The Lord

As the psalmist reminds us:

The Lord is our strength. We need not--dare not--rely on our own. We have received the power of the Spirit to enable us to do all things through Him. He has never called us to do anything without granting us the strength we need to fulfill the calling.

The Lord is our shield. Our faith in His protecting presence enables us to resist the darts of the evil one. We are promised that if we resist the enemy armored up, that he will flee. Greater is He who is in us.

The Lord is our love. He is the One--the Love of our life--who calls us to obedience, to rest in His inescapable love for us.

The Lord is our help. Our help comes from the Lord in every situation. The mountains in our path, the giants looming before us have no chance against our "very present help in time of trouble."

The Lord is our joy. In the deepest sorrow, His joy that endured the cross is ours so that we can exult His name in every situation. And our joyous exultation builds within in us the power of endurance and perseverance so vital to our daily walk with Him.

The Lord is our song. The sacrifice of praise speaks to our hearts, to the hearts of those around us, and even to His heart our King and Redeemer--our Strength, our Shield, our Love, our Help, our Joy.

Foundations

David cried out in hopelessness: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
Then, the Spirit reminded him, "The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven."
It's never hopeless. He Lives! He Reigns!


Remember the old hymn?


How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, to you, who for refuge to Jesus hath fled? To you, who for refuge to Jesus hath fled?
"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am Thy God, I will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause you to stand, upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand, upheld by My gracious omnipotent hand.
"When t...hro' the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be with thee thy trials to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
"When thro' fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be they supply, the flames shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine, thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine."


The Foundation that can't be destroyed:

The Word of God:


Restores the soul
Makes wise the simple
Rejoices the heart
Enlightens the eyes
Warns
Rewards
Keeps from presumptuous sins

In need of any of those? Find your Bible, open it, read it.

Armed

God gives each of us different weapons in our battle with the world. Some are armed with the gift of encouragement. Some are armed with the gift of creativity. Some are armed with the gift of listening. Some are armed with the gift of graciousness. Some are armed with resources to invest in His kingdom. Some are armed with the treasure of little children to raise up to serve Him. Some are armed with patience. Some are armed with the gift of comforting that comes only ...with the gift of suffering. Some are armed with the witness that they are waiting confidently for the good that is coming. Some are armed with the beauty of caring for others who are in need of great care and love. Some are armed with a servant's heart that tirelessly works behind the scenes content without a word of recognition. But it takes each of us using our "weapons" in His strength to make Him---and all that He is--visible to a seeking world.

The Attaining of Patience

"strengthened with all power . . . for the attaining of patience."

 It takes total reliance on the power of God to become a patient disciple--to let patience have its perfecting work in our lives. What are the characteristics of a patient saint? Consistency--not letting the circumstances of life or the behavior of others change who I am--is certainly one. If I let events or people keep me from being a kind, loving, compassionate Christian, I am lacking patience. If I "jump... to conclusions" about others and their motives, I am lacking in patience. If circumstances or people undermine that other fruit of the Spirit--self-control, I am lacking in patience. i believe it all comes down to that first descriptor of a true disciple--"If anyone will be my disciple, let him deny himself." The impatient saint is the self-centered saint, the saint who has put himself and what he wants, above others. He thinks only about his own needs and desires. Never, ever will he put the needs and desires of others above his own. And, of course, it takes the Spirit's power to "chip away" at my natural self-centeredness.
We need to pray for patience. Patience leaves room for spiritual growth in others. Patience empowers me to wait confidently on the good work God is doing in my life and others. Patience allows God to mold me into one who is faithful no matter what comes into my life--to be one of His faithful remnant in the worst of times. Patience enables me to be a listener, someone who people can come to for acceptance, loving advice, and encouragement. We have need of patience to become a mature disciple of Christ in whatever ministry God calls us to. Pray for patience.

Who You Are

This is how God sees you:

His friend
His beloved child
His adopted, chosen child
A joint-heir with His Son
One of the sheep of His pasture
His letter to the world perfumed with the sense of His presence
Saint--Set apart one--holy one
More than conqueror
Overcomer of the world
The inner sanctuary of His temple where the Holy Spirit dwells
A member of the royal priesthood
His light in the dark world
A vessel He has molded into exactly what He needs and then filled with His glory to perform His sacred purpose at this time and in this place
His workmanship of grace--His masterpiece--His poem
A Majestic one
A tree planted by the rivers of water
A branch abiding in Him, bearing fruit for His glory
His own eternal possession

And if He sees you that way . . . Guess what you are?

Self-examination

Self-examination is essential for the disciple. As I heard a pastor say once, "Keep in touch with your depravity." Now, the purpose of that exam is not so that you will throw a huge pity party, or question God's ability to use you, or be overwhelmed by your struggle toward Christ-likeness. (The struggle is dynamic prove of discipleship. He is working in your life!) The purposes for self-examination are diverse but powerful. The more I see myself as He sees me the more amazed I am at His grace and love. He saved me by His grace. He now sustains me by His grace. Understanding the deep love of God for me as I am motivates me to serve Him through the love of my obedience. How can I not respond to His love but by being obedient?! Sel-examination also enables me to love others as He does--as they are on their own journey to Christ-likeness. It quickly enlightens me to my own weaknesses and removes any thoughts of judging the weaknesses of others. We are on this journey together--and the end is promised: when we see Him we will be like Him. There is great humility to be found in self-examination. Self-examination also reminds me of my dependence on Him for spiritual growth--I cannot maufacture spiritulality--only the Spirit can transform me. I am the clay pot. He is the power and the treasure in the vessel that makes it fit for the Master's use--as He sees fit. Self-examination as a catalyst for my amazement at His great love, as a lesson in humility in my interactions with the rest of His children, and as a reminder of my total dependence on His power is vital to my walk and growth.

Uh-ohs

It's early. Perhaps when the routine of school sets in, I'll settle into a somewhat normal sleep pattern. Perhaps.
I've been sitting in the chair by the front doorwindow looking into the darkness of the morningnight. Unfortunately, my mind became distracted by my Uh-ohs.
Uh-oh. Three days until teacher meetings, and I still have four flower beds I need to re-do. And it's supposed to rain every day until the middle of next week. I hate the uh-ohs of unfulfilled goals.
Uh-oh. Three days until teacher meetings, and when I look at the piles of books I had hoped to read this summer in the pursuit of the next "soul book," there are least twenty I didn't get to. (Maybe if I had quit ordering more . . . Three are in the mail now.) I hate the uh-ohs of missed opportunities.
Uh-oh. Three days until teacher meetings begin, and I just found out yesterday afternoon that the number of students I have in AP English has risen from 23 to 31. You would think after all these years I would know to wait to order copies from Wes (WCS will have to shut down if we ever lose Wes) until all the schedule changes were in. But did I? Nope. Hey, I've only been at this now for about fifty years. But now, I'll need to go in to school and run off more copies. (Actually, I shouldn't complain. That's kinda a partial answer to my prayers. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone, but I was praying all summer that they wouldn't be able to find a teacher for the College Credit Plus class. I confess, I am a jealous egotist. I don't like the idea of any seniors graduating without my having a chance to touch their lives with my favorite soul books and a deeper understanding of the Lover of their Souls. Jealousy! Spiritual Pride! Guilty as charged.) Anyway, now I have to run off some more copies. I hate the frustration of messing up my own plans.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. The frustration of goals unreached, opportunities missed, plans gone awry. Such noise in my brain though I sit in the dark stillness of a morningnight.

But wait. Sitting in the darkness, one of my favorite poems by Wendell Berry slipped in among the Uh-ohs.

"Best of any song
is bird song
in the quiet, but first
you must have the quiet."

I have the quiet! I am sitting in the hush of the morningnight this very moment. Ah, stillness. Any minute now the Morrow County Tabernacle Choir will begin its oratorio. Meditating on that wonder easily dispels the noise of all the Uh-ohs in my brain. And I think I can imagine how it will begin. The "sweet, sweet, sweet" of the cardinals nestled into the quiet background cooing of the mourning doves. Shhh. Any moment it will begin--in the quiet. Bird song.

If you're up in time, I hope you're listening. I hope you don't let your Uh-ohs--goals not reached, opportunities missed, plans gone awry--mess up the soul-quieting joy of the concert. It will be magnificent. Listen. (No wonder His eye is on each sparrow--beautiful members of His early morning choir.)

Sh. Listen.

Sorry. You're frustration with your Uh-ohs is ruining the quiet. I'm going to leave you. Bye. It's symphony time.

Sweet, sweet--cooooooo. Sweet-cooooo-sweet. Coo-sweet-ooo.