Are You Standing…or Sitting?

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Thru eternal ages let His praises ring;
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God…

Written in the late 1800’s this old hymn reminds us of where we should be standing in life.  The encouragement from this song (in verse one) is to stand with God throughout time, for our whole lifetime in praise to God.  So let’s continue looking at the other three verses;

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God…

How will you handle the ‘storms of doubt’ that come into your life?  We’re reminded by R. Kelso Carter, author and composer, that we can handle (prevail over) the storms of doubt and fear by reading, trusting and following the word of God.  Actually the word prevail, by definition, means to ‘gain ascendancy through strength’…by the word of God.  Now that should make us stop and think about the amount of time we actually spend in God’s word!

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God…

Do you consider yourself ‘bound’ together with Christ?  The statement, ‘to be bound’ infers slavery…do you see yourself as a slave?  Consider the text, “…but now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22  Too often we don’t want to see ourselves as ‘bound’ to anything.  But the facts are clear.  You are either a slave to sin, which leads to eternal death, or a slave to God which leads to eternal life.  (Romans 6:15-23) I think it’s interesting that we, as bond servants to God, have been equipped with tools of war…the Spirit’s sword.

Standing on the promises that cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God…

Do you listen to God’s instruction?  How do you take your ‘marching orders’ in this life?  As a child of God who is ‘standing on His promises’, we can rest in knowing that His has promised and is calling us to follow and serve…to stand with Him.  But you have to ask yourself a simple question when it comes to this old hymn;  Are you standing on the promise that God gives us?  Are you overcoming daily?  Will you be bound to Him forever?  Are you listening to Him ‘every moment’?  Unfortunately many have said, “Yes, I’m standing on the promises”, but they miss the reminder from this hymn that there is more to living for God than just standing.  Perhaps too many of us are sitting on the premises rather than standing on the promises.

Let’s do more than just stand up, let’s get to work!

Who Is Leading You?

When things don’t go the way you would like for them to, or the way you had planned, what is your response?  Do you accept things as they are or do you complain and wish for different circumstances?  In 1820 a family was blessed with a little baby girl.  But in the early months of her life she caught a cold that caused an inflammation in her eyes.  Her doctor, in an attempt to treat the sickness, applied a salve (mustard poultices) to her eyes to draw out the infection.  The cold and infection eventually left, but because of the hot poultice, so did the babies eyesight.  If you know the story of this historical hymn writer, you know this baby as Fanny J. Crosby.  Her hymn writing is legendary.

When Fanny J. Crosby wrote the old hymn, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”, she was expressing her own sentiments of living a life with God as her guide.  Read this hymn and take note of the references she makes to being guided…

“All the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt the tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me, cheers each winding path I tread.
Gives me grace through every trial, feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps my falter, and my soul a thirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me, Low! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me, Low! a spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me O, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised in my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal, wings it’s flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages: Jesus lead my all the way;
This my song through endless ages: Jesus lead my all the way.”

So let me ask you again…when things don’t go the way you want them to, what is your response?  Too often we not only get upset, but we find our day becomes dampened, depressed and despondent.  Some will even blame God for their misfortune or streak of ‘bad luck’.  Even as death plagues your family, who is leading your thoughts?  Consider what Miss Crosby said later in her life about the her blindness; “…it was the best thing that could have happened to me…”  She continued, “How in the world could I have lived such a helpful life had I not been blinded.”  On another occasion she is quoted as saying, “Don’t blame the doctor; he is probably dead by this time.  But if I could meet him, I would tell him that he unwittingly did me the greatest favor in the world.”

When (not if) things ‘go south’ in your life; will you ‘give up’, ‘give in’ and blame someone else, or will you seek guidance?  If we truly trust in God; if we truly seek His favor and if we will sincerely honor our calling we’ll know the answer to the question…Who is leading your life?

Lost? It May Be Time To Go Home!

Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is calling.
Calling for you and for me…
See on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come Home, you who are weary…come home.
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling, ‘O sinner, come home.’

If you read the last post you might think this is a follow up…it is, sort of, but I really just wanted you to think about Heaven as your Home.  If that wasn’t clear enough earlier, please let me reiterate the idea that you have a Father who desires your company.  Better put, God wants each of us to return home!  All of us have been separated from His side at one time or another.  (Romans 3:23) While there are many striving to live a life that is close to His heart, unfortunately there are far too many who don’t even realize they’re lost.

Why is that so many fail to see the comforts of being in the presence of God?  The world (Satan) has deceived many of your friends and family into believing they are on our own and that’s OK.  Without any hope or comfort (except in themselves) and the only thing to do is ‘take care of #1.’  That is sad condition and I shutter when I think how many have bought into this lie.  It might be your son, or you father.  Maybe your brother has turned away from what he knew was right on to follow a deceptive, dead end.  When was the last time you called them to see if they would ‘come home?’  Have you called them lately and ask if they think of home?  Many times we don’t because we don’t want rejection.  Ignore the obvious and continue with business as usual.

But I wonder if sometimes we don’t make that call, because they might actually want to come home.  And quite honestly, we don’t know how to receive them back.  Jesus would (He does) not only receive the lost ones, He’s actually seeking them.  (Oh yes, the prodigal son’s father ran to meet him because he saw him  when, “…he was still a long way off…”, Luke 15:20.)  If only we had the same desire as the Father, to not only be looking for those who want to return, but to seek those who are lost (the coin and the lamb wasn’t looking to go home, they were just flat out lost.  (Luke 15:4-10)

There are many who are lost and don’t even know it.  Some of them might be sitting next to you on Sunday morning.  Could that be true?  Would a ‘Sunday morning church goer’ still be lost and not know it?  Just like the lonely sinner who sits on the other side of the world waiting for someone to ‘bring him home’.  Let’s be more diligent about talking to each other about going home…

Homesick…But Are You ‘Weary’?

Have you ever been homesick?  This is best described as a time when you were away from the comfort and secure of what you know and love.  During the months when a child goes to summer camp, ask them what it means to be homesick.  In the lonely winter months before his Thanksgiving break, a college freshman might be feeling a bit homesick.  Even that dream vacation can be tiresome after too many days away.  Why?  Maybe it’s the fact we miss the comfort of our own bed.  Or maybe it’s the home cooked meal that we’re missing.  Perhaps we just miss sitting together as a family and talking (do families still sit together and talk?)  To be sure we all have experienced a time when we were ‘sick of being away from home’.  At one time or another each of us have been homesick.

But ask yourself, ‘Am I really homesick?’  Do you long to be home or have you been away so long that you’ve grown comfortable with where you are and don’t think much about your home?  I’m reminded of a young man who was tried of the family and decided to pack his bags and leave home.  He enjoyed his vacation and even when he lost his new found friends, he still refused to go home.  He was alone, lost all the comforts and security he once knew, but he wasn’t ready to ‘go home.’  His ‘vacation’ turned to misery and the comforts of home were just a memory…but notice this, he remembered where home was.  Luke 15:11-32 details this young man and his return home.  We often refer to this story as “The Prodigal Son”.  He finally got the point he wanted to go home.  And you know who was waiting and watching for his return…

This Biblical account reminds me of the old invitation song, “God is Call the Prodigal”.  It’s a song that calls the listener to come back to God.  One who has left what he knew and “…wandered so far from His presence,”.  We know what it means to the parent whose child has ‘forgotten’ his/her way home, but do we realize the application for ourselves?  Are we really weary of this world and longing to be ‘home’?  Look again at these verses from this old spiritual song…

“God is calling the prodigal; come without delay; Hear, O hear Him calling, calling now for thee.  Tho’ you’ve wandered so far from His presence, come today; Hear His loving voice calling still…”

“Patient, loving, and tenderly still the Father pleads; Hear, O hear Him calling, calling now for thee.  O return while the Spirit in mercy intercedes; Hear His loving voice calling still…”

“Come, there’s bread in the house of the Father, and to spare; Hear, O hear Him calling, calling now for thee.  Lo!  The table is spread and the feast is waiting there; Hear His loving voice calling still…Calling now for thee, O weary prodigal come.”

It’s true that each of us at some time or another have been homesick and wished we could go home.  But unfortunately many, unlike the prodigal son, are simply refusing to go home.  Sitting in the darkness of the world, refusing to admit that life isn’t what they want it to be, too many have decided that they’re not homesick enough to go home.  My prayer is that we will never become comfortable living in this foreign land.  You might be feeling homesick, but the prodigal son had determined that he was weary.  You might be homesick but you won’t go home…until you’ve grown weary of this world.

Passionate Worship…

How do we know if we are passionate worshipers or if we worship from routine? Is there a way to determine the sincerity of my worship, or is it deep within my soul and only I know whether my worship to God is passionate or not. If we are going to be passionate worshipers for Christ and demonstrate lives that bring glory to God, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. With the scripture as our foundation, let’s consider how we can sing songs of praise that will not only encourage (admonish) one another, but be pleasing in the sight of our God.

As we build a stronger heart for worship, we must first be ‘strengthened with power’, ‘according to the power that works within us.’ Ephesians 3:16, 20. When we desire a fuller understanding of the importance of worship within our lives, we find that the outward display of worship must be derived from deep within our lives. Giving God the leftover pieces of our hearts is as worthy as giving our spouse a kiss after returning from a love affair. Too many ‘worshipers’ give God what they scrape from the surface of their hearts, rather than the depths of their lives.

But what does it mean to ‘give God the depths of your heart?’ It’s actually an easy concept; to give God your heart…or is it? Perhaps it’s more difficult than we might think. The concept of giving God something that is already His is easy. But can I just say ‘my heart belongs to God’ or is there more to it? A closer look at Romans 8 tells us how God should impact the depths of our lives, “However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

When we let the Spirit control every aspect of our lives, you find your behavior is different from the world. When God has your heart, your words and actions are unique to godliness. The movies you watch and the jokes you tell (or listen to) are separate from others around you and reflect a Spirit of Christ rather than the world. Ask yourself this simple question, “Is Christ a permanent part of my life, or do I treat Him like a temporary guest?” Galatians 2:20 (a youth camp song from 30 plus years ago) could be your baseline; ‘I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’

So how do you know if your worship is passionate or if it’s routine…perhaps even rehearsed? Christ tells us how we determine if someone is genuine or putting on front when He warns about ‘false prophets’ in Matthew 7. His warning is directed toward false teachers, but it can help us understand the heart as well; “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits…every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” When we are baptized into Christ and walk the life of a Christian, we come closer to sincere, passionate worship. But realize, it’s not a one and done deal. I must constantly work on keeping my heart right with God. Just because I KNOW what to do, doesn’t mean I’ll always do it. We can have more passion in our worship if we are willing to give Him more than just a song. When we allow the Spirit to dwell in our lives, and live daily for Christ…we’ll begin to understand how we can have passion in our worship!

He Could Have…But He Didn’t

Undoubtedly you have sung this song as you prepared your mind for communion.  The song that begins… “They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed.  They lead Him through the streets in shame.  They spat upon the Savior, so pure and free from sin; they said, ‘Crucify Him,’ He’s to blame.”

The author, Ray Overholt, wrote this song in 1959, and he found his inspiration in the scriptures, Matthew 26:52, 53.  As the soldier’s came in to arrest Christ in the garden He spoke to His disciples and said, ‘Put your sword back into its place…’.  As you read the text you will see that one of the disciples was willing to stand up and fight for the Master.  Peter wasn’t going down without fighting, and in his resolve, he attempted to take off the head of the slave of the high priest.  But the life of the slave, Malchus, was spared (and perhaps changed) as Peter was only able to cut off his ear.  But Jesus is true to form and after telling Peter to put away his sword gives this admonition; “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

For just a minute think about what Jesus said, “…He (God) will at once put at My (Jesus) disposal more than twelve legions of angels…”.  Did you pick up on that number; twelve legions of angels!  How many angels are we actually talking about?  By definition, a Roman legion would total 6,000 troops.  So consider the math within Christ’s statement; twelve legions is 12 x 6,000.  It doesn’t take much to realize Christ was saying to His disciples (you have to know the Roman soldiers were listening too) that He had an army that totaled MORE than 72,000 troops.  Perhaps a more fitting title for this song (instead of Ten Thousand Angels) would have been, Seventy-two Thousand Angels.  Christ had at His command a Holy army that could have obliterated mankind.  It’s clear to me that the chorus of this song rings true; “…to destroy the world and set Him free.”

But as we consider the vastness of this angelic army, let’s look at an Old Testament account concerning God’s ‘angels in battle.’  In II Samuel chapter 24:1-17, David calls for a census of God’s people.  After the ‘count is taken’, which doesn’t please God, David feels remorse and repents saying;  “I have sinned greatly in what I have done.  But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”  God gives David a choice in his punishment (an interesting study in and of itself) and David chooses three days of pestilence.  The anger of the Lord was demonstrated when He sent a pestilence (an angel) to destroy 70,000 men from among the people; ‘from Dan to Beersheba’.  Did you follow that account?  If ONE angel could destroy 70,000 men; how many men would have fallen if Christ had called “12 legions” of angels?  Some historians estimated that the combined eastern and western Roman Empire during AD 300-400 include no more than 50–60 million people.  (In case you didn’t receive your degree in Mathematics…the fatality number, had Christ called 12 legions of angels, would have been over 5 Billion!)

We must never forget the basis behind this historical account in Matthew 26.  Christ could have walked away from Golgotha’s hill.  He didn’t need a man wielding a sword cutting slaves up one ear at a time.  Christ, the King of Kings, could have saved Himself the insult of soldier’s slapping Him and spitting in His face.  He could have called in the reserves and laid waste to millions, even billions, of human life with His mighty, angelic army. Why didn’t He?  What kept Him from taking mankind out?  To me, the answer is found in the chorus of the song Ten Thousand Angels.  Sing it again and remember why; “…but He died alone, for you and me.”

He Could Have Called THOUSANDS of angels…He could have, but He didn’t.