abandoned to Christ.

Showing posts with label Biblical Love. Show all posts

“God knows my heart.” is a common phrase that both Christians and non-Christians use. And sadly, it’s carelessly thrown about to excuse or approve of the faithless, opinionated, and self-righteous way many of us choose to live.

Rarely is this phrase used by a truly penitent and humble heart that worships the LORD Almighty in the splendor of holiness—in spirit and in truth (1 Chron 16:29 and Jn 4:23-24).

So how can we know for certain if our hearts are the penitent or proud ones when we say, “God knows my heart.”?

We know by how God Almighty says we can know. We test our hearts by what comes out of our mouths (Mt 12:34-37, Lk 6:43-46), with God’s perfect and infallible Word of truth.

This God—His way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

~2 Samuel 22:31

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

~2 Timothy 3:16-17

We are commanded by God to “test everything” (1 Th 5:21). The Greek word used for “test” in this verse as well as in Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 13:5, and 1 John 4:1 is δοκιμάζω, transliterated: dokimazō which means: to test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing be genuine or not), as metals.

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, sincere and impartial. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

~James 3:13-18 (emphasis, mine)

The Arrogant Heart Sounds Like This

God knows my heart. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. My relationship with God is personal and I have the right to live it the way I believe God wants me to. And I don’t need to read or study the Bible to know if God is please with me. I know He knows my heart and He knows I do all things to please Him by being a good parent, child, sibling, friend, worker, neighbor, citizen, etc.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
~Proverbs 18:2

The Humble Heart Sounds Like This

God knows my heart. And I pray daily that He searches, knows, and tests it (Ps 139:23-24) because I trust He will strengthen, comfort, refresh, exhort, and rebuke me as I need for all circumstances—that the essence of my life will honor, glorify, and magnify the name of Jesus with every breath He provides (Heb 12:6, 10-11; Titus 2:11-14).

Every way of man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
~Proverbs 21:2

Which is yours: a penitent heart or a proud heart?

If the former, then give thanks and praise and all glory to God Most High for the riches of His grace lavished upon you through Christ Jesus (Eph 2:4-10)!

If the latter, then repent and give thanks and praise and all glory to God for His enduring patience and mercy lavished upon you through Christ Jesus (Rm 2:4-8)!

Sing to the LORD, all the earth!

Tell of His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,

His marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,

and He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him;

strength and joy are in His place.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

bring an offering and come before Him!

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before Him, all the earth;

yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,

and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”

~1 Chronicles 16:23-31

“[L]earn to set a high price upon the quiet and sweetness of your spirit, set a high price upon it, account it to be a rich jewel of great worth, as we told you, that God accounted the meek spirit to be of great price; ‘tis one way to get it, to have a right esteem of the rest of spirit, and quietness that meekness will cause in the soule…therefore saith Christ, learn of me who am humble and meek, and you shall find rest to your souls…I have found this, that when I have been able to overcome my passion, I have had the sweetest time that ever I have had in all my life: when I could deny my selfe, and exercise meekness, O the quiet of any heart, it was worth a world, and shall I loose this for a trifle, now for a toy, O the poore trifles and toyes that men and women do cast away the quietness of their spirits for, as if they were nothing worth.”
~Jeremiah Burroughs, The Saints Happinesse; Sermon XIII

Ah…the sweetness of meekness is far more impressive and far more glorious and far more heavenly than most of us can know or understand. The sweetness of meekness is complete in Christ alone. Therefore, only in Christ can it be expressed—which there are no human words nor emotions that can even infinitesimally understand a minutia of the might of this holy character of God.

“In God we trust” is easy to say. “I repent and believe in Christ alone for salvation” is also easy to say. “Jesus is Lord” is exceedingly easy to say for anyone who wants to say it. But to actually believe these simple statements—to actually believe every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD—to actually believe God as He has chosen to reveal Himself, through His Son (the Word of God, cf. Jn 1:1, Heb 1:1-2), and then to make these statements, well, that is something else altogether—it is truth, it is life!

The sweetness of meekness, is to abide in Christ. It is to believe Christ and everything He has revealed about Himself through His Word, from Genesis through Revelations. It is to rest, wholly rest on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God even when it dismantles or destroys the desires of my flesh, my affections for others, and my preferred perceptions of the world.

This is the sweetness of meekness: To love, worship, obey, honor, live for, and believe wholly in the mercy, righteousness, and justice of God Almighty (Jer 9:23-24). Trusting that because God alone is good and righteous, all that He does and allows, is good and righteous (Ps 119:66, Mk 10:18, Rom 3:10-11). To rest in God—to rest in all He has said and done—to rest in His holy and awesome character and might, this is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). This is the sweetness of the meekness of Christ, “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously”. (1 Pt 2:23, NASB95).

Meekness, as with all other God-given character traits can only be exhibited by those who abide in Christ. Godly meekness cannot be attained or maintained by the mere will or work of man. It is a gift of God, by His grace, through faith in His Son; so that as with all things from God, no man may boast in himself. But all boasting is in Christ alone and His work of redeeming those who were once lost.

Bemoaning God’s kindness sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? Do you know why? Because it is.

Sadly, many, if not most of us, bemoan God’s kindness daily…and we’ve practiced it so much, rarely are we aware of it.

We bemoan God’s kindness when:

Someone gives us a gift with all their heart, but it doesn’t meet our standards of what we most value;
We’re envious and unkind to anyone our loved ones (parents, spouse, children, friends) give honor and respect to, because we feel their admiration belongs to us;
We give a gift, serve, etc. and we don’t receive the measure of gratitude we feel our giving deserves;
Someone loves us enough to not sin with us;
We reject someone (with or without their knowledge) that God uses to reprove or admonish us of sin we are entertaining/practicing;
We won’t even greet someone because we are envious of the spiritual gifts or natural talents God gave to them and not to us;
Our first instinct is to complain and criticize rather than to consider it all joy when God brings any difficulty or pain into our lives in order to make us more like Christ—complete and lacking nothing.

What is the cure for bemoaning God’s kindness? Repent and rejoice.

Yep. That’s it! There’s no 12-step program, no counseling needed, and no in-depth meditation required. We’d like to think it’s much more difficult than it is because our pride demands it. The more difficult things are, the more we feel accomplished when we’ve acquired it.

The biggest hurdle we all have is our pride that refuses to readily submit to anything we don’t already want to do.

But love to God is this: That we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Jn 5:3-5)

God, as always, does all the heavy lifting because He alone is the Almighty. We are not. Our only duty as His faithful and loving children is to demonstrate our love for Him, not with mere words, but with deeds and truth (1 Jn 3:18). And we can, because Christ our God suffered, died, and resurrected so that we may suffer for Christ, die to self, and rise in the newness of eternal life—the holy and righteous life of Christ the Father has generously poured out to us.

God is kind. And God is good. He never commands us to obey anything He hasn’t already and abundantly provided us with the means and ways to obey Him wholeheartedly.

I’ve read 2 Samuel numerous times. And I’ve been moved by my Father’s faithful Holy Spirit, to pray what is written in chapter 16, verses 10-14.

And once again, I’ve learned something new, about an old and familiar passage I’ve long loved and prayed to be true in my life. But before I share what our compassionate and faithful and superbly loving Father taught me through His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit today, allow me to digress for a moment to share a brief summary (and the passage) that has long been a staple of my prayers.

When Shimei (a relative of the late King Saul, whom the LORD deposed of his throne) violently accosted King David and his servants both physically and verbally by hurling stones at them and slandering the good name of King David, one of his mighty men, Abishai (a son of Zeruiah, one of David’s two sisters) being rightly indignant, offers to avenge his king’s integrity by killing Shimei. But King David’s response was a very unusual one. Rather than feel loved and encouraged by Abishai’s undaunted loyalty for him, David actually distances himself from Abishai, rebukes him, and proclaims the excellence of the Almighty’s wise judgment and sovereignty and goodness, for his trust is in God alone—

What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, ‘Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today.’ So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.

~2 Samuel 16:10-14, ESV

For many years, my prayer in response to this, has been that the LORD my awesome God and Father, who delights in practicing steadfast love, justice, and righteousness throughout all the earth (Jer 9:23-24), would be pleased to grant me the same humble and wise and submissive heart that He generously poured out to King David. When I am slandered (falsely accused of offenses or sins against God or man), I ask my gracious and merciful Father to grant me the same loyal and devoted heart he gave King David—that I too, may rightly discern all things whether good or evil, are done to me only by the wise judgment of my loving and good Father.

My Savior, my greatest and First Love, kindly granted me my request as soon as I asked. And for years, I have enjoyed the freedom and happiness in Christ to forgive and pray for the slanderer’s soul, and to live in the righteous peace of God with them. Some I can keep near (those who repent, Ps 119:63), and others, I keep at a wise distance (the unrepentant, Prov 9:8; 1 Cor 15:33).

But still, my heart was daily consumed from the ache of all that was lost by slanderers who tore both my earthly family and spiritual Family apart, limb by limb. Though I was no longer enslaved with disdain toward the slanderer, I was tormented by those who so quickly and willingly believed the slanderers’ false accusations about my character, and sins that I neither committed against the lying tongue, nor against those who provided safe harbor for the them to do the devil’s work (cf. Prov 26:20, Rev 12:10). Though my heartache over injustice wrought upon me or other innocent parties is warranted, if my aching, impedes my progress in Christian maturity through the daily reading, studying, and meditating of God’s Word, that is when I’m in sin.

For anything that weighs and slows me down from running my race with faithful fervor and devotion to Christ my God, the Captain who called me into His marvelous light, then I have wrongly given it the glory, the heaviness and grandeur in my mind and heart, that it does not deserve.

Only the LORD of hosts, my God and Father, my Savior and Redeemer, the Rock of my salvation, the Counselor of my soul, rightly deserves the full glory, the full heaviness, and weight of grandeur, and all splendor my small life can manifest. And therefore, this day, I resolve to pray and have applied to me in great measure, from my God, to be granted the heart of King David—a heart not only humbled before the LORD, but also, wholeheartedly entrusts my entire being and every happening in my life to the good and righteous and awesomely wise judgment of the Great I AM.

As of today, by God’s grace, I’ve been freed from the fear of (gratefully) infrequent result of slander—the fear of people I’ve known and loved for many years, and some, decades, easily accepting the false accusations of a divisive spirit, over applying God’s wisdom (Js 3:17-18) by testing all that they hear with God’s Word (Jn 7:24). For the LORD has reminded me today, that no one can be enticed to do evil (Ex 23:1, Ps 101:4-5, Prov 11:9, Eph 4:31), without there already being a seed of discord and bitterness about me, in their own hearts (Js 1:14-15). Eve was quickly and easily deceived by the devil, only because the devil, who is the most craftiest of all creatures, clearly saw that Eve desired to be her own woman—the captain of her own soul. Because Satan was able to clearly deduce Eve’s evil desire, he didn’t even have to apply a stupendous lie. All Satan used to entice Eve to sin, was to blatantly blaspheme God’s good character.

I won’t deny that it’s painful to face the fact that brothers and sisters in Christ, whom I’ve loved and poured out my life in Christ to, would so quickly and easily forget all the good work (of prayer, of service, of comfort, of biblical counsel, etc.) that our LORD gave to them, through me. Though it still pains me, it no longer enslaves me to the grief and depression that Satan uses to impede the pace my Savior has established for me. I resolve to no longer sit by the wayside and fawn over relationships lost to lies. Because if the LORD allowed the slanderer to be successful in throwing stones and cursing my character, then, because my God is the LORD, let my LORD do all that seems good to Him (1 Sam 3:18).

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

~Romans 12:9-13, ESV

So often (too often, for my liking), we compete. We participate in inane, daily competitions with one another. Especially us women. I can rarely be in a group of women where most, if not all, are sizing each other up. Who's the prettiest, who's the most fit, who has on the cutest outfit, who has the most perfect family? And nowadays, the most common competitions are: who has the most friends/followers, likes, comments, and social media birthday wishes (insert eye roll). The list of self-exalting, sinful comparisons, is endless.

But our God and Father says the only "competition" we ought to seek, to daily participate in, is to "outdo one another in showing honor." As God's dearly beloved, holy children, we ought to daily seek to love one another with the love of Christ—genuine, holy, agape, sacrificial love that seeks the good of others without seeking any good in return. Just as God has loved us in Christ Jesus.

Does this mean that we are to aspire to merely be doormats to the world; to anyone, whether professing Christian or not? Absolutely not. The idea that children of the LORD of hosts should consider themselves less than they are (slaves of righteousness), is absurd. We are not royal doormats for anyone to use and abuse to their wicked hearts’ desire. We are holy slaves who behold the greatest treasure—Christ Jesus the Lord.

It’s very disconcerting and gravely disheartening that there are many who are erroneously taught by teachers and preachers of the Word (who ought not be teaching nor preaching), who twist and malign God’s holy Word and precepts, rather than uphold them.

Was not Christ our Lord, the one who whipped and turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple? Was not our Lord and Savior, the Christ of God Almighty, the one who called the falsely religious Pharisees a brood of vipers and sons of the devil? Was it not our Lord Jesus that said the world hates Him because He keeps telling them their ways are evil? And was it not the Son of the Most High God, the one who spoke and taught less about love, and more about Hell and the eternal judgment and condemnation that will come to all who do not repent and trust in His name alone? Yet, in today’s churches, and among most professing Christians, this is not the holy, righteous, and strong message that is taught, nor practiced.

Being kindly affectionate, isn’t the command to appease sinners in their sin. It isn’t the command to coddle the unrepentant, under the guise of: “ministering” to anyone who claims to be weak and faint-hearted. It isn’t the command to chase after those who feign humility and injury, while allowing them to sow division and strife among the saints.

The command to be kindly affectionate, is the bold, the mighty, and high command of our Most High God and Father—to love as He loves us in His Son—in holiness and righteousness.

So if you’re tempted to size someone up, do it. But not with your Pharisaical and self-approving standards, but with the perfect and holy Word of God.

Aspire to be one who obeys this holy command, who rightly understand its holy precepts, by testing all things you hear, feel, and see with God’s Word. Be quick to listen (to the Holy Spirit), slow to speak (to the one telling the story), and slow to become angry (at anyone the speaker may rightly or falsely accuse of sin).

I love this quote from Spurgeon.

Every time I read it, I'm grateful for a wonderful time more than a decade ago, when the Lord Jesus stood before me and protected me, as I stood before someone else, to protect them.

I was the Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer (and a volunteer myself) for nearly 100 volunteers at a mega-church (28,000 members at that time). I was in charge of training, coordinating, and managing the volunteers for tickets sales for a large, yearly, community event. One day, a woman who was purchasing tickets began yelling at one of my volunteers. I went to where they were so that I might shelter my volunteer from this irate woman. When I stepped in front of the volunteer to shield her from the woman that was yelling at her, I asked how I could help.

The irate woman told me, "I want to purchase tickets, but I don't have the money to pay for it at the moment. I know the seats I want will go quickly, so I need you to make a transaction as if I purchased the seats, but hold my check until I contact you to let you know when you can cash it." I smiled, and kindly told her, "Thank you for explaining your situation to me. I'm sorry to say, that my volunteer was correct, and we can't make that transaction for you."

After she looked for an employee name badge on me, but couldn't find one because I was a volunteer, she bellowed, "You aren't even on staff! You're an idiot! A nobody! A nothing! Who are you to tell me I can't make this transaction?!" Because we were in the atrium, her voice echoed and caught the attention of the hundreds of other people that were also there to purchase tickets.

I knew it was the Lord reigning in me because I've always been quite slow, and when people yell at me, I just stand there like a deer in headlights. But because God purposed me to defend others (Prov 31:8-9), with a smile and a I cheerful heart, I heard these words wisdom and kindness come out of my mouth (Prov 31:25-26).

"Yes ma'am, you're correct. I am nothing, because Jesus Christ is everything. And I still can't make that transaction for you."

Lessen Learned: If Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, condescended from his heavenly throne to interject Himself into His own creation as a man; thereby, making Himself nothing, to suffer the wrath of God and die for my sins, then who am I to consider myself greater than my Lord and my God?

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

~Philippians 2:1-11, ESV (emphasis mine)

Though God chose all Scripture to be penned by men, He did not decree that all of the wisdom therein, would come only from men. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic poem based on the Hebrew alphabet; an oracle a mother taught her son. A son, who was a king.

King Lemuel is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, except in the opening of this famous passage of a what a biblically submissive woman truly looks like—in spirit, and in the practical applications of her every day life. Most scholars believe King Lemuel is King Solomon (also called Jedidiah) since the names have similar meanings, and King Solomon wrote most of Proverbs. Lemuel means "devoted, or belonging to God" and Jedidiah (Solomon's other name) means "beloved of the LORD (2 Sam 12:25).

While it is uncertain who King Lemuel was, what is certain is that God chose for this wise counsel from a mother to her son, to be recorded—that men may know what a godly woman looks like, and women may know that her greatest "adorning...[is] the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." (1 Pet 3:4).

I read our sons God's Word, in the womb and out. I did this because I knew giving them the Word of God was the greatest way to love, protect, and provide them with everything they need for this life and the next. As soon as a hint of delight and intrigue sparkled in their eyes for the opposite sex, I began to read and teach them Proverbs 31:10-31, Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Timothy 2:9-15, Titus 2:3-5, and the book of Ruth (to demonstrate what all these Scriptures looked like in the life of a woman whose first and greatest love is Jesus Christ the Lord). I not only read and taught them the Scriptures of what a woman who loves and fears the Lord looks like, but I also imperfectly endeavored to live it before them.

Additionally, I prayed for our sons to be attracted to women who are most attached to the Lord, and to be repulsed by women who are most attached to this world and their sinful desires. I still pray this now. I've developed a habit of praying for their future wives—that God would protect them from the enemy's schemes, keep them pure, and bless them with wisdom from above. I pray that God gives our sons women whom He deems will be suitable help-meets for our boys, so that they may not be hindered, but rather, encouraged to be the men God commands them to be (Ps 1:1-3). I pray for our sons to find and become one with women of noble character, because they are not a dime a dozen, but are rare treasures—far more precious than any jewel found on this earth. And just as priceless jewels must be sought out with great patience, wisdom and diligence, likewise, I pray my sons will diligently seek to find women who fear the Lord and seek to adorn themselves with good works of faith—for the glory of God, for the welfare of her household, and for the good of the church and community in which she joyfully lives and serves.

I've always told my sons that Christ is my First Love, their Daddy is my Second, and they are both securely tied for Third. They didn't like being told this at first, but as they grew older, they learned the value of having a mother whose love and devotion for Christ is preeminent.

Just as a father must teach and demonstrate what kind of man they want their daughters to be attracted to, likewise, a mother must do the same for her sons.

The idiom, "dime a dozen" is reported to have originated from the 1800s when certain foods like eggs, fruits, etc. were sold for a dime a dozen. It soon became well-known that if you could purchase something for a dime a dozen, it was a very ordinary, common, and ubiquitous item. And therefore, this idiom is still used today with the same purpose and meaning: to describe something that is common and easy to find.

Physically attractive girls are a dime a dozen. Whether you turn on the TV, go to a movie, look at magazines, books, billboards, or walk about any public area, you will find attractive women galore. Women with beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, beautiful figures, etc. Women who are fashionable and avant-garde (unorthodox or daring; radical). These kinds of women are truly a dime a dozen. Though these women's lives are valuable in God's sight and ours, they are common and easy to find because they make themselves common and easy to find by exposing what ought not be exposed and delight in catching the eye of any man...single or married.

But the godly woman is not so easy to find because she doesn't expose herself. She's not wearing skin-tight clothing, detailing every curve of her body. She's not in stiletto heals or short skirts, dresses or shorts in order to bring attention to her legs. She's not wearing gobs of makeup and fake additions to accentuate features she doesn't have (long eyelashes, voluptuous lips, etc.). No, a godly woman who loves and fears the Lord will do all these things differently. She will wear makeup in moderation, she might wear mascara, but not falsies; she may wear blush, but not colors that scream "Hey, look at me! I'm blush!" A godly woman may wear jewelry, but she will not wear something that others will want to steal from her. And she will not wear jewelry that cost her so much, she has nothing to give to the poor and needy.

A godly woman dresses modestly, rather than drably (there is a difference). A woman who fears the Lord dresses outwardly to display what God has done, and is doing, inwardly. Having been saved by God's grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, women who love the Lord outwardly adorn themselves in a way that befits a princess of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Her outward beauty is simple, so that her greater beauty, the Spirit of Christ within her, can effortlessly shine (2 Cor 4:5-6)!

Because a woman who loves and fears the LORD knows the greatest treasure is within her (the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ), her greatest desire is for this treasure (not herself) to be made known for all the world to see—that all may fear and put their trust in the LORD (Ps 40:3)

So what has been and still is my counsel to my sons until the day the Lord brings them godly women to become one with? It is this: attractive girls are a dime a dozen, but a godly woman is a rare treasure. Like a rare jewel, a woman who loves and fears the Lord is difficult to find, but she is of more value than women who love and fear this world.

Therefore sons, with much prayer, great patience, wisdom, and diligence, seek for yourselves women whose lives (not mere words) radiate these Scriptures, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain, She does him good and not harm, all the days of her life." (Prov 31:10-12), "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." (Prov 31:30-31), "likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." (1 Tim 2:9-10).

What are some practical attributes of a woman who adorns herself with good works? She is a humble and faithful student of the Word, a joyful servant of all, a sacrificial giver, she seeks to love others well rather than seeking to be well-loved by others, she's a good listener, a wise counselor (because her counsel will be from God's Word)—these are just a few visible traits of what a godly woman adorns herself with.

And finally sons, if you will not ready yourselves and take seriously what God calls men to be, then be assured, you are not ready to be married to a godly woman...or any woman for that matter. Therefore, pray that God will make you an Ephesians 5:25-33 and 1 Peter 3:7 man, so that He will bring you a Proverbs 31 woman, whose joy and delight will be to love you and your children well, because she loves the Lord Jesus most.

"House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

-Proverbs 19:14

During my praise and quiet time this morning, one of the chapters included in the Bible reading plan I use, was 2 Corinthians 11. When I got to verse 30, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.", I realized this is something I rarely do. I often boast of Christ crucified (as every Christian ought), and I often boast about the good works of God displayed through the hands of His children. I've boasted about my Lord Jesus' power made perfect in my weaknesses. But today, it hit me...I don't often boast about things that show my weakness.

It's difficult to do because I don't know what's enough or too much. And to be honest, I try to forget about all the pain and weakness I constantly feel, because who wants to hear about it? Most people don't. I've had numerous occasions when I've tried to share and either the person is clearly disinterested or they interrupt and change the subject to something funny or cheerful. Some people wrongly judge me and think I'm making excuses to get out of volunteering for something, or serving them somehow. Others think I'm a hypochondriac and am just making all this up for attention because I don't look sick.

And that's the most difficult struggle with my "illness"—it's not easily visible to the naked eye. It's only visible to the loving eye. But sadly, it seems the loving eye, is the one most of us rarely use to see God, others, or ourselves. We look at one another with a roving eye, a rolling eye, a disinterested eye, an envious eye, the eye of hatred and disgust, and the eye of arrogance and false-piety. Rarely do we look up to our awesome Father God with the eye of holy love, adoration and gratitude, and thus, rarely do we look at one another that way.

If we're honest, we'll admit, that the majority of the time we look to our Father is when we want to feel better about ourselves, our situation, or sadly...even our sins. Rarely do we look to our Father to wound our pride and sin-filled desires with His faithful rebuke and rod of discipline. There's nothing wrong with looking to the LORD for comfort and help (we're commanded to). But our sights are unbalanced if we rarely, or never look to Him for the latter.

To the naked eye, I look well. As a matter of fact, some even say I look fit, healthy, and vibrant. I'm 47 years old and our oldest son is 23, yet I'm often mistaken for his sister, girlfriend or wife. By the sheer look of things, I appear to be the picture of health. But I'm not. Inside, I'm a mess. Inside, I look like my son's great-grandmother. And I'd rather look old on the outside than feel this way on the inside.

But since I was convicted to boast in the things that make me weak, let me give you a glimpse of some of those things.

I had to have my first emergency surgery eight years ago when my gall bladder burst, causing me to have sepsis. I have sixteen titanium screws, two titanium rods, one titanium plate and five artificial discs holding my spine together.

I still have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, two kidneys that don't clear well, oral lichen planus, degenerative disc disease, hyperparathyroidism, migraines, and sick sinus syndrome. I have a host of other conditions, but I think you get the picture. My insides are a train wreck. This is why I've had eight surgeries in seven years, countless procedures in between, multiple ER visits and hospital admits, and more specialists than there are colors in the rainbow. And this is why I'm in constant pain and weakness.

But for whatever reason, my wise, good and sovereign Father God has chosen my outside to appear to be the complete opposite of what my insides look like. This makes it difficult for most people to see how much I'm hurting daily and how truly difficult simple tasks like, eating, cooking, cleaning, and meeting someone for lunch or coffee is for me.

It takes a loving eye to notice that I'm pressing firmly on the side of my face, next to my ear because I'm in extreme pain while talking or chewing due to the discs dislocations on both sides of my jaw. It takes a loving eye to notice that I keep changing positions whether I'm standing or sitting because I'm hurting so bad and have to move constantly in order to shift the pain from one area to another. Due to my rebellious nature, I'm somewhat ambidextrous and can do many things with my left hand just as well as I do them with my right. So it takes a loving eye to notice that I'll start eating, writing, cooking or doing things with my left hand rather than with my right because my right shoulder, arm and hands are too weak, or they're in too much pain to move.

Only those who look at me with the eye of love, can see all these little ways where I exhibit how much pain and weakness I'm suffering from right before their eyes. And thus, most of the time, I suffer in obscurity—but I'm never alone. Through it all, my gracious Savior, who's suffered and endured more pain and heartache than any human being can imagine, understands how I feel and has compassion on me. Compared to what Christ suffered for my sake, everything I just mentioned here is like a cake walk. It's not even in the same league. But I will boast today, and endeavor to boast more often, of the things that make me weak, so that it can be more clearly seen that if I can do anything, no matter how small or easy it may seem to others, it is only by the great might and grace of God that I am able to do anything.

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong...For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us...So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, so we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal...[Therefore] I do not consider my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God...[for] Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

-2 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Acts 20:24, Philippians 2:17

May God teach us all to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom, and die to self daily, so we can live for Christ daily.

**NOTE: Before you comment or send me an email with remedies and an array of solutions for all these things that make me weak, please know that it's due to the severe damage done to me because of the sins of others whom I will never publicly shame, and therefore, will never publicly mention. Thank you for understanding.

We must pray for our President's repentance before he suffers severely from waving his fist at the LORD of hosts, the Lord Almighty who is, and who was, and who is to come (Rev 1:8).

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month." -President Barak Obama

On Tuesday, May 31, 2016 President Obama made a proclamation demonstrating his utter foolishness and wickedness. Ever since the President took office in 2009, he has been contending supremacy with God. And now, sadly, to increase his enmity with God, he openly and unashamedly blasphemes the name of our holy and awesome LORD. In this audacious act of megalomania, our President is attempting to rename and recreate what the LORD Almighty has said is good (a man is a man, a woman is a woman, both created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27).

"A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD our God."

-Deuteronomy 22:5, ESV

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened...For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

-Romans 1:21 and 26-27, ESV

Our President is suffering from severe self-deception, therefore, knows not what he is doing. He truly believes, along with the LGBT community and their supporters, that being a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender is something new. It is not. Which is why, by His grace and extreme act of kindness and mercy, the LORD God lovingly admonishes His image-bearers to refrain from such heinous acts against His holy name.

"Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he."

-Ecclesiastes 6:10, ESV

King Nebuchadnezzar tried to contend supremacy with God and the LORD Almighty struck Nebuchadnezzar with madness so that he crawled on his hands and knees and ate grass like an animal. It wasn't until he humbled himself before the LORD and repented of his arrogance that he was restored (Dan 4:24-33).

King Herod also tried to contend supremacy with God and the LORD Almighty caused him to be eaten by worms, and he died (Acts 12:21-23).

These are only two examples of numerous occasions recorded in Scripture of people who dared to contend supremacy with God, and the destruction they brought upon themselves. Our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. May He grant our President repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

And may our magnificent Father God grant all His children the strength, discernment and wisdom to lovingly and unashamedly proclaim His excellencies to all people. And may our gracious and merciful Father remind us that our sins are just as heinous before His sight. We are no better than anyone in the LGBT community or those who support them. We, like every human being God has created, have sinned grievously against our holy God and only by His grace have we been granted the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 2:4, Eph 2:8-9).

Therefore, let us not boast in what we ourselves have done nothing to earn. But let us strive to share the Gospel with the lost, that they may also hear, believe, and be saved.

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

"Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!"

-Psalm 40:3-4

The condensed version of, "I told you this would happen, but you wouldn't listen." is, "I told you so." It's been ingrained in me and I think, most, if not all of you, that saying "I told you so" is wrong. It's considered to be harsh, inconsiderate, unkind, jabbing; and therefore, the most unloving and graceless thing to say to anyone after they've neglected to heed wise counsel, and find themselves in an unsavory and often, painful situation.

"Call me crazy, but in the history of conversations, has the phrase 'I told you so' ever really generated a positive response? I'd say no, it has not...'I told you so' is a negative and counterproductive way of saying, 'I’m right and you’re wrong,' that does neither party any good. Even if the person in the wrong has been stubborn and refused constructive advice, that does not give another person the authority to rub their face in it...

"If you must say something, please do so the properly way. That is, be a friend and not a bully. Instead of saying, 'I told you so,' look to your sensibility and maturity for guidance. Try to offer a positive spin on the situation that will make your friend feel better."

-Richie Frieman, Modern Manners Guy

Though I agree with much of what Mr. Richie Frieman said, naturally, as a Christian, I must disagree with his assertion that we need to put a "positive spin on the situation" in order to merely "make your friend feel better." As a grateful recipient of God's grace and mercy—eternal life in Jesus Christ, I always love and desire to speak truth, rather than "spin" (that is, manipulate) my words or actions just to make someone feel good and thus, think well of me (proving I care more about myself than I actually care about them). By God's grace, I'm compelled to lovingly speak truth to usher God's eternal best for others; which is a far greater thing than merely making someone feel better for a moment.

Saying "I told you so" after someone has suffered the consequences of their foolishness, is usually a brazen "in your face" kind of statement people say in order to lord over another person's failings. And that's just flat out cruel. However, that doesn't mean we can, nor should assume that everyone who says "I told you so" is being cruel or arrogant. As a matter of fact, they may be saying it out of deep empathy, compassion, love and mercy for the person they're saying it to. Yes, I said mercy.

It may seem strange for you to reconsider that saying "I told you so" may perhaps not be the wrong, but rather, the right, good, and most helpful thing to say when someone is sitting in the miry pit of their indiscretions. So allow me to share a few real-life, biblical examples of where the person saying "I told you so" is genuinely being kind, merciful and encouraging (that is, instilling courage) into the person they're saying it to.

"And Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.

"And the LORD said to me, 'Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.' So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah.

"Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?'

"saying, 'Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.' But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said...Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship...Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 'Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.' Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go."

-Genesis 42:22; Deuteronomy 1:42-44; John 11:40;

Acts 27:10-11, 21, 31-32 (ESV, emphasis mine)

In all these incidences, whether it was Reuben, Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Apostle Paul telling the hearers, "I told you so" was said not to lord it over them, but in order to mercifully and lovingly remind the hearers of the painful calamities that happened the first time they didn't heed wise counsel. In such cases, "I told you so" was said not to injure the one being told, but in order to shield them from repeating the same foolishness; and thereby, be spared the same pain or worse, due to their rebellious heart.

"Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.' "

-John 5:14, ESV

This is not to say that hardships only come upon us because we sin (we know this because of John 9:3), but in the above verse (John 5:14) we see clearly that Jesus confirms what God reveals throughout the Old and New Testaments: sin devastates, divides and decays our relationships, our jobs—our lives. And in the case of this man that Jesus healed at Bethesda, according to Christ, this man's 38 years of being an invalid was the direct effect of his sin. Which is why we can readily conclude that Jesus' strong admonition wasn't "kicking someone when their down" but it was a merciful reminder of the destructive and painful consequences of sin.

Therefore, though it's most widely understood that saying "I told you so" is unkind and unloving, we see here, that once again, the heart in which we do or say things (Ps 141:3-5, Mt 15:18-19) should alone be the determining factor of whether or not it was loving or unloving, kind or unkind.

God's timing is always perfect (cf. Is 30:18, Mt. 6:8).

Needing to recover from a recent erruption of verbal friendly-fire (Christians assaulting Christians), where I was greatly discouraged for sharing the Gospel with anyone the Lord leads me to (family, friends, neighbors, strangers, etc.), the Lord provided me with abundant comfort and strength through His Word, my darling husband, and my oldest son. And as if that weren't enough, my ever gracious Father also provided me more encouragement through soundly biblical and exhorting books*, sermons and articles. One of the articles (below) was shared today, at Ligonier Ministries.

During this recent verbal attack, it was intimated that I was an unloving person because I didn't always seek to first "love" people through acts of service before I "earned the right" to share the Gospel with them.

In our self-indulgent world, love has been desecrated and redefined to mean all that's warm and fuzzy, verses it's true definition, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). And if God is love, then love is holy, it is righteous, it is good (perfectly moral), and it is sacrificial—which is in complete opposition to the world's teaching that love always makes me or you feel good. Sadly, this worldly and defiled definition of love has been largely adopted and happily welcomed by many Christians. And why is this a problem? Firstly, because anyone who adopts the worldly definition of love, is blaspheming God's holy character and causing the unbelieving world to mock and malign God's Word. Secondly, it's a problem because it weakens our spiritual immune system, making us more susceptible to sin and less sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. And lastly, because it makes us unfaithful children of the Most High God, who prefer to rub shoulders with the world (making people feel good), rather than lovingly offend them with the life-giving power of the Gospel.

God is love and He said the best way to love Him and others well is to share the Gospel. After all, didn't our Father God say in John 3:16 that it was His love for the world that He sent His one and only Son to the earth to suffer and die for our sins? And look what our Lord repeats here in 1 John 4:8-10, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

"And I, when came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

-1 Corinthians 2:1; 5, ESV

During this recent discouraging and burdensome time with believers, most agreed that one of the best ways to share the Gospel (inoffensively) is to share our testimony. What? Unless our testimony includes the Gospel (which, actually, mine does...purposefully), then it's not the Gospel...it's our testimony...which, I'll say again, is not the Gospel. The Gospel is not about us. It's about Jesus.

Dr. R.C. Sproul, explains this biblically and succinctly.

"So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:24–25).

"This statement, 'Give God the glory!' seems positive until we read the remainder of the sentence, in which the Pharisees revealed that they had concluded that Jesus was a sinner and therefore could not have performed the miracle. They were saying that the man should give glory to God, not to Jesus. The man was straightforward with them, saying: 'I don’t know whether He’s a sinner. I don’t even know Him. All I know is this: once I was blind and now I see.'

"With these simple words, the man bore witness to Christ. He testified about the redemptive work of Christ. However, he did not preach the gospel. What am I getting at? In the evangelical Christian community, we sometimes employ language that is not always sound or biblical. You’ve heard the lingo. It goes something like this: 'I plan to become an evangelist so I can bear witness to Christ.' Or sometimes we say, 'I had a chance to witness the other day,' meaning, 'I shared the gospel with someone.' We tend to use the terms evangelism and witnessing interchangeably, but they are not synonymous. Any time I call attention to the person and work of Christ, I am bearing witness to Christ. But that is not the same thing as preaching the gospel.

"More than thirty years ago, I learned the evangelism technique taught by Evangelism Explosion, and I trained more than 250 people in that program and led them through evangelism efforts in Ohio. One of the finest aspects of that program is that everyone who goes through it must write out and memorize his or her testimony. Your testimony is your story of how you became a Christian. I think it’s very important that Christians are able to articulate to other people how and why they became believers. We all should have a prepared testimony, and we should be willing to share it at the drop of a hat.

"But we shouldn’t confuse our personal testimonies with the gospel. Sharing our personal testimonies is not evangelism. It’s merely pre-evangelism, sort of a warm-up for evangelism. Our testimonies may or may not be significant or meaningful to those with whom we are speaking. There are lots of folks who can relate to my story; they say, 'Yeah, I know what he’s talking about because I used to live like that too.' But not everyone can relate to my story. In any case, the gospel is not what happened to R.C. Sproul. God makes no promise that He will use my story as His power unto salvation. The gospel is not about me. The gospel is about Jesus. It is the proclamation of the person and work of Christ, and of how a person can appropriate the benefits of the work of Christ by faith alone.

"We see this from our passage in John’s Gospel. The healed man could say, 'I once was blind, but now I see,' and that was a wonderful testimony. But it was not the gospel. The man could not tell the Pharisees about Jesus’ saving work and about how they could be delivered from their sins by faith in Him. So we need to learn not only our testimonies but the concrete elements and content of the biblical gospel. Evangelism takes place when the evangel is proclaimed and announced to people—that is the gospel."

-Your Testimony Is Not the Gospel

Ligonier Ministries article by Dr. R.C. Sproul,

11/23/2015, excerpt from commentary on John

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is this: Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Mk 1:14-15). We are all sinners who have broken and are incapable of keeping the commandments of a holy, righteous and just God. Therefore, our eternal crime has earned us eternal suffering—the wrath of God—Hell, where the worm doesn't die, the fire is never quenched and where the Lake of Fire eternally burns without consuming you so that you will suffer for all eternity. But God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it because we are already condemned (John 3:16-18), but to suffer our punishment and die the excruciating death we deserve. Christ Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that all who repent and trust in His name, will be saved from the wrath of God and be granted everlasting life.

If you're a Christian, you've already "earned the right" to share the Gospel because Jesus Christ already gave you the authority/right to do so as a demonstration of your love and gratitude to Christ for your eternal salvation (Mt 28:18-20). Therefore, any Christian, who isn't prayerfully seeking opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter how nice or loving they or others think they are, according to God, the only person they're loving, is themselves.

Don't ever allow anyone, believer or unbeliever, deter you from faithfully sharing the Gospel with whomever the Lord leads you to share with.

"If you believe there's a Heaven and Hell and people could be going to Hell, or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think 'Well, it's not worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward' ...How much do you have to hate somebody to know that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" -Penn Jillette (Illusionist/Comedian, and self-professed atheist)

*The Crook in the Lot: The Sovereignty and Wisdom of God Displayed in the Afflictions of Men, by Thomas Boston (1676-1732)
The Practice of Piety, by Lewis Bayly (1575-1631)
Keeping the Heart: How to Maintain Your Love for God, by John Flavel (1627-1691)

My Favorite Bible Reading Plan

24-HR Reformation Radio

ABOUT ME

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

FOLLOW

POPULAR POSTS

My Offerings

Faithful & Trusted Studies

Faithful & Trusted Magazine

Faithful & Trusted Podcasts