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THE LORD OUR TEACHER

This week, I’m still gleaning from Psalm 25.  Verses 4 and 5 read, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  And again in verses 8 and 9, Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.  He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.  God doesn’t leave us on our own.  Those who come to him he teaches.

As I read these four verses, I remember all that God has shown me through the years.  He has guided me, shown me his truth, instructed me in what is right, and taught me his ways.  He has indeed made life easier.  I say this because I remember how it was when I went my own way.  It was not easy, and it was not smooth.

Let me share an example with you.  When my children were young, I directed and corrected them as a father should.  When they became adults, I released my control of their lives to God.  He is really their father.   He taught me to surrender them to him.  This was hard to do, but very important.

Well it hasn’t gone as I would have planned, but I am very pleased with how things are turning out.  God has patiently worked in their lives.    God’s way is building fine adults that I am very proud of.  By staying out of God’s way, I have gained great relationships with my adult children.  I would never have known how to accomplish this, but God did.  All praise, honor, and glory are to our great God.  His ways are beyond our ways.

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RIVER OF LOVE

One of the truths that our Pastor is continuingly emphasizing is that God loves us.   He also says that God’s love is hard for us to comprehend.  I think we all know this.  There’s not an abundance of examples of this kind of love here on earth. 

The other day, I was singing an old song, “I’ve Got a River of Life Flowing Out of Me”, and I thought of this analogy.

God’s love for us is like a river flowing to us.  We throw rocks of sin into this river; they make ripples, but they never stop the flow.  When we choose a life of sin, sometimes, we actually dam up the flow, but the pressure of his love is always there.  One act of repentance permits his love to breach the dam.  And if we allow it, the flow of his love will continue to wash away the dam, and his love will pour into our lives.  Receiving his love makes us a new person.

This river of God’s love doesn’t stop with us; it flows through us and blesses those around us.  When we doubt his love, the waters get murky and hinder the blessings we can bring to others.  Once again, our quest in this life is to learn to trust God.  A big part of this is to trust that he loves us.  The enemy of our souls will shoot fiery darts from the banks of the river to make us doubt God’s love.  The shield of faith will divert them.  

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PSALM 25

(Psalm 25:1-2a)  To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.

While reading Psalm 25, I recalled that this psalm, written by King David, was written approximately 3,000 years ago.  It stands out to me that the soul of man, and our relationship to God, is the same as it was those many years ago.  The truth about God and man has not changed.  King David knew that if we give ourselves fully into God’s trust, we will lead a blessed life.

Imagine starting every day with this declaration: I entrust my inmost being to you, Lord.  Meaning that all that I am or hope to be in this day, I give into your hands my God.

When I first awake in the morning, I lay there thinking of what the day will bring.  I can think it through, make a plan, and then do whatever preparations are needed. Or, I can entrust my being to God, and let him lead me through the day.  Which one would you think to be the most beneficial?

Whether 3,000 years ago or today, this life for us humans is about learning to trust God.  I believe it’s that simple, but I do recognize that trusting God is a lifelong pursuit.

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2019 – A NEW YEAR

Here we are in the year 2019.  2018 is now the past; 2019 is the near future and present time.  As we contemplate our new year, we plan and imagine what it will bring.  For me, the end of chemo therapy has my immediate focus.  February will be my last infusion; and after that, it’s mere speculation.  The prognosis is that I will be cancer free which has produced great hope.

I started this Godsworldandus blog four and a half years ago in the month of August, and it will be my delight to continue.  I am planning to change my posting day to Saturday.  The weeks have been so full I’m finding it hard to always be ready by Friday morning.

I hope this year draws you closer to Jesus, and in that closeness you are more able to live in his peace.

God’s blessings to you and yours,

Al Vredenburg

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WHEN THE TIME HAD FULLY COME

I have always been fascinated by the revelation that God has a plan. This quote from Galatians 4:4, “When the time had fully come”, tells us that the timing of Jesus’ birth was planned.  Even today in the midst of our daily life, God’s plan is unfolding. 

I have been reading the Christmas story in the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel.   The story of Elizabeth and Zechariah in chapter 1 has captured my attention.  As you may recall, they were the parents of John the Baptist. The couple is introduced in verses 4-7.  Zechariah is a priest, and he and his wife Elizabeth are upright in the sight of God, yet they have been unable to have children.  They were both well along in years.

This couple apparently spent their time going about the daily processes of life.  In their daily life, they were faithful and trusted in God.  I’m sure they had prayed for a child, but they did not abandon God for his seeming failure to answer their prayers.

One day, “at the appointed time”, when Zechariah was ministering before the altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him.  The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John…..”  How many times have you prayed for something and thought that your prayer wasn’t heard?  Maybe, it just wasn’t the right time. 

God has a plan that he is working out through history.  We only have a broad very general insight into his plan.  Each of God’s children has a part in his plan, but we usually aren’t sure how we fit in to his plan.  That is where trust and patience come into play.  Don’t lose heart; stay faithful.  God has a plan, you have a part in his plan, and in faith we know, God will execute the details of his plan when the time has fully come.

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THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD

In my late teens and early twenties, I hung out with a group of guys my age.  We focused our young minds on solving the problems of the world.  Our solutions seemed reasonable and rational.  Then life changed for us. We became husbands and fathers. The big picture problems of the world took a back seat to the daily problems of domestic life.

The world we live in hasn’t changed.  There are still big problems. In our young idealistic minds, we thought that we could show people a better way and that would fix it.  Don’t we wish that were true!  I now know that the complexities of the world’s problems are way beyond any solution I might come up with.

Who then can solve the world’s problems?  God in his infinite wisdom knows that the problems of our world can be defined by one simple word, sin. Sin generally stated is the self-centered perspective that I’m more important than others.  That’s the root of our problems.  Unfortunately, I can’t even fix this problem in myself let along the whole world.

However God has provided us with the solution.  We are currently celebrating his solution.  He came to us as a baby in a manger to provide for us the opportunity to overcome sin.  Sin is an individual problem, so the offer is to each of the world’s citizens.  The problems in our world still exist because many have chosen to reject God’s solution.

Here in this season of celebrating the answer to our problems in Christ Jesus, please join me in a prayer for the salvation of those around us.  Let’s work on the world’s problems by bring one individual at a time to Jesus for the solution to the root of our problems.

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LIGHT

God loves us!  As he was preparing a place for us he first created light.  Light is incredible.  It sustains physical life, refracts into all the wonderful colors we see, and provides a contrast to darkness.  God designed a great place for us that is full of light.

Light is necessary for life to exist on earth.  The process of photosynthesis is the foundation for all food consumed by living creatures.  The light we receive from the sun provides the necessary heat the earth requires.  In light we find God’s provision for his created ones.

As light contacts various objects it refracts.  These refractions disperse the light into an amazing array of colors making the earth a beautiful place.  The colors we see calm us, delight us, and stimulate us.  Through light our creator has inspired us and made our lives full and interesting.

Light and its contrast darkness are used figuratively throughout the scriptures to help us understand God’s care for us.  We read in Psalm 18: 28 “God turns my darkness into light,” and Psalm 56:13 says that God provides the light of life.   Light provides a metaphor for virtue.  Light is righteousness and darkness is sinfulness.  Romans 13:12, “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” 

Light has great importance in God’s creation.  Isaiah used light to predict the coming of Jesus, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2).”  For us today that light has long since dawned.  We can now walk in the light.  I pray that His light will shine in your heart today, and that darkness will have no place in your heart.  Praise be to God for the wonders of light.

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JUDGEMENT IS COMING

You frequently hear people ask how a loving God can allow all the evil in the world.  I would answer; a loving God demonstrates his love through patience.

 

The Apostle Peter tells us:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up (2Peter 3:8-10).

 

Just like the ancient Israelites, people think that God is not seeing what they are doing, so anything goes.  Then the day of judgement came for Israel. They were conquered and dispersed.  Therefore, we should not be lulled into complacency by his patience.  God is actively involved in all that transpires here on earth- patiently working through us for the redemption of lost souls.

 

The ultimate display of God’s love is through his son.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.”  He is allowing time for those who will receive his gift and avoid judgement. However, we should never forget that he has assigned a day of judgement.  God is patient, but the Day of the Lord will come.

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HELP ME LORD JESUS

I work as a driving instructor four days a week, Monday through Thursday.  My schedule for those four days is a morning drive, a late afternoon drive, and an evening drive. Between the morning drive and the afternoon drive, I have a span of about four hours.  I usually take a nap before going to the later drives. Wednesday’s nap ended with a dream I’d like to share.

When I’m alone in the house and it’s quiet, I like to take my nap in the recliner.  I got my warm comforter, set the alarm on my phone, and away I went to dream land.  This was my dream.

The night was dark and gloomy.  Misty patches of fog made visibility minimal.  I was riding my bicycle along the path at the top of a very high cliff.  At the bottom of the cliff I knew lay a rocky beach and the dark ocean.  Riding down a short incline, I remembered that the path came very close to the edge of the cliff at one point.   I could only see a few feet in front of me, so I slid my bike to a stop to get my bearings.

In a slow motion split second, while I was dismounting my bike, I realized my mistake.  I was over the edge.  In the resolve that instantly came, in the face of no other option, I began to fall.  I cried out this chant, “Help me Lord Jesus.”  All during my descent, I repeated those words.  I awoke just before the thud at the end.

I have had Falling dreams in the past, but they are rare.  This one was unlike any other. The others were all in broad daylight, and accompanied with extreme fear.  In this dream I felt no fear. I just had an intense realization that in no other name was there hope for survival. 

When I awoke, it took only a few minutes of contemplation to see a message in this dream.  In our lives, we’ve made mistakes; and we are falling toward sure death.  There is no hope for survival except in Jesus.  Help me, Lord Jesus.

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BE MERCIFUL

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

 Jude 22-23

 

The Church, the Body of Christ, has throughout the ages frequently missed the basic tenet of being merciful.    On the other hand the Church has been an instrument of mercy in society since its beginning.  It’s been a mixed bag.  In Luke 6:35-36 Jesus says,

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

God has shown us mercy, and he desires us to be merciful.  I believe our ability to be merciful depends on our ability to receive mercy.  Humility is the key.

 

To receive mercy, I must first recognize my need for mercy.  When I know that I have sinned against God, there is then the recognition of the debt I owe to God.  Secondly, I need to humble myself and become aware that there is nothing I can do to repay this debt.  God is willing and has made the way to grant me mercy by forgiving my debt.  I don’t have to work for it.  It’s free.  That is hard for me because in my pride I want to do something to earn forgiveness.  However, by holding on to this idea of earning forgiveness, I will never even understand mercy.

 

Now you can see why it’s a mixed bag for the Church.  Our pride often gets in the way.  In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says to the Pharisees, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”  And again in 12:7, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”  The Pharisees were caught up in a ritual of sacrifice that fed their pride allowing them to condemn others rather than show them mercy.  They were trying to pay their debt to God on their own merit.  They were blinded by pride and did not understand mercy.   Therefore, they could not extend mercy.

 

Mercy proceeds from a humble, forgiving heart.  This is God’s nature and his heart toward us.  By surrendering my will to God and allowing myself to be forgiven, I take the first step in understanding mercy.  I feel the burden of gilt lifted and the exhilaration of being free.  But, I must remember that I’m free and not fall prey to the lie that I must do something for this freedom.  That lie feeds my pride.  I must remain humble. Then in humble gratitude, I live under God’s mercy.  A life that is continually bathed in mercy emanates mercy.