God's Delight

 

Do you know why I think Facebook and other social media outlets are such a success? People want to be known. We want others to notice what we like or do not like. We want to share our interests and hobbies. We want to disclose what we’re doing in our everyday lives – where we’re going, what we’re doing, and even what we’re eating! Our Creator made us in His image, and we are like Him in this way. He wants to be known too! He has not hidden Himself from us. In Jeremiah 9:23-24 He tells us this about Himself: 

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’” 

Don’t rush past this. God is telling us about His character and in what He delights! He wants us to understand and know Him! Isn’t that awesome?! So, let’s get nerdy for a minute and look closer at what He’s saying. I looked up some definitions from various online sources.

Steadfast love: Unchanging love; enduring; inexhaustible; reliable; indestructible; fixed; firm; constant. It remains steadfast regardless of our feelings or our response to Him. The Hebrew word combines love and loyalty and is mentioned 242 times in the Old Testament (or variations of the word). He loves us with an everlasting love!

Justice: Even-handed; rarely delivered instantly; no partiality; based on God’s laws. Justice is rooted in God’s nature. He rewards good and does not ignore sin. Jesus’ death was necessary because of God’s justice – it’s His character. It’s morally right and fair. God hates perverted justice. From the “Got Questions” website, “The cross is the intersection of God’s justice and mercy.” God advocates for “those who are powerless to defend themselves.” He expects us to participate in this. Think of orphans, widows, the weak, the innocent, and foreigners. God mentions them over and over in His Word, and He becomes angry when they are oppressed or mistreated or taken advantage of. My heart breaks when I hear of sex trafficking, slavery, and other atrocities in this ugly world. One day, God will make it right. It’s in His nature, and I believe it’s okay to request it from Him when we hear of these things.

Righteousness: Ethical conduct; morally justifiable or right. Again from “Got Questions” website, “The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describes His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.” God’s righteousness relates closely to His love and justice. He wants people to be treated fairly, with love and kindness. This is why He wants us to obey Him. He wants us to worship only Him because He knows we were created for this. It’s good for Him. It’s good for us.  

I am so thankful to know these things about God! I’m so thankful He shared these things about Himself even if He didn’t post it on Facebook! I wish everyone knew how awesome and amazing He is!

joyce hague

Can't Sleep? Meditation on Psalm 77

 

Our great-grandson Jayden was staying all night with his grandparents, my daughter Debbie and her husband Ron. Jayden was so excited about going to camp the next day. After he had gone to bed, Debbie checked on him and he was wide awake. He said, “Grandma Deb, my eyes just keep popping open!”

This is how the Psalmist felt in Psalm 77:4 - “You hold my eyelids open.” I have been there! I have prayed for my family, my friends, and even started across the world map in my head to pray for missionaries. Still no sleep.

So...what can we learn from the author of Psalm 77 about those sleepless nights?

(Vs. 5) The Psalmist thinks about the past...We can remember people who have helped us and thank God for them. Jot down their names on a pad by our beds so we can contact them and thank them. We can also remember prayers God has answered for us in the past. 

 (Vs. 6) He remembers a song that helped him. (Just don’t sing it aloud if you have a spouse with you.) He communes or meditates with his own heart and searches with his spirit. What is he searching for in those sleepless hours in the night? Answers to troubling questions?

(Vs. 7-9) The Psalmist does what I do sometimes in the night...worries! Is the Lord going to remember my concerns? Forsake His promises to me?

 (Vs. 10) Interesting word...the Psalmist calls this worry “his infirmity.” Yes! Worry can affect us physically. It certainly touches our spirit. In the middle of the night, it is very easy to worry.

BUT HERE IS THE ANSWER from Psalm 77 when we cannot sleep...

(Vs. 11)  I WILL REMEMBER the works of the Lord.  (That will bring a song to mind!)

 What are they? This is just a partial list...

His salvation He has given us. (John 3:16 - “...that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”)

His presence that is with us at all times. (Psalm 121:4 - “He never slumbers nor sleeps.”)

His grace shown to us and our family in difficult times. (II Samuel 7:18 - “Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”)

His provision for us...including the very breath in our bodies. (Romans 8:32 - “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”)

His beautiful creation that we can enjoy. Psalm 77 concludes with the wonders God has done including clouds, thunder, the sea, lightning, rain...

My delight is to get up on a sleepless night when the moon is coming through our skylights in the kitchen and I feel God is saying, “Maylou, I didn’t want you to miss this.”

Even creation can help us to FOCUS on God’s love to us.

Sleepless nights are difficult when we have a full day ahead, but the Psalmist learned to use them to meditate on (vs. 14 - 20) “the God Who does wonders...Who redeems His people...Who leads His people.”

--Maylou Holladay

 

 

Shoving It Under the Rug

Recently I asked my grandson, who is three, to put his car away.  He responded promptly by shoving it under the rug!  A bit later I asked him to put away the toys he had in the kitchen.  He again responded promptly by shoving them under the island.  I laughed, of course!  What was funny in a three year old is not so funny when you and I shove things “under," but we do it anyway.  We hide things “under” so we don’t have to deal with them.  We hide our sins, our anger, our bitterness, our laziness, our unwillingness to obey, our reluctance to forgive.

 

Of course, the Bible addresses this behavior.  The most obvious is the story of Achan found in Joshua 6 and 7.  The people of Israel have been marching around the city of Jericho for six days.  The climax has come and they are to march around the city seven times and God will bring the walls of Jericho down.  Joshua has given his final instructions.

 

“As for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.  But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

 

The walls of Jericho came down!  Perhaps the army became a bit over confident.  Joshua decided Ai would not be a problem, but God allowed the Israelites to be defeated and thirty-six men to die.  The people were disheartened, thinking God had deserted them.  Joshua felt betrayed.  What would the heathen nations around them think?

 

God’s response was “Israel has sinned, and they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.  And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived.  Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.” So Joshua set out to discover who the thief was. God pointed the finger at Achan.

 

Listen to what Joshua says to Achan. “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done.  Do not hide it from me.” Confession of sin, admission of guilt brings glory to God. I have never thought of it that way. 

 

Achan’s confession was “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”

 

The consequences of his sin covered not only Achan, but also all of his family.  Were they directly involved in his sin?  Perhaps.  It would be hard to hide something in your tent without the other residents knowing it.  But whether they were directly involved or not, they paid the price. 

 

“Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garments, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them into the valley of Achor.  And Joshua said, why has thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day.  And all Israel  stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.  And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day.  So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger.”

 

This is a horrifying end of the story, but let’s think.  Sin affects others, not just the sinner.  Thirty-six men were killed in the battle for Ai.  Their families and friends were affected.  All of Israel was affected by the outcome of the battle.  They were frightened and sure that God had deserted them.  Joshua was challenged.  The nations around mocked.  Achan’s whole family died.

 

So how is your refusal to confess your sin affecting others?  Our sin, our anger, our bitterness, our failure to confess, our failure to take responsibility, our poor choices? Is there something you need to deal with?  Let’s not shove things under the rug or under the kitchen island.   

 

 

                                                                        ~~Faith Himes Lamb 

 

Weeds

     One hobby I have enjoyed since early married days is gardening. In 2007, the first summer I decided to plant a garden, I remember feeling a sense of exhilaration at the prospect of being able to plant whatever I wanted to since I was now the lady of the house. The garden catalog came out, I bought two books on how to grow fruits and vegetables from McKays (we didn’t have internet at home back then), and I set to work on my little backyard plot. A lot of memories from that garden bring smiles to my face, but I’ll save those for a personal conversation if anyone is interested, so as not to be tedious to those who aren’t into gardening.

    A major antagonist that every gardener encounters is persistent weeds. In 2016, I wrote a poem describing that problem, which is as old as Adam's first post-Fall struggle to wrest food from the ground (Gen. 3:17-19). Believe it or not, understanding those pesky weeds can actually help us out in other areas of life that extend far beyond the scope of the garden...
    

-MaryBeth Hall

  Weeds

 One day I planted tiny seeds,
And dreamed of fragrant flowers fair
That soon would grow and bud and bloom,
And grace the air with their perfume.
 
The dirt was rich and watered right;
The spot would get good bright sunlight.
Well-cut stones enclosed the plot;
 Blankets of mulch finished the spot.
 
With dusty hands I strode away.
I’d put in good hard work that day,
And my rewards the time would tell.
My job was through, and finished well.
 
But, lo, it was not so to be!
For as the little flowers pushed
Their bright green stems up through the ground,
There came imposters scattered round.
 
At first I didn’t notice them
(So harmless did they all blend in),
But as the days and weeks went by
They grew much stronger, thick and high.
 
Then one day I chanced to pass
And saw the weeds’ results at last.
‘Twas then I learned a lesson true:
A gardener’s job is never through!
 
I tackled once again the ground,
And had a lot of go-arounds
With stubborn weeds that held on tight.
It was a constant, hard-won fight.
 
At last I gained the victory,
For I checked the flower bed daily,
And gave no weeds a chance to grow
With roots so deep that didn’t show.
 
My life is like that flower bed:
There are daily fights (unless you’re dead!);
Sin struggles hard its hold to keep,
Its vines to creep, its harvest reap.
 
I’ll let the Gardener of my heart
Have His way daily, right from the start.
By letting His hands help me grow,
I’ll bloom forth and His glories show.
 
Sometimes I don’t see tiny weeds,
But He knows all and meets my needs.
I’ll seek His wisdom to pull them out
Before their ugly heads do sprout.
 
Salvation works each day in me
That more like Jesus I may be;
His holiness, my soul’s possession,
Still daily must make transformation.
 
What are these weeds that I must pull?
Anything that keeps the full
Abundant life He’s promised me
From being my reality.
 
So, Father, help me daily check,
And uproot all that sin reflects.
Put Your kind hands on top of mine,
That Your good strength I’ll always find.
 
A life of beauty is lived by days
Of beauty shown in small, sweet ways;
Consistent work I’ll strive to do
That Your creation may honor You!