God bless you

-Dan

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

Psalm 23:1

Just above the first words of this psalm is the introduction, “A Psalm of David”.  As I was soaking up this psalm I found that I never really gave a whole lot of thought to the fact that I’m reading the passion and ponderings of a shepherd.  When considering all the great biblical characters most of us have a picture painted in our minds of what that character looked like.  John the Baptist is often sporting some type of gnarly animal fur and throwing back some type of bug as a snack, Jesus has these wonderful blue eyes, lush long hair, and a nicely trimmed beard, David is often wearing a crown on his head remembered as King or a sling in his hand remembered as a giant slayer, but more often than not people don’t think of him as the shepherd.  That’s because being a shepherd has never really been a job of glory and fame but a job of grace and shame.

A Shepherd in ancient times wasn’t the most socially acceptable position.  Most of them were considered the low lives of society due to their image.  As a shepherd, stepping in pasture patties wasn’t something uncommon, having some poop stains on your robe was normal, and smelling like sheep was just another thing that came with the job.  They tend animals that don’t have the sense to tend themselves.  Often lost, hurt, or hunted, sheep had need of a capable, gracious, and faithful caretaker, and the same goes for you and me. 

In the Bible God is often referred to as The Shepherd, and we are the sheep.  He is the leader and the caretaker and we are those that need leading and taking care of. 

Why?

Because we too get lost in sin, get hurt by this world, and are hunted by the enemy.  So the Lord, our Shepherd, came to be with, provide for, and take care over us, His sheep.

Why would one be a shepherd though? 

Why take a job that stinks and is looked down on by others?

The answer is not “Someone’s got to do it” but “Someone gets to do it”

You see a shepherd doesn’t sign up for the status boost or the working conditions, He signs up because he has a relationship to the sheep, he loves them and wants see them live abundantly well.  His reward is them, in their life, their growth, their abiding.  Just as a Shepherd’s joy is in his sheep, so too the Lord’s joy and reward is in us.  God cares for you and me, He desires to see us not only live life but to live it abundantly well, without being stolen from, without being beat up, without being annihilated. 

“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.  He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

Isaiah 40:10-11

So how do we get to that place with the Shepherd? 

How do we receive abundant life? 

We abide with the Shepherd, we draw near and intimately remain with the Lord…we stay in the pasture of His will, we drink from the water of His word, we eat up the feast of HIs blessings, and we receive the outpouring of the oil of His Spirit. 

As we continue to look deeper into Psalm 23 may we continue to draw nearer to the Lord and enjoy as he draws nearer to us (James 4:8).

Genesis 24:1-4

The chapter to come is probably one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. It speaks of a Father’s concern for his son, a servants loving obedience to his master, and the love and commitment of a husband and wife. 

This account of relationship and marriage is painted by a couple key elements: Providence, Persistence, and Prayer. 

The same is true in the account of God honoring and successful relationships today!

God providentially brings them to be and orchestrates the process properly.  Then we as servants must serve each other persistently.  And at all times we must continue to sort through the journey prayerfully obeying and abiding in God’s truth and will.  As we do we see the molding and meshing of beautiful relationships that speak great depth of the character, intimacy, and blessing of our Lord.

Genesis 23:5-6

It’s amazing to see the favor that Abraham holds with the locals being that he is a “foreigner and a visitor in the land”.  It’s a stark contrast to Lot who also being a stranger and visitor in his land actually held a high political office and prospered in his local region, however, when communicating with the locals they stated, “Who are you to us?”  It’s interesting to me that Lot chose the greener grass, the nicer deal, and his selfish ambition drove him to compromise, and his example and witness was exactly that…compromised; his decision to honor himself while also trying to honor God hurt his ability to reach those around him and exemplify Holiness to those around him.  Abraham on the other hand chose to honor God, yup…he made mistakes, but all in all his passion was to honor God first and exclusively, in doing so he was blessed and we see here that those around him noticed the blessings as well as his relationship with God, Abraham’s ability to minister to them and testify to his neighbors was so evident.

More recently I was teaching a general overview of Christianity in a college located in the southwest of England.  After the session was done a student raised his hand and asked the question, “Do you often get insulted for being a Christian?”  I responded to his question by sharing how when I was younger I often was timid and quiet about my faith because I was often afraid of what others might say or do to me if they knew of my faith in Jesus Christ.  As I’ve matured in age and faith I’ve found that just the opposite is true.  Like Abraham, the more open and honest I am about my faith, the more people notice.  How they respond is out of my control, one thing is certain however, they will see me for who I am, and who I am will essentially lead them to the majesty of Jesus Christ or lead them away from the glory of God.  Sure, I get a few people that insult me, but more importantly I get people that see firsthand the Lord’s presence in my life, and they recognize my standing among them, I am a “Son of the King”  a “mighty prince” and the favor followed is the blessing imparted by our identity as such. 

Genesis 23:4

Being that Abraham already had a firm understanding of eternity, death, and the grave with his previous faith experience with Isaac, he was now able to properly practice grieving and by faith leaving Sarah’s memory into the hands of the Lord.  By faith he was seeking to move on, fully honoring the Lord as well as honoring Sarah properly, you see, a lot of what Abraham had become as a man was partly due to who his wife was as a woman.  To celebrate and commemorate Sarah Abraham didn’t lie down, give up, or get bitter…instead he chose to press on, move forward, and finish what he and his wonderful wife had begun together.  Abraham wanted to move forward towards heaven by continuing that which he was called to do here on earth.

Sure he was grieving his loss!

 No, he wouldn’t forget about Sarah!

He was doing what was best because Sarah had now moved onto what was best, the company of the Father…God.  We make a huge mistake when in grieving loss we choose to close up shop, to let go of vision and calling, and simply trade in our blessings for bitterness.  We, like Abraham, should seek a place to grieve and then leave, letting go of the loss and heading on towards the blessing and gain that God has in mind for us, not only here on earth being that we are still living, but also in the next life where we see the rewards for how we lived.

Genesis 23:3-4

Abraham’s words go deep, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you”, tell us of his mindset at the moment.  Technically Abraham had spent a long enough time in this area of Hebron, as well as developed in financial status to be able to have a piece of land and be considered a resident, however, Abraham hasn’t purchased land up to this point and now we get a peek at his perspective of himself and his latest situation. 

Something happens to your perspective the moment a loved one dies.  Relationships that seemed to have such a strong connection are ripped from our hands; the people we thought would go on with us forever suddenly leave.  Where did they go?  Questions like this often follow death, and thoughts about the eternal begin to mix in with your current thought process.  You see, when loss happens it brings a very real contrast between temporary and eternal.  The love that you had for someone becomes longing, and that longing desires to continue with those that have passed.  I believe this was the meaning of Abraham’s words.  The moment Sarah died, home wasn’t home for Abraham, it didn’t matter how much wealth and security he had, death plays no favorites and claims whomever… whenever it pleases.

In the same way we as believers in Jesus Christ have a similar longing, a love that is eternal made to wait upon the temporary.  The difference is that Jesus has told us that He is not bound by death, He rose again defeating death and sits at the right hand of God in heaven preparing for us a heavenly home where things that were once temporary are eternally secure.  We’re told that Abraham had this understanding:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance…By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God…These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:8-16

The Bible teaches us that through our faith in Jesus Christ we not only hope for, but we are certain of our eternal destiny.  We declare on earth where it is we choose to make home, and in the same way that preparations are made for us when we book into a hotel, we see that preparations are made for us in heaven by our heavenly host, the builder and maker, God.

Genesis 23:1-2

Just a short while ago Abraham received back his son from the altar, now he was saying goodbye to his bride.  So we see the same in our lives. Sometimes we’re receiving blessings from God, and then the difficult moments of having to let go arrive.  Death and loss are always subjects of difficulty for everyone; we see that even Abraham, a spiritual giant of a man, wept for his wife.  Grief is okay, it actually helps us to release that which is going on in our heads and hearts before the Lord, and when done properly it allows the Lord the opportunity to clarify and console. 

It’s said the reason why God created the tear ducts and tear reflex was to keep the eye lubricated and cleansed of any particles that might harm the eye’s surface or impede on the eye’s ability to see.  In the same way God has given us the gift of grief to work the spiritual cleansing of the hearts interior as tears cleanse the eye.  As we tell God how we feel, the Lord begins to comfort and reply with His faithful and gentle cleansing of the particles that irritate the peace of our hearts and heads, keeping us from seeing clearly His character. 

After one hundred and twenty seven years of life Sarah had now died in Hebron, which literally translated means “fellowship”, this is so fitting being that most of Sarah’s life was spent in fellowship with her husband.  Sarah and Abraham’s relationship is an awesome example to us of commitment, love, faithfulness, and honor to each other and the Lord.  We often think of Abraham as the Godly example being dubbed things like, “Father of the faith” or “the friend of God”, however, we see Sarah gets a mention when Paul likened her to grace while Hagar was likened unto the Law.  Then Peter mentioned her as the example of what a woman of God should be (1 Peter 3:5, 6). 

Yeah, they both made mistakes, hit some bumps together, but the wonderful thing was their willingness to accept correction from the Lord, admit their wrongs, and stay committed to the Lord as He led them on to be ‘A Man’ and ‘A Woman’ of God.

Genesis 22:15-18

God instructed and Abraham obeyed.  As we continue to learn from the lives of the Word we see that obedience is one of the most valuable keys to our relationships with the Lord.  For in obeying God we will find that faith will grow, hope will become clear, and love will blossom to maturity. 

In Abraham’s obedience all the generations to follow would be blessed as a great nation.  Today the testimony of that blessing is apparent as the Jewish race is the only ancient civilization to have survived the test of time.  It’s a common fact that after any ancient civilization lost rule of their land that civilization would soon fall and become overcome and eventually wiped out.  The Mayans, Incas, Assyrians, and Babylonians are a few among many of these fallen empires.  The Hebrew nation, commonly known today as the Jews or Israeli’s is the only people group, culture, and nation that have survived with its identity completely intact.  As it were, that would be enough; however we see that upon this particular blessing God has been abundantly clear in His faithfulness to the Jews throughout the years.

Let me explain:

Jesus, or the Angel of the Lord, speaks this promise to Abraham… “Blessing I will bless you” which is also abiding with the blessing and promise earlier spoken by God Himself unto Abraham:

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3

Any nation that has attacked or cursed the Israelites has soon after been overcome as a nation.  The Jews have been persecuted and attacked for centuries; their enemies have included Assyrian’s, Babylon, Midian, Moab, Philistia, Agag, and even more contemporary nations like Nazi Germany.  It isn’t coincidence that soon after these nations sought to wipe out the Jews they themselves were the ones being overcome.  So too we see that through Abraham’s seed, God not only blessed the Jewish race, but the whole world, because millennia later the Messiah would arrive and bring freedom and salvation to all mankind; every race, gender, and culture; multiplying the number of those who would enter into heaven as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

You see, in the eyes of the Lord we as mankind had a common enemy.  It wasn’t an opposing race, nation, or culture…it was a hereditary condition called sin.

In the same way God was faithful to defend the Jewish race, God has also carried His faithfulness through Abraham to the entire Human race.  Blessing us and not cursing us, saving us from destruction and delivering us unto abundant life.

As I was sharing this with a friend more recently I was asked, “How is it that you as a Christian can be so exclusive about salvation and entrance into heaven?”

I responded by saying, “Christianity isn’t exclusive, it’s actually quite open.  Because of the finished work that Jesus carried out on the cross, all can freely receive salvation!”

The question that follows is, “Will you receive it?”

Genesis 22: 11-12

Once again we see “the Angel of the Lord” make an appearance in the life of Abraham.  As we’ve learned from the previous appearances, the Angel of the Lord is Jesus Himself.  The dialogue held in this appearance gives us a little behind the scenes insight into the perspective of the God the Father and us, his children.

Let me explain. 

As instructed Abraham was called to give up that which was most dear to him…literally.  The son that was promised to him by God was now being demanded from him.  At first glance this all seems a bit cruel, but it’s not a mind game, or a bad joke, God actually has a reason behind this whole process that He has asked Abraham to walk through.

What is this process?

It’s called, “Abiding”.

Jesus called to Abraham and said, “Stop!” “You’ve done everything I’ve asked and your obedience has proven your love for me!” 

God wasn’t trying to ruin Abraham’s life, He was refining it.  God didn’t desire to murder Isaac; He desired to draw him and his father into a deeper relationship of love.  As Abraham took each step of obedience we see a clear demonstration of that which was most important to him, and as we watch Isaac grow up its clear that his father’s demonstration of love and integrity toward the Lord deeply impacted him to do the same. 

Take note parents, with every God given instruction that you obey, your kids will take notice.  As you demonstrate your love and desire for the Lord you’ll see it impact your children deeper than any sermon, book, or class could ever teach them.  As Abraham abided with the Lord we see that he clearly led Isaac in the way to deeply love and know God.

It’s kind of like this, if my 8 year old nephew asked me for an ice cream cone, I could very easily explain to him how to get to the grocery store.  I could draw him a map and give very concise instructions on how to find, pay, and enjoy his ice cream cone.  The explanation would be spot on, but the facts are my nephew probably wouldn’t be able to do it on his own.  On the other hand, if my little nephew asked me for an ice cream cone and I said, “Sure buddy, hop on my shoulders and we’ll go get it together!”  As I carry him I no longer am giving directions…I’ve now become the directions.   I carry him there and walk through it all with him; and he will receive exactly what was desired.  So too, Jesus said, “I am the way…” As Abraham followed the Lord we see that Isaac abided in the direction and received deeply what Abraham was also experiencing as he abided with the Lord.

Not only did Abraham demonstrate direction for Isaac, he also grew in gratitude of God.  With each defining step Abraham deepened in his capacity of appreciation for what God had given him.  How does God help us keep blessings in perspective so that they don’t distract us from first loving Him?  He calls us to lay our “Isaac” down.  So that we begin to see and understand where the blessing came from and the heart of the one who gave it.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:6, 7

You see as we obey the Lord and cast upon Him that which we care about, we’ll see that in due time He’ll lift us up, give us our Isaac back, and bless us with what’s best.

God not only cares about blessing us with His promises, He also cares about seeing us abide closer to Him.      

Genesis 22:3

As we’ve learned before, the midday sun of the Middle East is no joke.  So when it came to difficult manual labor or traveling long distances one would desire to rise early to beat the heat (Genesis 18:1).  So it was no surprise to see Abraham rise early in the morning to complete that which God had instructed him; the man knew what it would take to make the trek that day, and the labor it would involve.  Before the day got too hot, before the interruptions of everyday life got in the way, Abraham was up and heading towards Moriah, which literally translated means “Where the Lord Provides” or “Where the Lord Appears”. 

In the same way we have the choice to prepare and get a jump start before the heat of each day.  We too can set out for our “Moriah”, meeting with the Lord and receiving the provision as we present our offerings of prayer and praise.  All too often we wake up just in time to roll out of bed and run out of the door finding that we’re a leg behind and the day fully works us with distractions and derailments, at best we’re unsettled and unprepared for the journey ahead of us and the tasks that are to come in that day’s events. 

We have such a valuable lesson here with Abraham, when we are early to rise we will also be those who are receiving the Provision on Moriah in the hotter moments of the day, we’ll see the appearance of God’s wonderful presence in the moments where God doesn’t give clarity He simply gives instruction and asks us to obey.

Instead of wondering what’s going on, we’ll have the faith to say things like “WE will come back worship”.  What a statement of faith on Abraham’s part.  He fully knew God was asking Him to not just wound His son…but kill him.  But we see that Abraham is so acquainted with the character of the Father that he knew God was going to work it out for good.  Abraham was prepared to fully obey God and see Him glorified even with a fatal offering.

The same will be true for you and I, as we are diligent to seek God in the beginning of our day and get freshly acquainted with Him we’ll have ample faith to handle the hard moments.

We’ll Praise instead of Panic

Worship instead of Worry

And Walk away full instead of wanting.

To those who are steadily surveying through Genesis with me, I apologise for the break in our usual study. I pray this topical study blesses you, and the change brings a freshness of spirit.

God bless,

Dan

Commercial Christianity

“Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee…” Mark 10:28

While reading Mark 10, I was impressed by the dialogue held between Jesus and His disciples. After the Lord inquires of the disciples intentions to stick around, Peter and the disciples reveal how they had already radically abandoned everything of themselves to follow Jesus. Over the years I’ve sensed this same dialogue penetrating my heart, and I’m exposed by His pointed question, “Have I entirely abandoned myself and followed Jesus?” The answer that surfaced through this question can be pretty humbling.

The beginning of this sobering answer was given to me while I was looking at a portion of the Old Testament. The book of Ruth brings us up to speed with the story of a woman who had been away from home in a foreign land. After her husband and two sons die, Naomi (the prodigal Israelite) set out to return to the land of promise that her family had abandoned in search for greener grass. Alongside are her two daughter-in-laws, Orpah and Ruth. Traveling through the countryside in grief, Naomi turns and asks her two daughters-in-law/widows to turn back to what was familiar to them and be comforted there. An emotional Orpah heard the words of her mother-in-law and didn’t miss a beat, kissing goodbye she turned around and returned to the land of Moab. Interestingly enough, Ruth, a civilian of Moab just like Orpah, does not return but abandons herself to stand by Naomi, even though it meant difficulty and dismal hope.

I believe the answer to my question on abandonment begins here with Ruth.

The commitment that Ruth displays here is what the Lord desires of us. True abandonment unto Christ begins with a commitment that willingly abandons our natural desire to satisfy our selfish ambitions, then accompanied by a desire to give love without expecting anything in return. This is a picture of what it truly means to abandon “self”. As selfish sinful beings we innately desire to benefit ourselves through all opportunities, and at the expense of others. If we are really honest, we will notice that our priorities are often founded on what we are receiving from our surroundings, circumstances, church, relationships, and even our faith. Neglecting the desire to satisfy the lust of your flesh and mind allows us to be entirely available to abide with the Holy Spirit who empowers us to honor and love the Lord with a pure heart.

“What’s so wrong with benefiting from our walk with the Lord?” you ask.

The answer is…nothing.

It’s not wrong to benefit from the Lord; in fact it’s naturally going to happen when abiding close to Jesus Christ. The fact is it will happen so naturally that you don’t need to pursue it. Whenever one seeks to abandon self while still holding to the natural ambitions, they are torn between the conflict of their old nature and the spirit. The old nature holds us captive from moving fully into the liberty and new life God desires to generate within us. We see this illustrated with Orpah and Ruth. Orpah bailed on the awesome things God had in store and returned to the land of Moab, which is a picture of the flesh in the Old Testament. Ruth, however, commits to the Lord entirely, abandoning her familiarity and placing herself entirely in God’s hands.

Pursuing Jesus only for His blessings is not true abandonment. Pursuing Christ only for his blessings is satisfying a natural lust to benefit ourselves. To truly love a person is pursuing them to serve and honor them, not ourselves. This would be true abandonment to follow Christ.

It’s kind of like another story in the bible called “the prodigal son”. This kid looks at his dad and only loves what his dad has to offer, not the father himself. So he takes the blessings of the father and runs off selfishly indulging his own ambitions and desires, eventually finding that this type of lifestyle leads to a pig-pen of problems. He was empty and hungry, dirty and helpless, homeless and friendless. So the son realizes the need for his father and upon return encounters the “results” of being home. A ring, a robe, and a party…but I reckon these weren’t the things that really touched the heart of the prodigal son, he had known what it was to have rings, robes, and parties. It was the source of these gifts that was the factor of fulfillment. The love relationship of the father is what brought completion.

Oswald Chambers said this about abandonment to Jesus:

“Our Lord replies in effect, that abandonment is for Himself, and not for what the disciples themselves will get from it. Beware of an abandonment which has the commercial spirit in it-”I am going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” All that is the result of being right with God, but that spirit is not of the essential nature of Christianity. Abandonment is not for anything at all. We have got so commercialized that we only go to God for something from Him, and not for Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want Thee, I want myself; but I want myself clean and filled with the Holy Ghost; I want to be put in Thy showroom and be able to say-”This is what God has done for me.”" If we only give up something to God because we want more back, there is nothing of the Holy Spirit in our abandonment; it is miserable commercial self-interest. That we gain heaven, that we are delivered from sin, that we are made useful to God-these things never enter as considerations into real abandonment, which is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.

When we come up against the barriers of natural relationship, where is Jesus Christ? Most of us desert Him-”Yes, Lord, I did hear Thy call; but my mother is in the road, my wife, my self-interest, and I can go no further.” “Then,” Jesus says, “You cannot be my disciple.”

The test of abandonment is always over the neck of natural devotion. Go over it, and God’s own abandonment will embrace all those you had to hurt in abandoning. Beware of stopping short of abandonment to God. Most of us know abandonment in vision only.”

Oswald Chambers, Excerpt on Abandonment from “My Utmost for His Highest”

With this said I realize, as you probably do, that our abandonment to Jesus is often carried out with a selfish consumer mindset. May we be like Ruth, committed selflessly out of love and devotion to the person, and not the blessing.