works and blessings.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:28)

As we experience God's blessings, we should give God praise and glory. As He delivers us from trials, and as He satisfies our souls, we should be eager to tell others.

There are many examples in our Bible of this - the woman at the well is one:

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. (John 4:28-29)

She was so eager to tell others that she left her water jar at the well and ran back to town to tell others about Jesus.

The man who was possessed of demons was healed and then began to tell others about God's healing:

So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:20)

Luke's gospel says the man told people "all over town."

So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:39b)

Philip answered the Holy Spirit's urging by running alongside the chariot of the Ethiopian man searching the scriptures.

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. (Acts 8:30)

When the women went to the tomb and found that Jesus Christ had risen, they ran to tell the disciples.

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8)

Are we as eager to tell others of His blessings? Do we try to find ways to bring our witness into our conversations?

He is so faithful to us. He is so filled with mercy and compassion. He never fails us.

Do we fail to tell others?

Do we spend our time in envy of the wicked? Do we look at their ease and prosperity with jealous eyes? Asaph learned his lesson - when he treasured God above all else, he no longer felt envious. Instead, he found himself eager to tell others of the blessings of God!

Let's follow Asaph's example. Then, with John Newton, we can sing:

Fading is the world's best pleasure,

All its boasted pomp and show;

Solid joys and lasting treasure

None by Zion's children know. (Glorious Things of Thee)

Is there anything in our lives that we treasure more than God?

Dear Lord, if I place anything as higher and more valuable than my relationship with you, please show it to me, and help me to put it out of my life. My desire is to treasure you and tell others of your love.

 

Psalm 73, closing thoughts

Verse twenty-eight of our psalm makes me think of the wonderful hymn penned by Martin Luther in the days of the Reformation:

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:28, NIV)

Our Father God is a treasure to us. Being near Him is good for us. Here is the verse in another translation:

As for me, to be near God is my good,
    to make the Lord God my refuge..... (v. 28a, NASB)

This is a sharp contrast with those who are far from God. They will perish. Those near to God will find Him a refuge. As in the words of the hymn: a fortress.

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing...

How can we draw near to God?

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. (James 4:8)

Those who will treasure their sins and pleasures will not be comfortable in the bright, holy light of His presence:

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. (John 3:20)

But those who have been cleansed through faith in Jesus' blood enjoy the nearness of God:

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. (I John 4:16) 

Asaph says "I have made the Lord God my refuge." When we are under Satan's attacks and the enemies are pressing in, the most valuable place to be is in a place of refuge. That fortress. The enemy's arrows cannot hit us there. We are protected. We can rest there. A place of refuge is a life-saver; it's a treasure. God is our refuge, so we should treasure Him above all else. There's no need to take refuge in anything the world has to offer! The Lord God is our refuge, our fortress!

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
2 Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,
    my God in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

Intercessory prayer

This week as we join our hearts in prayer, let's pray for each other. Let's lift up each person who pauses here to read and study.

It's called intercessory prayer. Yep, I know, we have discussed this in previous posts . . . . 

God appreciates people who pray fervently for others who are facing trials. But why?

Intercessory prayer reflects our Father's own character of love and mercy. God encourages us to think like He does, and when we pray for others, it helps us to grow in compassion for them.

God instructs us to pray for others. In James, we are told that we should pray for others when sick. Paul tells us that we should pray for pastors and other church workers:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:18-20)

OK. I get that. I want to support the men and women working for the Lord. But the next thing? I don't know if I like this that Paul says:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:1-4)

So, I need to pray for government leaders and others in power, who may not even know I exist . . . and I even need to pray for them when they act like my enemies!

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44) 

Jesus is our intercessor. He is our example. 
But let's clear up a common misconception: intercessory prayer is not a numbers game. God doesn't keep watching to see if we have five or ten or twenty people praying about a certain issue, in order for Him to intervene. 
And prayer is not like our signing a petition; if we "get enough signatures" we can expect results. Nope.

Our prayers don't force God to do anything. He can and He does act when the time is best. Also, our prayers don't "earn us points" with God. We can't save up so that when something difficult comes our way, we can pull our prayer points off the shelf and redeem them. (Grin) Our motivation should be unselfish love.

Prayer is a vital part of our communication with our loving God. How can we pray more effectively for others?

Pray from our hearts. Pray regularly. Pray for others in detail - God knows everything; but when we make specific requests we find out what's important to us, and He can guide us to what's important to Him. The Bible compares our prayers to incense . . . something sweet and appealing and pleasant. Detailed, thoughtful prayers are so much better than rushed requests to "bless everybody"!

Making a prayer list or journal can help us remember details, and can provide us with joy when we realize a prayer has been answered. Pray for others with faith in Him, knowing that God loves the people we are praying for, too! Lastly, pray with a desire to help where we can - a card, a call, or a visit can be helpful to those we are lifting up in prayer. 

We'll revisit this in a week or so......I just felt like some of these thoughts were important to remind all of us that we can be prayer warriors for others!