The Lord of Hosts is With Us

   In a season of uncertainty and fear there is one truth we need to be reminded of often.  God is still God he is in control.  The Bible is filled with examples of this truth from creation to consummation, from the Garden to Job to Jeremiah on to Peter and Paul, through Roman rule, dark ages, the reformation, and today.  God is still God and he is still in control.  If you feel like things don't make sense, like life is spiraling out of control, like God has forgotten you here is a Psalm for you.  Read it a few times and truly be still and know that he is God.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear though the

earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its

swelling.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad

the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be

moved:

God will help her when morning dawns.

6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the

earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the

spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Things to think about:

• If God is our refuge, doesn't that assume there will be trouble and strife?  God knows these lives we live will be filled with enemies (foreign and domestic) that attack us and threaten us.  But, He is our refuge.  Run to him today, he is waiting for you.
• I challenge you to make a list of all the things going "wrong" in your life and the dangers you face.  How do they stack up against what is mentioned in this Psalm?  Mountains thrown into the sea?  Oceans roaring?  The earth falling away?  If the earth fell away where would you live?  Where would your kids go to school?  Though the world would fall apart God is still our refuge!
• Verses 6 and 11 both have this phrase, "The LORD of hosts is with us."  Why do you think it is the only thing repeated?
• Do you think there are times when God allows difficulty and danger so that we would stop, be still, and look to him as our refuge so that he would get the glory and we would be truly protected?  I do.  Is now one of those times?  Perhaps, but whether it is or is not, let us go to him and trust his strength to protect and rescue.  May God be your refuge today!  
• For a song version of this Psalm Shane and Shane have an excellent version.  Click this link to watch and enjoy.  https://youtu.be/PKs_gQecaDY  

Steadfast Love of the Lord

 
          When you think of consistency or a guarantee what comes to mind?  What is a sure thing in your life?  There isn't much in life that is truly faithful and consistent.  So much changes around us, and in us that we could almost define life by that one word, change.  But, not everything changes.  There are some things that are steadfast.  We don't usually use the term steadfast, but it is a great term.  It comes from a couple Old English words "stede" which meant "place" and "feost" which meant "firmly fixed" so putting them together it was standing firmly fixed in a single place.  Standing your ground.  Not giving up.  Not changing.  Remaining faithful.  All these ideas wrapped up into one word, steadfast.  In the Old Testament the term steadfast appears a few hundred times and in almost every context it is coupled with one other word; love.  The steadfast love of the Lord.  If there was ever a thing that is consistent, that stands the test of time, never changes, and is firmly fixed, it would be the steadfast love of the Lord.  Today, I want you to read Psalm 107 with me and notice how the steadfast love of the Lord is explained and praised!  Let's take a look:

Psalm 107

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

whom he has redeemed from trouble

3 and gathered in from the lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south. 

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,

finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5 hungry and thirsty,

their soul fainted within them.

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way

till they reached a city to dwell in.

8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

9 For he satisfies the longing soul,

and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

prisoners in affliction and in irons,

11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,

and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;

they fell down, with none to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

and burst their bonds apart.

15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

16 For he shatters the doors of bronze

and cuts in two the bars of iron. 

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,

and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;

18 they loathed any kind of food,

and they drew near to the gates of death.

19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,

and delivered them from their destruction.

21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,

doing business on the great waters;

24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,

his wondrous works in the deep.

25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,

which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;

their courage melted away in their evil plight;

27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men

and were at their wits' end.

28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

29 He made the storm be still,

and the waves of the sea were hushed.

30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,

and he brought them to their desired haven.

31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,

and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 

33 He turns rivers into a desert,

springs of water into thirsty ground,

34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,

because of the evil of its inhabitants.

35 He turns a desert into pools of water,

a parched land into springs of water.

36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,

and they establish a city to live in;

37 they sow fields and plant vineyards

and get a fruitful yield.

38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,

and he does not let their livestock diminish. 

39 When they are diminished and brought low

through oppression, evil, and sorrow,

40 he pours contempt on princes

and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction

and makes their families like flocks.

42 The upright see it and are glad,

and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;

let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

 Things to think about:

• Notice the repetition in that first verse.  The steadfast love endures forever.  How much more could the author have said about the love of the Lord never changing, never fading, remaining faithful?  This love of the Lord, which is steadfast also endures forever.  Yep, doesn't get more reliable than that!
• From this Psalm what are you commanded to do?  You are supposed to say something...what?  See verse 2 for a hint.  :)
• Throughout this Psalm the author gives different examples of how in every circumstance the love of the Lord remained steadfast.  Whether in a desert, at sea, in trouble, or in peace the love of the Lord was always consistent.  Think about that in your own life.  No matter where you are, what is going on, or how you feel, the steadfast love of the Lord toward you has never changed.  Praise God!
• Besides the task of shouting out the steadfast love of the Lord we are also told to thank God for that same love.  Spend a little time today, regardless of the circumstances around you, thanking God!  He can always be thanked for his steadfast love!

Have a great day!  God bless.

I want to be beautiful

   I want to be beautiful.  That may sound like a strange statement, especially coming from me, a middle aged slightly overweight pastor who spends more time putting his shoes on than he does "getting ready" in the morning.  :)  Let me explain.  Have you ever heard of the saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder?"  Usually this expression is used to describe a loving couple who sees each other as handsome or beautiful...but they are the only ones that see that.  Or, it could be used for things in nature like the desert where one person sees great beauty in the colors and shapes of the desert and another person sees a brown landscape of death.  But, is this expression correct?  What is beautiful?  How would we know?  I was reading a book entitled Expository Exultation by John Piper yesterday and he had this definition for beauty that I just can't seem to get out of my mind. 
  "If God reveals that something is ultimately fitting, he has said the most ultimate thing he can say: it fits with his nature and his ways.  Given the way he is and the way he has designed the universe, this fits perfectly.  It is beautiful.  That is what beauty is - the quality of being in perfect harmony with the way God is."
  Think about that for a moment.  If beauty is being in perfect harmony with the way God is, then I want to be beautiful.  I want my life, my attitude, my desires, my passions all to fit in with the way God is.  I don't want to exchange the beauty of God for something less than, something small, something ugly.  But, sadly, this is far too often what I choose.  I choose the ugly over the beautiful, the broken over the perfect.  This is not just a me problem, but something we have been struggling with since the beginning.  Here are a few Bible passages that highlight this exchange of what is right, fitting, good for that which is not.   

When the Israelites were rejecting God before the invasion of Babylon Jeremiah called them out for this sinful exchange...notice how the heavens are called in as witnesses against them.

Jeremiah 2:11-13
  "Has a nation changed its gods,
  even though they are no gods?
  But my people have changed their glory
  for that which does not profit.
  Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
  be shocked, be utterly desolate,
                       declares the LORD,
  for my people have committed two evils
  they have forsaken me,
  the fountain of living waters,
  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
  broken cisterns that can hold no water."

The apostle Paul spoke about this great exchange in his letter to the Romans as he described how humanity had stumbled into sin.

Romans 1:21-23
 "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."

Finally, at the end we see all that is corrupt, broken, and ugly dissolve and God makes all things new, all things beautiful, all things fit the way they were designed to fit.  Here is a glimpse of that day.

Revelation 22:1-5
  "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  And night will be no more.  They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

Things to think about:

• Notice in the Revelation passage how God is present and radiating life, and when we worship him and step into his presence we will have his "name" written on our heads radiating his glory out to the world.  This is fitting, this is beautiful, this is what I want to do now.  I don't want to  just wait until that day.  I want to radiate the life and glory of the Lord out to the nations so they can see God's goodness in me.  That is beautiful!
• How often do we exchange the beauty of the Lord for something that is far less attractive?  Every day?  Why do we do that?  
• In Jeremiah we are said to have committed two evils?  What are the two evils?  Why is that worse?
• Although most of us don't worship bugs or birds like Paul said in Romans, what do we worship that substitutes something for God?  
• My prayer is that we would all be beautiful!  May we fit into the design of God, the plan of God, the nature of God, the will of God, and the glory of God. The only way to become beautiful is to believe in the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ and his fitting death on the cross, possibly the most beautiful moment that has ever existed.  God perfectly bringing together justice and mercy, love and judgment, grace and suffering, unity and separation.  Let me conclude our time with this final beautiful passage from Romans 3:23-26:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  

Share the Burden Grow the Blessing

     Do you ever feel hesitant to share your problems with others?  You don't want to be the one to complain.  You don't want people to see your weakness?  You have to walk in confidence and strength.  Right?  As Christians, shouldn't we just trust God and move forward?  Should believers ever feel desperate, despondent, scared, afraid, and alone?  Doesn't that show a lack of faith?  Well, I was reading 2 Corinthians this morning and the book starts with a pretty honest look at how the Apostle Paul felt about being open and weak.  He was humble enough to share the burden he carried.  When he shared the burden he had faith that the blessings would grow.  Let's read this comforting passage and my prayer is that we would be there for one another to share the burdens and increase our blessings!

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

    3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  5For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.  6If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.  7Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
   8For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.  For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.  But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  10He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.  11You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Things to think about:

• According to this passage from where does all comfort come?  Do you see that in your life?  Are you open to the comfort that God gives? 
• When we receive this comfort from the Lord what is the next step we are supposed to take?  Look at veres 4...what follows the "so that..."
• Are you known as a comforter?  Who could you provide a little comfort to today?  Take a moment and make that phone call, send that email, give that hug.  May we be people that receive the comfort from the Lord and then transfer it on to others.
• Verses 8-11 are fascinating to me.  Paul doesn't want the church in Corinth to be ignorant of the suffering that Paul and his companions were enduring while in Asia.  He wanted to share the burden with them.  If anyone could have put on a brave face and showed courage it would be the apostle Paul.  He was imprisoned, beaten, mocked, threatened, and yet he kept pushing forward.  But, Paul doesn't want us to get the wrong impression.  He kept going, but he still felt "utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself."  In our walk with the Lord there will be times when we despair of life itself, but keep moving forward.  Keep trusting in the Lord.  Keep sharing the burden with your brothers and sisters in Christ.  
• When we share the burden like Paul we invite others to pray so that when our prayers are answered more people will share the blessing!  Have you ever experienced that?  A care group or church all prays for something and God answers in a major way, there are more people to rejoice and praise God!  There are more people as witnesses of God's power.  More people that learned a lesson of faith.  Perhaps God has given you a burden for the specific reason of you sharing that burden to others could pray, join in your suffering, and all learn to grow in faith.  
• May we be people that share our burdens, pray for one another, share in comfort, and rejoice in the Lord working!  

God Bless