“That Dread Of The Lord” ( Psalm 103: 17, WYC ) by Carley Evans

English: Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similarly carved stones either side of the west entrance to St Leonard’s Church. 32432 “Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.” Deuteronomy 10:20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seems such a paradox that we should expect and obtain mercy from a God we dread.

“But the mercy of the Lord is from without beginning, and till into without end; on men dreading him.”

Our fear of the Lord might consume us if we did not know He desires mercy rather than judgment. We might still be hiding ourselves from His sight if not for His own sacrifice, so that we might approach His throne of grace where He always lives to intercede for us.

“And his rightfulness is into the sons of sons; (But the Lord’s love is without beginning, and without end; for those who fear him/for those who revere him. And his righteousness shall never fail the children of their children,) to them that keep his testament. And be mindful of his commandments; to do those. (yea, they who keep his covenant; and who remember his commandments, and who do them.)” (Psalm 103: 17-18)

That dread of the Lord makes my heart leap into my throat and my stomach drop into my bowel. My fear of being separated from Him for all eternity keeps me shaking and quaking when I read His Word: “be mindful of [My] commandments; to do those.” No way I can honestly say to Him, “Oh yes Lord, I keep all Your commandments.”

I look to the cross. I kneel at the throne of grace. I rely on Him, always. Otherwise, I’m stuck in that dread of the Lord.

“In Everything?” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Sculpture – head of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God tells us to “give thanks in everything.” Sometimes this seems impossible! But note : God doesn’t say give thanks for everything; instead He commands us to be grateful in everything! You may not rejoice that you are unemployed or unhealthy, but you can give thanks while you are without a job or in poor health. Your attitude makes the difference between defeat and victory in Christ!

The main idea is that God wills you to rejoice always in Christ, who is your ultimate circumstance! As you live in Him, gratitude naturally flows from your heart. Be victorious because He is your victory!

“The God Of Hope” ( Romans 15:13, NIV ) by Carley Evans

(Photo credit: hickory hardscrabble)

Paul exhorts us to “overflow with hope” as God “fills [us] with all joy and peace” “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Read it in Romans:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Trust in God, says Paul. Trust in the “power of the Holy Spirit.”

Look carefully at Paul’s exhortation. In describing the Christian life, he uses a wonderful selection of words: hope, joy, peace, trust, power.

“Seek Wisdom” ( Luke 8: 18, ESV) by Carley Evans

Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. (Luke 8:18,ESV)

What is it that we have? Knowledge? Power? Wealth? Wisdom? God often speaks to us of seeking and gaining wisdom and understanding. He never exhorts us to desire power or wealth. Rather, the more of wisdom we have, says Jesus, the more we are given!

God warns against the ways of the foolish repeatedly through His Word. The foolish often believe what they own is of great value and they struggle after personal wealth and professional power almost incessantly. Jesus says what they imagine they possess will not endure — rather it will be taken away.

James exhorts us to ask for the wisdom we may lack; if we ask in faith God is faithful to provide understanding.

Therefore, take care how you hear!

“My Soul Waits in Silence” ( Psalm 62:1, ESV) by Carley Evans

“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1, ESV)

David sings,

“In very truth men are a puff of wind, all men are faithless; put them in the balance and they can only rise, all of them lighter than air.” (Psalm 62:9, NEB)

Waiting in silence for the Lord gives your life weight. Without Him, you are nothing. David confirms that mankind is faithless, a mere puff of wind without enough substance to lower a balance when placed upon it. Power and true love “belong to God” says David. (Psalm 62:11-12, NEB)

David sings,

“O God, thou art my God, I seek Thee early with a heart that thirsts for Thee. Thy true love is better than life; therefore I sing Thy praises.” (Psalm 63:1,3; NEB)

David knows he is “safe in the shadow of [God's] wings;” and he “remembers how [God] is his help.” (Psalm 63:7, NEB) With humility, he follows God with all his heart. He sings “of [God's] strength, and celebrates [God's] love when morning comes; for [God] is his strong tower and a sure retreat in days of trouble.” (Psalm 59:16, NEB)

By waiting in silence for God, David finds the weight for his life. God gives David’s life substance. God is our strong tower, our sure retreat. We are safe in the shadow of His wings; He is our salvation.

“No One Is Exempt” ( Isaiah 55: 6 – 7, ESV ) by Carley Evans

 

^“6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
⁷let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

God abundantly pardons. He comes near; He may be found. Only a moment is needed — a moment of looking away from the cares of this world, of looking to God who is beyond and above and in and around you. God asks you to “forsake” your own “way” and “return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on [you].” Since we human beings are all alike “wicked” and “unrighteous,” know each of us is called to the same ‘turning away from’ and ‘turning toward’. No one is exempt.

That the ‘turning away from’ evil is not an action we are able to take without God’s intervention is debatable among Christians. Some believe you are able to turn under your own power. I happen to believe we each need God’s help even with this — we are so helpless on our own.

So, while He is near and while He may be found; when you hear His voice, harden not your heart. Today is the day of your salvation.

“The Things You’ve Prepared” ( Proverbs 27: 1, ESV ) by Carley Evans

God the Holy Spirit says,“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Jesus says, “Each day has enough trouble of its own” to be consumed with boasting — or worry — over tomorrow.

Jesus tells a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12: 16-21)

Don’t say ‘tomorrow I’m going to do this or go there.’ Rather, say ‘if it is the will of God, I’m going to do this or that, go here or there.’ “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” (James 3:5) God the Holy Spirit says this should not be. Our tongues should not be wagging boastful plans for tomorrow.

Rather,  we ought to ^“seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to [us].” (Matthew 6:33)

 

“Like A High Wall Collapsing” ( Isaiah 30: 21, NIV ) by Carley Evans

“The Lord longs to be gracious to [us]; He rises to show [us] compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” writes the prophet Isaiah. (30:18)

God Himself speaks to His people, telling them how they “reject this message.” Instead, they “rely on oppression and depend on deceit,” (Isaiah 30:12) choosing to believe the lies and oppression of idols. Therefore, declares the Lord, “this sin becomes for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.” (Isaiah 30:13) God sends “the bread of adversity and the water of affliction;” but “when you cry for help” He is ready and willing to be gracious. (Isaiah 30:20,19) He shows you your teachers. And, “whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21)

When you hear that still small voice; then, says the Lord, “you defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, ‘Away with you!’” (Isaiah 30:22)

No longer do you ask God to stop confronting you. Rather, you listen for that Word that says, “Here. This is the way; walk in it.” And, if you are honest, you add this prayer: “Lord, help my unbelief.”

“For God Loves The World This Way” ( John 3: 16, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

I admire and appreciate the way in which the Holman Christian Standard Bible words John 3:16. The verse we know from childhood as beginning with “For God so loves the world” is translated in the HCSB version as “For God loves the world this way” and proceeds to tell what God does to reveal His love for the world.

Clearly, God loves the world a lot. He loves the world so much that He gives His only Son, Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to wash away its sins and justify it before Him. The wording of the HCSB version emphasizes not how much God loves the world, but how God loves the world.

God’s method is espoused. His motivation is clear — to avoid His own judgment against the world. His method is simple. The Light comes into the world, and those who “live by the Truth come to the Light.” The works of those who come to the Light are subsequently revealed as “accomplished by God.” (John 3:21) From beginning to end, the work is God’s. For this is the way God loves the world.

“Watch Out” ( Galatians 5: 15, ESV ) by Carley Evans

Christ set us free from the law of sin and death and we are “not [to] submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) Since we have died to the world in and through Christ, Paul wonders why we “submit to regulations” of the world as if we were still alive to the world. (Colossians 2:20) “For [we] are called to freedom, brothers, only [we are] not [to] use [our] freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love [we are to] serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) In love, we serve one another and so fulfill “the whole law.” (Galatians 5:14)

In our efforts to conform to regulations which “indeed have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but have no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23); sometimes we attack one another. “But if [we] bite and devour one another, watch out that [we] are not consumed by one another.” Instead, we are called to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) “As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) Notice Paul calls us to “do good to everyone.”

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)