My Ways are Higher

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Have you ever pondered the statements…

-Only God can be a fit witness concerning Himself.

-Anyone who doesn’t know God cannot tell us who He is or what He is like.

-We do not have the capacity to be our own witness concerning God.

Striking statements?  Maybe!  Truthful statements?  I believe so!  In this text of Isaiah, the LORD provides some insight into His inner workings, specifically in relation to our own!  His conclusion…they are not the same; they are different!

With that in mind, think about the statements above.  If we think differently and act differently from God, can we truly be a fit witness of Him?  In our own power and strength we are not able!  So, what do we do?  Besides Himself, is there someone or something that is capable of providing a fit witness of the LORD?  Yes!  He provided that witness!  He freely gave it!  Of no merit of our own did He reveal it!  Through His word, we have a fit witness!  It is through that witness we can begin to understand who the LORD is and how He works in our lives and others!  It is by His word that we are able to have the strength to show His light to others around us (Philippians 4:13)!

We MUST rely upon Him and only Him through the study of and meditation on His word and our conversations with Him through prayer.  It is not quick and easy…it is a war between the spirit and the flesh…a constant struggle that we must face each and every day!  As the mighty oak, the LORD does not grow mighty servants over night!

Mark 10:27 – “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Psalm 19

Psalm 19 begins by describing how the heavens declare the glory of God. When looking at the world around us, we are confronted with that fact that an All-Powerful Creator God must exist. Creation is God’s general revelation to man.

¹The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

²Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

³There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

⁴Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

⁶His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The Psalm continues with a description of the Bible, God’s specific revelation to man. God’s Word is so perfect and so powerful that it will transform the lives of all who spend time studying its truths. It is more valuable to us than our most precious possession!

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

In response to these two forms of revelation from God, David is moved to examine his own heart. He asks the LORD to cleanse him from secret faults and presumptuous sins. How could we ever be so foolish to think that we could hide our sin from God or be so irreverent to choose to deliberately break His commandments?

¹¹Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

¹²Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

¹³Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

David concludes with a beautiful prayer of dedication to the LORD.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

 

Waiting on the Lord

John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

This is the classic passage about Christ being the vine and us being the branches. At first glance it seems like nothing more than a cool analogy about letting Christ live through us, but a closer look reveals a gripping truth. “Abide,” this word is the key to this whole passage. Have you ever noticed what the branch is doing? Nothing, the branch does not move or dislocate itself from the vine and relocate to different soil. For you see the branch is nothing more than a channel for sap to run through and supply it with beautiful fruit. The only way for the tree to produce beautiful fruit is for the branch to be firmly rooted in the tree.

The application to be drawn from this is simple to hear yet so hard to follow. Abide, remain in Christ. The hardest times in life are the times that we are asked to just be still and abide in Christ. We always wants to have the beautiful fruit at the end of the branch, but that fruit only comes after much abiding and channeling. So remember, although it is hard at times we need to just take time and abide in Christ.

Have you ever been one that is quick to judge another?

Oftentimes when I watch a movie or television show that depicts a story of a person being placed on trial for a crime, I immediately judge the outcome myself, and usually a give the guilty verdict, before the trial even really begins. I think this is normal with most people. We allow our emotions or even sin, to influence what we believe is the truth.

Consider 2 Samuel 12:1-7a and the story where David made a quick judgment.

“¹And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. ²The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: ³But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. ⁴And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. ⁵And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: ⁶And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. ⁷And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man…”

David had just committed a great sin against God, and when Nathan tells David a similar story, David’s immediate judgment is to kill the man in Nathan’s story. Nathan very pointedly states to David, “Thou are the man.”

The lesson from the story is clear. Remember, we must be slow to judge and quick to forgive. Your own understanding will fail you at some point; thus, it is wise to follow the instruction from Proverbs 3:5,

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

A Farewell

I wanted to use my devotion today to say ‘farewell’ to a dear friend and fellow-laborer.

Curtis Tomlin will spend his final Sunday at Tabernacle doing the same thing he has done for years: being a faithful musician. Before I came, Curtis was juggling both the music program of the church and school as well as being our Academy administrator. This is too much for one man, and so, I was asked to relieve him in his church related tasks. We moved to VAB in 2008 and have loved it here since. It is easy to look at a thriving ministry and want to take all the credit, but I am aware that our music here at Tab is the result of a long line of faithful men who have worked hard and long to hand it down to the next in line.

Curtis is one of those men. He has been both a valuable mentor and a loyal friend. I will miss him. I hope to be the next in line; to honor both the Lord and Curtis’s labor here by leaving this ministry in good shape for the man who will take my place.  I am sad to see the Tomlins leave, as it will leave a hole for us to try to fill musically. Conversely, I am excited to see yet another faithful family guided by the loving hand of God to their next field of service. My prayer for the Tomlins is that they will remain faithful, humble and pliable to God’s will. I know that the church they are moving to in Florida will be greatly blessed to have these choice servants. We have been blessed for so many years. Tomlins, I think I speak for all the staff and membership of TBM when I say, “I love you, I will miss you, and I will pray for God’s continued blessing on your lives and ministry as you continue to walk close to him.”

JS

A Song in the Night

Have you ever been lonely?  Do you know the feeling of loneliness?  Is it possible to be in a crowded room and still be lonely?  Webster’s definition of lonely is “alone, solitary; standing apart from others of its kind, isolated.”  Loneliness can happen, but it doesn’t have to.  “When we are lonely, we need an understanding friend.  Jesus is the One who ‘sticks closer than a brother.’  When we are lonely, we need strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other – Jesus is the One ‘who strengthens me’” (Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, p. 211).

Proverbs 18:24 states, “…there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  We sometimes forget in the busy times that we do not have to go through situations alone.  Jesus is there to help us – and many Christian brethren are as well.  Don’t let your pride keep you from looking up and looking out!  A simple prayer to the Lord will access the greatest strength possible, and reaching out to those around you will remind you many care and desire to help.

“A refuge for my soul is found in thee, Lord,

Tho’ fear and anguish loom on every side.

A mighty fortress dwelleth o’re my spirit,

In the shadow of thy wings let me hide.

Chorus:

Thou art my hiding place, my song in the night,

My sure abiding place, my shelter from the fight.

How can I go my way, not looking where I stray,

Thou art my hiding place, my song in the night.

 

The paths of darkness loom around each corner,

And darts of Satan seek to boast my pride.

There is a greater One who will sustain me;

In the precious love of Christ I abide.

Chorus

A haven thou provided for the weary,

Tho’ pain and sorrow last the whole night long.

The grace of God gives strength beyond all measure

For tis He who day and night gives a song.”

Chorus

“My Song in the Night” (Soundforth)

Entrance into the Holiest

In recent weeks we have studied the Old Testament Tabernacle in our Couples’ Sunday School Class.  Learning of all the symbolic and typological truths demonstrated in the arrangement and functions of each piece of furniture has been a blessing.  Central to all its application is that only through the sacrifice could one be represented in the Holy of Holies.  Only one person, the High Priest, had access to the Ark of the Covenant once each year to offer an atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16).

In this dispensation, we have our High Priest, the Lord Jesus, who makes continual intercession for us.  We can only get to God our Father through the blood of Jesus Christ whose blood cleanses us from all sin.  Paul writes of this truth in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  Any believer has access into God’s presence at all times!  What a New Testament privilege in Christ to no longer go through another human to have access to our Heavenly Father!  When we go through difficult physical problems, we may wait weeks to get an appointment with the proper physician.  Praise God!  Through Christ, we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  Let’s enter into His presence daily and fellowship with our blessed Lord.

Why Would He Use ME?

I have been struck recently in the study of the life of Christ that Christ used some very unlikely people during His earthly ministry to accomplish His will.  The whole series of events surrounding His arrest, trials, and crucifixion proved that He used unlikely men to bring to pass that which His Father had planned.  The focus of my recent meditation, however, has been the apostle Peter.  Scripture indicates that after Peter denied the Lord, he remember the Lord’s words.

I can’t imagine what grief and guilt Peter felt at that moment.  Peter left the scene of Jesus’ trial and “wept bitterly.”  We don’t hear much more about Peter until after Jesus’ resurrection.  I can imagine that those days when Christ was in the tomb were dark days for Peter.  Maybe he felt that Jesus’ death was his fault.  Maybe he wondered about the things he had heard Jesus say over the last three years.  We can’t be certain what happened in Peter’s life, but what we do know is that although Peter sinned, he was not discarded by the Lord.  Peter is one of the disciples that helped to “turn the world upside down” for Christ.  He is the one Christ chose to preach at the day of Pentecost.

I am reminded by Peter’s return to the Lord that there is nothing that I can do as a child of God that will permanently separate me from my Heavenly Father.  I identify with Peter in a very real way because I often make mistakes that seem too gigantic to be overcome by God’s grace.  And yet every time I sin, He draws me back, forgives me, and restores me as one of His children.  I don’t understand why God used Peter after all that he had done wrong, but I am thankful that He did because it gives me hope that I am still able to be used for His service as well.

Receiving Correction

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:13 “Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.”

That men are born with a crooked bent is a basic premise of scripture. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.”(Psalm 51:5) “The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3) “Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Salvation gives men a new nature and new desires but does not perfect Him into the image of Christ. It is only when He appears that we shall be made perfectly as He is.(I John 3:2) Until then, we never get to the place that we need no correction.
Proverbs 15:10 “Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” This verse tells us that when we grow to hate correction, we are on the wrong path. Correction is needful to all of Adam’s sons. However, even the most spiritual of people have a tendency towards pride like anyone else and particularly if we hold positions of power and are in places where we give answers and are sought out for advice. That may be a king as Solomon says here, or a pastor, or a deacon, or a leader in any capacity. There is nothing more despicable than an “old and foolish king who will no more be admonished.” Or we might say, “an old and foolish pastor who will not be corrected” or “an old and foolish deacon or mother or father who can no longer be corrected”.

It is sad but true that the older we get, the more difficult it is for anyone to reach us with the truth. We get set in our ways and our pride becomes a high wall of conceit, impregnable in many people. So, what can we do to keep ourselves correctable? A. W. Tozer, the wise Alliance preacher wrote an article entitled, “On Receiving Admonition” in which he gave four rules to live by to keep us as a wise child and not as an old, foolish king.
(1) “Don’t defend your church or organization (or your own person) against criticism. If the criticism is false it can do no harm. If it is true then we should set about to do what we can to correct it.” I would simply add to this, that there are times when criticism within an organization can be infectious and when it is within the organization itself, it must be traced to its cause and dealt with one way or another. Solomon was clear on this, “Cast out the scorner and contention shall go out.”(Pro. 22:10) But when criticism is from the outside, it can never destroy us unless we refuse to heed it when it is true.
(2) “Be concerned not with what you have accomplished but with what you might have accomplished if you had followed the Lord completely. It is better for us to say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done our duty.””
(3) “When reproved, pay no attention to the source. Do not ask whether it is a friend or an enemy. Our enemies are many times of much more value than our friends because they are not influenced by sympathy.”
(4) “Keep your heart open to the Lord and be ready to receive correction regardless of who holds the whip. We often reject the counsel of the Lord because we have rejected the messenger by whom the Lord sent the message.” It takes an humble Christian to receive correction from someone they do not like. However God often sends His messages by instruments such as donkeys or roosters or whales.

Minimize Self and Maximize Christ

My son wrote in his blog recently about some things he had learned as a five year old. He would walk with my father, his grandfather. He learned why “pigs” lay in the mud. They are pigs. He was informed that cows would not bite but they might kick.

He observed as a young child that my father never said much about himself. When asked by interested folks, “How are you doing?”  he would answer, “Fine.” Dad never went into detail about himself. This impressed my son. He has applied this to his law business. Don’t talk too much about your success or about yourself.

Here is my point for you today. Not too much talk about what I have done but much talk about what God has done. We need to make much of Christ. The lost and dying and needy world needs to hear about the Savior who came to seek and to save.  Each one of us is to be a chosen vessel used to glorify Him. It is so easy for “me” to get in the way. We are all given the standard in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This New Testament admonition worked then and it will work today.

Putting Him first would solve so many issues in life. John 3:31 tells us that

“He that cometh from above is above all.”

May your life and mine show a definite increase in His importance and a decrease in ours.