How Will We Endure?

I am reading through Jeremiah for my own quiet times and was really struck by this today. So I thought I'd share it with ye all.

Jeremiah 12:1-2

‘Righteous are You, O Lord, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? You have planted them, they have also taken root; they grow, they have even produced fruit.’

Jeremiah complains about the presence of the wicked on the Earth and in the land. He cannot understand why God allows them to remain, to prosper and to cause trouble for the righteous.

Jeremiah’s question is so honest. We have all felt it at some point or another. Why do the wicked prosper? We are far better to ask God honestly, even the hard questions in our hearts than to pretend they don’t exist at all. Verse 3 states ‘But You know me, O Lord; You see me; and You examine my heart’s attitude toward You’. God already knows what we think!

We often feel as though those who are unsaved have an easy time while the Christian must walk through trial after trial. It feels ‘unfair’. Yet who are we to judge fairness? We cannot be impartial. Often what we see as fairness just means ease and comfort for ourselves out of some misguided notion that we deserve something better than we have.

Of course there are wicked people who do all kinds of evil deeds that appear to go unpunished but we are encouraged throughout the word that their advance is temporary and that they will be dealt with appropriately in God’s own timing.

Psalm 1:5-6 states ‘the wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.’

God answers Jeremiah in 12:5
“If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?”

If we cannot endure through times of peace and safety, how will we last when real tribulation comes? If we are tired out and spent by the normal, everyday hardships and workings of this world, how will we cope when the enemy truly rises against us?

As I was meditating on this question, I was reminded of a verse in Judges 3:1-2 which states 'Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).'

According to this verse, God purposely left the ungodly nations to teach this generation of Israel to battle. They had been born into a victorious people, already residing in the Promised Land and they had never known or experienced the battle their fathers had to fight to win that victory. In a sense they were privileged and often the privileged have a way of taking for granted the blessings they have been given.

God knew they needed to know how to fight so that they would not fall when trouble came. He was teaching them, strengthening them, preparing them for the difficult days that lay ahead.

How much more then does the Lord use the world/ungodly to prepare those of us who are facing the end of days?

 Jeremiah 12:5 ‘If you fall down in a land of peace’

The term ‘fall down’, also means ‘trust’ (used here in the negative). If we cannot trust God in the safe country, how will we manage in a time when there is warfare, confusion and danger?

We must allow God to teach us to battle. Unlike the Israelites we are not called to battle against flesh and blood with swords and shields, rather we battle with prayer and intercession and the word of God.

We must learn to battle in our everyday routine so that we will be prepared when the enemy forces rise up against us. Otherwise how will we stand? What hope will we have of victory?

 We must train for battle as rigorously as a soldier prepares for battle. We must prepare daily, physically and spiritually. It is a matter of life and death. God will strengthen us but we must opt in. he cannot deepen us, teach or train us if we will not yield.

Now is the time to trust God and strengthen ourselves in Him so that the ‘horses’ will not overtake us and the dangers hiding in the ‘thickets’ will not overwhelm us.

 Hebrews 12:7,11,12

‘Endure hardship as discipline’ Hardship for the Christian is not without purpose. it is not punishment. God is shaping us for His will and pleasure and training us as His army.

‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’  We may not understand or like what God is doing but it will produce what He intends if we allow Him to work.

‘Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,’ we must strengthen ourselves in Him, we MUST!

As a Christian we have no choice about being in the battle, there is no DMZ (de-militarised zone). We are in. however we do have a choice about whether or not to submit to the training and preparing of the Commander.

 1Peter 5:8 explains ‘Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ Do not willingly put your head in his mouth. Do not be unprepared. Resist him! How? By making yourself strong in the Lord!

Ephesians 6:13 ‘Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.’ We have armour that cannot be pierced. Put it on daily and train for the battle that we might stand!

So I feel encouraged not to look at circumstances, the world or the prosperous wicked around me and lose hope. God is still in control. He will have His way. His kingdom is advancing! Get involved in the fight!

 Brónagh Hayes

LIVING STONES - PRECIOUS STONES

Once while I was going through a hard time, God spoke this teaching to me to encourage my heart. I was reading a book by Watchman Nee that touched on this idea but then the Holy Spirit expanded it to me.

I was reminded of this teaching today at church as Pastor Trevor spoke about the heavenly city that is our eternal home.

1Peter 2:4-5

As you come to him, the living Stone— rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…

Eph 2:22
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

We are living stones. We come in all shapes, sizes and colours but we are all one kind of stone or another. These stones are being built into a dwelling place for the Lord. We, in the Body, are being built together as the dwelling place of the Lord.

God has a purpose and a plan in mind for us as these stones-but what is it?

Rev 21 talks about the New Jerusalem- the city of God, which is our home after this life.

It says the city is made of pure gold - gold represents God who is pure - this is God’s city, the eternal city. This is our hope and our future home.

What struck me about this city though was verse 19-20

‘The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^’

The foundations of this heavenly city are precious stones.

Now I believe that what started out as just stones in Peter have become precious stones in Revelation. But how?

Precious stones are not like gold. Gold is always gold because God made it that way.

Precious stones are not made in one moment, they are formed through countless years of pressure and heat in the earth.

My understanding is that these precious stones tell us of the work of the Holy Spirit in us on the earth. Day after day in all our trials, God is working into us the image of Christ, who Peter tells us is the Precious Stone.

Our trials are not for nothing. God is pressing us and applying heat to us so that we become the precious stone he wants us to be.

Looking at the verses 19-20 in Revelation we see not one but many different precious stones. Different types of precious stones are made by applying different levels of heat and pressure over different periods of time. What the final precious stone looks like will depend on the different pressure and heat applied.

So for us, what we walk through in this life will develop in us the kind of precious stone we will be. God knows what kind of stone he wants us to be to fit into His heavenly dwelling place and He allows us to be squeezed and formed every day until we become that which he has in mind. Our trial is not for nothing!

So I just want to encourage you not to despise the thing that God is doing in your life even through trials because we know that to have the precious stone, we need the fire and pressure! Without the fire and the pressure, there will be no precious stone.

 What the Holy Spirit is forming in us will last forever. Our trials will not last forever but the character formed in us by the trials we face will come with us into eternity and become a precious stone in the New Jerusalem!

 God knows what He is doing and what he is shaping in us. We cannot look at somebody else and covet/despise their life because we don’t know what God has in mind for anyone else. Whenever we see someone in a trial, think what precious stone God is forming in them and encourage them to stay the course because God is at work.

 WE START OUT AS A STONE (AN OLD, BATTERED, GREYISH LUMP OF ROCK), AND END UP AS A PRECIOUS STONE THAT WILL LAST FOREVER IN THE CITY OF GOD!! HOW ENCOURAGING IS THAT?

Be Blessed ;)

Poem - His Hands

HIS HANDS

Hands of the One who flung stars into space
Were eager to reach out in loving embrace
Hands that created the Heavens above
Delighted to touch us with wonderful love

Hands that belonged to our Heavenly King
Surrendered themselves, laid aside everything
Hands that belonged to the Almighty God
Exchanged all their power and entered our world

Hands that had fashioned mankind from His heart
Took on their humanity, Light in the dark
Hands that relinquished all repute for none
Were willing to work as a carpenter’s son

Hands that had written on tablets of stone
Now wrote on the sand where a girl stood alone
Hands once exalted, their Glory complete
Now humbly knelt down and washed everyone’s feet

Hands that were stretched out to pay a great cost
Received for their mercy, the nails on a cross
Hands that had never been tainted by death
Died there, once for all, the requirements met

Hands bound in graveclothes, securely interred
Arose on the third day, Victory declared!
Hands that showed scars of the nails they had borne
Reached out to a doubter and proved He is Lord!

Hands that held Glory before time began
Returned to that Glory at the Father’s right hand
Hands that were tempted and suffered as we
Now stand interceding that man may be free

Hands that are waiting will one day arise
And at the sound of the trumpet, appear in the skies
Hands raised in victory, His triumph revealed
Will gather together the ones He has sealed

Hands that will beckon the saints sanctified
Will present to the Master a beautiful Bride-
Whose hands will cast crowns and with angels exclaim
Worthy, O Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!

Brónagh Hayes 2009

Worship Pt 2

1Chronicles 13-15

The Ark of the Covenant was being taken to Jerusalem and David did not make sure and do it according to the law. He consulted men 1Chron 13:2 but he did not consult the word of God. God has prescribed the way to worship Him correctly within the Law and either out of ignorance or folly, David did not adhere to God’s plan. Ultimately this would lead to the death of Uzzah.

Trying to worship God by means not laid out by Him will always lead to death. If we worship God after our own thoughts, disregarding His pattern, it will not end well for us.

 The day that David decides to bring back the Ark, he gathers a large crowd with lots of commotion and music and singing. It must have been a spectacle. 1Chron 13:5-8

If the people had been interviewed that day and asked what they thought, I’m sure they would have used words to the effect of ‘best experience ever’, ‘such rejoicing in God’s presence’ and yet it was all being done against God’s word.

They decide to move the Ark on a ‘new cart’ under the guidance of Uzzah and Ahio.

They are guilty of thinking there is a ‘new’ and better way to worship than has been done before. Laying aside God’s prescribed method, they plough on with their new way.

We need to be very careful to go to the word and seek for how God desires to be worshipped. It is not our place to supersede His express commands exchanging them for an ‘experience’ that looks and feels good. So much of the Body of Christ has done this to their detriment and it will lead now, just as it led then, to a chastening from God.

 In the midst of all the revelry God showed up, but He was not who the people thought He was. They had forgotten that God is not an ‘experience’ but a holy and righteous God. He had lain out His commands and despite their good intentions; the people had rejected them in favour of their own ways.

We cannot worship God any other way than the way He has commanded. For David and Israel it was according to the Law. For us it is according to ‘Spirit and Truth’. And the truth is that God is Holy and Righteous and Just.

David was supposed to ensure that the priests carried the Ark and that there was sacrificing of animals after every 6 steps that the priests took. This would have been costly. This would have looked and smelled gruesome. This would not be high on the list of crowd-winning moves. I’m not sure why David omitted these things but I know that in his zeal, He offended the Lord.

Sadly many in the Body of Christ also want to remove the blood and the sacrifice from the worship of God. ‘Don’t talk about the Cross; don’t sing about the blood, people will find that gruesome. Let’s focus instead on God’s love for us. That’ll please people and they’ll have a great experience with God.’ But we have no right to approach God without remembering the sacrifice and the blood of Jesus. Without these we have no access to Almighty God.

Sadly so many people nowadays willingly exchange the person and power of God for an ‘experience’ of Him, refusing to worship Him as He desires – in all His holiness and splendour and majesty.

 1Chron 13:11 David was angry and fearful of God after Uzzah died. Confused? Shocked? I’d say so. He leaves the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom and goes back to Jerusalem empty handed.

Empty handed; that is the state of many Christians today who have ‘worshipped’ according to their own plans. There is no life, no fruit, and no power in their lives. They run from ‘experience to experience’ and are always running on empty. They are shocked when God shows up and chastens them as He does.

Surely it cannot be called ‘worship’ when we side-step the desire of God and declare that our method is greater than His. Surely that is a contradiction in itself. Worshipping God is declaring His ‘worth-ship’ and if I decide I know better than God how to worship Him…well that’s not worship, is it? That’s pride and disobedience.

 However, in contrast to the emptiness of David, Obed-Edom and his entire house are blessed because of the Ark of God. For 3 months he had a private audience with Almighty God. It must have been an awesome time for him and his family.

The Scripture tells us that David was fearful of God after Uzzah died and rightly so. Psalm 110:10 tells us that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom’. David went away and took some time to prepare a place for God. 1Chron 15:1

Next time David comes for the Ark, he consults God’s directives and carries them out to a tee.  

David puts on his royal robes to approach the presence of God and in his ephod he designates himself as the priest before the Lord. We too are covered by our royal robes – given to us by Jesus- a holy nation, a royal priesthood. We may approach God at any time. What a privilege we have!

There was a great, godly spectacle this time. This time king David gets it right and there is great worship as the procession brings the Ark to Jerusalem.

There is such a difference in outcome when the command of God is adhered to. He set forth the way to worship Him and only obedience will please God. ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’ 1Sam 15:22. This is not voided in the New Testament. Obedience to God has not been set aside. We are still to obey what God has commanded with regard to worship. We worship Him still according to His desire.

 This time David sacrifices as he should. He engages the priests to carry the Ark as was directed by the Lord. There is no effort to by-pass the express wishes of God and as a result there is great blessing and worship. God is pleased.

 For us on this side of the Cross, God has commanded that we come into His presence covered by the blood of Jesus, understanding the confidence we have in His finished work. If we try to enter by any other means, there will be confusion, strife and even death. Ultimately those who try to enter by any other means are robbers. John 10:1

For those who try to enter based upon their own merit or works, the end is condemnation, doubt, fear and despair. No-one may approach a Holy God by their own merit since ‘all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags’. There is nowhere that we are more convinced of our unworthiness than when approaching the throne room of grace. Thank God for the blood that cleanses me of all unrighteousness. I worship at the invitation and the provision of God. He alone makes it possible for me to enter into His presence.

 Lord save us from trying to open a ‘new’ way. Help us to return to your word and discern how you desire to be worshipped. Only then will our worship be a sweet smelling aroma to you.

 Obed-Edom follows the Ark to Jerusalem, where he is chosen by David to be a worshipper and doorkeeper in the tabernacle of God. 1Chron 15:18,24

I like to think that after having such intimate fellowship with the Lord while the Ark remained in his home, anything less than the abiding presence of God would never satisfy Obed-Edom. He had tasted and seen that the Lord is good and he wanted to spend his life in service to his Lord.

I can just hear Obed-Edom singing along with the sons of Korah: ‘How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God…For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness... O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!’ Psalm 84

Oh let us not settle for anything other than the genuine, life-altering, abiding presence of God! Let us not swap true intimacy with the Lord for a short-lived, powerless hype. Let us come before Him with humble hearts, giving Him our very best worship because He is worthy!

Lord, teach us to worship you in spirit and in truth, to glorify you as you deserve and to live as those who love your name!