Counting Steps

 

Job 31:4 “Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?”

 Do you count your steps? Brant and I have been known (especially Brant) to brag if we made 10,000 steps at the end of the dayJ. Think about this...a step. Take one and look at how simple that is and how far you get with one step. We take thousands of steps each day...not even realizing our feet are “going.” Unless I am trying to beat Brant to the count, I really do not give any thought to the steps I am taking. Wow! God made us so we can be mobile. That is amazing, isn’t it?

 This book of Job has been such a blessing to me in the past few weeks. In 31:4, I believe Job was talking about his literal steps.  In those simple daily walks he took when he was going to the market, sitting in the gate of the town, feeding his flock, walking home to his wife and children, God was watching and making sure Job was safe.

 Our physical steps are very important. We need to keep moving to stay healthy. But...not everyone can take physical steps. Oh, I remember so well! In October 2003, I broke my ankle walking in Covent Garden, London, not seeing a hole in the cobblestone. That is a great story - but suffice it to say, after I finally got home from six days in a London hospital and then having surgery in America with plates and nine screws, I was not allowed to put my foot down for three months. Could I walk for exercise? No. Could I hop around on my good foot? Yes! Could God still “see my ways, count my steps”? Yes!

 Why? Because I was working on my “spiritual walk” even without my physical steps. We have to work on our spiritual exercise of “walking with the Lord.”  As Job says, God does see our ways and counts our steps...even our Christian walk daily. Those simple steps that keep us close to Him.

 Very familiar verses from Job 23:10 -12:

“But he knows the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

¹¹ My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

¹² Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

Quite a statement by Job recorded in God’s Word! Can you say that about your spiritual walk? I love to watch our little redheaded great-grandson Cameron do his “happy feet.” He goes so fast for a two-year-old! Then there are the steps of our other great-grands who are older...four, six, and ten.  When all these little grands first started walking, their steps were very uneven. That is why we call them “toddlers.” But Oliver, Emma, and Jayden should not be walking like Cameron. They are old enough to know the danger of running into the street. Their steps are more certain where they need to go. We want those children to “hold to the steps” adults think are safe for them.

Job said in 23:11 - “My foot hath held His steps...” He had kept the Lord’s commandment and loved God’s Word.  As parents or grandparents we are thrilled when we can see our children or grandchildren not only walking (literally) safely, but walking in the way of the Lord.

Where are your steps going? Are you still “toddling” spiritually? It would not be good to see my ten-year-old walking like my two-year-old.

Job says that God will try him because of “the way” he chose. When your steps take you into work, into a grocery or shop, around your home, or on a wooded trail, or to the gym, think about the amazing blessing God has given us to walk! Even more than that, remember God sees our spiritual walk also and we want to be right in step with Him...reading His Word, praying, serving! There is such joy and peace walking in step with the Lord. It is our choice just like physical exercise!

--Maylou Holladay

Happily Ever After

 

When we were children we liked fairy tales. Some of us still do. Books, plays, and movies offer endless new versions or new characters based on old tales. We call stories that end well “fairy tales” because many of them are based on a desperately hopeless situation happily resolved by a magical rescue of some sort caused by a non-human entity – fairy, genie, ghost, magician. Sometimes the “happily” part comes fairly early, as it did for Cinderella; for Sleeping Beauty, it took 100 years. But it always comes, usually delivered by Prince Charming. 

Real life doesn’t always go well or end well. Maybe Prince Charming doesn’t show up, or maybe whatever charms us is a fraud. We begin to think happy endings are only imaginary.  So we grownups don’t believe. God the Father does. He’s all about  happily ever after. He acknowledges the desperately hopeless situations in this world. But nothing is hopeless to Him. Before the world began, He planned a happy ending.

To the Jews, He says, “Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God…  I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten… You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.” Joel 2:23,26.

To widows and orphans and the lonely ones: “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.” Ps 68:5,6

To His faithful ones who are persecuted: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

And to all believers: “the King will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world – into eternal life.” Matt. 25:34,46.

God is focused on the eternal, which we call “ever after.” He wants the very best for us. And it’s not a fairy tale. The “happily” doesn’t just happen. Our Prince endured the extreme opposite of “happily” -- excruciating pain, devastating humiliation, ignominious death. But He, “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2. That was His choice. Now we have the choice – we choose to accept or reject God Himself.  Our Happily Ever After doesn’t come by this world’s Prince Charming, it is personally delivered by the true Prince of Peace.

--Lynda Shenefield

 

The News Article We'd All Like to Read

 

I don’t know how much news you read or watch these days. And whatever ‘side’ you find yourself on (mask or no mask, vaccine or no vaccine, Fox News or CNN), you are being bombarded with what’s wrong with the other side and why you should be afraid, either of the virus or the government. I’m going to guess that even our church is consistent with our county in that about half of our adult congregation has received the vaccine and half hasn’t. If you find yourself bristling at that comment and thinking you need to set the other half straight, please don’t. In these decisions, individually, we walk with God, we pray for wisdom, and we make the choices we make, trusting Him with the outcome of them. But as a church, we walk in unity, in love, and in the giving of much grace for those who see the matter differently than we do. How do we walk in unity, even where there are strong differences? We focus on the truth that we can all agree on. So, with that in mind, here is the news article I think we can all rally around and hopefully be encouraged by, whether or not you have received that jab in your arm or adamantly refuse it.

A Powerful Virus and a Sovereign God

A virus has been sweeping the globe for the last year and a half. It has wreaked great destruction, tragically taking many lives and changing the way many people interact in their jobs and in their private lives. Recommendations for how to live with it have repeatedly changed as researchers and scientists have studied it, causing confusion and questions for many. Countries, states, cities, and school districts are all having to make decisions that they feel are best, trying to consider both the health and the freedoms or their constituents. It has not been easy, and it is far from over. Yet behind this powerful virus that has caused death and division, there is an infinitely more powerful King sitting on a throne who is calling His followers to walk even in these days in a way that brings glory to Him. Here are some truths we know about this King and what He expects of His followers:

-- He is the God and Creator of the entire universe. Every molecule, atom, bacteria, and virus is under His sovereign control. This means that He has the power to stop this virus immediately, yet He has decided not to do so. He has a reason for this, and His followers choose to trust Him even when they don’t understand. (Colossians 1:16; Isaiah 46:10; Job 41:11; Romans 11:33-34)

-- The virus is ultimately a result of man’s rebellion against God, whether it came through a bat or through a Chinese lab. When sin entered the world, death and disease came along with it. All of creation groans with the longing to be set free from this consequence and to be a perfect creation once more in the new heaven and the new earth. God’s followers lament the deaths around them. The virus stirs them to compassion for the hurting, and they pray for the needs of the sick and those ministering to them in homes and hospitals around the world. They also long for the day that God will make all things right again when He sets up His new and eternal kingdom.  (Genesis 3; Romans 8:20-22; Romans 12:15; Ephesians 6:18; Revelation 22:20)

-- As the perfect and righteous King, God will use this virus to bring Himself glory. His imperfect followers, who can’t comprehend the mind of God, can only guess at how He might do this, but stories from His holy Word and from the past give glimpses into how this could be accomplished.  Any time there is the possibility of death, people tend to ask the big existential questions of life: Why am I here? What will happen after I die? For many, this virus may be a catalyst for those questions which in turn could lead them to find salvation. For those who are already followers, there are multiple examples in the Bible of suffering producing sanctification, greater Christ-likeness.  God’s followers know that however this virus may affect them, as they look to God, He will use it for good in their lives. (Isaiah 48:11; I Peter 4:11; Romans 8:28)

-- Even in the midst of strong differing opinions, Christ’s followers are known for their love toward all. They do not belittle the opinions of their brothers and sisters in Christ, and they hold their own opinions humbly. They respect and honor others, even when they disagree. God’s church has the incredible power through the Holy Spirit to walk through such a turbulent time in unity which is beautiful picture to a world in which hateful words are continuously spewed at one another. The believers’ social media posts do not look like those of the world; they are saturated in grace and love. And they do not fear the virus or the government, for their call is to fear God alone, understanding that both lie subject to Him. And this is the same God whom they love as a Father, knowing that His plans for them are good; therefore, they are filled with peace. (John 13:35; Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 4:6; Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 7:11; Isaiah 26:3)

 

Be encouraged as you fact-check this “news article” by looking up the Bible verses yourselves! Ladies of Grace Baptist Church, let’s walk as followers of the King and not as followers of this world. Let’s devote ourselves to prayer that God would accomplish much during this time. Let’s live in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, letting the world see our love. Let’s allow our light to shine, not by pointing to the latest article that proves our position, but by pointing to a sovereign and good God. And let’s walk in peace and joy, trusting Him with our lives.

--Amy O’Rear

Praise Him, too!

My favorite room in my house is my front porch!   I love to sit out there and just listen, to the birds and to the quiet.  A few days ago sitting out there I thought about the very first song I learned in Sunday school in Augusta, Kansas, when I was just four years old.

The birds up in the treetops sing their song,

        The angels swell the chorus all day long,

        The flowers in the garden lend their hue,

        So why shouldn't I, why shouldn't you praise Him too?

 
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, some of the Pharisees in the crowd complained to Jesus about the crowds singing His praises.  In Luke 19:40 His answer is recorded, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”  I remembered then that all creation praises God.

Isaiah 55:12 says, “For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  When the wind blows I hear the trees clapping their hands.  In Job we are told that at creation the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.  I love to think of the stars singing.  Other places tell us that the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing together for joy (Psalm 98:8).  The field exults and the trees of the forest will sing for joy (Psalm 96:12).

The best passage about Creation rejoicing is Psalm 148.

Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!

Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

Praise the Lord from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps;

Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars;

Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl;

Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

Both young men and virgins; Old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above earth and heaven.

I’m glad that last section is included, though I have to include myself, since old women are not mentioned.  All Creation rejoices Why shouldn’t we praise Him too?

St. Francis of Assisi wrote All Creatures of Our God and King with this same thought in mind.  

    Let all things their Creator bless,

            And worship Him in humbleness,

            O praise Him!  Alleluia! 

            Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit, three in One.

O praise Him, O praise Him! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Will you praise Him too?

                        ~~Faith Himes Lamb

Resting

 

“Jesus I am resting, resting. . . .”  This lovely song by Jean Sophia Pigott is full of good theology. You will find a couple of different tunes on line, but I prefer the older version. You can hear it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztxL1ljMOCU&list=RDD8QrEtdV134&index=2

 Resting seems as if it would be easy. Just kick back and relax! But it isn’t always easy, is it? There is a strong tendency in modern life to be always doing something. We could make a strong case, however, for just sitting still—or lying in the hammock! These are times when we can meditate and appreciate all God has done for us. Certainly God knew what his people needed when he commanded a day of rest.

In a deeper sense, we need to rest in Christ’s work on our behalf. The book of Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4, equates rest with belief and trust in God. It isn’t speaking of sitting still or lying in the hammock but of relying fully on God’s plan and putting all our faith in the price that Jesus paid on the cross. Once we trust Jesus as Savior, then we trust him to lead us in the way we ought to go every day.

On some days, “resting” in Jesus might mean being quite busy doing what he wants—not to gain God’s favor but to surrender to his will. It’s a fine line we walk in a way, knowing that we cannot save ourselves but acting out of love and obedience to perform the good works that demonstrate our trust.

One of the books I’ve been reading this summer is The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This book is challenging in some ways, and I don’t fully agree with all of Bonhoeffer’s ideas, but it is worth reading. This passage from the chapter The Image of Christ is what got me started thinking about rest:

 

When the world began, God created Adam in his own image, as the climax of his creation. He wanted to have the joy of beholding in Adam the reflection of himself. ‘And behold it was very good.’ God saw himself in Adam. Here, right from the beginning, is the mysterious paradox of man. He is a creature, and yet he is destined to be like his Creator. Created man is destined to bear the image of the uncreated God. Adam is ‘as God.’ His destiny is to bear this mystery in gratitude and obedience towards his Maker. But the false serpent persuaded Adam that he must still do something to become like God; he must achieve that likeness by deciding and acting for himself. Through this choice, Adam rejected the grace of God, choosing his own action. . .  That was the Fall of Man.                             

When I read this passage sitting on my front porch, I had to stop and think. The original sin was wanting to achieve something that was meant to be freely received. There is so much more to be said, but I will leave you here. (And if you haven’t listened to that song yet, do it now!)

--Sherry Poff