“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.

“Feel The Same Thing Together” ( Romans 12: 14 – 16, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Essentially, Paul calls us to humility.

^“14 Bless ye men that pursue you; bless ye, and do not ye curse;

¹⁵ for to joy with men that joy, for to weep with men that weep.

¹⁶ Feel ye the same thing together; not understanding high things, but consenting to meek things^{[Feeling the same thing together; not savouring, or knowing, high things, but consenting to meek things, following meek fathers]}. Do not ye be prudent with yourselves;”

Of course, so does Jesus.

^“3 Blessed be poor men in spirit, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs. [Blessed be the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.]

⁴ Blessed be mild men [Blessed mild], for they shall wield the earth.

⁵ Blessed be they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁶ Blessed be they that hunger and thirst rightwiseness, for they shall be fulfilled [for they shall be filled].

⁷ Blessed be merciful men [Blessed the merciful], for they shall get mercy.

⁸ Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed be peaceable men, for they shall be called God’s children. [Blessed the peaceable, for they shall be called the sons of God.]

¹⁰ Blessed be they that suffer persecution for rightwiseness, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs [for the kingdom of heaven is theirs].”

We are not called to arrogance, war, haughtiness of spirit, ambivalence, impurity, or ease. Rather, we are called to mildness, poverty of spirit, peace, purity, mourning, and persecution.

In one sense, the words of Paul are reminiscent of the saying: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, walk a mile in them, and then think about your attitude. Then, you may bless them that pursue you; you may weep with those who weep, and be joyful with those who are joyful.

“That Less Famous Verse” ( John 3:17, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Father & Son / Vater & Sohn (Photo credit: Malik_Braun)

Not for judgment — God the Father does not send Jesus His Son into the world for judgment purposes. In fact, that’s completely unnecessary for the world stands condemned already; judgment has been conferred; we are all doomed.

I am convinced if we start with this undeniable truth — that Jesus is a Savior and not a Judge, we might understand the level of His commitment to His Father’s purposes.

“For God sent not his Son into the world, that he judge the world, but that the world be saved by him.”

Jesus comes to earth to save, not to condemn. He comes to seek and save what is lost.

And what Jesus saves can not be lost.

“Swift To Hear” ( James 1:19, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Here James offers one of those tidbits of wisdom that might define my life if I would but follow it diligently –

“Know ye, my brethren most loved, be each man swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to wrath;”

Listening is key –

Open my ears and shut my mouth, and attend to what you are saying without formulating my response while you are still speaking. (Do this sometimes in a group, and you can wind up completely ignored; but I imagine you are also the group member most likely to know what was said — and meant  — by the other members.)

If I listen without a mind active in figuring out my own response, then it follows I have a better chance of fully understanding you and your viewpoint. Perhaps then I will be “slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

“Into Good” ( Romans 15: 2, WYC ) by Carley Evans

English: Floodwaters isolate neighbours across the street at Bayswater, Milton, 1890. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paul and Jesus speak often of brothers, but also of neighbours. Brothers, I presume, are fellow believers. Neighbours may or may not be Christians. Yet, Paul writes to the church at Rome:

^“Each of us please to his neighbour in good [into good], to edification.”

So we are to please our neighbours — whether or not they are believers — and we are to please them “into good, to edification.” We are called “to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge;” to “uplift, enlighten, and inform.” Edification implies speaking to our neighbours, but I speak little to most of my neighbours. How about you?

I know the family to my left very well. The house behind me — I see them once in a blue moon in their yard. The people on my right, I wave to and speak with on occasion. The couple across from me — now and then. One house on my street stands completely empty – a sign of the economic times. I just met the man at the very end of my street, and I’ve lived here more than fifteen years! My neighbours are essentially strangers with the exception of the three men next door: an elderly man and his two grown sons. I eat with them often!

But, do I edify them?

“Called Into Liberty Only” ( Galatians 5: 13, WYC ) by Carley Evans

King James Bible (Photo credit: freefotouk)

One of my all-time favorite movie titles is “LOST IN TRANSLATION” written and directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray and Scarlet Johannson. This title — and the film — say so much about communicating meaning from one language to another. Take Paul’s statement here in his letter to the Galatians:

“[Forsooth, brethren, ye be called into liberty only; give ye not liberty into occasion of flesh], but by charity of [the] Spirit serve ye together.”

The Wycliffe translation — as it often does — provides two different meanings of the same verse. The big difference is the location of the word “only.” In one version, “only” is placed after the semi-colon; in the one I’ve chosen to quote, the “only” is placed before the semi-colon, indicating that Christians are called to freedom only. We are not called to any sort of bondage! We are not in bondage to the law, nor are we to be in bondage to “the flesh.” Rather, we are called to liberty in Christ. In this freedom, we are called to “serve together” “by charity of the Spirit” according to Paul.

Look at the King James Version of the same verse:

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Here the “only” is placed after the semi-colon, rendering it as emphasis not to use freedom “for an occasion to the flesh.” Additionally, the Spirit is missing completely from Paul’s statement. Rather than the power of God, love is emphasized. And instead of serving together, we are called to serve one another.

No wonder we sometimes get a little lost; a little defensive of our views; a little wary of a different viewpoint. Yet, God calls us to unity. He also calls us to love. And, He calls us to freedom.

“Be United” ( 1 Corinthians 1:10, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Paul (Photo credit: Missional Volunteer)

Paul writes to the church at Corinth – and to us:

“Now I urge you, brothers, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.”

Obviously Paul is aware of differences of opinions among Christians; after all, he himself disagrees with Peter and does so openly in regards to following Jewish customs such as requiring circumcision and avoiding certain foods and celebrating special days and so on. The unity Paul urges Christians to have is a fundamental coming together under the headship of Christ. We are to have in common “the same understanding and the same conviction” when it comes to the Lord and our relationship with Him.

Unfortunately since Jesus ascended into heaven, divisions continue to blossom like  yellow weeds and then to spread like dead dandelions, splitting out into and carried by the wind.

The organized church is decadent and dysfunctional.

But what of the Church? What of the Body of Christ? Is the Church divided? What are the basic tenets of Christianity? And, do Christians — i.e. the Church — see eye to eye on these tenets? If so, then what are we fighting over? And, why? If not, then why not? Why is the Church incapable of having a common understanding and the same conviction regarding the Lord?

“Patience In Pain” ( Romans 12:12, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”

Paul doesn’t say “rejoice in affliction.” He doesn’t expect himself or others to revel in misery. Rather he calls us to “rejoice in hope,” in the hope of our salvation primarily but even in our walk with God. He says to us, ‘yes, you have pain here’ but you must be patient as you tread through it, and “be persistent in prayer.”

Prayer is one expression of hope. As we pray, we anticipate a positive answer — and even if the answer is negative, we long for God’s listening ear and the quieting of His voice: “Be still, and know that I Am God.”

If we turn to the left, He whispers. If we turn to the right, He may shout. At least we know He is always with us, “even to the ends of the earth.”

“On The Dust At Last” ( Job 19:25, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Job's Peak (Photo credit: glenngould)

“But I know my living Redeemer, and He will stand on the dust at last.”

When Job says this, he has not yet met the Lord. He has heard of the Lord God “by report” but he has yet to “see God with his own eyes.” Even so, Job knows that God lives; and he trusts that one day God “will stand on the dust at last.” Job understands God will overcome sin in mankind and so defeat death, the wage of sin.

What Job doesn’t know is the fullness of God; he doesn’t yet have a personal, face-to-face relationship with the living Redeemer. He has yet to “abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes.” At this point, he has only heard; he has yet to see!

“The Priest Is The Lamb” ( Hebrews 7:25, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

“But because [Christ] remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.”

Under the old covenant, the priest literally stands between the people and God. Annually, the priest offers an unblemished lamb as a sacrificial substitute for the people, their sins burning up along with the body of the lamb, the sweet fragrance satisfying the wrath of the Lord. The people come to God through the priest; God accepts them because of the lamb.

The author of Hebrews may as well shout. For under the new covenant — the better covenant — the priest “remains forever,” and “always lives to intercede for [the people].” Under the new covenant — the final covenant — the priest is the Lamb! And, the sacrifice is once for all. And, the Priest lives forever, always able to intercede for each and every one “who comes to God through Him.”