God's Reputation

Isaiah 36 and 37

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria, attacked. . . . "This is what the great king the king of Assyria, says, 'On what are you basing this confidence of yours? . . . Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?'" . . . Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. . . . "It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone fashioned by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand so that all kingdoms on Earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God."

So God did deliver them, in a miraculous way! Wow! God told Hezekiah, I will defend this city and save it, for My sake and for the sake of David my Servant.

Then: The angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

One day . . . his sons . . . cut him down with the sword. . . . And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.

God will always defend His own reputation. Because this pagan king considered God to be no greater than the idols of the other countries, thereby blaspheming, lying about, Him, and because Hezekiah put his trust in God and prayed; then God pulled that king back home again and had him die there.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Desiderata

Romans 12:18,21

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

O my Father, although we try to do our very best to get along, we still come up short of what You want for us. We still find ourselves reacting negatively instead of taking the time to breathe in Your grace so we can breathe out Your mercy. Please help us to do what we are given to do, but not go too far. Help us to patiently wait on You to work in our own and others' hearts, to soften the hard places in them so we can respond to one another courteously and compassionately. Let us not be overcome by the evil in this world and in our own flesh, but to overcome the evil by doing the good of working out differences, working through difficulties, and relying on You to continue to work out Your will in us and in our relationships with one another. Keep us steadfast in persevering through the processes of reconciliation and healing, trusting that You want the very best for each of us, and Your desire is that we all come to repentance and righteousness.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

6 Cycles Of Rebellion And Blessing

Psalm 107

This psalm gives 6 cycles of different kinds of troubles people have faced: And called to God for help, and how He rescued them: Causing them to thank and praise the Lord. Then the last verses give the conclusion.

1-4 -- (Introduction.) Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this--those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from East and West, from North and South.

(1) 4-9 -- Those who wandered in desert wastelands who were hungry and thirsty.Then they cried out to the Lord and He delivered them for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things, so they gave thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.

(2) 10-16 -- Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled and there was no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

(3) 17-22 -- Afflictions resulting from rebellious dietary choices; they cried out to the Lord and were rescued from death by being healed and then they praised Him.

(4) 23-32 -- They took to ships and faced storms and tempests; they cried out to the Lord and He calmed the storm and provided a safe haven, and they praised Him.

(5) 33-38 -- He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into a thirsty ground and fruitful land into a salt waste because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

Then He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; There He brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; He blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and He did not let their herds diminish.

(6) 39-41 -- Then their numbers decreased and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow: He who pours contempt on nobles [The Lord, because of their pride] made them wander in a trackless waste.

But He lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.

42-43 -- (Conclusion.) The upright see and rejoice in praising God, but all the wicked shut their mouths [they have nothing to say]. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.

God's love is the foundation of everything that is. God created, and He loves what He made. He fashioned this Earth for us to live here, and formed us from it. Then He gave us all the guidelines so we could know how to live here, how to take care of the Earth and relate to one another: which is to love, as He loves. God loves us, and wants us to love Him back. And He designed our world and us to love one another, and take care of all He has given us as we use this Earth for our benefit and take care of one another in it. When we follow His instructions, then everything works the way He designed it; but when we think we know better, or in other ways rebel against His rules, then we suffer the consequences of our poor choices. 

We cannot blame God for unfavorable circumstances in our lives when we don't follow (obey) His commandments and statutes. God has clearly given us the consequences of the kinds of decisions we choose to make, for our good or not. When we choose to live according to His ways, then we benefit and He gets the credit, the glory. When we choose to rebel against His ways in ignoring Him and deciding that we know better, then we reap the fruits of disease, of despair, of death, of everything that is against us. 

Let us get to know this God who made us, and learn of His ways, and choose to live our lives according to His revealed will for us to love Him and one another.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Daniel's Trust In God

Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel's habit of seeking God on a regular schedule kept him close to God and steadfast in His ways. Even when he heard about this decree and that it was in effect, he didn't alter or change his schedule. He knew what the consequences would be, but still trusted that God could rescue him. He had the same view that his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had when faced with the fiery furnace: "The God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not . . ." (3:17-18). They all trusted God's power and care, but still left it up to God whether He will. They were ready to die.

I wonder how many Christians today would have that same strong confidence that Daniel and his friends had, that we would continue to have our quiet time, or continue to talk to others about Jesus, or continue to be bold about why we live the moral and honorable lives we live, if we knew that if it was known it could mean our own persecution or martyrdom.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Faith, Hope And Love

I Corinthians 13:8-10, 13

Where there are prophesies, they will cease; -- When all that has been predicted comes true.

Where there are tongues, they will be stilled; -- All the languages we speak will most likely be unnecessary when we are living on the New Earth.

Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. -- All the knowledge that we have learned about how this world functions and how the Earth fits into this Universe will be superseded by the realities of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. -- "Faith:" We will always trust fully in God. "Hope:" We will forever know that we are still growing, maturing, and healing from our brokenness, ever more being molded into God's image. "Love:" The caring that is the framework that everything hangs on and the overcoat that ties everything together; the whole reason for everything.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

God Is A Refuge

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

The 3 chapters of Nahum's prophesy are all about the destruction of that wicked city Nineveh. This is the same city-state that God had sent Jonah to, 100 years earlier. The repentance they had as a result of Jonah's preaching did not last, and new generations were born who went back to the same evil, violent and cruel lifestyle of their forebears. So now Nahum is pronouncing their downfall; Babylon will conquer Nineveh and wipe them from the face of the Earth, and it will disappear. We know that God later then destroyed Babylon, too. Then the Israelis will rejoice, the Jews will be freed from their chains, and God will restore Israel's bountiful land. This is God's way: To rescue those who call upon Him from the oppressor and punish the wicked who reject the good He offers.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Speaking Boldly

Acts 4:31

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.

Peter and John had healed a man who was crippled and were teaching about the Resurrection when the priests and Sadducees told them not to preach in Jesus' Name, and they replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God" (v. 19). So the priests and Sadducees threatened them again and let them go. They expected that they would intimidate these "unlearned" men. But Peter and John told their group what had happened, then they all prayed together and the place was shaken. Then when the Holy Spirit filled them, the result wasn't speaking in tongues, it was boldness in proclaiming God's Word!

O Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit to speak boldly and not miss an opportunity.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!