Monday, July 18, 2016

"Lend" to the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ESV
"If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, [8] but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. [9] Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. [10] You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. [11] For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'

Enough said.  Not enough follow-through

Having been in very real need, I have been blessed by brothers and sisters who heard God's directive and have engaged and followed through.  It was tough to ask and tough to receive but a blessing nonetheless.

"Poor" is a tough place to be.

Notice that this passage does not qualify poverty.  It does not discuss the "why" behind the poverty it simply says that if one of our vrothers becomes poor we are to see that they are provided with sufficient to meet their need.  It says we are to "lend" them  whatever is sufficient for that need.

"Lend ?"   Lend a poor person money?  Yep, that's what is says (and remember the law against charging interest).  It's tough to think of lending a poor person money.  It's easier to just give it to them, and that'66s ok too but when you lend it to them, you are invested in their growing out of poverty.  You have an interest in their overcoming whatever their negative circumstance is and going on to be lifted out of their poverty.  This is a good motivator for the giver to stay engaged in the life of the one in need.

Giving them what they need is a good thing but jt can be a kind of "fire and forget" blessing.  It's real easy to just give and walk away feelimg good about having given.  But, if we take the injunction to "lend" them what they need seriously we can't just walk away.  We take on some form of responsibility with them for the bettermemt of their condition.  That's charity plus!  That is the will of the Lord.  That is part of of the plan.

With many if not most of the "poor," something has occured in their lives to cast then into that condition.  It is God's will that they not remain in  that condition but that they rise from it.  That means that besides the poverty, the cause needs to be addressed.  Thatxs phase two of God's answer to the poor brother's need and one He thoroughly expects us to have a part in.  Whether we take direct and intimate action for their benefit or we help them aquire the connections and resources they need, we are not allowed to "fire and forget" our blessing to them.

The whole notion of lending to the poor is to keep us engaged in their progress.  Charity is tough to give and tough to take but to just drop a gift on them and drop out of their lives is just cruel.  It's saying, "Here's some stuff, lots of luck you are on your own."  Well, being on their own probably contributed to their becoming poor.  Leaving them to their own devices, even with a generous gift, is not going to help them the way they need help!

Having a lending mindset also creates a covenant between you and them. There are legitimate expectations that need to be made clear and carried out.  If one lends, one has the right to expect a return.  But a return is only possible when the one lended to is willing to be helped beyond the lending.  He that is lent to incures an obljgation beyond simple repayment.  They incure the obigation to work to address the cause not just the condition.  We undertake an obligation beyond just the giving.  A good rule of thumb for our role is found in:

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

This directs us to a broad range of needs and a clear course of action.  One does not take responsibility "for" them but takes responsibility "with" them. We stay engaged and involved.

Galatians 6:2 ESV
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Psalm 16:1-2

Psalm 16:1-2 ESV
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. [2] I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

Boy is this one we do not pray;
Often enough
Loud enough
Humbly enough
Sincerely enough

You really can't expect verse 1 without verse 2

It's tough to hang on to the "no good" of verse 2
We really fight that
Or
Ignore that
Or
Conveniently forget it

It's not a comfortable truth
It pricks our flesh
It irritates the abiding sin in us
It pokes us in our pride
It's an "ouch"

But a failure to remember verse 2
Set us up for failure
Disappointment
Despair
Depression
Confusion
Consternation
Complications

We really don't get the power behind the word "Lord"
We forget that to call Him Lord
Is to surrender
Abdicate
Give it all up

We want to be preserved
Our way
Under our power
In ourtime
For our purposes
Admit it's true

But that gives lie to our calling Him Lord

It's tough
It's uncomfortable
It's even a little scary
But
It is imperative

Takes commitment
Focus
Faith
And remembering
Lots of remembering

Great prayer
But
It demands a lot more than we want to think about

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Better than, "Yes."

1 John 5:14-15 ESV
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

See, that's the kicker, discerning if my request is according to His will.

A lot of things seem "good" and "fair" and "just" and they well may be but that does not mean, at least in my experience, that they are according to His will.  They may be outside His will or even contrary to His will.  It depends on the circumstances and, well, His will.

Ephesians 5:10 ESV
and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, 17-18 ESV
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. [15] See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We always pray, "Your will be done." But all too often, for me at least, it's my way of confessing that I am absolutely clueless as to whether or not my request is in His will.

Then there is the kicker:

James 4:3 ESV
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

There's the.  I assume that many of my personal prayers are not answered in the way I hope because somewhere underneath all the solumn prayer words there lurks some selfish motive that thwarts, not His answer, but my asking.  I ask wrongly.

That's a tough nut to crack!  I can well understand why the Puritains were so determined concerning the need for self-examination.   We really do have to accept that our hearts are deceitful and that we are the ones we deceive most  often.  We can easily fool ourselves into thinking that we are being selfless and submissive in our prayer and that they are according to His will.

Right now I have a very specific prayer request before Him.  I've kept it simple, short and sweet.  I don't believe is it greedy or self-serving but rather fair, good and reasonable.  BUT there is a lurking doubt in the back of my mind because I will benefit from a "Yes  It is a prayer about me, for me.  It is a prayer and also a test.  I have asked for X which is a fair request and consider a "Yes" as an answer to another request/query.  In short I have figured if He grants X then Y is in His will.  Make sense?

But then that old....ask wrongly and don't test God thing comes up in my mind and I doubt not His goodness but the rightness of my prayer.

So I come to:

Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This does not promise a "Yes," to my prayer.  What it does promise is His peace in His answer which will in turn guard my heart and my mind.  And isn't that better than a "Yes"?

Monday, July 4, 2016

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

What a GREAT verse!  In the Lord, our labor is not in vain.  Boy, did I need to hear that or what.  What a POWERFUL encouragement, especially when we feel our work is small and has little positive effect!  It is great to know that "in him," our labor is never in vain.

But, there is kind of a caveat to this.  We need to be steadfast, immovable and constantly abounding in His work.  

Now a lot of us will balk at the, "in the work of the Lord."  We will think that this verse applies only to those "professionals" who serve in some fulltime ministry.  As a great friend of mine would say, "That is a lie right out of the pit of hell!"  We have to get away from this incredibly narrow view of what is His work. 

A Christian mother and wife is engaged in His work as she cares for her family.  She does not have to ever leave the home to be in fulltime service.  Everything she does is, "in the Lord," and hence, it is His work.  As children obey and respect their parents they are engaged in His work.  As husbands and fathers labor to provide subsistence  for their families, they are engaged in His work.

Anything we do, "in the Lord," is His work and is NEVER in vain!

But we do have to be steadfast (keep on keeping on), immovable (bloom where you are planted) and abounding (what your hand finds to do, do)!

We also need to examine ourselves and our labor to be confident that we are doing it. "In Him."  Sure, you'll find a lot of messy mixed motives as you examine this but you look for the light not the shadows.  Whatever you find in the mix, if love for Christ is there, you are good to go.  You're gonna find a lot of your own stuff mixed in there.  Do not let it stop you or hinder you in any way.  He is in the business of refining us and all we do do. Don't sweat it, do it and do it for Him.

Now, notice I don't say do it perfectly.  You're not gonna.  Not gonna happen. You're gonna move forward in fits and starts, ups and downs, homeruns and foul balls.  But you gotta be doing it for Him to be refining it.  Sure, perfection is a great and worthy goal.  We aim at it, constantly secure in the knowledge that wherever we fall short, He covers the shortfall.

A great lesson concerning our labor is found here; 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 9 ESV
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. [7] So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. [9] For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

Oh, dear ones, if we would only carve that on our consciences!  We always tend to take on that which is not ours to fulfill!  None of our labors in Him can ever be in vain when the conclusion of the effort is in His hands!

WE ARE ALL God's fellow workers, right where He has us doing what He has given us to do.  Whatever a believer does should be considered fulltime service.  That includes both our labor and our leisure.   We are His fulltime, therefore what we do should be His fulltime!

Dear ones, stay steadfast.  Be immovable.  Abound in what He has given you to do.  AND relax and rejoice in the fact that He is the period on all the senteces our lives write.  NOTHING you do in Him is EVER in vain!

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Set mind & heart . . . .

Colossians 3:1-2 ESV
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Melancholy, especially chronic melancholy is a strange affliction.  One mo,emt things are relatively fine and the next momemt the melancholy raises its ugly head and smacks you into the dirt.  It is a most unpleasant occurrence.   One never knows when it will strike and determining why can be difficult.

If we accept that there is a neurochemical component to the affliction then the sudden attack can be due to some shift in the chemical balance.  But we do not want to lay all of the blame on some mysterious chemical Russian roulette.  We, our minds and hearts, play a powerful role in this affliction as well.

One of the more simple causes of these sudden drops has much to do with what we have set our minds and hears on.  We have all heard the phrase, "I really had my heart set on ......."  When we set out hearts and or minds on something we have to accept that we may have set ourselves up for a drop, for a deep bout of melancholy.  Therefore, it is important that we guard our minds and hearts from being set on anything that can disappoint.

This does not mean we don't desire things - ever.  But it does mean that we have to moderate the strength of our desires for anything in or of the world.  This means we have to take responsibility and do the hard work of examining exactly what we have set our minds and/or hearts on and to what degree.  When we fail to do this we can expect a drop.

I have been looking for a new job.  We need more income and frankly working nights is getting tougher.  I had submitted two applications for two jobs for, which I believe my skills and experience make me a viable candidate.  One job looks very positive the other is still up in the air.  I received a call from the very positive job today for a second interview and found myself dropping into, that dark place.  Wondering why I! examined my heart and mind and realized I had set my mind and heart on the other job to a greater degree than I had thought even though they have only read my resume and have not offered an interview.  Oh sure, it's a better job and a greater challenge but the mere fact that a call from positive job cast me down made me very suspicious of the set of my mind and heart.

We are admonished to set our mind and heart on things above, and not things below, for a very good reason.  Things above are promised and guaranteed. They are bought and paid for.  Things below, not so much.  One reason that we should not set our hearts on things in and of this world is because they are entagled in that great web of fallenness that so corrupts the whole world.  We are no match for the world, the flesh and the devil, at least not on our own.  We are not capaple of navigating the maze of deceit that works in this world.  And besides, this is all passing away.

We have a great promise concerning ourmhearts and minds;


Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When we earnestly and consistantly pray concernining our needs, desires and concerns (what we set our minds and hearts on) we have the promise of the peace of God.  And this is not mellow sence of well being type of peace.  It is an active and dynamic peace.  It guards our hearts and minds.  It works in us to keep us safe and away from setting our minds and hearts awry.  This is a promise we need to grab hold of and hold so tightly is squeals!  Let God know about everything that concerns your mind and heart and He will guard it!

Melancholy is a mean and nasty affliction.  It seems to abate only to blindside us.  But where we have set our minds and hearts has a lot to do, with its power in our lives.  Our prayer thoughts and life can have a powerful effect upon hooften and how hard it hits us.  Where we have set our minds and nearts plays a powerful role in how and where it hits us.  A key to avoiding these blindside injuries is to work diligently  to keep, our minds and hearts set on things above and to set our concerns and desires above as well.

Too much "in me," in me.

Philippians 4:12-13 ESV
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I know how to be brought low....
Well, I know what it's like and it is no fun whatsoever.  But I have to reflect on why He sees fit to keep bringing me low.  I'm afraid it may well have to do with pride and cockiness and until I learn the lesson in the lowness I keep repeating it.

I know how, to abound....
I don't.  I don't do abounding very well, it tends to mess with my head.  Hence the lessons in lowness.

I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need....
Don't do any of that very well.  Get stupid in one and whiny in the other.  Hence, the lowness lessons.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me....
That's the "secret."  It's the "all things through him" all the time in all situations.  It's never "in me", it's just not going to happen.

"In me," is all the world of abiding sin; all the old man, all the body of death.  "In me," is not good.  "In him," is the only way to learn the lesson and have it stick.  But there is too much "in me," in me.