Order in the Court

  Bless the Lord, O my soul. This is a command that shows God's order.  God is a God of peace and order, and He has established order in the "court," the inner place where judgments are handed down to the rest of our being.  The next verse points out the execution of this order, "let all that is within me, bless the Lord."

God created man to have fellowship, to share His life and glory forever.  Man was created in the image and likeness of God to make this possible.  God is spirit (John 4:24) and thus, so is man.  The part of man that is able to be one with God is in our spirit.  However, when man sinned, he "surely died," man's spirit died, and walking with God was no longer possible.  Sin cannot dwell with God. 

Like a rose cut from the bush that still has visible life until it fades, man still had a soul and body, but his "life with God" or spirit was now dead.   Which explains why Jesus told Nicodemus, "you must be born again of water and the spirit."  When a person receives the finished work of Jesus on the cross, he becomes a new creation, he once again has a living spirit that is in perfect harmony with the Spirit of God.  This new spirit is a participation in the very nature of God and lives forever.  "He who believes in Me will never die."

Man is spirit, soul, and body according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23.  God has a perfect plan to restore all three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body.  The spirit goes from death to life through the death and resurrection of Jesus, as man accepts that Jesus died and rose in his place.  The body is only a vehicle in which man lives and because of sin will die.  After our life on this earth, God will give us a new glorious body like the resurrected body Jesus demonstrated to His apostles in the upper room.   

The last, but very necessary change, is to our soul, which is the part of us that thinks, feels, and makes choices.  Rather than God changing our soul instantly like He does to our spirit, or what He will do to our body, man has been given the tools and he is responsible to change his own soul.  As a man thinks so is he.  Romans 12:1-2 points out that we are not to be conformed to the world but rather be renewed in our minds by the Word of God.  God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.  Therefore, it is necessary to allow His thoughts and ways to replace our fallen nature thinking.  As we do this, Romans 12:2 continues, that we prove or demonstrate God's perfect will.      

Romans 8 clearly explains that the thoughts and ways of the flesh are death, while the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.  We can't even know God through our wisdom, (1 Corinthians 1:21), it requires the Holy Spirit to reveal this truth to our spirit.  When Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, Jesus said, flesh and blood has not revealed this, but My Father in heaven.  All truth and wisdom is given in the Word and must be revealed by the Spirit.  "If you continue in My Word, you will know the truth." according to Jesus, and "The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth."  

Jesus pointed out that the Word of God is spirit and life.  Therefore, the word in Psalm 103 (Bless the Lord, O my soul) is spirit life that flows into our spirit   Our born-again spirit receives it with meekness and in obedience calls our soul to bless the Lord.  Our spirit is literally speaking to our mind to focus on thoughts that bless God, to our heart of emotions to dwell on feelings of gratefulness and affection, and to our will to cheerfully lay down our wants in order to bless God by doing that in which He delights.

God has established perfect order for living in a way that pleases Him.  The Word speaks to our spirit.  The Holy Spirit leads and guides our spirit into truth.  Just as we now have life by the Spirit (being born-again in our spirit), we are called to walk in the Spirit.  Our spirit is the boss.  The spirit instructs the soul, and the soul commands the body.   

The well-known principle in Amos, "How can we walk with God unless we be agreed," has good application here.  If we are to be a light, to move in supernatural life and power, to exercise the ministry of reconciliation, in short, walk as Jesus walked, we must learn to follow God's order in our court of decisions.  Read and hear the Word, let it dwell richly in our spirit, yield our soul to follow the dictates of the spirit, and execute the thoughts and ways of God in our bodies.  Let God be magnified!       

Trained by Discipline for Life

Nobody enjoys seeing a child out of control, screaming "I hate you!", and throwing a fit until he gets his own way.  

Proverbs 30 talks about a generation "that curses its father, and does not bless its mother, that is pure in its own eyes...whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives."  Likewise, 2 Timothy 3 describes a time coming when men will be "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good...." There is a reason Revelation states that the wicked will get worse.  Sin and rebellion never stand still but continue to increase unless dealt with and corrected.  Lack of discipline allows our fallen nature to manifest.

  

Proverbs states that discipline or correction is a way of life. It is necessary.  Hebrews 12 even suggests an attitude shift toward discipline, "My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."  Discipline is revealed as an act of love in order to change behavior and produce desirable character.  

Often, we associate discipline with children.   Since God instructs us to raise up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, discipline is a natural part of parenting.  Proverbs 13:24 further declares that "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly."  Perhaps the explanation in Hebrews 12:11 summarizes this procedure and goal best, "Now no discipline seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."  Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.  Something happens inside when a child is spanked because "blows that sting cleanse the soul."  Discipline sets the child free in their mind and heart so they can receive the love and acceptance to start new.    

Just as we respected our human fathers who disciplined and corrected us, "Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  For they (our fathers) indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He (God) for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness."  God has an effective way of discipline for His children in order to produces holiness and life.

Obviously, just as the external actions of the Old Testament may parallel the internal changes of the New Testament, the physical discipline of a child is replaced by an interior pressure that produces change as we mature.  God disciplines through His Word.  As 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  The Word can penetrate our hearts to reprove our wrong thoughts, to correct our negative emotions, and to instruct us to make righteous choices. 

One excellent example is found in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 where Paul writes a word to the Corinthians.  "For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it.  For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.  Now I rejoice...that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted."  Then notice the fruit this produced, "What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication!"  When received in a humble attitude, correction produces wonderful life. 

God does not discipline with sickness, poverty, or torment.  It states in James, God cannot tempt with evil.  We should never fight a battle that Jesus has already won for us.  These attacks of the devil were completely eradicated when Jesus declared from the cross, "It is finished."  Nevertheless, He does discipline and correct with internal conviction so we can repent and be right with Him and align with His ways.

 

Being corrected removes anxiety and allows peace to be restored.  Scripture instructs us to "strive to enter His rest."  Furthermore, in Psalm 23, there is an amazing promise, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.  Your staff and rod they comfort me."  There is comfort in His rod and staff.  We can have peace and assurance that if we get off the beaten path, He will correct us.  

God works all things for good, even when His Word reproves or corrects us.  Therefore, we encourage you to receive His correction in a right attitude, let the godly sorrow produce repentance.  As our thoughts and ways are corrected to His thoughts and ways, we will delight to do His will.  His discipline trains us for life, even the desired peaceful abundant life.

  

  

Do you Write?

 Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk and live in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. Psalm 86:11   Added to this request is the result that flows from God doing this good work in us.  "I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me."

When we let God teach us and we choose to receive His Word with meekness, our hearts are transformed or "healed" to realize He is worthy of all our affection.  Sometimes we let other things in our minds and hearts and simply forget what we read and how good He is. Therefore, it is necessary for God to unite the various desires of our heart, or at least refocus on what really matters, so we can praise Him with all our heart. 

Which brings me to my question for the day: Do you write?  God told Moses to write a book of remembrance.   In Habakkuk 2:2 God instructs the prophet to "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it."  Likewise, Psalm 103 reminds us to "forget not His benefits."  I suggest the reason God's Word tells us to "write" and "forget not" is because in the fallen human condition we do forget.  We can look in the mirror of God's perfect law of liberty and forget what we look like, according to James.

Here are two suggestions and my reasons for establishing this practice.  First, whenever I sit down to write this blog, it forces me to seek God and decide in my heart what I believe He is saying.  Writing it down and sharing with you actually settles the truth for me!  Secondly, as a high school teacher, I require my students to take notes rather than just think they are going to remember what is said.  Therefore, I suggest that having a notebook and jotting down the key points that the Holy Spirit is giving you is a powerful way to not only hear God, but then to "walk and live in Your truth."   This is also a helpful way to "let the Word dwell in you richly," as instructed in Colossians 3:16.

God's voice is so much closer than we think.  He lives in us and prompts our every thought and desire.  "In Him we live and move and have our being," according to Acts.  However, we are required to take every thought captive to obey Christ, because Jesus stated that we know the Shepherd's voice but do not know the voice of strangers.  This suggests discernment or choosing the right one and rejecting the wrong one.  Rather than just having a myriad of different thoughts or voices, writing, to the best of our discernment what we believe or determine is God's voice, helps us focus on the truth.  Writing this message down also reinforces our thought process to remember and think about what He is saying to us. 

 

Humble man asks and depends upon God to teach us.  However, we also want to be faithful like Mary "treasuring the word" and like Samuel who "didn't let a word from God drop to the ground."  Receive the Word, write it down, and let the Word dwell in you richly.  These simple steps will cause you to grow in wisdom, understanding, and especially in bearing fruit. 

Challenges

 "It'll heal up before you get married.  Get back in there." was the uncompassionate response my basketball coach usually gave me if I complained about getting hit in a game.  Even though I may be tempted to say something similar to my basketball players now, the truth is that there are always challenges and the attitude we have toward them makes all the difference.  Notice how Jesus completely changes the normal viewpoint in His first beatitude, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." 

In James 1, the Word reminds us to "Count it all joy" when trials come.  While this sounds completely opposite to our feelings, he then points out why, that the testing of your faith produces patience and if we allow patience to complete its work, we will lack nothing.  There is not only light at the end of the tunnel, but a right attitude will cause the very trial to produce qualities that ensure growth.  In fact, growth only comes through overcoming adversity by depending on God.  

After being stoned by the religious mob (in Acts 14), Paul returns to the believers in Antioch, Lystra, and Iconium to reassure them that "we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."  

Likewise Paul, in Romans 5, makes his case even stronger.  Our hearts easily agree with his first comments of how blessed we are through faith in Jesus to have peace with God and to rejoice in the hope of sharing the glory of God.  But getting the whole picture requires hearing what Paul then declares, "we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  To glory in tribulations means we treat them as a positive opportunity to enjoy God.

The key "because" is the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  When we know and trust the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with the love of God, there is overwhelming hope, or know-so confidence, that He will make all things work together for good to those who know Him and are called according to His purpose.  He always leads us in triumph.  

Therefore, challenges or trials are merely "steppingstones" to trust God and allow His transforming power to work in us and through us as we overcome every challenge of sin, the world, and the devil.   We are the bride of Christ, and it is essential that the bride have every spot and wrinkle removed to become an "equally yoked" partner for the Lord Jesus.  We are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ.  

Many know that the world is in a great time of upheaval, an Isaiah 60 time of "darkness covering the earth and gross darkness the people."  Therefore, challenges are sure to come.  Rather than curse the darkness, God calls us to receive His light and let His glory shine in and on us.  Having a right attitude toward trials and challenges allows us to look forward to what God is doing and to rejoice in the hope of sharing His glory through them.  Challenges will allow us to know and experience God.  Fight the good fight of faith that overcomes the world.  Our coach, the Holy Spirit, says, "Get back in there."